The World's Thriftiest Millionaires and Billionaires

Posted by Doug Murray on September 15, 2017

There used to be a time when showing off your wealth in every possible way was the thing to do. Those days are gone. Many of today’s richest people live famously frugal, simple lives despite their millions. Here are some of the world’s thriftiest millionaires and billionaires.

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    1. Warren Buffett

    Warren Buffett famously still lives in the same Omaha, Nebraska house he bought in 1958, long before he amassed $75.6 billion to become the world’s second richest person, according to our 2017 list of the top 20 richest people on the planet.
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    1. Warren Buffett

    According to Business Insider, Buffett also buys cars at discount prices and drives them for years, and enjoys McDonald’s more than fancy restaurant food.
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    2. Carlos Slim Helú

    Worth $54.5 billion, Carlos Slim Helú has topped the list of the world’s richest people in the past.
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    2. Carlos Slim Helú

    Despite owning prime real estate in cities like New York, the telecom tycoon has been living in the same house for 40 years, according to Wikipedia. He also drives himself around his native Mexico City and buys his clothes from retail stores.
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    3. Queen Elizabeth II

    Queen Elizabeth’s frugality is legendary, even though she’s thought to be worth at least $500 million.
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    3. Queen Elizabeth II

    According to People, the Queen uses a space heater in Buckingham Palace, has fabrics and wallpaper mended rather than replaced, reuses wrapping paper and recycles her outfits, with some of her trademark handbags dating back as much as 40 years.
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    4. Mark Zuckerberg

    Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is worth $56 billion but lived in a rented home for years.
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    4. Mark Zuckerberg

    While Zuckerberg and his family now live in a $7 million home, he still prefers T-shirts and hoodies to designer suits. He was married in his backyard and, according to The Wall Street Journal, drives a Volkswagen GTI.
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    5. Charlie Ergen

    Dish Network CEO Charlie Ergen is worth $17.1 billion.
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    5. Charlie Ergen

    According to Wikipedia, Ergen doesn’t fly first class and he has second-hand couches in his office. He also packs his own lunch every day.
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    6. Ingvar Kamprad

    IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad has an estimated $3.4 billion to his name but as Time reports, he wears mainly second-hand clothing.
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    6. Ingvar Kamprad

    Kamprad also goes for cheap haircuts, preferring to visit barbers when travelling outside of Sweden.
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    7. Azim Premji

    Wipro’s Azim Premji demands that his employees switch off the lights when they leave the office. Worth $19.5 billion, the Indian tech tycoon walks or takes public transport where he can and flies economy class.
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    7. Azim Premji

    According to Silicon India, when Premji’s advisors convinced him to upgrade his old car, he bought a second-hand Mercedes from one of his employees.
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    8. David Cheriton

    Stanford computer science professor David Cheriton was an early investor in Google and is worth $5 billion, making him one of the richest Canadians.
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    8. David Cheriton

    According to Money Mozart, Cheriton’s been living in the same modest house for more than 35 years, cuts his own hair and drives a 2012 Honda Odyssey.
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    9. Amancio Ortega

    Zara co-founder Amancio Ortega has a fortune of $71.3 billion, making him the fourth richest person in the world and the richest person in Europe.
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    9. Amancio Ortega

    According to The Telegraph, Ortega lives a humble life, still eating lunch in his company’s employees’ cafeteria every day.
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    10. Judy Faulkner

    Her $3.4 billion makes Epic Systems (offices pictured) founder America’s richest self-made woman in tech.
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    10. Judy Faulkner

    As Time reports, Faulkner drives a five-year-old Audi and has lived in the same subdivision in Madison, Wisconsin for nearly 30 years.
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