How to SAVE Money WITHOUT Feeling Poor – 18 Ways
How I live on a low income WITHOUT financial stress, and how you can too!
In this post, we will discuss all of my best tips for saving money in this uncertain day and age. With prices skyrocketing in what seems like every direction, I hope this helps you out!
These are the thing MY FAMILY has done to save money, so take what you like and leave what you don’t.
We’ll take it category by category so we can have some sense of order in all this, starting with:
Food
How to save money on groceries?
- Eating a lot less meat and a lot more beans!
- When we eat chicken, we buy a whole chicken and use all of it. We strip the chicken of every molecule of meat and use the bones for nutritious bone broth, which we use for soups, chicken and dumplings, you name it!
- substituting ground beef into recipes that call for beef
- Take it a step further, sub sausage instead!
- Oatmeal for breakfast instead of cereal
- Buying food in bulk
- Shopping at discount grocery stores instead of the ones closest to our house
- Checking all prices for grocery items beforehand
- Making trips to multiple stores depending on who has better prices. Believe it or not sometimes when I price check Target is cheaper than Walmart!
- Buying the majority of our fruits and veggies frozen
- Buying fresh fruits and vegetables in season (In season veggies are waaaay cheaper!)
- Trying a ton of new recipes that use pocket-book friendly ingredients
- Search on YouTube “extreme budget meals” my favorite creators in this space are see Mindy mom, Julia Pacheco, Home Made Simple
- Making bread from scratch. I prefer sourdough for the health benefits and additional nutrients but making ANY bread from scratch will save you money compared to buying store bought.
- Making most of our food using whole foods – This usually means I’m making food from scratch, it’s a little bit more work but the benefit is twofold – we save a ton of money and it’s a lot healthier to cook with whole foods!
- When going out to eat, order Hors D’oeuvre as an entree or share a plate with someone!
- When going out and about: bring food, drinks, and snacks you ACTUALLY LIKE and WILL eat so you don’t spend (unplanned) money on food.
If you are interested in affordable ways to feed your toddler lunch, see here.
Housing
How does my family save money on housing?
Put simply:
We live in a shoebox.
I kid, but it’s also not that far from true.
We got our beloved 840 square feet of housing at a delicious 2.625% interest rate back in 2021.
While we can’t control that interest rates aren’t that low anymore, we can control:
- Where we live
- How we live
- How we approach housing
1. Where We Live
Me and my husband originally were desirous of living in a part of town that cost 50% more per square foot. We compromised on that because everything in our price range needed A TON of work and our current home was move-in ready, and already had pretty much everything we wanted in a home.
So we ended up saving, both in monetary terms and the time it would have taken to renovate elsewhere. Simply by living a little further from the hustle and bustle of “town.” (We still live “in town” just a bit further from the main city.
2. How We Live
We could have easily gone for something bigger.
And trust me, sometimes we wish we had!
But the financial stress we’ve saved by living with only 280 square feet per person is STILL worth it to us.
Maybe your dream home is a bit bigger than what your current situation would allow. Maybe you COULD make it work, but would the extra financial stress be worth it?
To each their own, but I’m certainly glad we chose to be modest with this one. Especially since we became unexpectedly pregnant only 2 months after closing on our home. It would have been SO stressful to think of paying for a baby if we had stretched ourselves with our mortgage.
3. How We Approach Housing
Our home was technically move in ready, but it was far from our dream house. In fact, I spent our entire first year living here DIYing and painting it into a closer version of a dream house.
For you, that might mean buying a fixer upper, a duplex to live in one side, getting roommates or WHATEVER ELSE.
Use your creativity to your advantage! To get ideas: read articles, watch YouTube videos! And save A TON every month on housing when you do.
If you are looking for a way to make more money as well, see here: 10 Incredible Side Hustles
Cars
We DO NOT have a car payment.
How?
As a family of 3, we own ONE car.
That car is 22, you heard me right, TWENTY-TWO years old.
It’s a faithful Toyota Corolla with about 276,000 miles on it, so we think (and hope, and pray) it may only be 3/4 through its lifecycle.
So maybe for you that means driving a clunker for awhile.
Remember, this doesn’t need to be a FOREVER thing.
Eventually, with enough work and saving by NOT putting yourself into unnecessary car debt, you likely will be able to have your dream car someday! And by following the other money saving tips in this post, that day might very well come sooner than you think!
Shop Around
Make sure if you are getting a repair, an oil change, or anything done to your car: get MULTIPLE quotes from different places. This can be as simple as a Google search or a phone call and the couple of minutes that takes could save you anywhere from a few bucks to a few thousand.
Save on Gas
If you think you’d use it for other purchases as well, a Sam’s or Costco membership can save you a boatload on gas. Especially if you drive a lot throughout the week.
Toiletries
What does out family do to save money on these essential household items?
- Buying bars of soap instead of liquid – caveat to this one, I still purchase liquid soap for hand washing. Bar soap gets too sticky and gross for hand washing!
- Cutting open and or rinsing out containers to get the last little bit out -think: toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, etc
- Bar soap instead of shaving cream, with a good lather soap does just as good a job as shaving cream.
- Making my own laundry detergent. Here is the recipe I have used for the last 5 years. It’s awesome. It’s unscented and super gentle, which I need for my eczema and it uses all EWG rated A ingredients! (So it PROBABLY won’t give you cancer!)
Making My Own Household Cleaners
Some people take issue with this but vinegar and soap will kill just about as many germs as those harsh chemicals you can buy at the store.
My bathroom cleaner is as follows:
- 1/2 white vinegar
- 1/2 dish soap
It’s incredible. Gets all soap scum right off, kills mold, and if my baby gets it, it won’t really hurt her.
My kitchen counter cleaner is:
(for a 28 ounce spray bottle)
- 1/2 white vinegar
- 1/2 water
- And about 60 drops of essential oils (so it smells amazing!)
My homemade room spray is as follows:
- 1/2 water
- 1/2 cheapest vodka you can find a
- And essential oils to the smell intensity you prefer. (I usually do about 15 to a 2oz spray bottle)
For these recipes I didn’t even buy spray bottles. I just used left over ones (rinsed out) from my old household cleaners. It’s been 5 years and these spray bottles aren’t even showing signs of wear yet!
All of these recipes require a quick shake before use, but that’s a small price to pay for having things in the house that:
- Get the job done.
- Are orders of magnitude more safe for my health and the health of my family (especially because my baby may someday get into these things.)
AND the whole point of this blog post:
- SAVES A BOATLOAD OF CASH.
Buying Reusable Items
You might not realize it, but those everyday items that you are using and immediately throwing in the trash might be eating a hole in your pocket. (And let’s be honest, they’re slowly ruining the environment too.)
I’ve read a TON of articles and watched a ton of YouTube videos, and these are the things that I’ve found useful:
You probably half half a dozen of these in your house:
Reusable water bottles – We used to buy single use water bottles for going out and about, but we found the $10 a month to just not be worth it anymore. We’d rather grab a couple coffees than 67 water bottles.
Reusable, dishwasher safe, baggies
Beeswax wraps instead of plastic wrap
I made my own to save even more! All that was needed was an old 100% Cotton T-Shirt and some Beeswax (The beeswax I used to make my beeswax wraps). I cut the T-shirt into various sizes to fit my storage containers and mixing bowls. Cut to size with Pinking sheers to prevent fraying later one. Threw the T-shirt pieces and beeswax into the oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees to melt the beeswax, and soak the shirt. Let it all cool and
Voila! A reusable “plastic wrap” that is washable! (In cold water.)
Reusable travel tissues with case. I love these for on the go!
Reusable tissues with cute box. I think these are great but our family goes through A TON of tissues, so I wasn’t able to keep up with the laundry here. Had to give up on it.
Personally, I pass on Reusable ear swabs. They didn’t dry my ears, but if you want to take a wack at it, be my guest.
Reusable Menstrual Pads. If you have never tried these, believe me when I say: They are the most luxuriant thing EVER.
I’m being real here.
If you use pads on the regular and have never tried these, it will completely CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
Rael Organic Cotton Reusable pads in size:
Period disc or cup! – I find the disc to be much more comfortable and I like to use it in conjunction with pads on those heavier days.
Bidet -We now use HALF the amount of toilet paper we used to. This $40 purchase alone saves us $120 a year on toilet paper.
Reusable diapers – We use there sparingly in our home, but if getting more up close and personal with pee and poop is worth the $40 a month you would save on diapers, go for it!
My Favorite Essential Oil Scent – I use this for my household cleaners, put it in my humidifier, and make my room spray with this brand and scent. It’s also at Walmart if that helps!
Wool dryer balls – I haven’t needed to buy any dryer sheets in over 5 years. I’m NEVER going back. Add a couple drops of essential oils to the balls and it will make your laundry smell like heaven.
Peely Fabric Shaver – This has saved many a sweater and couch in our home from looking frumpy. Make your fabrics look fresh as the day you bought them!
Fair warning: you MUST have the fabric you are shaving lay flat or by stretched out with no wrinkles, otherwise it WILL rip a hole in whatever you are working on.
Yes, I learned that the hard way.
Razors add up. The Henson is definitely an investment piece.
However, every replacement blade costs TEN CENTS and these razors are designed to last
When doing research for this blog I found some replacement razor heads that went for as high as $5 A PIECE. At that rate a Henson would completely pay for itself in just a few months.
must add, please don’t feel like you need to go out and buy a bunch of stuff to save money. These things will help you save money in the long run but it can be overwhelming.
When I started my journey I would buy 1 or 2 of these each month so as to keep things in budget. Hope that helps!
Shopping
If I ever go to the mall: I go straight for sales aisles. I never buy anything full price at the mall or at retail stores.
If it’s not on sale, I’ll come back for it in a couple months when it is on sale.
Even better: Instead of buying new, go thrifting! Seek out hammy downs from friends and family, check out Facebook marketplace to find some steals!
If it doesn’t fit perfectly but it’s cheap, it can be altered to fit you like a glove!
If something rips: try to mend it.
If a zipper breaks on your shoes: call a cobbler.
Etc, etc, etc…
If I don’t feel like spending hours searching for what I’m after, I’ve found the following stores to be the best organized when thrifting:
Goodwill for:
- Clothes
- Bags
- Scarves
Once Upon a Child for Baby and Kids:
- Clothes
- Shoes
- Coats
Restore for:
- Furniture
- Decor
- Renovation supplies
And because no one wants a used mattress: Zinus!
While you COULD spend thousands on a mattress, the most expensive these run is about $400.
The Zinnus came highly recommended by friends of ours, we took a chance and we were SO pleased.
We’ve used a Zinus mattress for 2 now years and we love it.
Click here to have a look.
Money management
Spending
To help manage spending, we all need a budget, but how do we make a budget we can actually stick to?
What I’ve found helpful is to go through the past 6 month of spending and average out what you spend in different categories. This way you can see exactly where to start. What’s realistic for you, and where you need to par down.
Using Cash Envelopes
Draw cash out of your bank account, and put it in envelops for each category you spend in.
This can help you spend less by being able to PHYSICALLY see where your money is going. And since most people tend to spend less when using cash, it can help you save.
You don’t even have to use them forever to make a lasting positive change on your finances.
Me and my husband used cash envelops for about 3 months in an effort to get out restaurant spending under control.
We found after those 3 months, we kinda got a feel for how much we could eat out within our budget. So we haven’t needed them since!
This is a great tool even just to retrain your brain for a bit.
Credit cards
If and only if you can use a credit card without carrying a balance, I recommend:
- Citi Double Cash get 2% cash back on ALL purchases
- Target, Amazon and other store cards will give you 5% cash back or a 5% discount
If you were going to spend the money anyway and you don’t pay any interest, getting cash back is a great saving strategy.
Speaking of saving…
Savings Accounts
These days there are some WONDERFUL options for savings accounts.
The Savings accounts that I have notice consistently have some of the highest returns are:
- Wealthfront
- Juno
- SoFi
- And Ally
At the time of my writing this, most of these high yield savings accounts yield 5%.
That’s all I have for you, I hope any or all of it was helpful to you!
Thanks Bunches for Reading!
-Emma