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YouTube: Thaddeus Penrow | The Certified Cheapskate (opens in a new tab)

Thaddeus Penrow | The Certified Cheapskate

@certifiedcheapskate

Language: EnglishCountry: United States27 days old

  • Persona: Thad · Expert · Senior
  • Sells · $39 ebook
  • Frugal living
  • Grocery savings
  • Costco tips
  • Senior discounts
  • Retirement budget
  • Shopping tips
  • Save money over 50
Subscribers
61
Total views
2.54K
Videos
9

Stats updated Stats from YouTube

Growth

Subscribers · daily totals we stored, UTC days

Show the numbers
Subscribers per UTC day, last 30 days, newest first
Day (UTC)Subscribers
Oct 14, 202661
Oct 13, 202660
Oct 12, 202658
Oct 11, 202658
Oct 10, 202658
Oct 9, 202654
Oct 8, 202645

Top videos

Most viewed

What they sell

From the public store pages the channel links to, checked Oct 13, 2026.

How they sell it

  1. 1Video
  2. 2DescriptionFirst line pairs the video's problem with the link, e.g. 'If the Costco renewal shows up and you just pay it: certifiedcheapskatebook.com'
  3. 3Landing pageOwn sales page with contents, a sample chapter and an early-bird countdown date · certifiedcheapskatebook.com
  4. 4Landing pageGumroad · Buy button leads to the Gumroad product · thaddeuspenrow.gumroad.com
  5. 5CheckoutGumroad
  • Store link in 80% of recent descriptions
  • Link in descriptions since Sep 29, 2026
  • Entry points: the About page, the first line of descriptions

Each recent description opens with a one-line hook tied to the video's topic and the link certifiedcheapskatebook.com, then a short pitch for the matching part of the book and the line '455 pages, 86 chapters, every store fact sourced. $39 early-bird, 7-day refund.' The about section links the same site. The site is a long sales page with the table of contents and a sample chapter, showing $39 against $69 until October 31; its buy button goes to Gumroad. No email form is shown and neither page mentions AI. The link first appeared in descriptions on 2026-09-29.

Analysis

Our own reading of the channel’s public titles, descriptions and thumbnails, not data from YouTube.

Persona

Thad

Expert · Senior · Male · US warehouse clubs, supermarkets and store fronts

Niche

Frugal shopping for over-50s: Costco, grocery store tricks and senior discounts

Audience

US shoppers over 50, often on a retirement budget, who shop at Costco, Walmart, Aldi and Target and want to stop overspending (stated in the channel keywords such as 'save money over 50' and in a title aimed at over-55s).

Avatar
  • Realistic avatar
  • A photorealistic grey-haired man around sixty with reading glasses low on his nose, in a blue plaid flannel over a white T-shirt, shrugging or pointing in front of busy store interiors; the avatar shows him in a navy quarter-zip.
Format

One store, aisle or checkout habit per video: the common belief, how the store shapes the decision, then a numbered list of fixes, noting the deals that really are good.

Content pillars
  • Costco membership and warehouse-club habits
  • Grocery store layout and pricing tricks
  • Senior discounts
Title patterns
  • [N] [Store/Topic] [Mistakes/Tricks/Discounts] EVERYONE [Makes/Falls For/Forgets to Ask For]
  • What the [$price item] Does to EVERYONE's Cart
  • [N] Grocery Store Tricks EVERYONE Falls For (A Cheapskate Explains)
Thumbnails

The persona centred or to one side, shrugging or pointing, glasses on his nose; a store backdrop with recognisable chain signs; a short lowercase or caps caption in white with a yellow highlighted phrase.

Their thumbnails, most viewed first

Why it works
  • A repeatable title hook: all 4 format videos put 'EVERYONE' in caps
  • Well-known chains as the subject: Costco in 2 of 4 titles and store signs in all 4 thumbnails
  • A clearly named audience: keywords 'save money over 50' and 'retirement budget', and an 'Over 55' title
  • A steady persona line: all 4 format descriptions open with 'I'm Thad, the certified cheapskate'
  • Best result so far: '7 Costco Membership Mistakes' with 601 views; the others have 132–234

Where the channel points

Links from the channel’s About page and its video descriptions.

Similar channels

Same niche or the same kind of persona, from the library.

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Stats from YouTubeLast updated Channel and video data from YouTube (YouTube Terms of Service (opens in a new tab)). The analysis is ours, not data from YouTube.