THE world’s most frugal man who rummages bins for food and hoards rubbish is a secret millionaire with nine properties.
German pensioner Heinz B, 80, may look like a needy homeless man but his seven houses, two apartments and bulging bank account say otherwise.
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In fact, Heinz, from Darmstadt in southwest Germany, actually only has €15 (£12) left in his savings account.
But that’s only because he just withdrew €700,000 (£596,000) in cash to pay for his tenth home.
Another €100,000 (£85,000) was also invested as a fixed-term deposit at another bank, “otherwise there will be no more interest!”, he told Bild.
The electrical engineer gets by on a pension of €3,600 (£3,068) from his previous job as a senior official at the telecommunications office, as well as another pension of €156 (£132).
His only luxuries are internet connection and a laptop – a cell phone is off the cards as it would cost him an extra €10 (£8) a month.
Heinz B saves most of his money on food, claiming he doesn’t even spend €5 (£4) a month.
He admitted: “I live frugally, that’s how I grew up!”
Heinz added: “Maybe [I’ll] buy some oil for frying or something if it runs out. But I find most of the food in the trash.
“People are wasteful and throw away so much that you could feed a whole family!
“For example, people buy a pack of sausages, eat one and then simply throw the rest in the bin.”
Heinz is also helped out by his neighbours, who have been hanging their discarded and expired food on his fence.
In return, the millionaire gifts them well-preserved items from the hoard of waste in his garden.
Heinz likes to collect everything he can from wherever he can – but only if he can fit it on his old bike, however, which he rides everywhere.
And that also influences where he buys his properties, with Heinz preferring to buy houses that he can reach by bike.
Heinz claims he puts all his money into real estate because “they have the lowest loss of inflation”, yet the majority of his homes are empty.
This is deliberate, however, as it provides him another way to save money.
“Craftsmen charge 55 euros per repair half an hour,” he said. “Renting is hardly worth it anyway – you can’t spend so much money.”
But with so many homes and no one to share them with, many may wonder what Heinz plans to do with his inheritance.
He said: “I have no idea.
“I have a few distant cousins, but they can’t pay the inheritance tax.
“Maybe I’ll just give the houses to the tenants.”
Elsewhere, a self-proclaimed “Queen of Doomsday” has enough supplies to survive a World War 3 and has only binned three jars in 30 years.
Operating under the name Charmingly Frugal on TikTok, the savvy survivalist said she learnt the skills of preserving at the age of four from her late grandparents.
And a man who turned dumpster diving into his full-time job has shot to fame for his exploits.
Jonas Fernandez, 24, has revealed that he’s found plenty of clothes, a staggering amount of unopened electronics, toys, gold coins, jewellery, and even an Olympic medal.
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