Roth also peruses the classifieds for estate and garage sales. He gets the best deals when the sale is put on by the family or a private owner. He purchased most of his living-room furniture secondhand; for his latest find — a 1951 vintage yellow chair and ottoman — he paid $50 at an estate sale.

Roth's lifestyle doesn't appear miserly. He has credit cards and uses them frequently, but he pays off the balance every month and uses them to collect frequent-flier miles. He has earned free trips, traveling to Australia twice and Europe several times.

He owns two cars, both 1989 Oldsmobile 88s. He bought one cheap from a friend who was moving to Boston. He inherited the other one when his father passed away.

But Roth doesn't drive much. Last year, as of December 1, he'd spent just $399.02 on gas.

When he does drive, Roth maps out a circular route. He never drives to just one place. But he lives within walking distance of CVS, Walgreens and Aldi.

"He likes to rape and pillage stores," says Dan Mugg, Roth's partner of three and a half years. Mugg once watched Roth walk into CVS with rebates, CVS bucks and coupons, and use them to buy $20 worth of stuff for 60 cents.

"I was just in awe," says Mugg, who affectionately refers to Roth as "a cheap bastard."

"CVS has had some deals lately where you can actually get paid to take stuff if you work it right," Roth says.

The chain pharmacy ended up paying him $2.25 to take three tubes of Colgate toothpaste, after he combined coupons with the sale price; CVS also paid him $1 to take Schick Quatro razors that were on sale, and Roth had coupons.

"A lot of people will say that's too much trouble, and it could well be," Roth admits. "But for me, it's kind of fun. I've kind of turned it into a hobby."

Roth's friends say it's more like an obsession.

"The first time you go to his home, it's like a shock," says Jim Miller, who met Roth at the Writers Place in 2001. "You don't know many people who have 30 jars of peanut butter. Or 18 to 20 pounds of coffee."

Miller isn't exaggerating. The coffee is neatly stacked on a ledge in the kitchen. A shelf in Roth's basement holds his stash of dog food and cans of diced tomatoes and the 30 jars of peanut butter. Roth says stocking up is essential to living cheap.

Though Roth is cheap with himself, Miller says, he isn't stingy with others. He tips 15 percent when he goes out to eat at self-serve buffets and 20 percent at more upscale restaurants. Sometimes, he'll treat his friends to dinner — though he's prone to picking up the tab when it's buy one, get one free.

Roth says those wanting to live as he does need not worry what others think. If a store employee screws up, he suggests writing letters to give the company a chance to correct the mistake. "Sometimes, they'll send something free," Roth says. The objective isn't to get something free, he explains, but to encourage good service.

Roth also does a lot of curb shopping.

"I don't go out looking for stuff," he says. But he walks his dog and his neighbor's dog three miles a day and, he says, "It's amazing what you can find."

Sitting on his kitchen counter is a massive black microwave.

"It had a sign on it, 'Never used,' which actually overstated the case. But it does work."

Roth says he's fortunate to be as cheap as he wants to be. "There is a difference between me and someone who really is driven down and actually has to do this stuff. I recognize that."

But for sharing what he's learned with others, the guy deserves some credit.

THE HAND-TO-MOUTH POSTURE

By CAROLYN SZCZEPANSKI

For anyone stressing over maxed-out credit cards and drained checking accounts, yoga is a great way to improve physical and emotional balance. (Shrinks have been known to prescribe it to treat anxiety and depression.) But now that the practice has turned trendy, it can be a pricey indulgence. Just one group class of breathing and stretching typically costs about $15, and a monthly pass at any yoga studio runs into the triple digits. However, we've discovered plenty of local yoga havens that offer incentives to get skeptics and misers to give the mat science a try. If you're willing to dabble in different styles and studios, this list will help you strike a pose with little money down.

ARC Yoga

700 Northwest Argosy Parkway, Riverside, 816-587-9642, arcyoga.com

The first class is free.

Boulevard Yoga

215 Southwest Boulevard,

816-889-9642, boulevardyoga.com

The first class is free; two weeks of unlimited classes cost $25.

Gardens of Delight Yoga and Wellness

164 South Main, No. 413, Parkville,

816-308-5450

The first class is free.

KC Fitness Link

3909 Main, Kansas City, Missouri,

816-256-4443, kcfitnesslink.com.

One free week of unlimited classes. KC Fitness Link also offers free yoga, breathing and meditation classes to people with high blood pressure or cardiovascular conditions who can provide proof of their conditions. Also, free classes at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on January 26 (Yoga Day USA).