Buckling Down
February 20, 2023 5:56 PM   Subscribe

Quick and easy. Your financial situation changes and you find yourself having to do more with less. For example, your living circumstances change and you are scraped to the very edge of your budget in order to find a place to live. What are your budget hacks? What would you do to make every penny last? Food and meals? Saving money on laundry items? Cat needs? Any and all ideas are quite welcome! Help me meta-wan, you're my only hope.
posted by Mr. Hazlenut to Human Relations (30 answers total) 40 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Move to a brown neighborhood
Get a roommate
Better yet, rent a room off lease
Eat more potatoes, they're nearly nutritionally complete
Call everywhere you have a bill and ask to find discounts
If no discounts, ask for hardship deferrals or deductions
Have a car? Reduce your insurance to the state minimum and walk/bike a lot more
I'm serious about the potatoes
Put every dollar you have that you don't absolutely need to spend into an emergency fund
Are you employed? Been there a while and doing well? Ask for a raise
PO.TA.TOES.
posted by phunniemee at 6:03 PM on February 20, 2023 [16 favorites]


Best answer: Food.
posted by aramaic at 6:03 PM on February 20, 2023 [4 favorites]


Don't eat out pretty much at all and especially don't get delivery. It adds up very quickly.
posted by less-of-course at 6:05 PM on February 20, 2023 [16 favorites]


If in the U.S., complete the Benefits.gov questionnaire. One new benefit right now is the Affordable Connectivity Program for subsidized internet.
posted by veery at 6:22 PM on February 20, 2023 [9 favorites]


Not sure where you are located. Check whether you qualify for food stamps wherever that is.

If you currently drive, investigate whether you can take public transit to and from work. However, it needs to be reliable. You can't lose your job right now.

If you are currently paying federal student loans, make sure you are in the repayment plan that will cost you the least when payments resume. If your income has changed, update it with them--you don't have to wait til the end of any 12-month period.

Look at your most recent credit card billing statements to see if there are any recurring charges for services you could live without.

Switch to the prepaid bare-bones plan from your carrier for your cell phone.

Try to avoid dollar stores, as they are generally a false economy (you will pay significantly more per unit).

Another good ultra-budget cookbook is Good and Cheap.
posted by praemunire at 6:24 PM on February 20, 2023 [3 favorites]


My cheap dietary staples: rice, beans, onions, potatoes, canned tomatoes. Fresh produce is often a lot cheaper at smaller “ethnic” groceries. Canned fish and peanut butter are affordable ways to get more protein.

If you have monthly subscriptions to anything, it’s time to review and cut. If you’re not on a contract for phone or internet you may be able to get a better budget deal.

The only way I can think to save money on laundry is to wash things less often. Which may be a possibility if you do so more than necessary (I grew up in a household where even jeans had to be washed every wear.)
posted by vanitas at 6:30 PM on February 20, 2023 [5 favorites]


Best answer: Food: Yes, cook all of your meals. Occasionally treat yourself to something nice - it's still cheaper to occasionally splurge on ingredients than to order take out.

Phone: I really like Tello - I pay $8 a month, and I've never run out of my monthly allowance of data/minutes.

You don't mention your baseline consumer habits, but if you don't browse, you don't end up buying anything.
posted by coffeecat at 6:36 PM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]


Best answer: Reduce alcohol/weed/drugs.
Cancel cable if you have it, cancel streaming services, see if you can get internet for cheaper or possibly investigate sharing with a neighbor.
Get really into walking. It's entertainment plus exercise plus transportation depending on where you live.
Pay your bills on time (late fees were my Achilles heel when I was broke)
Basically stop buying stuff. Depending on where you live, craigslist free section or your local buy nothing Facebook group have a lot of items available if you act fast
Turn off the heater and the lights
posted by latkes at 6:37 PM on February 20, 2023 [8 favorites]


I’m not sure if you’re budget is tight because of where you live or you’re budgeting so you can find a place to live, but if looking for a place, ask around with friends. 1. You can often find an independent landlord who is cheaper than a corporate managed place and 2. See if friends might be willing to rent to you. Especially if you have friends with houses who may have an extra bedroom type situation.

Be realistic about how long this financial situation will last. If it’s simply a summer internship that doesn’t pay much in an expensive city,
My approach would be different than if you are in an underpaid field (teaching) and don’t expect your financial situation to change much in the future.

If it’s the later, be realistic about the long term affects of saving money. Don’t make choices that sacrifice your long term health which will just be more costly in the end anyway.

People will give good advice on how to tighten the belt so to speak. I think you likely already knows what needs to be done there. Think about the things that make you happy, and make those as cheap as possible. Maybe walking to get a Friday ice cream at the local shop is your favorite part of the week. It’s probably worth keeping that cost. If it’s drinks out with friends, order something cheaper/offer to be DD for free soft drinks. It really wears you down having to budget every penny and figuring out how to I coude joy is what will make it successful
posted by raccoon409 at 6:53 PM on February 20, 2023 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Depending on how long you think you’ll need to be on an austere budget, common items like deodorant, household cleaning supplies, and laundry detergent can be made easily with common ingredients like baking soda, coconut oil, washing soda, and vinegar.

If you continue to use commercial laundry detergent, most people can get by with 1/3 the amount recommended. There is little benefit to dryer sheets or fabric softeners.

If you have family or friends with a Costco or similar member, ask if they will take you for an essentials run and make an initial investment in things like toilet paper and and canned or frozen foods you consistently need.

See if you can get by with using plastic shopping bags for garbage and more trips to the bin.

Also, last time I had to count every penny to get by, I found lots of things in my house that I was ready to part with. Post a few nice photos on Craigs List or Facebook marketplace - even small $20 sales add up, and I usually had an additional $100-$200 a month.

And good luck. This stuff if hard on a person, and you should be exceedingly proud of yourself for managing this kind of creative life-management.
posted by Silvery Fish at 7:04 PM on February 20, 2023 [6 favorites]


Some pet rescues will help people with pet expenses where there is financial hardship. They want to help keep pets in their homes. Reach out to those in your local area.
posted by OrangeDisk at 7:30 PM on February 20, 2023 [6 favorites]


Best answer: Investigate all the service contracts you have. Be ruthless! You need at least phone service with internet, but movies and games and internet TV are not needed on a bare bones budget. Check if you have automatic rollover set up for any of these services and cancel what you no longer can afford. Call your internet provider and see if you can scale back service. Plead poverty - some cable companies, Comcast, for example - offer free or nearly free services for people with low income.

If you read, check books out from the library, where you can also often check out ebooks and stream movies. My library checks out laptops, carpentry tools and even neckties for those who need to interview for jobs. During the pandemic they also loaned out wifi hotspots for people who needed to work or attend school remotely. Check your library - I can't say enough about how libraries have adapted to fill modern needs.

Cook your meals. Starches are usually the cheapest food per calorie, but a starch-heavy diet is not very nourishing and can become monotonous. Protein is usually more costly, though there are work-arounds like tofu or eggs (despite their current high cost, eggs are a protein bonanza and worth the cost. They keep well, too.) Learn to make one-pot meals like soups and stews that have very little, if any, meat. Do a little diet research, and learn about combining grains/legumes/grains to make "complete proteins". For example a peanut butter and whole grain bread sandwich combines 2 substances that independently are incomplete proteins but together they form a complete protein for very little money. Lentils and rice are another protein pair. If you have a soup with both, you don't need a meat to eat protein. For fresh vegetables check if there is a store or farmers market with a display of discounted fruit or perhaps slightly wilted veggies that can be cooked or eaten soon. Cabbage is cheap. Investigate groceries in ethnic enclaves in your town. Is there an Aldi or Walmart nearby? They are often cheaper than other stores.

Check if you qualify for Medicaid (a lifesaver for millions of Americans) and SNAP benefits for groceries. These are federal programs administered by the states, so every state has different rules. In general, blue states have more generous guidelines than red states. Are there food pantries in your community? They typically have a regular schedule and are not open continuously. You can call a few churches - they will know where and when pantry services are offered. If your community has a hub for human services, like a senior center where patrons might be accustomed to accessing social services, you can call and see what services might be available to you if you are of less than "senior" age. They will be vary familiar with service providers.

Sell items you have that might bring in cash. Don't get behind on bills - call to make payment arrangements you can manage - this will also reduce the damage to your credit rating. Can you get a second job? It seems like everyone's hiring if you're willing to work at pretty menial jobs, but it's something.

I agree that dollar stores are a poor bargain, except possibly for milk. Most of the food is high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat. Soap and laundry products are usually poor quality and expensive - they are often the only store in low income areas where people often don't have cars, and take advantage of being the only game in town. I have never seen a fresh vegetable in a dollar store.

And good luck. It's really tough to not have enough money.
posted by citygirl at 7:50 PM on February 20, 2023 [7 favorites]


Best answer: Please see this post: https://ask.metafilter.com/367273/Tips-for-saving-money-right-now#sidebar
posted by happy_cat at 8:06 PM on February 20, 2023


Consider putting $x into a High Yield Savings account for emergencies. Make sure your bank has turned off overdraft protection. (Unless you want it on... your call). Make sure your bank (or credit union) meets your current and future needs (low fees, high interest rates).

There are jobs that provide "free" or discounted housing.

You may find it cost effective to sell some of your belongings rather than move them.

Check your state for unclaimed money. If you haven't already, file your taxes ASAP online.

Social Media can be helpful... whether it's joining your local FB chapter of "Buy Nothing" or changing your linked in status to "open to work."
posted by oceano at 8:45 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]


Look up the schedules for local food banks/pantries and food giveaways to get a boost on the grocery front with some free items. My experience is that you get a lot more than you might expect, it's pretty good quality, and it will keep you fed, especially if you integrate your free foods with some of your standards so you feel comfortable with what you're eating.

If you (or your pet) need health or mental health care, look for clinics and services that offer sliding scale or community days. If your issue is something that can wait until those days roll around or your name comes up on a waitlist, it may represent significant savings. I'm not encouraging you to neglect your well-being, as most problems get more expensive when they get worse, but if there are things going on that you can wait a bit longer to look into, you may be able to find care that is more affordable. Also, with prescriptions, always ask if there are any discounts they can offer, and shop around online to see what the prices are at various pharmacies before choosing where to get your meds. If you're currently on regular meds, look up to see if the price you're paying is the best one in your area and don't hesitate to move your prescription if it's not.

I totally underscore libraries as an incredible resource, for the reasons above, but also for their free online resources and their IRL event programming, too. Depending on the library system, you'll almost definitely be able to get: free streaming movies, TV, news, etc., free COVID tests, free legal help, and free online classes. You may also find all kinds of other events that would be entertaining, helpful, or lead you to specific community resources that suit your particular needs. Some libraries have things like clothes mending groups and tool libraries -- make it your business to know what your library offers and keep track of their events calendar.

Join the Facebook groups in your area that are for locals and keep your eyes open for things people are giving away or even make a specific ask if there's something you need. Also, if there's stuff that you definitely need, yard sales/garage sales are generally even cheaper than thrift stores, and you can bargain. Estate sales sometimes have random household items like a box of partially used cleaning sprays that still have enough life for you to make use of and you get them for a steal.

Volunteer at local events that are too expensive to attend but you want to take part in. Generally you still get to experience significant aspects of the event, and some volunteerism is even set up where you get some perk like a free ticket for the next day in exchange for providing the service of setting up. Either way, it's free to volunteer, you meet people, and it can be a form of entertainment all its own. Plus you might get to take home leftovers if you're in the right place at the right time.
posted by luzdeluna at 8:48 PM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]


I'm gonna push back on all the dollar store hate. Maybe we just have nicer dollar stores in LA or something, but plenty of the ones around here have fruits and vegetables for sale. The dish soap and Head and Shoulders knockoffs work as well as what you'd buy at the supermarket, for a fraction of the cost. Sure, some of their stuff is a rip-off, but a lot of it is fine. Come on, you can pay $90 for sunglasses at Nordstrom or you can just get them at the dollar store. Nobody will know the difference and you're only gonna lose 'em anyway.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 8:49 PM on February 20, 2023 [6 favorites]


The dish soap and Head and Shoulders knockoffs work as well as what you'd buy at the supermarket, for a fraction of the cost.

They cost more per unit (e.g.). It's not about being fancy, it's about doing your best to avoid the big markup for not buying a normal-sized container.
posted by praemunire at 9:26 PM on February 20, 2023 [5 favorites]


Best answer: Libraries forever! Public transit means factoring in more time for travel, so it is a lot easier if you schedule in the extra time and have something to do for the trip - podcasts you save for them, a favourite book etc - so the extra 30-60minutes becomes a nice escape rather than a trudge.

You need to have good things to do that make you feel better - very very cheap hobbies are embroidery, crosswords, plants from seeds - depending on your thrift stores/buy nothing nearby, you can pick up hobby equipment and supplies very cheap. Swimming, running and pingpong can be super cheap if you have a local club.

Cancel your subscriptions and go old fashioned sailing on the high seas. Look into family plans if you have relatives you can stand.

Make it a good challenge - cook indian vegetarian food which is pretty much the cheapest yummy food ever. Find a friend who also cooks and agree to swap two nights a week because it is much cheaper to cook for 2 people than one, and it just increases with more people - homemade bread and soup shared with a half dozen friends is a wonderful treat and incredibly cheap. Rent parties are a fine tradition - people pay $10 to come over and BYOB and hang out.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 9:34 PM on February 20, 2023 [3 favorites]


Freeze your bread, and it will always be fresh, you can buy a double loaf at Costco, once a month, and it lasts. Have a potato, every other day, an apple every day. Buy a big bag of dried fruit, keep it refrigerated, have some when you want a treat, a snack, or are out of fresh fruit. Make hearty stews and soups, freeze three portions, eat one the day you make it, and some the next day. Always have 5-8 main meal servings frozen, a chili relleno, or smoked pork chop, pieces of cooked chicken, or portions of tilapia. Buy organic marinara on sale, keep a half dozen cans of cooked beans around, keep things you like to eat in your house and you will enjoy eating at home, which is way cheaper than even junk food, or fast food. Line dry your clothes, if you can. Go for coffee, just get plain coffee, and a cookie, instead of specialty coffee, cake or pie. That is six bucks, instead of ten or twelve. Turn off auto pays tied to subscriptions attached to anti-virus, or a vpn, newspapers, yearly payments are frequently double or even triple what your initial subscription was. Take back your credit card number even if you have to get a new card from your bank, in order to be able to decide whom you will pay, or when you will resubscribe. Negotiate what you will pay for online services, yearly. Don't let some sales person decide what you will be paying, not without negotiating. Look for manager's specials at grocery stores, sometimes there are things you like, marked down. Don't just buy random stuff because it is dirt cheap.
posted by Oyéah at 9:50 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]


Your financial situation changes and you find yourself having to do more with less.

I fear that all I can really add to the excellent advice offered above is the equivalent of that old Irish joke about asking for directions and being told that I wouldn't start from here, but learning to be content with less is a project I've embraced consciously for pretty much my entire life exactly because financial situations always do change. I've always been astonished at the willingness of the rest of my species to behave as if money really does burn holes in pockets and during those times in my life where I've been lucky enough to have been making relatively large gobs of the stuff I've always reacted to that by socking it away rather than working out what to spend it on.

Devoting a fair bit of time to getting clarity on the difference between stuff that I need and stuff that I want has allowed me to learn to do less with less and I think that's a winning strategy. My main supporting tactic has always been to insulate myself from advertising to the greatest extent achievable; I have strong objections to paying the logo tax.

Consumerism is a strange game. The only winning move is not to play.
posted by flabdablet at 10:32 PM on February 20, 2023 [14 favorites]


Depending on your housing situation, this may or may not apply. If you pay heat and hot water and electricity directly, though, you can try to lower your bill. Wash laundry in cold water, hang dry if you are at all able to (hangers on every available space, a drying rack, a clothesline indoors). Either way, use the washer and dryer at off peak times, typically nighttime, check with your utility. If there are any other major appliances, use them at off peak times if possible. Dishes wash well enough in cold water as hot. My heating co. has programs for not shutting off when there are vulnerable people living there, check if these apply to you. Mine also has a program to spread your winter heating bill across the whole year to help with budgeting for more evenly distributed bill amounts. Do you have some control of the heat or live with folks who would be willing to lower the heat? Lower it when you're sleeping and when you're out of the house. Use a door snake or rolled up towel to block drafts at doors that lead out. Or hang a towel, bedsheet, or curtain over those doorways.
posted by carrioncomfort at 2:02 AM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]


Best answer: See if you can downgrade your internet speed, even if the plan isn't advertised on the provider's website. We did that and now pay $20 less per month for 200mbps with no effect on streaming and browsing.

Use less shampoo/conditioner/toothpaste than you're used to, you only need a tiny bit. Hit up the dollar store for toiletries, soap, detergent, but compare cost per ounce, since they often have smaller packages, but not always!

Do you pay for water/sewer yourself? Turn off the water while shampooing/brushing.

Join a local Buy Nothing/Freecycle group on facebook and ask for things you need instead of buying. Many people have stuff laying around that they're happy to give away to someone in need.

Look up Lasagna Love and request a homemade lasagna.

Look into food pantries and food giveaways from your town, local church, or from local Hunger Free types of organizations.

Learn how to grocery shop smartly (avoid prepackaged snacks, know what's a good price, buy store brands, see if your store has a discount shelf/bin for produce, baked goods, and things that are expiring soon.)

See if you can pick up a dog walking or cat care client locally. Get some exercise walking to/from and get paid $20+.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 5:18 AM on February 21, 2023


Best answer: If you can swing it, get yourself a (used) copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette. It's like this thread, but in book form.
posted by okayokayigive at 5:39 AM on February 21, 2023 [2 favorites]


There is a saying in business that you can't manage what you don't count. Keep a record of your expenses on a weekly or monthly basis to be aware of what might skip your attention and to see which categories are big and which are small.

Try different grocery stores. Stores with "every day low prices" are usually cheaper overall than stores that tease with sales prices on select items. Besides, in our store "on sale" is synonymous with "sold out". Eat eggs. Get some vegetarian recipes in your rotation.

Simplify everything: your diet, your clothing, your routine. Complexity costs money.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:41 AM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]


Nothing you can save will ever be as good as simply making more money, so try to make more money!

Consolidate debt onto a line of credit to reduce interest. Do NOT cancel the now-empty credit cards, keep them - having more available credit helps keep your credit rating high.

Sell your possessions. Designer clothing, unused furniture, etc, old CDs, houseplants, etc. Selling things in "lots" is helpful and minimizes effort. Take good pics, tag your listings with related words and brands, and set prices low. Try to get paid by e-transfer but if it's cash, put all the cash into a jar so it builds up (not in your wallet where you'll spend it!)

Get a roommate if possible.

Tasty inexpensive meals: oatmeal, bread, peanut butter, potatoes, ramen noodles, hot dogs, bruised discount fruits (immediately cut off the bad parts, cut into chunks, and freeze to plop into oatmeal)

Join your neighbourhood Facebook groups to get free stuff.

If you're savvy and have follow-through, you can make a decent side-hustle from re-selling things you get at thrift shops or find on the street. If you have the knack to paint and re-sell old furniture, you can make good money BUT don't try to do this if it's not your thing as it costs money up-front so it's an expensive waste if you're not gonna follow through! See if you can get free paint from neighbours who are decluttering (via a Facebook group).

But I repeat - even if you could save $1000 a month in budgeting and side hustling, that's an uncertain $12,000 for the year with a ton of sweat and effort and mental energy expended again and again.

On the other hand, if you could just figure out how to make $240 / week more at work, that's a guaranteed $12,000 a year with WAY less effort! So try to get the money through a job, not a side hustle. Less tiring, less risky, more sustainable.

So again, always, the best investment you can make is to upgrade your moneymaking system! Ask for a raise, or get a better job!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:13 AM on February 21, 2023 [3 favorites]


Make a list of all your expenses, then rank them most to least expensive. Then, try to figure out how reduce your biggest expenses - for most people they are housing, food, and transportation, but your life might be different (for me, it's childcare, then housing, then food). You'll get a bigger bang for your buck on the big expenses than on the little stuff. Not that the little stuff isn't important, but I promise that latte habit is not equal to saving $500/month on your rent or selling your car and taking the bus.
posted by epanalepsis at 7:23 AM on February 21, 2023 [3 favorites]


I'm going to address the food one. Basically, all those things that you heard about people doing In The Old Days? They were done in part because of high food costs. You can also do them. Cook bacon, then use the fat to fry things instead of butter. Buy chicken thighs with the skin on, boil them slowly in a pot with water and some carrots and onions and potatoes, then take most of the meat out and use it for including in another meal. You already have all the flavor of the chicken fat for your soup. You can also buy soup bones and fat from the butcher, which will add flavor, without being as high as actual meat. Eat a lot of soup, drink a lot of water. Kale is cheap and keeps for a while, and can be added to soups or fried with eggs to get yourself some veg.

Also, I've used name brand detergent and I've used non name brand detergent and honestly the latter gets the job done just fine for a fraction of the cost.

Thrift all of your clothes and other items.
posted by corb at 7:51 AM on February 21, 2023 [1 favorite]


Buy food in bulk, and cook it at home.

It's cheaper, yes, but the boring sameness also means that it helps avoid partially-used products that expire before you get back to them.

Eating out is sooo much more expensive than eating at home.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:17 AM on February 21, 2023


The UK is going through a "cost of living crisis" so lots has been written about this:

e.g. Somewhere cold? Heat the Human not the Home

lots more advice (some UK specific, some not) at moneysavingexpert
posted by lalochezia at 9:08 PM on February 22, 2023


One thing that helped me calibrate my brain about food budgeting was this page of reports from the US Dept of Agriculture on average food costs for various individual/family situations and budgets. You can compare the weekly and monthly food costs for "thrifty", low, moderate and "liberal" spending plans for a variety of groups.

Check the notes at the bottom of each report; the amounts are calculated for a family of 4, so you have to add 20% if you're buying solo, I guess to account for bulk discounting.

It was useful to know the government thinks I should be spending $350-400 a month for a "moderate" food plan, because I usually come in lower than that.

See if you can downgrade your internet speed, even if the plan isn't advertised on the provider's website. We did that and now pay $20 less per month

Thanks for that tip, never.was! Just did that and like you, knocked my bill down by $20/month. So far, no discernible difference from the lower speed.
posted by mediareport at 2:46 PM on February 23, 2023


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