millionaires

With a $250 million net worth, the Republican Party's nominee for president surely isn't wanting for cash. However that hasn't stopped people from donating millions of dollars to help with Mitt Romney's campaign. The Associated Press examined $3.9 million of campaign contributions and came up with this list of top donors:

1. Sheldon Adelson, 79, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corporation: $44.2 million
2. Harold Simmons, 81, owner of $9 billion company Contran Corporation: $22 million
3. Bob J. Perry, 80, owner of a real estate firm worth about $650 million: $18.3 million
4. Robert Rowling, 58, owner of TRT Holdings, which is the parent company of Gold's Gym and Omni Hotels: $5.1 million
5. William Koch, 72, invests in oil and other industries and has a $4 billion net worth: $4 million

Did you donate to any of the presidential campaigns this year?

Who said being wealthy means you can't look for a good deal? Kiplinger shares how the superrich try to watch the wallet just like you.

Becoming wealthy and staying that way takes a certain level of discipline. Sure, an occasional splurge won't put you in the poor house, but frequent frivolous spending on things that aren't necessities can quickly put a serious dent in your wallet. The frugal habits necessary to achieve financial success and maintain it are often lessons learned early on.

Related: How to Be a Millionaire by Age 25

In this slide show, meet seven entrepreneurs, business leaders and famous faces, including Google's David Cheriton, Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett, and Hollywood's Hilary Swank, whose modest living — from clipping coupons to clipping their own hair — has helped them amass and/or maintain vast fortunes.

As Knight Kiplinger wrote in his classic column The Invisible Rich, "the biggest barrier to becoming rich is living like you're rich before you are."

David Cheriton

Age: 61
Estimated net worth: $1.3 billion
How he struck it rich: An early private investor in Google
Frugal habit: When having dinner at a nice restaurant, he saves half of his meal for the next day.

In addition to knowing how to make a good meal last, the Stanford University professor — who played an integral role in the founding of Google — has also been cutting his own hair for the past 15 years and drives a 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon.

Cheriton's been pinching pennies his whole life. "Many of my frugal habits come from my parents, who grew up during the Depression and passed along the same careful habits," he told Kiplinger. "My rule is never spend in a way that I can't explain to my parents without apology or embarrassment. It's kind of a personal version of 'never do anything you don't want to see presented on 60 Minutes."

Read on for more.

Investor James Altucher lost $15 million in 2000, a time in which he says he lost his family, his house, his health, and his "fake friends." In a recent editorial on TechCrunch, Altucher gives advice to the soon-to-be Facebook millionaires on what to do when they come into their riches. Here are some of his recommendations:

• Don't change your lifestyle for one year.
• Don't invest yet. Save your money in a savings account or under your mattress and give it some time to mull over.
• If you want to invest, don't invest more than two percent.
• Focus on your health.

I think his advice was all very sound, especially his recommendation on not changing your lifestyle for a year. Coming into a lot of money can turn a person into a less careful spender and you may end up spending more than you are financially able to. It's better to take the time to adjust to your situation, and spend your money wisely with a clear mind and objective.