What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to save money while broke? After reading some of the answers to this question, my heart sank a little. I thought about ramen for lunch and dinner, but I was wrong. Someone confessed to mixing bags of ketchup with boiling water to make soup. Here’s what others have said.
1. Poor Man’s Dinner
An unfortunate number of people knew what a poor man’s dinner was: to go to bed. Unfortunately, this is the number one answer. Also, someone suggested, “I needed to take a deep breath during lunch.”
Please check your local food bank if you find yourself in need of food. I understand that not everything is black and white, but please at least use this resource. My mom volunteered for one of them and they want you to come.
2. Drink unfiltered tap water
Drinking unfiltered tap water is on this list, and people have had mixed reactions to it. So, naturally, some have shown their ignorance, suggesting that the man did not live in America before volunteering, that he lived in low-income housing in New Jersey, and that there is no clean water in many places in the states. They explained, “I’m pretty sure I drank lead and rust.”
3. Using a gas stove to heat an apartment
The tenant explained that they have a 500-square-foot apartment that they heat with a gas stove because gas is included in their rent. DO NOT DO IT! I don’t know if anyone knows about this, but it releases harmful carbon monoxide into your home and you can die from poisoning.
Unfortunately, others have shared similar stories about heating their homes unsafely. One person shared that he learned from a homeless man to stuff a sleeping bag with newspapers for insulation, and others confirmed that it worked.
4. One bedroom for the whole family
One man admitted to renting a room to a friend and then sleeping in a single bedroom with his wife and three children to save money while they were broke. However, thirteen years later, they declared that they were debt-free thanks to several businesses.
5. Life in darkness
Several people in the thread admitted to turning everything off and living in the dark to avoid high energy bills. One explained that they only used their computer to light up their room and entertain themselves without setting up anything else.
6. Candles with bacon
One man explained that he discovered how to make bacon-smeared candles after his electricity went out. He clarified that although they burn longer than real candles, they unfortunately do not smell like bacon in the house.
7. Living in a car for savings
An unfortunate number of people have admitted to saving money for housing by living in their cars. Many have noted time frames of a month, four months, six months, and eight months. One described it as “worth it” now that he’s paid the down payment on the house.
8. Dumpster Diving
Many users in the thread admitted to digging through trash cans, and one clarified that they weren’t homeless. They said that restaurants and bakeries have to throw out completely edible products, and how much money they saved on food by eating from garbage cans.
9. Immediate payroll withdrawal
The race to the ATM at midnight to withdraw all of your paycheck before lenders have access to the funds has been history for many. This only included paying the water and light bills, and running the overdraft on the account in a vicious circle of doing so for seven months.
Popular Reading: 47 Amazing Ways to Earn an Extra $1,000 a Month
10. All You Can Eat Buffet
Finally, someone advised to save up money and not starve to death; he went to the buffet just before four for a late lunch/early dinner. They then ate as much as they could for a couple of hours to stay full until the same time the next day.
Okay, I’m going to say it. None of this seems like a solid plan, and I feel sorry for everyone who finds themselves in similar circumstances. Again, DO NOT take these tips as actionable money-saving life tips while you’re broke. We do not recommend, only inform. DO NOT use a gas stove to heat your home.
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