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Dominyka Proškėnaitė

“Easily Save Thousands”: 49 ‘Poor Person Hacks’ To Take Note Of If You Feel The Urge To Splurge

Reddit Costco

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and anyone who has ever been in dire financial straits knows this. You live well within your means while meticulously deliberating over your needs and wants. As a result, you end up making the necessary sacrifices.

Someone on Reddit described it as a “poor person hack,” and the discussion opened. People shared their most efficient money-saving tips during difficult times. And even if you’re doing well, many of these nuggets of wisdom are nonetheless worth noting.

Scroll through, and maybe you'll pick up something new and valuable. If you have suggestions of your own, feel free to share them in the comments!

#1

Parks and trails are free entertainment that make you healthier and less depressed the more you use them.

#2

“No dollar days” see how many days you can go without spending $1. Then try to beat your previous records.

Also $3/day = $1,000/year.

#3

Keep old things as a back up pair. Shoes, glasses etc. Often I wouldn't have money for new things if something broke, so if a pair shoes fell apart I would at least have a crappy pair until I could afford some new ones.

#4

$5 costco whole chicken 1x week, top ramen, rice, beans and eggs. This got me through months of low income months. It was like $50-60 for a month of 2 meals/day.

#5

Shop thrift stores. And when that doesn't work shop tj Maxx, Ross etc. Can generally find quality without a huge cost.

#6

Library library library! My kids ravage through books. We easily save thousands a year using the library.

#7

NEVER go to the grocery store hungry. Always go AFTER you eat.

#8

A 20-50 pound bag of rice in your pantry will pick up a lot of slack in your diet when you’re poor… I’m not poor anymore, but I always have a ton of rice at home.

Rice and rice, rice and eggs, rice and ground meat, rice and a can of chili, etc. I wasn’t always eating good, but I was never hungry.

#9

I stopped eating meat. Lentils, chickpeas, beans, other legumes, and nuts are insanely cheap. Meat is a splurge at this point even though we can definitely afford it.

#10

If it's already broken, there is no downside to trying to fix it yourself.

#11

Need boxes for moving or organizing? Don’t ever buy a cardboard box, EVER (unless you need really big ones, I guess). Go to your local liquor store and ask for boxes, they’ll happily give you as many as you’d like, and they’re pretty sturdy since they’re made to hold heavy objects.

#12

Google the fix for something that is broken and if you think you can do it try, the amount of crooks in appliance repair is insane.

#13

Add an egg for nutrition. Got rice and veggies? Those are sides. Fry it with an egg and that it is a good meal. Add a hardboiled egg to instant ramen for a gourmet experience. A piece of toast with a fried egg is now an open-faced sandwich.

#14

There are some exceptions, but for the most part, store brand is just as good or the same as name brand. In the case of kirkland, it might be superior.

Beans are a magical food. Even better if you make them yourself - buy a 1lb bag of dry beans for $1.25 and that is a good amount of protein and fiber.

#15

Learn and be willing to break down your meat and produce yourself.

99c head of lettuce vs 2.49 for 10oz of pre chopped and washed lettuce

99c/lb for whole chicken vs 3.99/pound for breast.

#16

Buy unsold frozen thanksgiving turkeys. Batch cook and freeze. I've done this several years where I'll buy 12 turkeys, smoke them over a few months, and have meal portions in the deep freeze. It lasts all year even with trying to keep 2 boys full.

#17

Carry a reusable water bottle everywhere, don’t buy drinks out. Look for free days at museums and free passes for entertainment/education, like the zoo or symphony, from the library. Check into the health department for free vaccines, testing and other health care.

#18

Freezing day-old bread. Keeping bread refrigerated. Always. Lasts forever.

#19

Learning to love my crock pot and eating the same meal for an entire week. An amazing money saver, and I still do it because it was an ingrained habit for years.

#20

Help out your neighbors, without asking for payment, when they're in need and when you are able.

I've been showered with free food, things, and acts of service from grateful neighbors.

#21

Peanut butter oatmeal is really cheap calories and nutrition.

Chug water with every meal to feel full.

#22

I still use plastic grocery bags for my bathroom and office trash cans. .

#23

Out of tooth paste? Cut the tube open and scrape it clean.

#24

Toilet paper is less expensive than tissues but works just as well.

#25

When your batteries run out on your remote, just take the batteries out, rub them in your hands for 30-40 seconds to make heat friction & bam they work again. Not for long though but enough to get where you need to go on the TV.

#26

I grew up in upper middle class family but still was an Eagle Scout , but both my dad and wife grew up dirt poor. Here’s what they’ve passed on to me (including my father in law)

- Honey and salt never go bad
-smoke any meat before it expires, or be sure you have the ability to freeze it.
- most canned food tastes okay even in the 5-10 yr range
- don’t throw out construction materials, especially older ones, especially older wood. But even still, any fastener can always be repurposed.
- always take the sweeteners and bread rolls home from a dinner
- always have a stash of cash that could get you thru the next week or two if something were to happpen
- always stash a carton of cigarettes, grain liquor, and ammo away as those are the most traded items in an economic collapse
- your most important resources are your neighbors and make sure to treat them well. Physical labor for their needs goes the longest way.
- keep seeds on hand for any produce that grows well in your area. Even easier if you keep seeds from the plants you’ve grown. I grow a lot of tomato, cucumber, peppers, etc.
- recycle fats and greases, they can also be used for fuel
- new age one: solar generators can save your life
- keep a rifle, fishing pole, strong blade, and net around. These can be used in many different fashions, but are key for harvesting and capturing proteins.
- shovel - you can create your own irrigation systems if done correctly.
- Be nice. Probably the top thing. My grandparents generation wasn’t called The Greatest Generatjon for no reason. Care for your fellow man, and it will eventually pay itself in multiple dividends
- get a dog if you don’t have one. They feed off scraps and willl protect you.
- remember MASLOW’s rules. That model prioritizes survival

I understand I gave survivor type of instances, but when you’re poor, you’re always on that borderline.
-.

#27

I grew up in central Africa where my parents worked at a rural mission hospital. We shipped a lot of canned and dried food from the US and the hospital received donations of medicines through Compassion. The food was always out of date by the time we got it, and the medicines at the hospital were already expired when they were shipped from the US. Everything got used. We ate the canned foods even when they tasted a little tinny. The medicines never made people sicker. I think so much gets wasted here.

#28

I walk or take the bus everywhere.

#29

Spaghetti aglio e olio can be made with noodles, garlic, olive oil, and some seasoning for about $1.50 per serving, is so easy to make, and tastes like a gourmet meal. It's better with parmesan but doesn't need it.

Canned vegetables from the dollar store are exactly the same vegetables as the ones from the supermarket and are often half the price. Same with dried pasta.

Volunteer somewhere that rescues food. There's usually surplus due to storage issues and it's short time span before spoilage. Rescued food is about keeping food out of the landfill and is not exclusively for low income people.

Split the cost of the cheapest Costco membership with a few friends (one person is on card but can bring "guests") and buy bulk items to split.

Participate in mutual aid.

This one is dependent on having a car or a ride and what's available in your area, but if you have pets, go to a "farm" vet. Basically any vet outside a metropolis area. They often have much cheaper rates and are just as qualified to care for cats and dogs. I drive an extra 15 minutes to a vet just on the otherside of my city's perimeter, and consistently pay $100s less in comparison to the vets on the otherside of the perimeter.

#30

Invest in spices. Learn how to cook differnt types of food. A lot of East Indian, middle eastern and Asian, South American food is made up of basic ingredients with spices. If you depend on pre made/cooked food you will always starve. If you learn how to cook you will never be hungry or poor.

#31

Soup, spaghetti, chicken and vegetable rice. Make enough for three days.

#32

If you are absolutely, for sure, going to overdraw and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it, go buy a grocery store gift card before the overdraw hits.

Now you have access to food and gas without having to get dinged for multiple overdraft fees before your next paycheck comes in.

Just make sure that the total overdraft (including the big bill plus the gift card) doesn’t exceed your maximum overdraft.

Better still is to not overdraft in the first place, but when you’re po’, s**t happens.

#33

Start a jar collection. I haven't used plastic baggies in years. Everything goes into the jars.

#34

I crumble crackers into my tuna salad to add volume and found i enjoy the taste.

#35

Lentils and rice, repeat frequently.

#36

Slide meals. Buy a meat that is on sale first day and a handful of Versitike ingredients. Then turn each nights leftovers into the start of the next meal. Tacos > Taco Soup > Cheese Dip > Mac and Cheese > Casserole.

Made a website to automate meal planning for it that I'm working a major overhaul but if anybody needs it, slidemeals.com.

#37

Ooh, I used to hate pizzas from the supermarket but since air fryers they taste SO good, exactly the same as take out pizza. I save so much just buying a pizza from the supermarket, adding my toppings to it (olives, more cheese) and man, it tastes soo good (don't forget to drizzle oil for the crispiness).

#38

Buy food in bulk and meal prep. It's better for your wallet and health.

#39

Take a spin the night before trash day in the rich neighborhoods. Buy Nothing Groups has made this even easier.

#40

Add rice to ramen broth after finishing the noodles to extend the life.

#41

Add water to my shampoo or other types of soap .

#42

Learn. To. Bake.

#43

Shop for your groceries online. You can stay within your budget every time, no impulse buying and focus on whatever is on sale. And if you pick it up yourself there’s no delivery fee.

#44

Crack an egg into a pot of ramen at the end= gourmet meal

VPNs are always cheaper than streaming services

That’s about all I got.

#45

Never eat out.

If possible/reasonable walk to the grocery store. Basically if you can carry it you need it. No backpack. Keeps you busy for awhile walking then slows down your shopping to must haves only based on what you can carry.