People think celebrities have boatloads of money. They live in luxurious mansions, their butlers have butlers, they have gold-lined swimming pools and every meal they eat costs around $5000.
People think the lavish lifestyles that the press talk about or what they see on social media is completely real. And for some celebrities, they’re right. They live extremely wealthy lifestyles that most people cannot even compare to. Regular people can only hope to one day have as much money as a celebrity.
But for certain celebrities, the exact opposite is true. Yes, they make so much money that they could fill a few swimming pools. Yes, they have private jets and boats and helicopters. But they also live a rather frugal lifestyle. Some put their money into a savings account and only use what they absolutely have to in order to survive.
And some of these celebrities you might have never guessed were actually quite cheap.
Here’s a list of celebrities that you didn’t know were cheap.
Christian Bale
Christian Bale is recognizable for a lot of things. He was the 2000s Batman for crying out loud!
But what people don’t know about him is that he’s pretty darn cheap. For the longest time, instead of hanging out at high-profile mansions, he instead lived in a one-room apartment with his family. Talk about being close-knit.
He would come home from his daily activities of being a beloved actor in sharing his home space with his family. He also didn’t have a cell phone either and was cut off from the internet and everything. Imagine living like that now!
Wealth just doesn’t apply when you think about Christian Bale. “Wealth doesn’t mean anything to me,” said Bale in an interview. “If a robber broke into my house, he’d burst into tears.” That’s a sad image to imagine! A robber believes he’s going to steal a large amount of cash. He breaks in through the window, getting ready to grab some marble statues. But instead, he finds nothing.
That’s got to hurt!
Kristen Bell
Princess Anna herself, one-half of Disney’s Frozen darlings, has an estimated net worth of $16 million and could be living large with Dax Shepard and her kids.
But instead, she lives a pretty cheap lifestyle. Instead of cashing out on some designer dresses or having designers vie for her attention, Kristen Bell keeps her choices small.
She buys clothes from budget clothing stores, and allegedly, she once wore a $45 dress from Target to a red-carpet event. I guess it just goes to show that even when you make so much money you wouldn’t know what to do with, you can still survive on clothing from Target.
Other ways that Bell lives a frugal lifestyle is having a $142 wedding (and yes, we are not referring to a wedding dress, but to a whole wedding ceremony!) to Dax Shepard. The duo has not denied that they try their hardest to inspire frugal spending on their daughters and try their best to rub on to their children their good habits of saving.
They do so by second hand shopping when it comes to clothes, making the family feel just like everybody else. T
he couple also launched an affordable line of baby products after realizing just how costly kids could be.
Jennifer Garner
The former Elektra star has been through the wringer the past couple of years.
But the now-single superstar and mom continues to shine in how cost-effective she lives her life. Back when she and Ben Affleck were together, the two barely dabbled in their million-dollar incomes.
Instead, the two chose to cut the middle man out of their lives and forewent having any personal caregivers, as they preferred doing their shopping themselves and were often spotted at grocery stores.
Now that she’s on her own Garner continues that trend as she teachers her kids to be just like her.
What is more, she is very open with her love of sweatpants and rocks casual and comfortable clothes round the clock, just like many mothers.
Tyra Banks
America’s Next Top Model host has come a long way. Starting out on her own and slowly making her way up the ranks seem to have taught her how to live her life cheaply.
The supermodel doesn’t bother hiring the most expensive workers or buying the richest of items. Back when she was just starting out with her TV show, Tyra Banks was appalled by just how badly the main studio and offices had been decorated, as the furniture was too old and it didn’t go with each other.
Instead of having the entire building refurbished and replacing all the furniture, she instead put on a new coat of paint and made it look brand new.
Banks is also known for being very frugal when it comes to her home life. She hasn’t been afraid to acknowledge that she steals the little bottles of shampoo from hotels.
She knows that shampoo can add up to a lot, so copping a few bottles of shampoo from where she’s staying can really decrease the bill.
She’s definitely a role model!
Warren Buffett
American businessman Warren Buffett, may be a grant philanthropist but is allegedly a notoriously frugal man. The business magnate once said at his annual shareholder’s meeting in 2014 that his “life couldn’t be happier.” “In fact, it’d be worse if I had six or eight houses,” said Buffett. “So, I have everything I need to have, and I don’t need any more.”
Buffett might be worth around $80 billion, but he’s continued to drive the same Cadillac that he’s owned since forever and continues living in the same house for over 60 years now.
Other frugal activities include spending less than $3.17 on his breakfast, as he has established the tradition of making a stop at McDonald’s and orders his usual meal, every day, on his way to work.
He also doesn’t bother with a computer or a phone and has actually only sent just one email in his life.
Talk about a cheapskate!
Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany Haddish might be new to the Hollywood scene, but she isn’t letting that get to her head and she definitely hasn’t let the concept of having a bunch of money mess up her values.
Haddish used to be homeless, so she believes in long-term financial planning and she isn’t afraid to buy cheap and live cheap.
In a 2017 interview with People, the Girls Trip actress described how her homelessness has greatly impacted the way she views money and expenditure. “I’m probably going to be cheap with my money for a long time,” said Haddish.
The actress who could drive any car her heart desired, has once again made another frugal car choice, as she drives a very humble Honda HR-V.
She doesn’t worry about having designer clothes or accessories and admits that she would never splurge on designer bags or designer clothing.
Her theory includes: Bags and purses are only good enough if they work, and that is how she chooses to roll. Indeed, the Night School actress is actually a very proud owner of a fake Michael Kors purse!
Although she now has some expensive bags, she admits to not buying any of them, on the contrary, all her designer bags come from friends’ gifts. If only my friends would give me a Givenchy or Fendi bag!
Haddish, without a shred of doubt, does not care for wealth.
Lady Gaga
The award-winning actress may have just won an Oscar, but that hasn’t stopped her from being cheap. She’s admitted that she always buys from the sale racks when shopping and also keeps a collection of coupons ready in case she needs it.
In a 2012 tweet she had asked why people give her strange looks when she uses a coupon. “IM FROM NEW YORK WHERE IS THE SALE RACK,” it said.
It’s honestly no surprise that Gaga handles money the way she does. Back in 2011, she went bankrupt after The Monster Ball concert and was allegedly in a $3 million debt.
Luckily, she managed to get out of the red, but since then, money doesn’t have the same value to her. In an interview with the FT, she summed up her ideals. “It’s honestly true that money means nothing to me,” said Gaga.
Halle Berry
The Oscar winner doesn’t take her money for granted due to her upbringing. The daughter of a single mom, Berry grew up learning how to save and lead on an affordable life.
Similar to Lady Gaga, Berry is often seen going through sale racks for her clothing. She has been known to view money with care.
The James Bond girl was not afraid denying her cheap ways and in an interview, she once said: “I am pretty frugal,” “I save a lot because I’m always worried about when this trip is going to stop.”
It doesn’t seem like Berry is going to be wanting for money anytime soon. She’s dedicated her life to being frugal and saving for the future. She wants to ensure that when she’s retired, she won’t have to worry about affording necessities, making Berry a true planner.
Hilary Swank
Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank also understands the value of money. Even though her net worth is millions of dollars, she doesn’t let it get to her head. Swank grew up in a trailer park, so she knows how to live frugally.
She would often clip coupons in order to save on necessities. And that habit has not died, yet she continues to do so into her adult life. In an interview with Kelly Ripa, she explained why she enjoys coupon clipping so much. “When you open up the paper and you see those coupons, it looks [like] dollar bills staring you in the face,” said Swank. “It’s how I grew up. Why not?”
Why not indeed!
Swank wants to make sure that she doesn’t miss out on those savings, even though she could easily afford the extra cash.
Her choices as a millionaire just go to show that how and where you grew up can really influence you.
But still, who would have thought that Hilary Swank still had trailer park tendencies in her?
Vincent Kartheiser
Mad Men may have put a million dollars in the bank for him, but Vincent Kartheiser certainly doesn’t act like it.
He doesn’t touch his money often and he isn’t the kind of person that would go on and splurge on things he likes. Instead of living in a mansion like other known celebrities, Kartheiser actually lives in a one-bedroom apartment. Waste not, want not!
He also refuses to have a high-profile, nor a car that could possibly worth more than your house! On the contrary, he actually chooses to travel by public transportation.
Kartheiser seems to have removed many of the “pluses” of being rich from his life. And it hasn’t impacted him much.
Kartheiser tries not to have excess wastes. And he takes it to an even further step by reducing the already meagre wastes he does have. To recycle, he gives goods he doesn’t use to charity.
Not only is he not wasteful, but he helps others who need it. A real hero indeed!
Leonardo DiCaprio
Honestly, this wasn’t surprising. Leonardo DiCaprio has always been vocal and all about helping the environment.
That means reducing his own wastes as much as possible and using public transport as much as possible. He doesn’t use private jets often, instead, he prefers flying commercial with the common masses. That’s to both save money and decrease emissions.
As well as mingling with the common folks, DiCaprio puts most of his wealth towards charitable organizations. He loves the Earth, so giving his money to causes that will help save it is his main goal.
Therefore, it’s no wonder that he practices frugal living. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have enough money to donate to organizations.
If he can protect the environment, then DiCaprio is fine driving his Toyota Prius around!
Definitely all for the right reasons!
Keanu Reeves
Most famous for his role in The Matrix series, Keanu Reeves doesn’t live the high life like most think he does.
He’s actually one of the most frugal celebrities around. When he made around $144 million from The Matrix franchise, he donated $80 million of that to good causes. To him, fortune should be shared among others, not hoarded by one. He may have used the remaining money to support himself, but it was through the modest of living.
Similar to other celebrities covered on this list, Reeves chooses practicality over abundance of goods. He drives a Honda and sleeps in an apartment.
According to him, there’s no reason for the extra space as he doesn’t know what he would do with it either. Other cheap acts of his are riding the subway and munching on sandwiches.
We say, much better that than escargot!
Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley is worth around $60 million but she certainly doesn’t show it. She sets herself a monthly budget to live on and has to make the tough decisions if she wants to go over it.
In 2014, Glamour magazine reported that she survives on $50000 per year, although she later debunked that rumour.
According to The Pirates Of The Caribbean star, Knightley wants to be treated just like everyone else, which is why she doesn’t show off her money.
She believes that by living an expensive lifestyle, others who don’t share that way of living won’t want to be around her.
So by being cheap, she’ll be able to be around the people she cares about.