Impulse purchases are capped at 2,000 yen!　Akiko Matsumoto shows her true face as a “saver” at a women’s clothing store.

One day in December, Akiko Matsumoto (56), accompanied by her manager, got off the Shinkansen at Shinagawa Station. She was probably on her way back from a business trip, and her bag was full of souvenirs. Matsumoto said, “Well, I’ll see you later. She said, “I’ll see you later. Please take care of me.” After parting with her manager, she entered an apparel store attached to the station.

As soon as women’s clothing came into view, he began to examine them with a serious look on his face. She seemed to be interested in a few pieces, but after window-shopping, she strode toward the porch and got into the pick-up truck that the manager had brought to the porch.

Matsumoto is known for his frugality. He is known for reusing stockings for cleaning and catching drain waste, using tea bags to remove oil stains, and growing his own vegetables. Some are high-level tricks, such as “sharing underwear with my mother-in-law,” “limiting the height of bath water to 15 cm,” and “only putting in one disposable contact lens.

The most recent topic of conversation was the disposal of his parents’ house in Takamatsu City. It is a 5LDK one-story house made entirely of Japanese cypress, and the total price of the land and building was 30 million yen. He was even told that it would be better to convert the land to dry land. Matsumoto persisted, as the cost of the land would have made it unprofitable. In the end, he sold the property for 6 million yen, making full use of the “vacant house bank” operated by Kagawa Prefecture. That was smart. The only exception is the “mini-camper” rental business she does on the side. She is a thrifty person, so the rental fees are inexpensive, but she provides too many services, such as lending camping goods for free, and this business is still in the red,” says a senior executive of a show business.

Some time ago, I was impressed by an interview in the women’s magazine “Croissant Online. Matsumoto, who showed up at the meeting place wearing her husband’s T-shirt, stated that “there is a severe rotation of clothes in the family,” and then went on to say something like this.

I’m grateful that people around me give me all kinds of gifts because they can’t stand to see me. When my longtime favorite bra broke, I kept using it because it was my favorite. Then my manager said, “You’re right, that’s not a cheap gift. ……,” and bought me a new one.

He says that he is not stingy, but spends generously for others.

He also bought a new sofa for his son’s friends who come over to his house in large numbers, so that they can all sit on it. I think that my everyday savings may be so that I don’t skimp on spending for others when the occasion calls for it.

Matsumoto says she carries no more than 5,000 yen in cash in her wallet, no credit cards, and sets a limit of 2,000 yen for impulse purchases. On this day, he followed his own rule as well.