‘Buffy’ star Sarah Michelle Gellar hates writing big checks—she cuts coupons, researches gas prices before filling up, and stares at purchases ‘for days’ before buying

“I cut coupons to this day,” Gellar told CNBC Make It in a 2018 interview. “Like, if there’s a coupon there, I’m going to use it.”

The 48-year-old actress has amassed millions throughout her four-decade career. Discovered by a talent agent at the age of just 4, she went on to appear in TV shows and movies like Over the Brooklyn Bridge, Swans Crossing, and All My Children. By 1997, at age 19, she was a fixture on TV screens as the star of hit vampire series Buffy, and was finally raking in money that made her feel more secure. But even after years of success—establishing herself as a teen icon through other projects like Cruel Intentions—Gellar still hesitates when splurging on expensive items. 

“I still don’t like writing big checks, I don’t like making big purchases,” Gellar admitted. “I will go back and stare at a leather jacket for a couple days before I even purchase it.”

Cutting coupons, sitting on big purchases, and researching gas prices 

Being the protagonist of a hit TV show like Buffy meant consistent money would start rolling in. But as a self-proclaimed saver, Gellar sat on her first big paychecks until season two, when she finally splurged on a new car. 

“You heard all those stories of actors who make money, and people run off with it,” Gellar told CNBC. “I remember thinking ‘If I ever had money like that, I would know where it was at all times.’”

Gellar has received some flack for being a serial couponer. She recalled that even one day at a Bloomingdale’s, a woman shopping in the department store questioned her on why she—a celebrity—was using coupons and taking so long to make her purchase. 

“I remember looking at her like, ‘Why should I pay more?’” Gellar continued. “Just because you’re successful doesn’t mean that you should be errant in your spending. I’ve never believed that.”

Another one of Gellar’s saving hacks included researching gas prices to find the best deal; if a gas station farther away had lower prices, she’d make the journey to cut down on costs. Her husband Freddie Prinze Jr.—whom she met on the set of the hit teen horror movie I Know What You Did Last Summer—would sometimes bring rationality to her thrifty habits. 

″[Freddie] would say, ‘But you’re driving farther, you’re using gas to get there,’” Gellar said. “He balances convenience and cost more than I do.”

Other celebrities balling on a budget 

Gellar isn’t the only Hollywood celebrity to adopt a frugal mindset; actress Keke Palmer is also a proud penny-pincher. It didn’t matter that she became a millionaire at just the age of 12 for her acting stints in projects like Akeelah and the Bee, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, and Madea’s Family Reunion—her parents taught her to watch her money closely. 

“I live under my means. I think it’s incredibly important,” Palmer told CNBC last month. “If I have $1 million in my pocket, my rent is going to be $1,500—that’s how underneath my means I’m talking. My car note is going to be $340. I don’t need a [Bentley] Bentayga, I’ll ride in a Lexus.”

“Shape of You” singer Ed Sheeran also is careful about how he spends his fortune. The British musician had an allowance of $1,000 per month, which he spent mostly on taxis. He’s also famous for frequently sleeping at his friends’ houses—living in Courteney Cox’s spare room in 2014.

“You never want to be wasteful,” he told the Irish Examiner in 2014. ”[I use] my Barclays student account. I’ve not upgraded because I don’t spend much money. If I had all my money in one account, I would spend all of it, so I get an allowance.”