Despite his financial success, Jim Cramer, director of Mad Money and CNBC Investment Club, says he is largely frugal, unless the expenses are significant or make sense to him. 

This is why he tries to save money where he can, even if it means refusing drinks in restaurants or buying generic branded products in stores. 

He also avoids products that are harmful, such as tobacco stocks, even if they seem like a good investment opportunity. 

Here's a look at five things Jim Cramer refuses to spend money on. 

1. The most expensive sports tickets

"Whether it's a hockey game or a baseball game, I don't care where I find the seats; "I just go and watch," says Cramer. 

Even when he gets people to baseball games, he prefers cheaper seats. "It's a pleasure to go to a game without spending" an arm and a leg, "he says. 

However, he makes one exception: for football, Cramer boasts of luxury seats, "because I'm a big Eagles fan." 

2. Alcohol when dining out

Because alcoholic beverages typically have prices ranging from 20% to 30% in restaurants, Cramer avoids buying beverages when eating out. 

"I will not spend money on alcohol," he says. "I grew up in a house where my dad didn't want me to order coca-cola in restaurants until food arrived because he was afraid they would pay for a second coca-cola" if Cramer drank his first drink quickly . 

This mindset haunted him until adulthood. "When I see a bottle of wine that costs $ 500 - what a loss. Why not go buy a nice sweater? Can you imagine the kind of sweater you can get for this award? You can get two great cashmere sweaters. ” 

3. Tobacco stocks

Cramer says he once recommended tobacco stocks as investments, but since then he has changed his mind and no longer recommends tobacco stocks on his show. 

"I think smoking is wrong. It has killed many people. Killed my late father-in-law. "I saw it happen," he said. "I want to ban smoking in the country." 

4. Expensive hotels where you just sleep

For Cramer, it is a waste to spend a lot of money on hotels when traveling when you are mostly out to visit anything. "How much you need depends entirely on extravagance," he says. 

Once when he visited Costa Rica, he and his wife stayed at the expensive and luxurious Four Seasons hotel. But they were never in the room and could not justify the cost. 

"We were out every minute," says Cramer. "The next time we went, we stayed in a cheaper hotel. It was a tenth of the price. " They also did not use that room much: "We never entered it until we were asleep." 

"You want to understand your priorities on a trip," he says. "Will you be inside or outside?" 

5. Brand products

Cramer only buys generic products when making purchases at Costco, Walgreens or Kroger stores. These products are usually identical to other retail brands, except that they will have store brand labeling and are almost always cheaper. 

"Do you know that the Kroger brand is just as good? Po Costco? Get a membership, ”says Cramer. "I only buy Kirkland. "Kirkland is their generic brand, but it's the best of them all." 

"So think about it," he says. "Do not be a snob." 

/ cnbc / bm /