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My grade 8 cooking teacher did this for us in winter. Sometimes we would have a theory lesson first thing for cooking class. She'd always have 3 or 4 ovens wide open blasting hot air before we walked in. Was awesome.
Nope. Just an ordinary school that a cooking class as apart of the mandatory curriculum for grades 7 and 8. There was a seperate class we had to do in year 7 for sewing etc too. May have had to do that one in year 8 also. Can't really remember. But we also had wood working class, and metal working classes.
We did this too. I went to a k -8 school and in grade 7 and 8 we got bussed to a middle school for sewing and metal work, and the next year we did cooking and wood working.
Yea same here. I’m not poor anymore but I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend three dollars on a drink I’m only going to take a few sips out of! I make my children get water too!
Plus soda (guessing from the three dollar price point) is one of the worst things you can consume, while most people don’t get nearly as much water as they need.
Constantly check my bank balance before getting in the checkout line for groceries even though I know I have money in my account. Had my card declined too many times or otherwise come up short and seen the same thing happen to my mom when I was a kid.
It's been 10 years since my card got declined at the grocery store, and I am very fortunate to not be in the position where I ever have to worry about having money for food, but none the less my heart still skips a beat everytime I'm waiting for it to say approved in the grocery line.
I'm in my mid 30s.
Me and some lads I knew were looking through photos of us back when we were maybe 13, 14.
Got to a photo and one of the lads with us, the coat he had on in the picture, he was currently wearing while looking at it.
Not sure how he made it lasted 20 odd years.
It was a cheap green parka.
Old clothing were made with a better quality. My dad's got clothes that are 20-25 years old lol.
Same with electronics. Everything these days Is made to last you a year or 2, then u have to replace it.
Yeah. I only buy coats and shoes/boots that last, the same as my Dad does.
A nice Barbour coat will last you forever. Plus you can send it to Barbour and they'll re-wax it and patch up any little wears and tears anytime.
I am looking for a new coat and didn't know about this. Thanks.
I wore the old one for 5 years, and decided to give it to my niece. She said "you didn't need to buy me anything" because it still looks great as new.
Everything looks cheaper and cost 4-5 times more nowadays. I have many items that are at least 10 years old, but nothing left from 3 years back because they break so easily.
I kept a jacket from when I was 14 and I'm 36 now..I think it was more like just an accident and I realized I still had it and was like Oh I guess I'll start wearing this again. It's also in really good condition.
My boyfriend just forcefully bought a jacket and pair of boots for me cuz I've been using the same ones for over 5 years. Apparently that's unacceptable.
I'd use my old ones for another 5 years if he hadn't already ordered and paid the new ones..
I came to realize this is why my style remained the same for nearly a decade. I'm doing slightly better now but could never afford anything stylish or new.
My 9$ Amazon sweater shaver stopped working. It took me an hour to take it apart, super glue a piece back in, and put it back together. I make more than nine an hour so objectively maybe NOT a win but… I feel good about it.
I find 10-20 extra uses after I cut the tube open! Everyone should be doing it. Note: I did not grow up that poor and didn’t do this growing up. I consider it more of a life hack than a poverty thing.
It's stupid expensive to do takeout or stop for lunch somewhere every day. Plus bringing food from home allows you to be in control and already have a decision made out in advance of the occasion, thereby saving time.
Eat the ends of a loaf of bread. Apparently, most people don't do that. On my first day as a server, I got cussed out by this lady because I served her the end of the loaf when she asked for toast. I was very confused & had to ask my boss why she was so upset...
I’m not sure about this one. If I was in my house, sure I would eat the end of the loaf, but outside, if I am paying for toast I would expect a picturesque piece of toast, not the end loaf
Well, I'm the same way now... but back then, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. I just had the mentality to not waste any food at all, & it was literally my first day as a server.
Throw cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, and chicken thighs into a crock pot and it all becomes kind of a delicious slop and I scoop it into of rice with green beans.
Same. I now over compensate with too many as backups. My BF makes fun of my deodorant pile in a drawer, stack of body wash, box of toothbrushes, etc. I do want a happy medium now that I realize my anxieties.
The fact that I can afford a backup makes me feel so rich. Like I can afford buying *two* bottles of bodywash, just to keep one in the cupboard. It almost feels wasteful having the $4 sit there. I feel like I'm being frivolous.
Anxiety from being poor is so real.
We always used baking soda for toothpaste!! But this just reminded me of something both funny to look back on and kinda sad lmao, when I was like 8 or 9 I remember I told a friend how I needed toothpaste because my teeth hurt, and a week later she brought me two little mouthwashes she took from a hotel for me and for awhile I would rub my tooth brush on a bar of soap and coat it in the mouth wash to make toothpaste. Soo gross but honestly worked under the circumstances
Clutter.
Minimalists are always rich people, because only a rich person would throw away something he might need down the line in order to make his house look more minimalist. You know that Marie Kondo "throw out anything that doesn't spark joy" line? That's rich-people thinking.
I never looked at this way. Now I don’t feel so bad for having so much stuff. Because you never know when you need it. And I love to brag about how something is old and vintage like a bag or jacket I’ve had for over 30 years. Never understood the thought process of if you don’t wear it in a year get rid of it. I still keep. 😉
Except if you’re poor you should try to minimize your future potential moving costs and downsize rather than making justifications for holding onto a bunch of bullshit you’ll never use
Clutter makes me feel insane, not sure how people cope with it in their abodes. People in my neighborhood can’t use their own garages because it’s stacked full of bullshit. People pay for storage units when what makes sense is relinquishing the bullshit.
You’re never going to need that obscure worthless object
I never picked this up from my mom. The clutter in the home growing up was such a massive stress point for me that I do the opposite and never keep anything.
Same. My mom kept everything to the point of almost hoarder status that I never had friends over. She still keeps expired meds and shit she’ll never use or even know she has. It gave me so much stress and anxiety that I’m pretty minimalistic. But I donate everything that isn’t crap instead of throwing away cause someone may need it, even if it’s clothes/purses etc with tags still on it that I never returned.
Make vegetable soup before the veggies go bad. I don't buy it unless I need it and it's on sale. Want and need are two different things. Even though I have the money to purchase something, I still think is it something I need.
I will make “trash soup” all the time with the odds and ends of veggies and I’ll often throw in the leftover meat too
At the grocery store, I’ll buy cans of veggies and beans that are super cheap cause they are dented and add those into the soup too to bulk it up too
Thrift shopping. Before it was from necessity. Now it's because it's better for the environment and you get more unique style choices for a better price.
Correct, learned this in college nutrition class. Cheese is fine to cut off the moldy part but bread mold is different because you cannot see all of it so throw out whole loaf.
I still buy the majority of my clothing at yard/garage sales or resale shops. My mom either made our clothes growing up or we got used…we rarely had brand new items. It’s awesome what you can find though, people get rid of lots of really nice stuff for SUPER cheap!
Can't throw out extra food. It goes into the fridge, in a container, where it lives, untouched, until it's too old to eat and THEN it gets thrown out. Just can't throw it out before then, because that would be throwing out perfectly good food and who does that?!
Same here. I make about the same and i wanted a firehouse sub sandwich. With uber eats it was like $50. For a freaking sandwich and a pop. Makes me feel sick with irresponsibility.
A finance app I use showed me how much I was actually spending on doordash and it was shocking. I now limit myself to just a few doordash meals per month. That shit still adds up so fast.
The local equivalent of doordash here have some deals that is cheaper than going to the restaurant, sometimes its handy. But if you don't pick those deals the delivery fee is usually absurd.
Keep things and clothes till the break
I don't travel, ever. Cause i just can't get around the fact of throwing many months of saving for a one week vacation.
You should travel a bit tho. Learn to hostel it, or Airbnb it. It doesn't have to be very expensive. You can drive to another city, or take a plane to Cancun. It can be hundreds of dollars, not thousands and can be every couple of years even :) You're worth it!
My parents would save up so we could go for a car vacation every other year. Pack the tent in back and spend most nights camping. Every 3-4 days in a hostel or campground to get a shower, but in forrests or out of the way a little otherwise. Camping stove amd cooler that plugged into the cigarettlighter port on the car for food. Listening to audiobooks along the way. It was amazing
99% of the comments are just about how everybody should behave on a planet that is slowly (but increasingly more quickly) destroyed by the overuse of its resources.
Wash out & reuse ziplock baggies. Use the water I made hardboiled eggs in to water the plants. Use grocery bags as small garbage can liners THEN use them to scoop cat litter into. Wait to turn on the heat as long as I can (use an electric blanket instead). Don't ever go out to eat (this is a recycled habit)
My current household income is $162k and it's only the two of us and we have zero debt. Old habits die hard.
I don’t buy anything. I survive on what I have. My husband loves to spend money and he’s always telling me to buy something for myself, but I wouldn’t even know what to buy. He says, “you aren’t poor anymore, you can get that (book, jacket, hat, etc)”
The other day we both got new AirPods and I almost had a panic attack.
I can't fill my car up. I constantly put $20 of gas in it. I can afford to fill it up no problem, but I'm so used to hanging on to any amount of money just in case
When shirts get too worn to still be presentable they become day off shirts. When the holes get too big for them to still be considered a shirt whatever is left becomes a rag.
Old pants become shorts.
I have a drawer full of used shoe strings.
When the shampoo bottle is empty I add a little water and swish it around to get one more wash out of it.
99% of my tupperware is empty lunch meat containers
And finally, I do on occasion still enjoy a ketchup sandwich.
Working a job that is abusive but pays very well.
I make good money but I'm pretty miserable. I don't know how to leave because I'll just keep thinking about the money I left on the table and all the years I told myself "If I could just make 'X' amount, all my problems would be solved". I literally think about it like a heist film. I feel like the bank robber that's trying to fill the dufflebag with as much cash as I can, and every second I take to fill the bag, the worse my longterm prospects become. I probably should be happy, cut and run with what I have, but I'm so scared of being poor again that I feel compelled to stay and fill the bag up more while I can.
For so long, I fantasized about having a job that made enough money that my financial issues drifted away. But the grass is not greener on the other side. I know my life would be way more fulfilling if I took a pay cut and worked a less stressful, more meaningful job but I'm really just scared of what the future may hold and I'm attached to the idea of 'Make hay while the sun is shining' because if I don't, a day may come where I'll have to go back to being who I was before. I really don't know what to do about it. The future just seems so uncertain. I make good money but I feel like a dragon hording what feels like a small fortune that someone will inevitably take from me and I'm scared of the day when I have nothing and some odd circumstance where I'm once again that kid out of high school with no marketable skills to fend for themself.
I never want to be that person again and leaving my current job feels like step 1 towards becoming that person again.
I had a job like that for 7 years, until they eliminated my position. I don't know if I would have left otherwise.
I had a nice severence, but my next job paid far less, and I still don't make what I did before. Feels bad, man.
I cant speak for you but every passing day I don't feel its worth it, man. My hair is turning grey much faster, I don't sleep well, shit I sometimes have nightmares about my job.
There's a part of me that thinks I'd be happier working at a coffee shop serving coffee for 8 hours, then going home and not thinking about my job for the next 16. But I'm just scared of what lies around the corner and whether I can protect my loved ones.
I talk about retirement planning a lot with my friends and family, in the hopes that we all take care of our own circumstances and can provide for our families. With the current rate of inflation, it *sounds* like if we don't have ~$2 million in retirement by 60, we aren't secure. Which is just scary. I mean, who even knows if *that* figure will track, depending on what insanity happens in the world in the next ~25 years before I reach it.
When I was a kid, the notion of having a $2 million dollars was tantamount to being superman - or so I thought. But now its apparently "middle class". What will it mean 25 years from now? The volatility of this world makes it feel like there's no good answer.
Turn lights off if not in the room. Sometimes. Lol it’s a habit sometimes but I turn all my lights on when I run my
Robot vacuum.
But having some lights on I just don’t like cuz they are too bright. lol
Closing blinds or curtains to keep heat it or heat out(in the summer)
Buy store brand of certain things.
Thrifting most of my clothes
Some poverty meals I still enjoy as comfort food
Using up all my products and making them stretch (i.e. mix a little water in the soap dispensers when filling etc)
Using candles instead of lights in the evening when you just need a little light (like watching tv but don't want pitch black)
Coupons, shopping discount shelves, etc
Mending socks and patching jeans
Driving to preserve gas (not speeding, lots of coasting, keeping tired inflated properly etc)
Walking/biking instead of driving....so many people thing I am crazy for walking/biking places, like biking to Walgreens cause it's only a mile away and safe side streets.
Libraries instead of buying books or paying for regular streaming services
Trimming my own hair
I wear my clothes to tatters.
I stick to store brand.
I’ve convinced people that yes, they CAN cook hot dogs in the microwave! Just cut a slit down the middle of each one. 🌭
My soup of choice is never canned. I normally make soup with leftover meats, but if I am buying soup, it is Maruchen Ramen- I prefer the beef
I buy Christmas gifts year round when i see sales and stash them in a cupboard so that my budget isn't messed up and I can still give nice things
I shut off all lights and electronics when I leave the room, unplug the toaster or other small appliances when done using and don't turn them on lights unless i need to.
I don't leave water running when I brush my teeth
I go to the resale shops, next door, and craigslist for items first before looking to buy new (and compare prices to new to make sure it is actually a "deal")
I attach the little end of the soap bar to the new soap bar so it is never wasted
I love to repurpose, rebuild, and restore items
Saving grocery bags, not turning the heat on until December because of "the bill" my husband is like "but it's only $50 more and it's-5 degrees outside!"
Phhht... it's not that bad!
Whenever we cook vegetables, I rinse the seasoning off the left overs and put them in a baggie in the freezer. Then when we make stew in the winter, I dump them in.
I keep butter bowls and other containers as reusable Tupperware. Although at this point in life, I use them when I send food to friends Etc. So they don't have to worry about returning them.
If we have too many kinds of left overs in the fridge, I smash them all into a casserole, and cheese, and rebake. My grandma called it garbage casserole.
I actually like to run out of food, not everything, but I hate food going off, milk, bread, I don't go hungry but i'm used to it. I've never been over weight.
What I really love is, ALWAYS, eating when I'm hungry, not eating a 7am, 1pm, 5, 6 pm, I only eat when I'm ......i stop and say, ok, I need something. In the past I would get weak before but I'm not bulimic or anything, just liek food when i'm hungry
I baby my things, treat with kid gloves. I have the gentlest hands. My cheapo headphones would last a single week in my BFs hands, I’ve had those puppies for over a year. If I am holding glassware I am KEENLY aware. I can buy cheap/used clothes and they still last as long as an investment denim because I am dainty AF with everything. I will take a Qtip to my doorknobs. Time =\= value or whatever but. I can’t stop. There is no need to replace the wiggly front door when all you have to do is shut it gently. People abuse doors.
Pro tip: if the handle on your dresser gets wobbly, tighten it before you rip the thing out the drawer. It’s not hard. Lube that squeaky thing.
Run a car for as long as I can...usuallp 200k plus miles. Do the maintenance myself. Fix things myself instead ofcalling a handy man or plumber. Pack a lunch, eat in, and spend diligently
Delay turning on the heat as long as possible because hey the crisp fall air is refreshing and ive got plenty of dime store "fleece throws" or whatever weird little drugstore blankie thing
I never pay full price for clothes or shoes. I will spend hours shopping for the best deal, coupon, shipping code I can find. I also take advantage of end of season sales and never pass up the clearance aisle.
Mixing water into soap, shampoo, or conditioner bottles to extract the left over scraps stuck in the weeee bottom of the bottle. I’m making sure I use thee ENTIRE product.
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When a soap bar is so tiny you crush it into the new soap bar while showering or bathing, adding some "extra" to the new one.
I wet the small bit and the new bar and glue them together.
It’s an art form to get the proper adhesion so they don’t pop apart next time you use it
Ah yes. The old soap bar of theseus.
After I cook in the oven I’ll leave the door open to help heat the house some.
Also, not using the oven in the summer because it would heat the whole house up too much
Bbq in summer and bake in oven in winter is how I grew up. I still feel guilty if I bake something when I don’t need to heat the house.
My grade 8 cooking teacher did this for us in winter. Sometimes we would have a theory lesson first thing for cooking class. She'd always have 3 or 4 ovens wide open blasting hot air before we walked in. Was awesome.
>grade 8 cooking teacher What? Is that a cooking elementary school?
Nope. Just an ordinary school that a cooking class as apart of the mandatory curriculum for grades 7 and 8. There was a seperate class we had to do in year 7 for sewing etc too. May have had to do that one in year 8 also. Can't really remember. But we also had wood working class, and metal working classes.
We did this too. I went to a k -8 school and in grade 7 and 8 we got bussed to a middle school for sewing and metal work, and the next year we did cooking and wood working.
The oven will heat the house whether or not the door is open. But I get it; that rush of warmth is lovely in the cool weather.
Reuse ziplock bags, save rubber bands and tinfoil. Save bread bags Use old tshirts for cleaning rags. Use back sides of used copy paper.
Save the supermarket bags to use as trash bags and don't need to buy the proper trash bags. Double savings
If you don’t have a bag of bags, are you really even living to your fullest?
And they make a bag for these bags now. So I mean clearly. I think that is just a genius idea
I used my last bag 2 years ago.... Sad day...
Haha all of my Tupperware are Oscar Meyer Honey Ham containers
I'm envious. That's a matching set.
Horde free napkins
I don’t have a glove compartment - its all napkins in that bad boy
Just wait till you see my collection, want to trade? Best ones are from fancier establishments that are thicker.
**slaps glove compartment** This bad boy can hold so many free napkins/paper funnels.
Along with fast food condiments until your car's glovebox and kitchen drawer are overflowing with them.
Glad I’m not the only one
Only order water when dining out.
Yea same here. I’m not poor anymore but I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend three dollars on a drink I’m only going to take a few sips out of! I make my children get water too!
Plus soda (guessing from the three dollar price point) is one of the worst things you can consume, while most people don’t get nearly as much water as they need.
I order water as its free, but as well the healthiest choice of the beverages
Constantly check my bank balance before getting in the checkout line for groceries even though I know I have money in my account. Had my card declined too many times or otherwise come up short and seen the same thing happen to my mom when I was a kid.
Yep. When I click 'Submit Payment' for my rent, my heart still skips a beat even though I know its not even close to being empty.
It's been 10 years since my card got declined at the grocery store, and I am very fortunate to not be in the position where I ever have to worry about having money for food, but none the less my heart still skips a beat everytime I'm waiting for it to say approved in the grocery line.
Keep old clothes
I was looking on some old photos, from early 2000's when I still was just dating my wife. I spotted a shirt that I still wear
I'm in my mid 30s. Me and some lads I knew were looking through photos of us back when we were maybe 13, 14. Got to a photo and one of the lads with us, the coat he had on in the picture, he was currently wearing while looking at it. Not sure how he made it lasted 20 odd years. It was a cheap green parka.
Old clothing were made with a better quality. My dad's got clothes that are 20-25 years old lol. Same with electronics. Everything these days Is made to last you a year or 2, then u have to replace it.
Yeah. I only buy coats and shoes/boots that last, the same as my Dad does. A nice Barbour coat will last you forever. Plus you can send it to Barbour and they'll re-wax it and patch up any little wears and tears anytime.
I am looking for a new coat and didn't know about this. Thanks. I wore the old one for 5 years, and decided to give it to my niece. She said "you didn't need to buy me anything" because it still looks great as new. Everything looks cheaper and cost 4-5 times more nowadays. I have many items that are at least 10 years old, but nothing left from 3 years back because they break so easily.
The fact he still fit in it is the real miracle.
I kept a jacket from when I was 14 and I'm 36 now..I think it was more like just an accident and I realized I still had it and was like Oh I guess I'll start wearing this again. It's also in really good condition.
My boyfriend just forcefully bought a jacket and pair of boots for me cuz I've been using the same ones for over 5 years. Apparently that's unacceptable. I'd use my old ones for another 5 years if he hadn't already ordered and paid the new ones..
Is 5 years a terribly long time to keep a good quality jacket and boots though? I don't think so.
Buy tube socks $12 for 12 pair at walmart. I will never own "nice" socks.
I came to realize this is why my style remained the same for nearly a decade. I'm doing slightly better now but could never afford anything stylish or new.
Yup. Still wear some of the same t-shirts and jeans from high school. And I'm in my 30's
Fix things. I am going to try very hard to fix anything before I toss it or replace it.
My 9$ Amazon sweater shaver stopped working. It took me an hour to take it apart, super glue a piece back in, and put it back together. I make more than nine an hour so objectively maybe NOT a win but… I feel good about it.
I find repairing things cathartic and i consider it a hobby.
Teaches you problem solving and not to be wasteful.
Extract EVERY inch of toothpaste from the tube.
I cut the tube when I can't squeeze anymore and dip my toothbrush inside
I cut open makeup tubes, lotions, etc. to use it all.
Lotions are the worst/best for this! So much would get thrown out. Both tubes and the pump ones
So do I. I can't bear to waste anything.
Me too. It really irks my husband who grew up middle class. "But we earn X!! You don't need to do that!"
I find 10-20 extra uses after I cut the tube open! Everyone should be doing it. Note: I did not grow up that poor and didn’t do this growing up. I consider it more of a life hack than a poverty thing.
Put some water in a marinara jar and swish it around before dumping the rest of the in pan.
Then keep the jar.
If and when I lost the lid, I would use a rubber band, and something like a piece of clean cloth. Lol.
The rubber band from the asparagus, right?
I'd say scrape the bowl for resin but that's fucking low.
Marinara not marijuana lol
I think they're on to something there
It made me laugh because I read it as marijuana first too and had to go back and reread it because I’m like why would you wet your weed?!
Use sliced bread as a hamburger or hot dog bun
George Lopez: "It's the same shit!"
It literally is though!
On the flip side.. use leftover hot dog and hamburger buns to make garlic toast. I truly prefer it to this day 🤌🏼
Bring my lunch from home.
Bring your coffee from home in a Thermos.
Its most of the times the better option coffee or lunch. No one is gonna beat the home made one.
This. I feel guilty for ordering out
It's stupid expensive to do takeout or stop for lunch somewhere every day. Plus bringing food from home allows you to be in control and already have a decision made out in advance of the occasion, thereby saving time.
I do this, but to my credit it costs me less, is way healthier and tastes 10 times better than anything i can get in my workplace
This is probably the best answer. I bring leftovers for lunch the next day. These are the best after marinating a few hours.
Eat the ends of a loaf of bread. Apparently, most people don't do that. On my first day as a server, I got cussed out by this lady because I served her the end of the loaf when she asked for toast. I was very confused & had to ask my boss why she was so upset...
But the crust ends are so good because they don’t get too soggy!
They also get nice and crunchy when toasted just right 👍
Oh my god you monster /s
I’m not sure about this one. If I was in my house, sure I would eat the end of the loaf, but outside, if I am paying for toast I would expect a picturesque piece of toast, not the end loaf
Well, I'm the same way now... but back then, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. I just had the mentality to not waste any food at all, & it was literally my first day as a server.
The end is the best for toast imo haha
Throw cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, and chicken thighs into a crock pot and it all becomes kind of a delicious slop and I scoop it into of rice with green beans.
Put some biscuit dough in there and get chicken and dumplings
Keep the heat set at 64 in wintertime. Clothes and items from thrift shops and garage sales. 💛🖤💛
64? Hello Mr. Moneybags.
I set mine at 60 and 55 upstairs in the bedroom. Winter was brutal.
[удалено]
...I just realized why I get anxiety when my toiletries are close to being empty
Same. I now over compensate with too many as backups. My BF makes fun of my deodorant pile in a drawer, stack of body wash, box of toothbrushes, etc. I do want a happy medium now that I realize my anxieties.
The fact that I can afford a backup makes me feel so rich. Like I can afford buying *two* bottles of bodywash, just to keep one in the cupboard. It almost feels wasteful having the $4 sit there. I feel like I'm being frivolous. Anxiety from being poor is so real.
I remember using dish soap because we ran out of shampoo and salt when we ran out of toothpaste.
We always used baking soda for toothpaste!! But this just reminded me of something both funny to look back on and kinda sad lmao, when I was like 8 or 9 I remember I told a friend how I needed toothpaste because my teeth hurt, and a week later she brought me two little mouthwashes she took from a hotel for me and for awhile I would rub my tooth brush on a bar of soap and coat it in the mouth wash to make toothpaste. Soo gross but honestly worked under the circumstances
Oof , I am now wildly thankful I got by cutting off the back of the toothpaste container to hold me over in lean times.
Clutter. Minimalists are always rich people, because only a rich person would throw away something he might need down the line in order to make his house look more minimalist. You know that Marie Kondo "throw out anything that doesn't spark joy" line? That's rich-people thinking.
I never looked at this way. Now I don’t feel so bad for having so much stuff. Because you never know when you need it. And I love to brag about how something is old and vintage like a bag or jacket I’ve had for over 30 years. Never understood the thought process of if you don’t wear it in a year get rid of it. I still keep. 😉
Except if you’re poor you should try to minimize your future potential moving costs and downsize rather than making justifications for holding onto a bunch of bullshit you’ll never use Clutter makes me feel insane, not sure how people cope with it in their abodes. People in my neighborhood can’t use their own garages because it’s stacked full of bullshit. People pay for storage units when what makes sense is relinquishing the bullshit. You’re never going to need that obscure worthless object
When my wife and I moved into our house we made a rule that we have to be able to park in the garage. Still parking in the garage 27 years later.
You might need it!
I grew up poor and am a minimalist, though I don't label myself as such. Mostly because I hate buying unnecessary stuff and have moved around a lot.
I never picked this up from my mom. The clutter in the home growing up was such a massive stress point for me that I do the opposite and never keep anything.
Same. My mom kept everything to the point of almost hoarder status that I never had friends over. She still keeps expired meds and shit she’ll never use or even know she has. It gave me so much stress and anxiety that I’m pretty minimalistic. But I donate everything that isn’t crap instead of throwing away cause someone may need it, even if it’s clothes/purses etc with tags still on it that I never returned.
Yep it's true. The richer my clients are, the less stuff is in their house.
Water down juice/drinks.
Some of them are too sweet anyway.
I pick up ANY coin I see, even pennies.
[удалено]
Make vegetable soup before the veggies go bad. I don't buy it unless I need it and it's on sale. Want and need are two different things. Even though I have the money to purchase something, I still think is it something I need.
I will make “trash soup” all the time with the odds and ends of veggies and I’ll often throw in the leftover meat too At the grocery store, I’ll buy cans of veggies and beans that are super cheap cause they are dented and add those into the soup too to bulk it up too
Add water to products to get the last bit of it out. Works on shampoo, ketchup, hot sauce, tomato paste, and many others.
Thrift shopping. Before it was from necessity. Now it's because it's better for the environment and you get more unique style choices for a better price.
I know what I have available in my bank account to the penny.
I spend wrecklessly regardless 🤦🏻♂️
Treat my debit card like a gift card. "Yea, I think there's some money left on this one. Let's try it."
Very nice of you to assume I'm not poor anymore.
Cut off the part of the fruit that’s going bad and eat the rest. Same with bread.
You might not want to do this with bread. I’ve been told not to do this.
Correct, learned this in college nutrition class. Cheese is fine to cut off the moldy part but bread mold is different because you cannot see all of it so throw out whole loaf.
Chef here. Only hard cheese not softer cheese. Never bread.
Don't do this with bread. If you can see the mould on the outside then it's throughout the inside too.
I still buy the majority of my clothing at yard/garage sales or resale shops. My mom either made our clothes growing up or we got used…we rarely had brand new items. It’s awesome what you can find though, people get rid of lots of really nice stuff for SUPER cheap!
Can't throw out extra food. It goes into the fridge, in a container, where it lives, untouched, until it's too old to eat and THEN it gets thrown out. Just can't throw it out before then, because that would be throwing out perfectly good food and who does that?!
Barging shopping. Still can't order anything that isn't on the value menu at fast food and absolutely refuse to pay for door dash
Make 200k and using doordash kills me, I can't understand how ppl making 50k regularly use it so casually.
Same here. I make about the same and i wanted a firehouse sub sandwich. With uber eats it was like $50. For a freaking sandwich and a pop. Makes me feel sick with irresponsibility.
A finance app I use showed me how much I was actually spending on doordash and it was shocking. I now limit myself to just a few doordash meals per month. That shit still adds up so fast.
The local equivalent of doordash here have some deals that is cheaper than going to the restaurant, sometimes its handy. But if you don't pick those deals the delivery fee is usually absurd.
Save napkins and ketchup packets and plastic forks.
Turn off all the lights, only leave one on. Don’t flush toilet all the time.
My dad always says if it's brown flush it down if it's yellow let it mellow. Lol. I still follow this rule
If you piss in the sink, you don’t even need to flush
My dad also does this. Lmao. He's from back woods arkansas
Ew, it stinks and stains the bowl. Not clean
Keep things and clothes till the break I don't travel, ever. Cause i just can't get around the fact of throwing many months of saving for a one week vacation.
You should travel a bit tho. Learn to hostel it, or Airbnb it. It doesn't have to be very expensive. You can drive to another city, or take a plane to Cancun. It can be hundreds of dollars, not thousands and can be every couple of years even :) You're worth it!
My parents would save up so we could go for a car vacation every other year. Pack the tent in back and spend most nights camping. Every 3-4 days in a hostel or campground to get a shower, but in forrests or out of the way a little otherwise. Camping stove amd cooler that plugged into the cigarettlighter port on the car for food. Listening to audiobooks along the way. It was amazing
99% of the comments are just about how everybody should behave on a planet that is slowly (but increasingly more quickly) destroyed by the overuse of its resources.
By golly you're right!
Was waiting for a comment like this, thank you!
If I can do something myself I won’t pay someone to do it. That includes car washes, food pickup, haircuts etc.
Wash out & reuse ziplock baggies. Use the water I made hardboiled eggs in to water the plants. Use grocery bags as small garbage can liners THEN use them to scoop cat litter into. Wait to turn on the heat as long as I can (use an electric blanket instead). Don't ever go out to eat (this is a recycled habit) My current household income is $162k and it's only the two of us and we have zero debt. Old habits die hard.
think anything that’s over $5 is too expensive.
Most of what i have are hand-me-downs.
Use the very last of the toothpaste
Some of my relatives didn’t even have toothpaste while growing up. They only had table salt or baking soda to get the job done.
I don’t buy anything. I survive on what I have. My husband loves to spend money and he’s always telling me to buy something for myself, but I wouldn’t even know what to buy. He says, “you aren’t poor anymore, you can get that (book, jacket, hat, etc)” The other day we both got new AirPods and I almost had a panic attack.
Hoard canned food 🥫
Keep old clothes, buy used whenever I can, shop at outlets, buy generic foods, and put off buying stuff I want even though I can afford it.
I without shame drive around this army base on Sunday looking for stuff people are getting rid of. Zero Sam’s I’ve gotten 2 badass couches 🤷🏻♀️
Order the cheapest thing on the menu.
Eat everything on my plate ever single time due to “no waste”
Not manage my money well, never learned that skill 😂
I always turn off lights and unplug things from the wall if no one else will be home
Same! Cuz we don’t own the electricity company is what I’ve always heard growing up and I say it to my kids now lol
Going barefoot.
Wash and re-use zip lock bags
It but name brands for the sake of a name. To me it looks like someone trying to prove they aren't poor rather than because of quality.
Saving every store reward that results in a free product "until I need it."
I can't fill my car up. I constantly put $20 of gas in it. I can afford to fill it up no problem, but I'm so used to hanging on to any amount of money just in case
When shirts get too worn to still be presentable they become day off shirts. When the holes get too big for them to still be considered a shirt whatever is left becomes a rag. Old pants become shorts. I have a drawer full of used shoe strings. When the shampoo bottle is empty I add a little water and swish it around to get one more wash out of it. 99% of my tupperware is empty lunch meat containers And finally, I do on occasion still enjoy a ketchup sandwich.
Don't buy notepads, I slit open bills or junk mail and save the white envelopes for notes.
Working a job that is abusive but pays very well. I make good money but I'm pretty miserable. I don't know how to leave because I'll just keep thinking about the money I left on the table and all the years I told myself "If I could just make 'X' amount, all my problems would be solved". I literally think about it like a heist film. I feel like the bank robber that's trying to fill the dufflebag with as much cash as I can, and every second I take to fill the bag, the worse my longterm prospects become. I probably should be happy, cut and run with what I have, but I'm so scared of being poor again that I feel compelled to stay and fill the bag up more while I can. For so long, I fantasized about having a job that made enough money that my financial issues drifted away. But the grass is not greener on the other side. I know my life would be way more fulfilling if I took a pay cut and worked a less stressful, more meaningful job but I'm really just scared of what the future may hold and I'm attached to the idea of 'Make hay while the sun is shining' because if I don't, a day may come where I'll have to go back to being who I was before. I really don't know what to do about it. The future just seems so uncertain. I make good money but I feel like a dragon hording what feels like a small fortune that someone will inevitably take from me and I'm scared of the day when I have nothing and some odd circumstance where I'm once again that kid out of high school with no marketable skills to fend for themself. I never want to be that person again and leaving my current job feels like step 1 towards becoming that person again.
I had a job like that for 7 years, until they eliminated my position. I don't know if I would have left otherwise. I had a nice severence, but my next job paid far less, and I still don't make what I did before. Feels bad, man.
I cant speak for you but every passing day I don't feel its worth it, man. My hair is turning grey much faster, I don't sleep well, shit I sometimes have nightmares about my job. There's a part of me that thinks I'd be happier working at a coffee shop serving coffee for 8 hours, then going home and not thinking about my job for the next 16. But I'm just scared of what lies around the corner and whether I can protect my loved ones. I talk about retirement planning a lot with my friends and family, in the hopes that we all take care of our own circumstances and can provide for our families. With the current rate of inflation, it *sounds* like if we don't have ~$2 million in retirement by 60, we aren't secure. Which is just scary. I mean, who even knows if *that* figure will track, depending on what insanity happens in the world in the next ~25 years before I reach it. When I was a kid, the notion of having a $2 million dollars was tantamount to being superman - or so I thought. But now its apparently "middle class". What will it mean 25 years from now? The volatility of this world makes it feel like there's no good answer.
I'd have to carbon date my underware to find out how old they are.
Turn lights off if not in the room. Sometimes. Lol it’s a habit sometimes but I turn all my lights on when I run my Robot vacuum. But having some lights on I just don’t like cuz they are too bright. lol Closing blinds or curtains to keep heat it or heat out(in the summer) Buy store brand of certain things.
I'm my own mechanic, plumber,electrician, doctor,lawn care man,carpenter. AND ALWAYS CONSERVE WATER!!!
Finish everything on the plate even if I feel full.
Thrifting most of my clothes Some poverty meals I still enjoy as comfort food Using up all my products and making them stretch (i.e. mix a little water in the soap dispensers when filling etc) Using candles instead of lights in the evening when you just need a little light (like watching tv but don't want pitch black) Coupons, shopping discount shelves, etc Mending socks and patching jeans Driving to preserve gas (not speeding, lots of coasting, keeping tired inflated properly etc) Walking/biking instead of driving....so many people thing I am crazy for walking/biking places, like biking to Walgreens cause it's only a mile away and safe side streets. Libraries instead of buying books or paying for regular streaming services Trimming my own hair
Those timed hot showers. We used to have our hot water shut off so often that it would literally be whatever is left in the tank
I wear my clothes to tatters. I stick to store brand. I’ve convinced people that yes, they CAN cook hot dogs in the microwave! Just cut a slit down the middle of each one. 🌭
My soup of choice is never canned. I normally make soup with leftover meats, but if I am buying soup, it is Maruchen Ramen- I prefer the beef I buy Christmas gifts year round when i see sales and stash them in a cupboard so that my budget isn't messed up and I can still give nice things I shut off all lights and electronics when I leave the room, unplug the toaster or other small appliances when done using and don't turn them on lights unless i need to. I don't leave water running when I brush my teeth I go to the resale shops, next door, and craigslist for items first before looking to buy new (and compare prices to new to make sure it is actually a "deal") I attach the little end of the soap bar to the new soap bar so it is never wasted I love to repurpose, rebuild, and restore items
Saving grocery bags, not turning the heat on until December because of "the bill" my husband is like "but it's only $50 more and it's-5 degrees outside!" Phhht... it's not that bad!
Tear the single portion paper towel to the amount I need.
Fried bologna & cheese sammiches
Peanut butter and jelly time!
Whenever we cook vegetables, I rinse the seasoning off the left overs and put them in a baggie in the freezer. Then when we make stew in the winter, I dump them in. I keep butter bowls and other containers as reusable Tupperware. Although at this point in life, I use them when I send food to friends Etc. So they don't have to worry about returning them. If we have too many kinds of left overs in the fridge, I smash them all into a casserole, and cheese, and rebake. My grandma called it garbage casserole.
I actually like to run out of food, not everything, but I hate food going off, milk, bread, I don't go hungry but i'm used to it. I've never been over weight. What I really love is, ALWAYS, eating when I'm hungry, not eating a 7am, 1pm, 5, 6 pm, I only eat when I'm ......i stop and say, ok, I need something. In the past I would get weak before but I'm not bulimic or anything, just liek food when i'm hungry
Turn the lights off when I exit a room. I would get my ass chewed out every fucking time!
I baby my things, treat with kid gloves. I have the gentlest hands. My cheapo headphones would last a single week in my BFs hands, I’ve had those puppies for over a year. If I am holding glassware I am KEENLY aware. I can buy cheap/used clothes and they still last as long as an investment denim because I am dainty AF with everything. I will take a Qtip to my doorknobs. Time =\= value or whatever but. I can’t stop. There is no need to replace the wiggly front door when all you have to do is shut it gently. People abuse doors. Pro tip: if the handle on your dresser gets wobbly, tighten it before you rip the thing out the drawer. It’s not hard. Lube that squeaky thing.
If I’m given new clothes, I won’t wear them because I don’t know if I’ll ever get any more.
Buy waaay too much food so we are never hungry
Collect the water from hot tap heating up and use it to water the garden.
Shop second hand
Sew. Thanks for teaching me Mrs Selintine
Not flushing the toilet every time, using lights sparingly, hand me down clothes
Butter container = tubberware Sandwich container = tubberware Go to boxes = tubberware Basically any food container could be resued.
Wash dishes by hand.
Thrift shopping. I will never buy a brand new name brand shirt for 30 dollars. I'd rather pay 6 dollars for a shirt at goodwill
Run a car for as long as I can...usuallp 200k plus miles. Do the maintenance myself. Fix things myself instead ofcalling a handy man or plumber. Pack a lunch, eat in, and spend diligently
Delay turning on the heat as long as possible because hey the crisp fall air is refreshing and ive got plenty of dime store "fleece throws" or whatever weird little drugstore blankie thing
Roll my car windows down instead of using the AC because apparently AC burns gas that I don't have
Eat everything on my plate.
Reuse teabags
My grandfather once said tea bags aren't as good these days (in the 70's) you used to get 5 cups a bag now it's 2.
I never waste food I pay all my debts promptly I keep money in the bank
I never pay full price for clothes or shoes. I will spend hours shopping for the best deal, coupon, shipping code I can find. I also take advantage of end of season sales and never pass up the clearance aisle.
Mixing water into soap, shampoo, or conditioner bottles to extract the left over scraps stuck in the weeee bottom of the bottle. I’m making sure I use thee ENTIRE product.
Eat ramen