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Secrets of living Frugal...
11 years ago
After a couple replies to another journal which most of mine were about future planning and a little forethought, I got in a conversation about more in depth opinions of how to survive with little money. Well I've opened the vault of my knowledge (as empty as it is) and shared all I can think of at the moment. But one problem remains, this isn't exactly a big super secret why is it treated as such?
Well here's most of my side of the conversation:
I'll start off thinking how I thought when I moved out of my parents house and had only a bag of clothes and like $500 to my name.
General: Depending on how little money you have, you will have to make sacrifices, no doubt. Consider looking for a discount store that doesn't have huge advertisements on TV; The Grocery outlet & Big Lots, and Cash&Carry for example. Fresh food is less likely but food and supplies there might be half off or more compared to their counterparts. If you can find fresh food that looks okay and isn't too expensive, get it and eat it (it probably won't stay fresh long). If you buy stuff at walmart/safeway, go for the discount stuff first. There's usually a section for either fresh bread that's a day old and more than 50% off, or products that are discontinued and will be even more off. True it's not always a good selection.
Brands: Big brands aren't for you, get the secondary ones. If you are used to Prego, say goodbye to the good stuff and get Ragu, or any secondary stuff as it's cheaper. Takes a little while to get used to it, but at least it's still edible even if it's a little different tasting. One or the other aren't bad, having them back to back will show off the quality level (Ragu tends to be a little sweeter, while Prego is better overall). Sometimes just adding a few extra seasonings will do the job. Quite often there's store brand ones: Great Value, Krugar, etc, these are usually half off as they use lower quality materials but I don't usually notice a big difference.
Pop & other stuff: Including gum, cigarettes, snack foods, etc: IGNORE IT, you don't have the money. Get a good water filter if you can afford it, or if you have decent water then you're probably okay. If you HAVE to have something flavored, probably get something that won't ruin your teeth and get Crystal Lite (it's off-brand equiv). For $2 you can make about 12 quarts of flavored water. If you can find the really strong ones or can stand for thinner drinks, you can make 18-24 quarts. Still straight water is probably better if you find a good purifier. Stores will charge 12-25 cents to refill a gallon through their purifier (better than tap but probably not by much).
Water: DO NOT BUY! Especially not Arrowhead. I had such bad experiences from them. The only reason to buy water is for the gallon containers which you will later refill and not buy new. As before, get a filter if you can, a really good filter is better but that's expensive and something to build up to.
Sanitation: Get a bottle of Bleach and a bottle of Vinegar (white or apple cider). Use vinegar on your foods if you get fresh food (a couple capfulls in a sink full of water with veggies will do), this will deal with anything still alive that you don't want like bugs, caterpillars, etc, and unlike bleach won't affect or harm you if you forget to rinse. Get a few spray bottles and dilute your bleach down for cleaning around the house; Mark it clearly with a black marker.
Dishes: Go to salvation army, second hand stores, Good-Will, Etc. You don't need a set, you probably need just enough for you and one guest. Hand pick and get 2 plates, 2 bowls, 2 sets of silverware, 1 small/medium sauce pan, and 1 frying pan. If you can find one, get a croc-pot (Slow cooker). Get a bunch of PLASTIC cups, NOT GLASS (glass breaks/shatters). Plastic will do you good for a long time and if it breaks you won't have to worry about shards in your water if it's cracked. Get a drain rack, and after you eat IMMEDIATELY rinse your dishes. If you ate salads or had say food without meat in it, you can probably just rinse with water without using soap and let it dry. By getting it right away you almost completely remove the need to wash dishes. If you have to wash dishes, let them soak for 20 minutes under the water first or longer which will soften all the gunk up. But likely with as few dishes as you have you won't be letting them get dirty long enough to need to rely on this. If you aren't sure, rinse and give a quick over with some soap.
Buy in BULK!: Do not look this one away. Buy food in bulk when you can, usually it's cheaper. At Cash&Carry you can get large bags of rice and beans really cheap, soak in water for a couple days, rinse off and add seasonings, cook and it's ready to eat. Takes a little preparation but that's like 5 minutes over 2-3 days before you want to eat it. It's not hard. Also in bulk, at Cash&Carry (haven't seen it elsewhere hardly, Grocery outlet once maybe?) get the $8 seasonings, these are HUGE containers full of spices. Get some sea salt, an all purpose spice you like, Chili-powder (multiple uses outside of food), and if you like burritos, get a taco mix (Goes well with beans & rice). These will likely last at least a year compared to the $3 tiny jars you get at Safeway/Walmart. BiMart sometimes has some things to consider too, but can't think of them off hand...
Money Management: There's skills for actual money management, usually involves writing down how much money you have, then subtracting the money for utilities and rent and other things, and set aside money for food. If you got food stamps, then great, if not don't rely on them. Once you assign money for stuff, don't splurge. Keep your receipts, make a spreadsheet, figure out where your money is going, determine if you need to increase or decrease from some categories.
Computers and gaming: If you HAVE to, then get it second hand. A surplus store, pawn shop, or other store is a good place to go. You're probably looking for a Gamecube, Xbox (original), or PS2, get a handful of games. Get games that will take a while to beat, so anything Level-5 will do you good. Laptops might work, but a desktop is better, depends on your budget and sources. You might have a friend who has spare parts and can build you a decent computer for $100 in spare parts, go with that if you can. If you don't care about using old software and just need to do spreadsheets, writing, internet/email, or other simple tasks and you already got a monitor/keyboard & mouse, get a Raspberry Pi. This is $30-$45 and a tiny computer at that, does all your basic needs while fitting in your pocket. Doesn't include a screen or hard drive or any of the extras, but it's still a computer and it's cheap.
Plan ahead: You aren't going to be taking trips in the car to the store because you need a dozen eggs. If you have a bike, sure you can do that as it's good exercise, otherwise know where the stores are in relation to eachother and when you go for a trip try to conserve gas and resources. If you can walk, then walk. Have a good backpack with padding in the back (for your back) and buy only what you can carry, probably 30 pounds of stuff at a time.
Emergency heating: A little wax, oil, and cardboard or paper (from junk mail) can go for making emergency candles that last for a very very very long time. Far more likely keeping yourself warm by some long-jons is more effective than heating an entire room. There's quite a few videos on making candles on YouTube so enough on that.
If you don't mind getting your hands a little dirty, you can make your own alcohol stove (costs you only time as there's plenty of scrap aluminum all over, especially at walmart recycling centers where there's cans that won't be accepted), good for emergency cooking, or if you happen to have a lot of alcohol for some reason you can use it, but natural gas or grid electricity is cheaper usually.
Buckets: Get a few for your bulk food or to keep stuff relatively dry and sanitary. If you know someone that gets the large cat litter buckets (like tidy cats) get those, srub the inside with bleach water a couple times, rinse a few times, and it's good to go. If it still smells too strongly of perfume, you might store other valuables in it other than food, like flammables or use it as a water-proof containers. If you can get a lot of these, get them, buy shelves and just stack the shelves on two of them and you have a small desk. Continue stacking higher and you can make a bookshelf, although I wouldn't trust too much weight on them.
Rope/Cordage: They are your friend. Learn a few knots, probably the Bowline, Plank hitch, trucker's hitch, Prussic knot, Clove Hitch, among a few of them. If you have time and some cord you can make a net you can sleep in rather than get a mattress/bed (Raw materials, $50 or so probably). Get a roll of duct tape too, never know when you need it. Knots are seriously under utilized today.
Recycle: Don't throw away tin cans, bottles, containers that have used their one-time-use. Pill bottles and containers with a cap can likely be cleaned out and used again, although what for depends on their size and original use. Tin cans can be used to make a solar heater, heaters, storage containers, etc. Stuff that can't be used again easily (air freshener cans for example) keep them for their aluminum, you might just want to make a alcohol stove with them, and there's decent plans making use of quite a few of those. Cardboard and burnables can be used for heating and cooking, although you probably want a way to keep the soot contained and controlled. If you have a patio you can use them on outside, then great. If you can't get around to getting much in the way of dishes or cups, tin cans will work for a while.
Building Materials: If you have time, and access to lots of flat cardboard, you can make your own building materials. Buy woodglue (a gallon or so) and wood screws; Slather glue between layers of cardboard, clamp them down and put weight on them, let it solidify, repeat til 6 layers thick. Then cut and make your own shelves, tables, chairs, etc. Even if you don't, putting some boxes on their side you can probably go 6 long (or more) and maybe 3 high and it's a built-in bookshelf. I'd recommend having something to help stabilize it (Cord or a table leg does wonders).
Rent: You're probably going for what's cheapest. Sometimes second floors are a little cheaper than bottom floors. Studio apartments is most likely. Maybe renting out a garage. Check with your landlord, sometimes they will lower the price if you offer to pay in advance like a lease. Example: Some of my rent was about $400 a month, but for every 10 months or so I got a month free, which lowered the rent closer to $350 per month. If it's a few flights up, take it (you'll get used to using the stairs the more you use them).
Extras: Cord (Bankline & 550 paracord) is very versatile stuff. Once you've gotten good at knot tying to a degree you could make a hammock and hanging chairs and other things easily assuming you have somewhere to tie it down at. With that in mind, might consider 2 things. Look for locations that have exposed beams above you (2x4's probably), that will let you hang just about anything anywhere. Second is if you CAN find a place like that (basement, studio apartment or attic seem most likely, or garage) then shelling out some money for bulk cord might be a good idea. I can get 1000 feet reels of cord for about $60. I wouldn't risk my life on a single cord mind you (that would be dangerous and uncomfortable regardless of it's strength) but more likely it has multiple ties/loops/redundancies. If it's an option, it will be good for Shelving, Planks, Make-shift Ladders, a make-shift table, expanding to a backpack, making a belt, attaching and holding onto items like canteens, etc. I'm not sure if all listed can actually handle 550lbs, but this cord is the closest to actual military cord that I've used, and the most likely one I'd trust my life with. The other colors look & feel different, some are much lighter than expected (like the blue) while others are heavier (black); More likely they are newer and made more for Paracord Bracelets rather than utility. The site offers free shipping so that's one less worry.
Bankline you can get from Amazon and other sources, but it's slightly sticky (tar coated) so it takes a little getting used to, although still good stuff from what I've seen and used myself. Not good for bracelets mind you.
Internet resources: If you aren't going to be having easy access to the internet, I think it might be a good idea to download videos from youtube while you do to use with your laptop (or tablet) in cases where you ask 'how do I tie this again?', which can be especially useful for the net making (ie hammock. I calculated making one would take about 200-300ft for like a 4'x8', plenty for solo so you'd have plenty of cord left over for a lot of things). If you aren't sure how to download YT videos, I can link you a plugin plus firefox that when used together will work. 99% of the time the 360p quality is plenty (or 240p flv format), so you can get quite a few videos before you even hit a single Gig of space. Firefox Plugin
I'm sure there's a lot more I can recommend as I think about it, but some of it is just common sense or doing things as early as you can before a resource is unavailable. Sometimes afterall you gotta sleep on blankets on the flat floor, it happens.
6/28/14:
edit: regarding vinegar for food sanitation as I think about it, that might not be enough. As I think about it, it probably was a couple table-spoons (not capfulls)... or maybe as much as a cup, but that's still relatively weak, you want like 1/2 vinegar to half water for breaking down calcium deposits...
Well here's most of my side of the conversation:
I'll start off thinking how I thought when I moved out of my parents house and had only a bag of clothes and like $500 to my name.
General: Depending on how little money you have, you will have to make sacrifices, no doubt. Consider looking for a discount store that doesn't have huge advertisements on TV; The Grocery outlet & Big Lots, and Cash&Carry for example. Fresh food is less likely but food and supplies there might be half off or more compared to their counterparts. If you can find fresh food that looks okay and isn't too expensive, get it and eat it (it probably won't stay fresh long). If you buy stuff at walmart/safeway, go for the discount stuff first. There's usually a section for either fresh bread that's a day old and more than 50% off, or products that are discontinued and will be even more off. True it's not always a good selection.
Brands: Big brands aren't for you, get the secondary ones. If you are used to Prego, say goodbye to the good stuff and get Ragu, or any secondary stuff as it's cheaper. Takes a little while to get used to it, but at least it's still edible even if it's a little different tasting. One or the other aren't bad, having them back to back will show off the quality level (Ragu tends to be a little sweeter, while Prego is better overall). Sometimes just adding a few extra seasonings will do the job. Quite often there's store brand ones: Great Value, Krugar, etc, these are usually half off as they use lower quality materials but I don't usually notice a big difference.
Pop & other stuff: Including gum, cigarettes, snack foods, etc: IGNORE IT, you don't have the money. Get a good water filter if you can afford it, or if you have decent water then you're probably okay. If you HAVE to have something flavored, probably get something that won't ruin your teeth and get Crystal Lite (it's off-brand equiv). For $2 you can make about 12 quarts of flavored water. If you can find the really strong ones or can stand for thinner drinks, you can make 18-24 quarts. Still straight water is probably better if you find a good purifier. Stores will charge 12-25 cents to refill a gallon through their purifier (better than tap but probably not by much).
Water: DO NOT BUY! Especially not Arrowhead. I had such bad experiences from them. The only reason to buy water is for the gallon containers which you will later refill and not buy new. As before, get a filter if you can, a really good filter is better but that's expensive and something to build up to.
Sanitation: Get a bottle of Bleach and a bottle of Vinegar (white or apple cider). Use vinegar on your foods if you get fresh food (a couple capfulls in a sink full of water with veggies will do), this will deal with anything still alive that you don't want like bugs, caterpillars, etc, and unlike bleach won't affect or harm you if you forget to rinse. Get a few spray bottles and dilute your bleach down for cleaning around the house; Mark it clearly with a black marker.
Dishes: Go to salvation army, second hand stores, Good-Will, Etc. You don't need a set, you probably need just enough for you and one guest. Hand pick and get 2 plates, 2 bowls, 2 sets of silverware, 1 small/medium sauce pan, and 1 frying pan. If you can find one, get a croc-pot (Slow cooker). Get a bunch of PLASTIC cups, NOT GLASS (glass breaks/shatters). Plastic will do you good for a long time and if it breaks you won't have to worry about shards in your water if it's cracked. Get a drain rack, and after you eat IMMEDIATELY rinse your dishes. If you ate salads or had say food without meat in it, you can probably just rinse with water without using soap and let it dry. By getting it right away you almost completely remove the need to wash dishes. If you have to wash dishes, let them soak for 20 minutes under the water first or longer which will soften all the gunk up. But likely with as few dishes as you have you won't be letting them get dirty long enough to need to rely on this. If you aren't sure, rinse and give a quick over with some soap.
Buy in BULK!: Do not look this one away. Buy food in bulk when you can, usually it's cheaper. At Cash&Carry you can get large bags of rice and beans really cheap, soak in water for a couple days, rinse off and add seasonings, cook and it's ready to eat. Takes a little preparation but that's like 5 minutes over 2-3 days before you want to eat it. It's not hard. Also in bulk, at Cash&Carry (haven't seen it elsewhere hardly, Grocery outlet once maybe?) get the $8 seasonings, these are HUGE containers full of spices. Get some sea salt, an all purpose spice you like, Chili-powder (multiple uses outside of food), and if you like burritos, get a taco mix (Goes well with beans & rice). These will likely last at least a year compared to the $3 tiny jars you get at Safeway/Walmart. BiMart sometimes has some things to consider too, but can't think of them off hand...
Money Management: There's skills for actual money management, usually involves writing down how much money you have, then subtracting the money for utilities and rent and other things, and set aside money for food. If you got food stamps, then great, if not don't rely on them. Once you assign money for stuff, don't splurge. Keep your receipts, make a spreadsheet, figure out where your money is going, determine if you need to increase or decrease from some categories.
Computers and gaming: If you HAVE to, then get it second hand. A surplus store, pawn shop, or other store is a good place to go. You're probably looking for a Gamecube, Xbox (original), or PS2, get a handful of games. Get games that will take a while to beat, so anything Level-5 will do you good. Laptops might work, but a desktop is better, depends on your budget and sources. You might have a friend who has spare parts and can build you a decent computer for $100 in spare parts, go with that if you can. If you don't care about using old software and just need to do spreadsheets, writing, internet/email, or other simple tasks and you already got a monitor/keyboard & mouse, get a Raspberry Pi. This is $30-$45 and a tiny computer at that, does all your basic needs while fitting in your pocket. Doesn't include a screen or hard drive or any of the extras, but it's still a computer and it's cheap.
Plan ahead: You aren't going to be taking trips in the car to the store because you need a dozen eggs. If you have a bike, sure you can do that as it's good exercise, otherwise know where the stores are in relation to eachother and when you go for a trip try to conserve gas and resources. If you can walk, then walk. Have a good backpack with padding in the back (for your back) and buy only what you can carry, probably 30 pounds of stuff at a time.
Emergency heating: A little wax, oil, and cardboard or paper (from junk mail) can go for making emergency candles that last for a very very very long time. Far more likely keeping yourself warm by some long-jons is more effective than heating an entire room. There's quite a few videos on making candles on YouTube so enough on that.
If you don't mind getting your hands a little dirty, you can make your own alcohol stove (costs you only time as there's plenty of scrap aluminum all over, especially at walmart recycling centers where there's cans that won't be accepted), good for emergency cooking, or if you happen to have a lot of alcohol for some reason you can use it, but natural gas or grid electricity is cheaper usually.
Buckets: Get a few for your bulk food or to keep stuff relatively dry and sanitary. If you know someone that gets the large cat litter buckets (like tidy cats) get those, srub the inside with bleach water a couple times, rinse a few times, and it's good to go. If it still smells too strongly of perfume, you might store other valuables in it other than food, like flammables or use it as a water-proof containers. If you can get a lot of these, get them, buy shelves and just stack the shelves on two of them and you have a small desk. Continue stacking higher and you can make a bookshelf, although I wouldn't trust too much weight on them.
Rope/Cordage: They are your friend. Learn a few knots, probably the Bowline, Plank hitch, trucker's hitch, Prussic knot, Clove Hitch, among a few of them. If you have time and some cord you can make a net you can sleep in rather than get a mattress/bed (Raw materials, $50 or so probably). Get a roll of duct tape too, never know when you need it. Knots are seriously under utilized today.
Recycle: Don't throw away tin cans, bottles, containers that have used their one-time-use. Pill bottles and containers with a cap can likely be cleaned out and used again, although what for depends on their size and original use. Tin cans can be used to make a solar heater, heaters, storage containers, etc. Stuff that can't be used again easily (air freshener cans for example) keep them for their aluminum, you might just want to make a alcohol stove with them, and there's decent plans making use of quite a few of those. Cardboard and burnables can be used for heating and cooking, although you probably want a way to keep the soot contained and controlled. If you have a patio you can use them on outside, then great. If you can't get around to getting much in the way of dishes or cups, tin cans will work for a while.
Building Materials: If you have time, and access to lots of flat cardboard, you can make your own building materials. Buy woodglue (a gallon or so) and wood screws; Slather glue between layers of cardboard, clamp them down and put weight on them, let it solidify, repeat til 6 layers thick. Then cut and make your own shelves, tables, chairs, etc. Even if you don't, putting some boxes on their side you can probably go 6 long (or more) and maybe 3 high and it's a built-in bookshelf. I'd recommend having something to help stabilize it (Cord or a table leg does wonders).
Rent: You're probably going for what's cheapest. Sometimes second floors are a little cheaper than bottom floors. Studio apartments is most likely. Maybe renting out a garage. Check with your landlord, sometimes they will lower the price if you offer to pay in advance like a lease. Example: Some of my rent was about $400 a month, but for every 10 months or so I got a month free, which lowered the rent closer to $350 per month. If it's a few flights up, take it (you'll get used to using the stairs the more you use them).
Extras: Cord (Bankline & 550 paracord) is very versatile stuff. Once you've gotten good at knot tying to a degree you could make a hammock and hanging chairs and other things easily assuming you have somewhere to tie it down at. With that in mind, might consider 2 things. Look for locations that have exposed beams above you (2x4's probably), that will let you hang just about anything anywhere. Second is if you CAN find a place like that (basement, studio apartment or attic seem most likely, or garage) then shelling out some money for bulk cord might be a good idea. I can get 1000 feet reels of cord for about $60. I wouldn't risk my life on a single cord mind you (that would be dangerous and uncomfortable regardless of it's strength) but more likely it has multiple ties/loops/redundancies. If it's an option, it will be good for Shelving, Planks, Make-shift Ladders, a make-shift table, expanding to a backpack, making a belt, attaching and holding onto items like canteens, etc. I'm not sure if all listed can actually handle 550lbs, but this cord is the closest to actual military cord that I've used, and the most likely one I'd trust my life with. The other colors look & feel different, some are much lighter than expected (like the blue) while others are heavier (black); More likely they are newer and made more for Paracord Bracelets rather than utility. The site offers free shipping so that's one less worry.
Bankline you can get from Amazon and other sources, but it's slightly sticky (tar coated) so it takes a little getting used to, although still good stuff from what I've seen and used myself. Not good for bracelets mind you.
Internet resources: If you aren't going to be having easy access to the internet, I think it might be a good idea to download videos from youtube while you do to use with your laptop (or tablet) in cases where you ask 'how do I tie this again?', which can be especially useful for the net making (ie hammock. I calculated making one would take about 200-300ft for like a 4'x8', plenty for solo so you'd have plenty of cord left over for a lot of things). If you aren't sure how to download YT videos, I can link you a plugin plus firefox that when used together will work. 99% of the time the 360p quality is plenty (or 240p flv format), so you can get quite a few videos before you even hit a single Gig of space. Firefox Plugin
I'm sure there's a lot more I can recommend as I think about it, but some of it is just common sense or doing things as early as you can before a resource is unavailable. Sometimes afterall you gotta sleep on blankets on the flat floor, it happens.
6/28/14:
edit: regarding vinegar for food sanitation as I think about it, that might not be enough. As I think about it, it probably was a couple table-spoons (not capfulls)... or maybe as much as a cup, but that's still relatively weak, you want like 1/2 vinegar to half water for breaking down calcium deposits...
hipakipa
~hipakipa
this is a good journal!!
Yano2mch
~yano2mch
OP
Thanks :) Share with those that might need it.
