EXTREME Ways To Save Money On a Very Low INCOME 

While going to school, my husband and I lived for 1 year in an 80 sq. ft. travel trailer. No shower or tub, no toilet seat! My father-in-law gave us a 100 lb sack of potatoes and we literally ate potatoes 3X/day! You can do anything you set your mind to. After all of that struggle, scrimping, saving and investing, I’m now a millionaire. But, I still use drying racks or a clothesline to dry my clothes. I don’t buy hair dye (I’ll be 65 next year), make-up or toothpaste. I’m still frugal, but now, I have no worries. Peace of mind is priceless, and I’ve earned it.

Have a friend who barters mowing and snow removal for the elderly. He uses there mower and gas in exchange for food. He says he gets some great homemade pies ,cookies ,breads ,and hotdishes . He has a large group of elderly that are so happy to do this exchange.

I take a bucket under my sink and save every scrap it goes to my chickens 🐔 They love it & it saves 50% on feed. Also give them old food. I take clippers and cut long grass next to my house and feed it to my chickens free food.

My plan is when my son graduates this June and he leaves for college I will leave to in my rv .. I will become a rv dweller full time. I can't wait I've gotten my rig ready my solar panels I got a working bathroom ,kitchen and laundry in my house on wheels.. I am renting out our family house for extra Income..

I chuckled when you said it didn't sound like fun. On the contrary it can be fun, it just depends on how you look at it.

I dial back my mind to how I lived in my early 20’s and come to some common grounds. BTW I’m 62.

I bartered having my new electric cooker wired in by a registered electrician(it’s the law here in the U.K.) in exchange for shortening his daughters prom dress. I never want to see another yard of chiffon in my life!

I have a neighbor who is going to go belly up on everything. I have been talking to her for over a year now and she keeps going down that road to brokenness ! It’s like if you see someone standing on the train tracks and you tell to them to move because you see the train coming BUT they won’t move 🤦🏼‍♀️ Well… I can’t help someone who doesn’t feel like they need help. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Hi i know the churches where we live help people that are on major low income .and food pantrys .are a great help .nice just to be nice and help full to people you never know peoples circumstances till you get to know them x

Keeping food simple is probably the quickest way to impact a household budget. Start watching the "weekly food challenges" videos. Flourishing Miranda does a fabulous job. She is lean, athletic and has vibrant health and energy on a bare bones food budget. Many more people practice this and do very well. Of course some of these challenges aren't the healthiest menus but it will certainly get you to the next paycheck if you're struggling. Practice food restriction. Skip some meals. Reduce your intake in general. Americans eat far too many calories. It's better to practice these things now rather than wait until you're forced into it by economics. We would all be healthier and on fewer medications if we ate like peasants.

By the time I go grocery shopping, my cupboards and fridge are BARE. I have almost no food waste.

If I went to very simple meals I wouldn’t be eating! We eat very simple now

I've had roommates in the past to cut cost. Shop around for auto insurance once a year. Cut the cable and get a Roku box or antenna. Cut the bottom off the tube of toothpaste or lotion as it becomes empty. There is always at least another two weeks worth of lotion/toothpaste in the tube. I eat cereal for breakfast almost every day. I got my grandmothers darning ball and darn my socks. I wear an apron around the house while I cook and clean to protect my clothes from unexpected spills/stains. I buy my seeds at Dollar tree for .25 a pack. I water down my dish soap and detergent.

We've been car free by choice for three years now. I realize that it doesn't work for everybody, but we have shops in walkable distance and good public transit.

I would never wait to buy food until I run out of it. Emergencies happen. I believe in having a bit of food storage. And I’ve had some pretty hard up times.

Thank you for loving us who enjoy your videos. Also thanks for all the great tips on saving money and budgeting. I enjoy being frugal and not wasting money in this day and age where everything is going up and up. I buy my clothes from Ebay for 99 pence etc and stuff for my kitchen, nearly everything is from Ebay. Also, I economise with heating by not putting it on except when my daughter is at home and she feels the cold a lot. I sit in bed to keep warm and work at my computer. I buy the best bargains of food and Tesco's own shampoo and stuff. I wash myself at the sink (also because I am disabled and our shower is not working). I buy things in bulk, when it helps me save the postage money (Amazon has free postage for over £20 worth of goods). My daughter buys a lot of stuff and I encourage her to take it back and get her money back, if it's something we don't need. That's just some of it. Thanks again; love you too.

I dont have a car. The dr said i cant drive anymore. Boy do i miss that.

To wash hair: Take a tsp of baking soda into a large glass of water (tumbler), wash that out, and then you have to use a tsp of lemon juice in a tumbler for final rinse (to balance PH). Kirk's coconut soap bar also works well for washing hair. Even if your hair is normally dry/wavy type hair.

I have a food thought! Having just thrown away a pile of expired condiments, I’m going to make more from scratch! With some basic supplies you can make a variety of condiments like bbq sauce, salad dressing ,etc. I also look for the latest possible expiry date and don’t open the jar until I’m actually using it!

Great tips Dawn! Thanks for the caveat too - pick and choose what works for you. It is also important to surround yourself with people who are supportive and helpful and will not be counterproductive to your goals. My first year as a full-time stay at home mom, our income went down by half. We were paying all of our bills and making ends meet and pretty content. I met someone who I thought would be a good friend, but she was constantly telling me that if my husband could get new clothes for work (he worked in an office and wore suits daily) then I should be able to buy new clothes as well. I had been happy with my wardrobe up to that point because all my old clothes fit again from losing my pregnancy weight so it was like a new wardrobe all over again! I realized I needed to limit my time with that friend and find other friends who had the same goals. It was a great decision!

I saved our washing machine twice, just by cleaning the filter 🌹❤️😊

I had to stock up on food for Harley i have to make sure he has his food. Hes very vocal if he doesnt have his food and treats

yes evey body needs to adapt acording with her personality and little by little we can adopt frgality as a new habit

I been watching your foralong time i ejoy your videos dont stop keep it up your great. From the UK

Baking soda is cheap for teeth, buy a huge bag from Sam's and use it for everything. Your teeth get whiter and it is not harsh. I use it in my hair to exfoliate my scalp. You only need a quarter's worth, mixed in your shampoo. My hair dresser recommended it. Baking soda dusted under arms kills odor, has no chemicals. When Covid was first really bad, I bought tons of vinegar and baking soda before others figured it out, so I didn't pay a crazy price for my cleaning supplies. I could go on and on with this.

I always got a second job. It solved a lot of problems, and probably helped increase my future Social Security benefit as a side bonus. Weekly menu planning with portion control was a given, there was no extra money to waste, if I ran out of food, I ran out of food. I was much thinner then - LOL, but I thought I was fat. LOL. Love this topic, especially right now, and your ideas are all workable. Thanks, MM.

Even if these tips aren't good for me, I may be able to share the tips with someone. If I were in dire straights, I'd look for a second job. That's assuming that it's physically possible. I watch some of the videos about people living in their vehicle because I'm curious as to how they do it. I know, I'm weird, but the mechanics of living in such a confined space is fascinating. We never know what we'll be called on to do in the future. Love to all, Linda 💕

Gift exchanges? The problem is that everyone has everything they need. That is why gift buying/giving is so difficult. It used to be that people would save up to buy that TV set, furniture or whatever. Now, they just go out and buy it and charge it to their credit card. Buying for children is even harder. Unless the parents are impoverished, kids have everything you can imagine.

I have used all my stuff before because thats all I had. As a single mother it is what I did. I didn't 'save' money, I had no choice. Our taxes here are going up and we are deciding on what we want to do in the future.

my heating bill was so high this winter even with discount fromCares program. My friend suggested to close the vents where the heat comes thru in the the rooms i am not using in the house and close the doors to these rooms. Well my bill went down close to 70 dollars the next statement.

Jeepers... We all know the old saying "Necessity is the mother of invention" but I'd hate to find out the hard way. I had enough of that in my early adulthood. (I'm officially elderly this year). You do what you have to. These tips are a good start.

Getting rid of one's stuff sounds like a good idea, but those of us who live on fixed incomes are often older or disabled folk who live alone. Selling items can ge profitable, if done safely. After a home invasion five years ago, by someone I'd known off and on for twenty years, I nolonger invited anyone inside my home, and am very much aware of self-protection. A garage sale that has been well organized ahead of time, would be a good idea, so long as someone can be there to help. Meeting at a Police Station, Credit Union or other public place, works for buying and selling, not so much for items that are large and difficult to move. I love the idea of donating to my favourite charities, however, it is also a good idea to see if one can sell, before doing so. The idea of having a room-mate has the potential to backfire, especially if room-mates are wasteful and do not do their share of chores, or have similar values, personally, that has never worked for me. I had to chuckle when you mentioned living off the food one already has, as a prepper, I could do that for several years no problem, and if I chose to fast, ration food, or barter food and/or goods probably twice as long. I realize yours is not a prepping channel, but that is truly one of the best and most useful ways of saving money, and works for the long haul, by covering times of unemployment, illness or other emergencies. There are those who are totally against the concept, but especially with the world situation as it is now, prepping is more important than ever before, and certainly shields us from inflation, rising prices and scarcities, which make no difference to me, except for gas prices. Having a couple of jerry cans at the ready is not such a bad idea.

I WISH I could share a car! I've been trying, unsuccessfully, for 2 years. I happily live a simple and frugal life. I love to bake, cook and eat. I do aspire to achieve Prepper Princess' "I don't care what I eat" status. Couldn't buy garlic yesterday because I WANTED cheddar goldfish, bogo utz redwhiteblue potato chips, Frappuccino and skittles, lol.

I work in a city 20 miles away 5 days a week. I'm thinking about sleeping at work Mon-Thurs in an empty exam room. My job comes with a gym membership for $20/month. I can shower there. I can come home on weekends to cook and pack my food, do laundry etc. It would save me about $150 a month in gas which would be a nice raise!

Great variety of options, maybe not for everyone but will make one think of other ways to be frugal for their situation. TFS 👍

i do most of these saves alot

Great tips! Decluttering is a great idea especially if you can sell some stuff. Using up all the food in your house - we actually use to live like this when we were married with not a lot so stretching out our shopping as much as possible!

Cool your channel just popped up and like your ideas. Plus a bonus is that we are in the same area. I like watching close to home people. I will sub.

Great video money mom I am down to one bottle of shampoo I had quite a bit of stockpile on that it takes up alot of room which I don't have alot of so I am buying 1 bottle ahead with that as a new thing I am doing and I am using up my conditioners too which I have alot left to use up

Good tips very help ful advice 👍. Yes need the tips and tricks 😊❤🧡💛

I buy expired or nearly expired food. The only person I have told this is my husband, and he started doing it. When I visit the store, I examine the "Best Buy" or Expiry Date and figure out when to return. I just got 25 lbs of Kerrygold butter that had 4 days to expiry and canned it. I stop by this specialty food store and get cheese deeply discounted. When there is only a sliver of deli meat and cheese left, they sell me the leftover for a dollar or two. Also some vendors require that they buy a minimum case of every product on a line. So they must get one case os hominy corn that people do not buy. A cashier noticed I bought several, so she told me if I buy the whole case the manager discounts it. So I clear their shelf space for them. Same at an online shoe store. The manufacturer requires they buy every size. So they buy one each size 5.5 and 11 which they cannot sell. I grab the size 11.

love it all

After I retired I sold my SUV as I have a farm truck that I use as I don't drive that much anymore. Saved me on the SUV pmt, insurance and taxes.

I think getting rid of your stuff is a wonderful idea. I wish I had done it years ago. Not necessarily selling it, but either donating or giving it to someone I know that would want it would make me happy. But, unfortunately, I waited too long, and now just having the energy to pack things up, move them up and down stairs, etc. seems overwhelming. All I can say is do these things when you are young so you aren't sorry later on. I don't mean to be a downer, just a word of encouragement not to procrastinate.

Thank you Dawn....another great video and comments from your devoted subscribers. Love from Debbie and Dexter-Dog in southern California. 🙏💝

I figured out how to do gift exchanges without spending a ton of money. I win prizes from Instagram all year. People give me gifts, but they pay for them. I get some really nice stuff, from gift cards to nice candles, to chocolate and more. I save it all in special containers and get out what I need and usually fix up cheap baskets from thrift stores, but I have even reused decorative cardboard boxes sent to me that held the candles and other things. I have a sticker box and a ribbon box. I buy cellophane (clear) for the baskets once a year. I use scarves and other creative ways to wrap, depending on the person. Some of my recipients don't mind gently used items, like books.

Patience is the key. It takes time to save money and it's going to be time you will have plenty when on tight budget and nothing to do with that. It's similiar mistake we make on diet. We keep on thinking what more to add to our diet, to loose weight and we look for what else to buy to save us money while we just have to stop care about food and money in fact. We are not fat or poor because we don't care about food or our food not because we don't give our time or thoughts to it but quite the opposite. We think about food all the time and we think about saving too much. If we are carefree about it, if we have no desires we had no money or weight problems. If we didn't care what house we live, what clothes we wear, if we don't care how long we haven't eaten or how little we have eaten or what taste our food has we won't gain extra weight. We need to make our brains and body busy somewhere else and do t think about food and money.

If your a gardener. Learn to seed save, Learn to compost, Learn to make your garden beds from recycled materials, Learn about diy organic solutions for fertilizer and bugs, start rain water collection.

millenial here, when i moved and needed furniture and things, A LOT of people my parents age (boomers) mentioned 'oh i'm wanting to downsize and get rid of stuff from my giant suburban house, what do you need?'...point being, if you need stuff and ask around, it can be easier to find than you would think

Always I learn something when I listen today after having completed my budget I gave thought to the idea of eating out of my pantry freezer ie.I'm single and cook well and creative and I'm up to the challenge. Perfect timing to hear these words from our frugal MOM! Thanks again your a cult leader for us on saving money!

1. I've sold a lot of stuff. Right now it's hard for me to for me to do. I moved across the country. I didn't drive and I wanted to keep what I took with me so it wouldn't get lost it travel. So, I pared down to only what I could carry: 4 bags...one on each shoulder and one in each hand. I mailed my sewing machine to myself because it was too heavy to carry. I sold or donated, gave away everything else. When moving back across the country, I did drive, so I sold, donated or gave away everything that wouldn't fit in my very small hatchback. I filled every tiny niche. 2. Right now, and a few times in the past, I've cut out all non-essential spending. When I was young, I had some low paying jobs, too. 3. I had to stop gift giving a few years ago. One year, I only knitted gifts with yarn I already had. Then I had to stop. One sister and my step-mother keep sending gifts and I am so thankful! They're both very generous and loving. 4. When I've bought too much of a food, I try to find a friend or neighbor who'll take it. 5. I always shop my home before shopping at a store. Once when I was trying to extend the time between grocery shoppings, I was really down to bare bones. One morning about 7:00 a.m. I felt a strong urge to go grocery shopping. I never do errands that early, and I'd already decided to try to squeeze one more week out of pantry. (That would have been 7th week.) Big mistake. By 9:00 a.m. the whole area was covered in an ice storm so bad that there was no public transport available, food delivery trucks couldn't get to stores, the roads were pure sheets of ice, so much so that even road workers couldn't drive to work to get the roads cleared. It lasted about 2.5 weeks. I lived in an apartment building that had a market on the ground floor, with price about 3x regular stores. I had no choice but to shop there, except that they couldn't get food delivered, either. Their food supply got sparse. 6. I've had roommates a couple of times. I've rented a room. In the past I worked as a live-in nanny a couple of times. And I "lived" in my car for 2 weeks once when I was moving to my next destination with only $200 to get there. I didn't like that at all. But I did it to save money. As I write all this down, sure seems like I've had some adventures...and I have! I wasn't always so poor, but when I list these times altogether, it sure sounds like it! I had really good times in between these times. 7. Once when I lived in a city with very good public transport, and my car died, I went without one for about a year. 8. I haven't had a TV for years and years. Once when my computer broke, I used only the library and job center for computer needs. 9. I'm really good with kids, too. That's why I worked for a time as a nanny. I loved it! I do barter as much as I can, whether goods or skills. Recently I bartered a really good lawn mower, that I couldn't use any more for some labor from a contractor. I also ask for discounts everywhere I go. I'm a senior citizens now, so I often get them. 10. I've brushed my teeth with baking soda, used it as deodorant, used it as a cleaner and laundry detergent...and sometimes even to bake. ☺ 11. I've kept a simple diet. For about 6 years, I ate the same thing for lunch every day: vegetarian vegetable soup. I keep my meals very simple now, too, but not that simple. 12. Never dumpster dived for food. If I were healthier, I might, but I'd have to be near starving. I know people do this and save a ton of money, and I'm glad for them. The only time I dumpster dived was when a friend gave me a cassette tape. I didn't get that he wanted it back, so after some time, I threw it away. The very same day (fortunately), he called and asked me to send it back to him. I dumpster dived to find it...and did find it. Not fun. 13. I usually network. It comes so naturally. 14. It's so much easier to declutter someone else's things than my own...except I don't have the strength or stamina to do any decluttering now. Dawn, I don't know if you realize you said that when you help others declutter, you find "books you want to wear!" I laughed till I nearly fell out of my chair! That's exactly the same kind of mistake I'd make. Thanks for making me laugh do hard! 😄😄😄😄 I love you! ❤

I have really really really tried to limit my purchases to milk, bananas, bread and eggs ( the prices though for eggs are insane) and live off my pantry and freezer. I didn’t even go to the grocery this week. I’m doing this because sale prices don’t feel like sales anymore. I love your approach, suggesting things but not being judgmental. ❤️

If you can’t afford rent… see if you have a friend or family member who you can rent a room or “couch surf” for a few months. Maybe 3-6 months is all you need to save up and get ahead of your bills and be able to get your own place. Not you money mom… just talking in general terms if there’s someone out there struggling. I think this is a option first before living out of their car or van. 😬

Yardsale season is almost here!

Your so lovely I’m trying to save money to help my son out and I’ve got two big operations coming up and as I’m self employed I will be weeks without pay . I’m trying to find fun ways to save and spend less you and meanqueen are my role models:)

Good 👍 ideas speacailyin covid ❤extream frugality. On recession cost of living support. Needto do this even now for the future helping each other great 😊🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤

I’m struggling bills are my problem x

thank you so much for this video!!

New subscriber. Hello from Washington State.

Thank you for all this information. I truly need to hear it seeing that I am living on Social Security only. I was looking for someone to help me with ideas of earning extra money, so thank you!

I want to buy a tiny house

I would not switch my diet to high carb cheap foods. I know it’s an option for saving money, but our health should never be compromised. Beans are healthy though 👍🏻

Always relevant

Great tips and reminders!

Wow. I’m watching you and I see the comments. There are many ways I can save money that I hadn’t thought about. My favorite is selling possessions. We have far too much clutter. One person talked about buying butter and canning it. I came across a chicken deal and bought almost 100 lbs. I then took a few hours to package and freeze it. We had chicken for a good long time. We have 2 very large freezers and try to empty one at least once a year so our stockpile is rotated.

I do counted cross stitch. Im loosing my vision so i dont know if i.ll be able. To finish my last picture. Hope i can.

About four years ago I had a friend who loves to shop she had one room that was full of clothes on racks some still had the tags on them she decided she wanted to use that room for something else and asked me and another friend to help her declutter I went home with four good-sized totes of clothes that I still wear then two years ago she got into crafts she has totes and totes and totes full of stuff some of the same things because she forgot she already had them we just packed most of that up and put it in her garage she asked if I wanted any of that and I said I'm not into crafts. She's a compulsive shopper except she won't buy food she doesn't eat at home she eats out every meal

Im saving for a tiny house. I have several medical promlems. Its hard gor me to cook. Im not able to stand for long. I have degenertive

I just want to point out that if you happen to have some extra time you can apply the pantry challenge only on one person in the family and most often yourself is best. I know I can't get very creative or frugal with what my children eat because they are too small to understand why will eat only potatoes all week or why there is no meat this week or why there's no cookies per say. I can't frustrate them with my frugality like that but I can simply cook for myself another meal and keep the challenge for myself.i will save few meals of expensive ingrediences like lamb for example or I can just eat the sauce or rice without any meat on my plate so I can cut price like that. Or I just might eat my expired food with no worry of my children's stomachs if I want to risk my own stomach which I usually don't but I'm eating simple bean sauce without side dish today and I made a medium batch of it while my children have more expensive meal with chicken and vegetables and couscous for the next two days. I might freeze some of my beans too. And I have decided to mostly make vegetarian soups for myself. they are inexpensive. Fast, satisfying, they don't require side dish and that's what I call comfort food on budget

I don't have a car. But?) I want to buy a tiny house i dont think that's going to happing because of my age im 75. I have 13,500 saved but i dont think think that matters

I thought you were going to say: "I heard you could get some phenomenal diseases" (from dumpster diving).

Why dont.you come to arizonia and help me?

I am decluttering, and have a lot of items I could sell. My problem is I procrastinate on selling the items, and end up with a pile of stuff. 🫣 That's a problem for another day. 💐💐💐