35 “Poor Person Hacks” People Won’t Let Go Of Even If They Are Financially Better Off Now

People who have lived through leaner times usually have a few go-to budget-friendly hacks they rely on. Facing financial hardship can reveal the true struggle of going without even the basics. Being forced to make do has taught many how to save money in smarter ways.

#1

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

#2

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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.

#3

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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.

#4

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

#5

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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.

#6

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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.

#7

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“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.

#8

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

#9

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$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.

#10

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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.

#11

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

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#12

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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.

#13

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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.

#14

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.

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#15

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

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#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.

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#17

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.

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#18

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

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#19

Lentils and rice, repeat frequently.

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#20

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

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#21

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

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#22

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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.

#23

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.

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#24

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

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#25

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.

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#26

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

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#27

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.

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#28

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.

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#29

Add water to my shampoo or other types of soap .

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#30

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

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#31

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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.

#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.

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#33

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

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#34

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.

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#35

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

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