20 Quick & Easy ways to not get poorer in 2024 

Hi, Jane and Michael. I work as a nurse in a general hospital here in Spain. We are five in our service, and each week we make a homemade treat for our coffee break. We never pay for the expensive and awful hospital coffee; we make or own coffee in a coffee maker gifted by a pharmaceutical brand. This week is my turn and I did on Sunday a delicious bundt cake. All of us are in the same team about money, and it's a relif. Thanks for another inspiring video.

I cannot thank you enough!! We make decent money but were living paycheck to paycheck. Even after a promotion and avoiding lifestyle creep, we could not get ahead with all the soaring prices. I thought I had a good budget, but was feeling pretty desperate about not finding any room for savings or emergencies. I began watching your videos a few months ago, and my whole family started making changes based on what we learned from you. We have reigned in our crazy grocery budget with meal planning and batch cooking. That alone has saved us a ton of money. We have also made many other adjustments throughout our budget. This has quickly made it possible for us to save a small emergency fund, fill all the sinking funds for upcoming obligations, and create a nice buffer in our checking account. We are so happy and, for once, we feel safer and more secure where money is concerned. Thank you so much for all your great advice!!

I try to go and see my grown children and grandchildren once a year. I live in Ontario and they live in Alberta. Last time I knit socks for all the littles. This time I found cute children’s books at the thrift store. I’m also crocheting dishcloths for the daughter in laws. And sewing them hot pads. I try to make as much as possible. Unfortunately mailing something is crazy expensive. Anything thicker than a card is $17 minimum. I’ve also gifted homemade bread or jams. Cheers, Janina from Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦 P.s. I find it very important to have the mindset that I’m not poor or sad, but that I’m frugal 💪😊

I have a friend who loves baking and is very generous. I’m a person who loves to make relishes and jams. I try to keep her well stocked. I make a lot of jams using fruit from the garden. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, plums. I have other uses for my apples. In the last two weeks I have made two batches of rhubarb relish. Rhubarb, onions, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and spices. Each batch makes about 9 jars. Of the first batch, there is only one left. I get my jars from garage sales and only have to buy lids. I need a lot(around 60 at Christmas time). I ask my friends to return the jars if they don’t need them. Keeping my costs down here.

Lots of impressive comments on what people are doing to keep costs down. Your opening comments echo my rising costs; housing was already 50% of my income before the rapid increases, in a one person household, so every decision I can make wisely keeps me from falling into the credit card spiral of despair. The vortex is strong but I refuse to be sucked in! Thanks for the video.

My best friend and I attended a free Asian cooking class at the library. We learned how to make Vietnamese Spring Rolls and then got to eat our creation. We also got a nice history lesson from the Chef. It was a fun friends outing and we plan to attend more.

I have a good chunk of change in my "emergency fund" but when something goes up n breaks down I don't want to tap into it. Case in point both of my toilets started having problems n I could have called a plumber n I'm sure they would have fixed it so much faster n easier, but I didn't want to have a HUGE bill so I went on "RU-vid" watched the video on how to fix a leaky tank n did it myself. Yes it took me over 3 hours, BUT it's fixed, n it was only a seal that needed to be replaced, now the other day my dryer stopped turning that will be my project for the weekend. I'm hoping that it's only a belt n I can do this myself, but if I need to replace it I will wait to the winter to get a new one which will give me more time to save. I can't complain it is only 19 yrs old. It just goes to prove that anyone YES even this 64 yr old Grand ma can save on home repairs when money is so tight

We have been living on a very small amount of money (around $1200 Cdn dollars/month) since the pandemic hit four years ago. We have no debt and very small expenses but the cost increases in the last year in particular have made living on that amount very difficult. I do a bunch of small things (surveys to get Amazon codes to buy groceries, collecting alcohol containers to return) that help to give me some money for groceries but my husband will be returning to work on a very part time basis in the fall. That little bit of extra money will make a huge difference. The constant increases have definitely made things very challenging.

Decluttering is also great because it makes you aware of what you already have and thus what you don't need! 😊

Our friends bring wood for our small fireplace as a gift😅 we yet dont have a place to store larger amounts of firewood so they bring small boxes of it💖💖💖

I started to bake bread and that going nice . So now I bake a cake on Sunday and that is enough for the week. No cookies or bread from the shop anymore.

I freeze extra chopped onions, peppers, etc, to use later. I have started saving all the leftover vegetable scraps when I am cutting them up. I toss onion skins and other parts of veggies in a freezer bag in the freezer so they can be used for stock later. Mushrooms can become slimy in the fridge, so I remove them from the hallock (little box), fold up a paper towel and place it in the bottom before returning the mushrooms to the hallock. I do this as well for berries, and by controlling the moisture this way the edible life of the fungus or fruit is extended.

In terms of what else to do with produce, you are so comprehensive it is difficult to add more to your lists, Jane. One thing I don't recall seeing often is using up extra fruit. We are all good about cutting up tiring vegetables for soup, and the same concept applies for fruit. If you find apples or stone fruit, etc. getting a bit tired, cut it into small pieces, put an oatmeal crumb topping on it, and make dessert. This same fruit can be added to hot cereal or used as pancake toppings. Thanks for your determination in keeping us all centered on frugality.

I agree that if it's not on the list, it doesn't go in the basket - unless it's at a great discount AND I'm absolutely going to eat/use it! I'm self-employed and the past couple of years have been very rough... I've become absolutely ruthless about every penny I spend, especially when it comes to food, since it's one of the easiest expenses to exert control over. Your videos are a precious source of ideas, inspiration and support!

Hi Jane, your hair looks lovely today. X. Take fresh carrots out of the plastic bag and place in fridge wrapped in a clean damp tea towel, they will last for ages without going all bendy

I love to bake. Many years ago I started giving baked goods as gifts. Friends, family and neighbors all enjoy it. Cookies and tea breads are the favorites.

I make small and thin cheese biscuits as a gift. They always are warmly welcomed (devoured). You are right about putting some thought and effort into a gift of something from home or garden. Find out what herbs friends don’t have and take along a pot from your garden. If I lived near to you I would arrive with a pot with a grown on shrub cutting.

New family moved into neighborhood this week. The kids started asking about my garden plants. I took the 3 little ones to strawberry patch and let them pick and eat what they wanted. I showed them onions garlic mint oregeno and berry plants. They were so excited and I got yo talk about gardening with dad. Fun hour for me and them.

Great video, thank you Jane and Mike “behind the camera” very useful tips. I am always looking forward to your videos, so much still to learn. Since I moved recently, I need to figure out the sales cycle here in Vancouver. I cook, bake, freeze, can and don’t waste food. Arts, crafts and DIY are my hobbies. My gift giving are: small canvas paintings, painted and stencilled farmhouse risers and stack of books with quotes, knitted scarves, antipasto, tapenade in cute jars,crochet balls as bowl fillers, fabric/lace/hessian hearts, pumpkins. I sell them as well. During my employment I never bought lunch or coffee it saved me lots of money to be mortgage FREE.😊

I was my leafy greens when we get home, and wrap in a damp dish cloth to keep it fresh. I menu plan based around fresh first, fruits, vegetables won't keep long. Then I go through freezer and check dates, and plan a meal with whatever canning jars are older. 3-4 vegetables minimum at both lunch and dinner. Even with only 2 of us, we stock up on the things that are our regularly used items, only when on sale. Today we are going through our garage items and deciding if we need it still, otherwise sell it.

I sew potholders and little kitchen towels as hostess gifts.

I just learned to cook and love lentils! They are cheap, easy to prepare (no soaking) and go well with so many other foods and spices. I just made a big pot of lentils with bits of onions, ham and red pepper flakes.

Our small rural grocery store will sell us a 25lb bag of oats if we ask for it. These are the bags the store uses to repackage in smaller bags or stock bulk bins. Also I will separate all the leaves from lettuce and wash and put them in a bag or storage container in fridge. Seems to keep longer. 🐇

Thank you, Jane and Mike for your videos! We are long time fugal people but I still learn from you. Our frugal spending habits are so ingrained that we have been pretty automated for years. However, this year, with this economy, we realized that we had to tighten up even more. Watching your videos have really helped. By watching our spending closely, we are doing fine. I love your upbeat attitude. No gloom and doom, poor us attitude but practical advise with a smile on your face. Life is still good!

all good reminders. have a good rest of your week.

I have started on-line grocery shopping. This is saving me a lot of money because I clearly see the price of everything [ this has made me delete items ! ] & I buy less because I am not in the shop being tempted. It is worth the delivery fee.

Excellent video, as always. Watching on my mobile phone while eating a can of soup from home at my desk at lunch.

I have a range of different “use up small bits of veg” recipes - stir fries, curries, Chinese dishes, Thai dishes, Mediterranean dishes - and using rice, pasta, potatoes or couscous as the base carb. They are great to use up the odd handfuls of this and that in the fridge, maybe adding a handful of frozen or tinned if needed to stretch it. And usually means I can use far less meat. Just have a few different basic herbs and spices to make it interesting (a little of each goes a long way). Tools that move (secateurs, scissors, pliers), window and door hinges, etc need a drop of oil occasionally to keep moving well. And mend clothes, get shoes heeled, they will last a lot longer. And in summer, keep curtains closed on the sunny side of the house in the day to keep cooler and open the windows early in the morning to allow cooler fresh air through. When finished in the shower, leave the door open at least (and window if possible) to let the steam out and prevent mould growing on damp surfaces. Although running over with a cloth and your cleaning fluid first can give a very effective cleaning and use less cleaning fluid.

I try to go to all the classes the library offers. Last month we painted dandelions and this there's a take home embroidery event and an in person button craft. I'd love to go to a Paint and Sip event that is held at a local restaurant but the cost is 50$!!! I'll stick to the library events!

I buy small thrift store items and turn them into scented candles for my friends. They love them and are super cheap!

One of mine is to reassess gift giving. I make a lot of the gifts I give and also give things that will help/save money to the person Im giving to. I make cards and gift tags. I grow a lot more herbs and veggies. I make more simple meals. I loved this subject.

Thank you two, so very much for all of your helpful tips and advice for being frugal. I could watch your videos daily if you had the time to do more.

We are making menu plans using what we already have and just buying fresh produce, eggs, milk and bread during the month, unless something is greatly reduced. Food budget needs to be reigned in and this is our way of getting it back on track. Without going to the store I am working on my craft projects so I'm not tempted to go shopping. And we have a walking trail right next to our house, so we are making use of the trail for exercise and to lose weight. Great video with lots of tips to help keep on track.

Outstanding video as usual, Jane. We avoid food waste by eating already cooked food before we cook more. I have also frozen leftovers if we cannot eat them before they will spoil. Great point that buying in bulk is not always economical. Your scarf looks gorgeous on you. 🌸 My mother-in-law loves my no bake cookies as well as my homemafe granola for gifts.

Thank You Jane and Mike, your videos have such great ideas. I stockup on items when I find great sales...also eating less meat & more vegetables has helped some.

Love seeing the babies at the end ❤

Good video, thank you Jane Mike and loved seeing the adorable puppies.

I make my own granola. Much healthier. I pack my breakfast and lunch and carry it to work. Bake and do all my own cooking. Have a vegetable garden. Start all my own plants. Use the library for reading material. Keep my own chickens.

Brilliant video guys. I usually go to Lidl for my weekly shop but yesterday (due to an unforeseen issue) I had to use Tesco. I was gobsmacked. The prices are getting out of control. I can handle it but I was actually angry and sad thinking about how this is affecting others. I know the price of a couple of items and they’d gone up a lot since the last time I popped in only a few weeks ago. That’s why your channel is so important. Thanks for what you do - I KNOW how much work goes into these videos from the script writing, recording and editing but you’re smashing it and the quality just keeps rising. Best wishes. 😀

We're in the Caribbean and have managed to not use the a/c til May 🎉 Soon we'll start using it a few hours in the afternoon/evening only. Our electricity is a quarter of the average here

Thanks Jane and Mike❤

Thank you! Love the song at the end. Fun. ❤️

I have ordered a good value fruit and veg box from our local market stallholder. This saves me money because it keeps me out of the fresh produce area of the supermarket where I tend to 'just' pick up some things that look so tempting. Menu planning can be done around that and other things only purchased on a need to basis. I am crafting with offcuts and second hand things, which brings great pleasure.

Thanks for all your encouragement!

I'm in the US. Today we went to Meijer to get their 7 for $7.00 on their store brand of Kleenex (160 sheets). Funny, the 120 sheets are the same price (you have to watch these guys.) On my way into the store I picked up a weathered, tattered Meijer coupon off the ground. To my delight it was for $2.00 off your 'next purchase'. 🎉 FYI, Kroger's Kleenex has been selling for $1.79 👎. I bought 7 and my husband bought 7.

Great reminders of how to be frugal, Jane and Mike. Thanks for sharing.

I find that sharing a deal makes it even better. I found a deal on scurb mommy sponges. I love the way they feel and they last a long time for me. Just gifted one to a cleaning freak at work. She's ecstatic and it cost me less than $3. Let people know that you are interested in their hobbies. I told a neighbor about a patch of wild violets. She offered me wild violet jelly. Can't wait to try it. Let people know the types of gifts that you are interested in. I really don't need clothing, knick knacks, or things for the house. People now gift me food, drink, or toys for my dog. Work just gave me an Amazon gift card and vouchers for ice cream.

I love alone and my 3 cats' food and supplies definitely are more expensive than mine! I'm looking for ways to learn to make wet catfood from my food scraps etc. Two of my cats are nearly 18 years old and need a lot of lubrication in their diet.

I make my shopping list on my cellphone notebook

Always remember to regularly check how much interest your main savings account is paying. Loyalty rarely gets you thebest deal. While it makes sense to have your sinking funds with the same bank as your main current account. It makes sense l move your emergency and longterm savings around to get the best interest rate. Currently in UK some high street banks are only paying 1.75% when you can get5% elsewhere on 10,000 that's £325 a year difference. Moving savings is a lot quicker and easier than trying to shave £325 off your food budget, though you could do both :)

Love seeing the puppies at the end of your videos. As always, I learn something with every video and they are always eye openers. So thanks for my continuing education.

What a brilliant video jane that was so informative and straight to the point. Thank you so much ♥️♥️👍👍

Love your videos! 100% agree with not wasting food for many reasons including and beyond wasting money. Checking the cupboards and fridge before you shop is so important. We eat produce in the "spoiling" order...so berries first and apples last. Any and all leftovers are packed for next day's lunches. Even little bits are saved and used to round out a future meal.

Beautiful look and outfit, Jane

Another great video Jane. My friend and I pass things on to one another, which we have done for many years. We chuckle, as like our mothers often did, they are usually wrapped in a bag with an elastic band around them. 😆 Yes, stock checking is always a good thing. In the past I have bought something, then later come across one of the same that I had put away and forgotten about. I now keep any extras together to avoid this happening. Thanks again to you both for sharing. 🤗

I have to laugh sometimes when I look at our grocery receipts, we often spend more on cat food (4 of the beasts), than we do for our own groceries. Every now and then, I try something new to reduce costs, and am very pleased to have discovered home made Lorne sausage, which I stuffed into casings and now we don't buy sausages any more. And I make my own mayonnaise and ketchup (due to allergies, I can't eat the store stuff). The next project is to learn to make my own margarine, as the butter substitute has gotten really expensive. ($7.00 CDN) for 340 grams. I make it more spreadable by adding a bit of olive oil, but still...I don't have to tell you what a nuisance having allergies is.

Jams and sauce or dried fruit are gifts I keep on hand that has a long shelf life and I always have fresh flower to cut as gifts

Shopping is not a hobby

Great advice. ❤

Thanks Jane and Mike for an interesting update. In Oz our prices are rising and now we have been informed that petroleum is going up again so the spiral is continuing. Lovely to see and hear the doggies 😊🇦🇺

Hi Jane and Mike, great video. We are pressing our reset button because after such an enormous repair bill on my car in February I've just got out of debt with my son. I am now playing catch up and doing a low spend May and hopefully June on our grocery and household budgets. I am taking a day at a time and although I feel overwhelmed on the money front that in turn is affecting my already vulnerable mental and physical health even more so than usual. I am taking baby steps that will hopefully lead me to be more in control of every aspect of my life that I can impact on a positive front. For my birthday in March my girlfriends asked me what I wanted and I chose a thermos food flask and a cortigo leak proof travel mug. I use my travel mug every day even in the house. It is great to take a hot drink out and about. Planning ahead is key and saves money. Once again a great video from you both, many thanks. Kind regards Angeline 🤗xx

Hello Jane and Mike, lovely to see you with your most informative video. I am putting so many of your tips into practice. I will be claiming the state pension in three years so I am saving every extra penny for a little nest egg. I have five side hustles but I have to be honest and say it’s very tiring at times . Again very many thank. I look forward to wennesdays and Sundays now 🌻🌻🌻🙏🙏🙏

Stick to your shopping list and in my case don’t let hubby into help 😂😂😂

I watched someone’s channel before who needed a couple of items they’d run out of for a recipe, £93 later 😳oops! When I was working if I didn’t have something for a recipe I didn’t make it, I found an alternative recipe and if I really needed something I would just take enough money in with me to buy just what I needed, I guess some of us are more disciplined than others.

Such great tips Jane. I make jams and jelly from home grown fruits and often give a jar as a small gift. I also dry my own herbs and no longer buy supermarket herbs. I also love to 'shop the house' and am using up a lifetime supply of stationery oddments left over from my adult daughters' schooldays.

Hi Jane, I am trying to learn how to grocery shop better and have learned so much from watching your channel. I have heard you mention analyzing the sales cycles and I think it may have been you or another channel I watch talk about reviewing your receipts for wants vs. needs,making sure you were charged correctly before leaving the store, etc. I was wondering if you might could do a video on especially how you track the sales cycles. I love your budgeting videos and am very much a visual learner so this type of video if possible would be great. It’s probably simple and I tend to make things difficult cause I tend to over think it. Thanks again for all you do!

I'd love to see a vlog style day in the life of what you guys do in a day. Including the fur children

Super content as always and some good reminders. Happily last weekend I purchased a new pair of walking trainers which were reduced from £69 to £24. Was I thrilled? They were the same brand and style as I had previously so I know how good they are. Result.

I do most of the ideas you presented. However, never considered housesitting. I may look into that!

I find home baking means that i can vastly cut down on the sugar content - today i made a tea loaf, which when i first recieved the recipie, some 35 years ago, had 8 ounces of sugar in, i now bake with only 3 ounces in! I was cooking a reduced price 'pork loin' ( i used to call that cut fillet) that cost me £2.50 in the oven, plus jacket potatoes so i did the tea loaf to fill the oven up!

We are expat brits in canada food here is crazy expensive , i now bake a lot of bread, sausage rolls , pies etc because to buy 4 sausage rolls at the british shop its $17 .. which is more money than 1 hrs minimum wage , i also buy bulk flour and vital wheat gluten to add to it to make bread flour 😊

I make a lot of our bread now, so sometimes make double and take over to friends, always goes down well. I also take spare garden produce, although I think neighbours were starting to hide last year - my courgette plants were ridiculously productive and I think courgettes aren't appreciated by everyone! When I had young neighbours, I used to offer them a pumpkin. I always grow extra as I love having them around the veg garden and use them not only for Halloween, but also soups, sauces, cakes......

I make empire biscuits and scones and pancakes and all our friends and neighbours love to get them

Hi Jane, I enjoy your channel. When you add up how much you save by bringing your own lunch to work, you have to remember to factor in the money that you have to spend on your food that you make at home and take to work. There is a cost there. That said, you still do save a lot of money by making your own coffee and lunch. Just a thought.

I worked 42 years and most of the time i took my own coffee and bread lunch with me to work . The only way to save money . When i worked in my own home town then once a week I went to a lunch spot where I ate a bowl of freshly made soup and a sandwich . Or once a week a filled roll . That was it . Greetings to you and Mike

In my priduce draw in the frudge, firdt .i out down a sevtion or two if news paper then anosoertowel, it absorbs to much mousture, jeeos veggies happy! Ive done thus fir years.😊

Cakes, biscuits, jams, and even homemade icecream. My favourite is sourdough bread.

I have a good idea when the sales on items I buy at the supermarket come around but like you I have started recording when other places I shop has its sales so I know how much to buy and also when I can expect to see them again.

👍👍👍

I live in Australia and have a solar hot water service that has a mains power booster. In summer and spring I turn the mains booster off and it saved heaps. I only turn it back on until I feel water is not as hot.

I love❤️homemade gifts, jam, spice mixes, brownie,or muffin muxes. Fun to make & give, my 3 adukt children get excited about what they are getting this yesr.😊

If you batch cook, develop a network of friends to trade meal portions with others who batch cook (or bake) to have more variety in your meals. ❤ 🇨🇦

Do your family visit you in France from the uk ? I’m thinking a lot about how quickly people get isolated when they can’t afford to travel. Money saving tip: plan two weeks of plant based meals and then use dairy and meat to flavour it up but not be the basis for the whole meal. Try to eat 1/2 cup legumes a day.

Im making preserved lemons

Yes, there's an inflation crisis going on. But my solution is to live in an affordable apartment until I can save enough money to buy land. And I project that I will get there in about 3 to 5 years as I am on the path now. I have fluffed up my bills expenses. & when they run out, I add another $500 to the pot. I don't pay monthly anymore. I take the discounts on buying by the 6 months or year wherever I can. This also lowers my expenses per month. Which helps me then save more. I live w/ my partner, which helps. But if I didn't, Id be living in an RV or small tiny home on a small piece of land somewhere, I guarantee it. I have bigger goals right now. Achievable, in my sights. Every day helps. And knowing that isn't my season right now, but enjoying the season I am in, also helps. All in time :) Thanks for all your videos & your time you spend to help guide us, where most of us never received that guidance Hope you both have a great week!

When you phrased your video take as "ways to not get poorer," I immediately thought of a conversation from yesterday. So many retirees (especially men) think that they can take their retirement savings and easily beat the S&P-500. Nine times out of ten, you will not make money. Keep your money in mutual funds, exchange traded funds, or other stable investments like your home. Be safe 🙏

Lend and borrow tools, books, clothes / bags for special events, crockery etc always remember to return in the same condition they were when you received them and you can allay lend and borrow again

How far away are you from Chateau Purnon? My cousin bought it a few years ago and is renovating it.

For sure things are going up and our income is not matching. Just got our annual insurance renewal🙈 up 20%. We just have to keep on fighting this battle .

Jane, do you and Michael buy food in your no-spend months? Do you increase the long term storage?

Im making homemade vanilla

Jane, it would be very helpful to me and maybe others like me to find ways to bring in a bit of money each month. The lady in previous post mentioned doing surveys to get codes for reduced cost items on Amazon. I would really appreciate it if others on your YT site could share their strategies. I see job opportunities such as proofreading but they want people to take classes first. Im a former educator who could proofread without taking a class but dont know how to go about getting these jobs. Anyone have suggestions on that or other small ways to make money via the internet. Thanks in advance for your work and the input from everyone on this site. Blessings.

If it is not on the shopping list, but is a product I use a lot and is on a fantastic sale, I will buy it. Otherwise, yes, tunnel vision when shopping. I don't look for new products.

Prevention is the best way to avoid damaged things and it saves you time and money.

Singing in the background detracts from what you are saying.

It’s exhausting cutting back on bare bones 🦴 budget. I feels like you need 7 incomes to make it to the basics 😢