I used to shower only at work to save hit water at home. I only walked when shopping around town to save gas. I rented out all my bedrooms and slept in my living room to cash flow my daughters college. I never felt poor, I felt powerful and creative. You are such an inspiration and validation for frugal living.
Using your food stamps to buy food then using the extra care bucks to get non food items is truly a genius move. 😮. I was on food stamps as a young mother and I used my time on welfare to go to college. It got me through the first 2 years. I had to take student loans for the last years. I really think it’s not a hand out, it’s a hand up. Now as a registered nurse I hope my taxes go to help people in their time of need.
We used to take a lot of walks and always carried a plastic bag to collect cans. We turned them in for money and bought savings bonds for our kids. That helped fund college!
I use a menstral cup and cloth pads, I wash my clothes in a 5 gal bucket and a laundry plunger with homemade laundry soap, I use a shampoo bar and cider vinegar for my hair - no shampoo for over 7 years now. I use the Flashfood app to buy meat that’s close to its best before date and either eat it right away or freeze it. “Family Cloths” for wiping after urination. I don’t drink, smoke, gamble or drive a car. I have never turned on the air condition8ng in my apartment - I don’t know if it works.
That’s what programs like food stamps are for: to help you get on your feet. My daughters received help as single moms and now are contributing to pass it on. Nothing to apologize for!
Have dumpster Dive. But the chip guy would call me and tell me that he would left boxes on top for me.All different types of chips.And I had a bread man that did the same thing. Came in handy when I was raising all my kids
Used cotton diapers with both of my children. Made my own cotton diapers out of cotton tee shirts and other soft cotton apparel I would find at the thrift shops. Hang clothes on line, rather than use dryer. Buy everything I can used or on sale.
oh - - i almost forgot - the town where our beach cottage is has a "swap shop" i take great junk from there on the regular.... appliances - kitchen wares - bedding - wind surfers - reclaimed pavers - garden soil - sand - furniture - luggage - old doors windows - lawn mowers - garden tools - books dvds ---art - a chicken coop - power tools - crystal - china - ladders everything.... my 2 cottages are basically outfitted from the dump top to bottom .....
I love this video! I love your hair too without sounding weird. I’m very frugal but I don’t do without things like internet and other things deem essential. I use to dumpster dive for coupon inserts..lol..I was a CouponQueen or many years. I hand sewed my monthly pads. I wear no deodorant although I do shave my underarms with my $1000 free after coupons disposable razors from over 20 yrs ago. I cut my own hair, have not bought my mascara and eye liner in at least 5-6 yrs after using coupons they cost me a $1 each. I make my own body butter, my own chapstick from my home grown infused lemon balm as the base oil for the chapstick since I suffer from cold sores. I make all of our medicines, tinctures, salves, cough syrup, chest rub, jock itch salve, chub rub, wound salve,topical antibiotics,, tooth powder, shampoo, body wash to name some not all..I make all of our home cleaners as in pine needle infused rubbing alcohol (bathroom) , citrus peel vinegar cleaner. I foraged wild apple trees and put all of our apple goodies that I canned..all peels and cores I used to make apple cider vinegar with mother. 2-weeks ago I learned how to make pectin from wild apples and canned it. I make our wine from dandelions..blackberry brandy from foraging blackberries. Love to forage anything edible/medicinal. I found a huge patch of wild oregano that I harvested and made a tincture, a oil and dried a bunch as our spice. 2-weeks ago up the road from my house I saw a very unusual patch of white topped flower balls is the best way to subscribe it..a fyi~I’m always and I mean always looking at the sides of the road to spot any new to me edible/medicinal plants..anyhow..I googled anything that might look remotely close to this plant I saw it turned out it was a allium giant basically it’s a wild onion..lol..I have driven by this plant a million times but never noticed it until it went into bloom..I grabbed my shovel, a cardboard box and dug up a patch..this was on the side of the road, near a swamp-no I wasn’t stealing it from any bodies lawn..lol..plus the Town owns so many feet on both sides of the road so I’m sure the Town isn’t going to say anything. Anyhow..I planted it in my yard like I have done with many other foraged plants. Feel like I’m bragging but believe me I’m not..I learn any skills to help save money on a minute by minute basis.
@@raisingwildflowers ~it took me years. Since you own land and you are into self sufficiency and are a vegetarian I would invest in a perennial survival food if you don’t already know this and that’s to plant sunchokes, they are a potato substitute that is absolutely delicious in my opinion as well as medicinal excellent for diabetics as it has no carbohydrates to spike blood sugar..they grow very tall like 10ft plus -have a small sunflower in the late summer closer to fall in my area, after the first hard frost the plant will die and you dig up the tubers..I roast mine with a little olive oil, salt and garlic powder..you can put in soups and stews pretty much anything that you would use potatoes for. 1-plant can produce 2-3lbs and are very prolific and invasive. I bought from Etsy many years ago for $10 a lb have no idea how much they are now but once established you will forever have them for a food source and potential income if you choose to sell them. Also the stalk can be used as a tomato support they are very strong. There is nothing like having this plant in my opinion. Next would be having a perennial walking onion patch they are also delicious and the whole plant is edible. Very prolific once established..and a real money maker! I forgot where you said you live but I’m sure you can find/forage lots of edible perennials that you can dig up and plant on your property.
We have a ''Dumpster Diving Network" in my city. People share tips, ideas and good locations. Most food is perfectly good and it's terrible to see it trashed, but a lot of us are taking it and using it which is great. There is no shame anymore as food has become so terribly expensive everywhere and most people.
Things I have done. When I worked at this one hotel, every Monday the manager would let me take any coupons out of the leftover newspapers that didn't sell before they were thrown out. Kids and I have went dumpster diving. Every Sunday, weather permitting, we take a walk in the neighborhood to see if other are throwing out anything worth saving. By doing that we have found guitars, storage bins and baskets, desks, a pleather sofa and a Keurig. We except hand me down. Half the kids clothes and all furniture except for 3 dressers, a sofa, 3 shelves, and 2 futons were free. I work at a bagel shop and when we close, i take bagels before they get thrown out
We spent 6 summers camp/park hosting at a state parks that we loved when our children were between the ages of 8-15. Lots of really fun memories, we learned about how parks were run. Our kids got service learning, and experience for boy/girl scouts. We received free firewood when cleaning campsites, and found all sorts of beach towels, sunscreen and toys during our evening beach cleanups. Not to mention all the interesting people we met, especially the AT hikers. Now I work at a preschool and take home the left over snacks that would otherwise be thrown away several times a week. I also batch cook larger portions when using the instant pot, or oven. Recently bought a used plug in hybrid car and have not had to buy any gas in 5 weeks. It uses about $1 of electricity for my work commute compared to the $3-4 daily that the SUV we had used.
You don't have to answer to anyone that you dumpster dived you provided for you and your family, love all of your ideas thank you so much for sharing my family thinks I'm cheap but what they don't know is I live off half my income no debt and alot in savings my clothes are shabby but I'm a good person ❤❤❤
You are so smart & resourceful! Amazing how hard you work for your family. I hope they all know how incredible you are and how valuable the life lessons are that they're getting from you.♥️🇨🇦
I am a german and I shaved for only few months of my life. I am now 67 years old. During my youth, shaving was out of discussion. We had long hairs and we were proud of our bodyhairs. In the 90th shaving was a trend also in Germany, but this has passend, my daughter (27) told me. I tried to live as natural as possible. Good video, thank you so much!
I was a manager at a store that would throw all the food away even when it was still good. We had several dumpsters so I would have the employees separate the food into separate dumpsters so that people could dumpster dive and the food would stay better that way, you know produce in one and boxed foods in another. You are right about there being so much waste. I also worked at a school as a janitor and you would not believe the waste that goes on there. It is terrible.
Our first year of marriage, we did a live in job at a group home while I finished grad school. The free rent saved us over $700 a month, and the job hours were just a couple hours every morning.
I really want to hit up the DGs in my area. I’m so afraid of getting caught! How do you dumpster dive and not get caught? I personally do not care what anyone thinks of me going into a dumpster.
Great list! I do not use toilet paper at home 😮 we have bidet and old face cloths. Works excellent and more hygienic. We still buy toilet paper for guests. Same goes for most other disposable products, just don't use them. Huge savings.
We grow most of our food in the garden, have a compost toilet ( which means no water bill for this plus no fertilizer because of composting everthing). Having a wood stove and chicken helps too.
I bartered in a restaurant for them to only charge me for the take out price for fish and chips even though I was eating in the restaurant. It saved me $2 and then I left a hefty TIP for them doing so. It was a social experiment but I am sure it confused them.
I am a baby boomer, and I stopped shaving except for 2x year, once at the beginning of summer, and once just before Christmas. My husband didn't care, so why should I? I also got a free paper delivered that I would go through to find free things to do with the kids. I started breastfeeding back when the nurses at the hospital would tell you that breastfeeding was nasty and that I should not consider it. I used cotton diapers when everyone else had gone on to disposable diapers, and hung my clothes out on a line, in the city. I now use family cloths and make my own cotton diapers that I must wear due to a disability. I also always took cash to the grocery store along with a manual hand calculator to make sure I didn't go over what I had budgeted. I used coupons and cash rebates. I bought stuff at CVS and Walgreens to get freebies and donated extras when I had them. I went to city hospitals on Sunday and 'with permission', I took the coupons that were still left in waiting rooms at the end of the evening. I also went to other places and got permission to gather coupons still left in the papers that were left out for their customers at the end of Sunday. I went dumpster diving before it was popular in the midwest. I cut up whole chickens and was given leftover turkey every Thanksgiving by my mom, so I bought a grinder to grind it up and put it in the freezer for turkey salads. As soon as I got married, I started trying out generic brands. I got free cothes for baby or went to thrift shops, which was looked down upon at that time, I actually lost a job because bosses found out I bought my clothes from a thrift shop, and they just couldn't/wouldn't take a chance that their neighborhood clients might find out. While I lived in the city, I used to bundle my youngest into a stroller while my daughter walked beside me,and we picked up a grocery size bag of cans on the weekend while also looking to see what everyone was throwing out. Then I would go back home to get the truck to pick up anything I thought we could use, like a bunk bed, a baby bed, like new carpeting that had a stain where I usually put my sofa, several partial bikes that my husband turned into two good bikes as the kids got older. I once owned a business in a small town and when my husband got let go from his job, we built an apartment into the back of it and lived there for awhile. Yes, my family considered me a wildchild! 😅 I have also been cutting my own hair for about a year because my disability check is barely enough to pay rent, and now I am considering moving into my van. I also noticed that their was always change laying around at bus stops and laundromats because people wouldn't bend down to pick up what they dropped. When i found out that places were buying used Levi's jeans, I bought themat thrift shops and garage sales, etc. and sold them at the business that bought them. I also bought gold jewelry this way as well and sold them at pawn shops, now i would do it on ebay... I know there are many more things I am forgetting, but I can tell thati did everything i could to save money because my husband didnt like me working even though everyone said you couldnt make it on one income, and my husband made minimum wage at that time! I also got free babysitting in exchange for cleaning 1 house, so that I could go clean houses a couple of days a week after the kids started school, ironed peoples clothes from home, babysat, pet sat, etc. to make extra money from home...
@cherylT321 Thank you, I had to be when my husband was making minimum wage and didn't want me working. Even after he doubled his income, he wanted more children, so I kept it up. It was hard work, but back in the 70s, everyone thought you needed a family income of about $7 hour to just scrape by. We usually did it on $3 except for the 2 houses that I started cleaning after baby #2, which eventually added a total of $50 week for 2 days of work.. And of course, we can't forget the bags of cans I picked up on the weekend, and later yet 50 cents worth of gold that turned into $10!
@ccstinchcomb2967 Even today, I believe you can make it on one income, though it might have to be more like $10hr. I bought my house while we lived on $3hr, although, I did have to borrow $1,000 toward the down payment. At that time, the average house was between $40,000 and $50,000. I found us a house for $18,000 and had to do some work on it, but I only had 1 child at the time. It was run down and ugly, but it was ours. I did have to do a lot of work, but it had decent bones. It was hard work, but back in the 70s, everyone thought you needed a family income of about $7 hour to just scrape by. We usually did it on $3hr, except for the 2 houses that I started cleaning after baby #2, which eventually added a total of $50 week for 2 days of work.. And of course, we can't forget the bags of cans I picked up on the weekend, and later yet 50 cents worth of gold that turned into $10 here and there! It was all worth it to get to see my children growing up. I simply had to replace working outside the home with working hard at home... and I saved on childcare costs, transportation costs, clothing costs, etc. For us, not having to pay out all that money on work expenses actually helped us out a lot. All together, we probably came out ahead by my not working outside the home. If more people today were willing to be creative, do a lot of investigating on how to do things cheaper, doing a lot of work instead of buying the newest electronics, etc, getting by on less, (I forgot to say that we went without a phone for over 10yrs, and only bought necessities for many of those years) they could probably be stay at home moms as well. After all, they claimed it couldn't be done back in the late 70s, 80s and 90s when I did it!
Appreciate your positive perspective on dumpster diving. I have a bad impression of people going through neighborhoods the night before trash day, digging through garbage for something they can resell because they would open bags and leave the trash scattered on people’s lawns. Not to mention the biohazard of discarded diapers, used menstrual products, rotting food, or even pet poop. Now we wait until the morning to put our garbage out. In my area grocery stores donate excess to local food banks. In the area I used to live, grocers locked their dumpsters.
Great strategies!We had to use food stamps once when my husband hurt his leg- the looks and the humiliating looks from other customers made us try to get off of them asap. No, I couldn’t work at the time- problem pregnancy, I wasn’t being lazy
Dumpster dive? Yes!! for food no! But, people will throw away the craziest stuff like burnt pans that a little time and effort come out spotless and Shiney..found lots of things in my younger years that we used to sell in yard sales and made money😊
I live in North western Indiana. Just a few miles south of Lake Michigan. Anywho, lol, USDA has loans and in some cases free $ for people who need heat or air repair or replacement. Hope this might help some people
I can’t wait to see your house build. I can see you guys doing a small barndominium!! I barely shave so I have a feeling I’m only giving away one month of my life to hair maintenance hahaha
I used to dumpster dive at the supermarket near my home. They throw away good stuff. Even now I got no shame to talk about it. Today I'm at where I am because of frugality. 🙏
Wow, I took a deep dive into the comments section! Had to give my 2 cents: people are entitled to their opinions, of course and we are allowed the right to free speech (assuming we are American in this little rabbit hole on body hair), some people shave because their hair is coarse and curls and ends up ingrown (ouch!), some people shave because they are conventionally minded, some shave because they like how it looks or feels. Some people do not shave because they have light hair and can 'get away with it'. Some people shave because they think their deodorant works better without the hair. Some people have such a small amount of hair (post menopause) that it is not an issue unless you choose to shave the couple short hairs you have. Some people shave only in the summer when wearing garments that will expose the hair. Some people just don't care about their hair! Be kind to others and don't judge because it is a tough world already. ❤ 😉 Love to you all.
LOL if your legs were as grizzly hairy as mine - - -you'd spend.... i got laser hair removal way back when it was new - - - best 10K i ever spent in my life - - - can i get as AMEN..... to save money - - 1 time i lived in an inner city looking triple decker despite being a solid 5 figure earner... i wanted to save to be able to pay for my house in cash or have the mortgage difference banked... i got a mortgage & banked the difference... i also drove an old dodge colt that looked poverty ... no regrets on any of it ...best early 20s decisions of my life.....
I work at a grocery store and it sucks because the donation center limits what we can give. Also food that is returned even pet food cannot be reused. Open or not. You don’t know why it was returned or what it was exposed to. Don’t risk your pets safety to save money
I work for Walmart and they donate a massive amount of food to a local pantry, as well as any meat scrapes to a farming place that uses it as feed or fertilizer, I'm not sure which. And anything returned non edible, though can't be resold, gets sent back to distribution as used assets. We have separate dumpsters for food and non food, and the food ones are locked but only because it's anything too bad for donation and we don't want people getting sick
Somebody who lives under a bridge or in a cardboard box would look at you and think you are wasting money on crazy things. So anybody that wants to talk down to you, or look down upon you. screw them.
It is so frustrating that these grocery stores and other stores can actually mark these items down so consumers are able to afford these and or donate to charities and food banks and homeless shelters instead of wasting all the food and other by throwing them in the dumpster
Awesome video.. I would do or attempt to do or try everything ... except the saving thing....1st I feel whatever you feel comfortable with do that and I don't judge... but this girl will be shaving... shaving it all off... Says the chick that has her hair past her butt
Uused to take wads of napkins every place visited, signed up for various free things take surveys.. actually got a coffee maker from a new espresso type company yrs ago. My mom was THE master of talking anyone into giving it to her free..! Customer service desk employees knew her well. 😊😢
Living this way to make ends meet is okay but I would not want to spend the rest of my life like this sometimes it becomes an obsession. Life is good if you meet the right person in the beginning and work towards your goals in life. As for dumpster diving in canada our dumpsters are locked and it is very hard to get coupons for things. But as far as health care goes I could have a quadruple bypass and it would not cost me anything. Yes our taxes are high but health problems, prescription drugs and dental care are free for most. As for the penny pinching lifestyle I wouldn't want to do that for the rest of my life.
It's literally just hair. You know, the same stuff that grows out of your head. Women shaving the legs and pits wasn't even a thing until the 20s when razor companies wanted to sell more product. There's nothing gross about it as long as you're washing properly.
You may want to examine WHY you think women’s armpit hair is gross. But not the hair on our head, eyebrows, arms? Not men’s armpit hair? Now, if you want to shave your armpit hair that’s perfectly fine, but to believe and SPEAK that women are gross and lazy if they choose not to … that’s gross and intellectually lazy.
Well she doesn’t show herself with her armpit hair so she must be embarrassed about it. Do you walk around with hair hanging from your armpit? It’s called personal hygiene and nobody wants to see your grossness. Makes we wonder if you use deodorant or do you walk around smelling?
It’s so bizarre you think armpit hair means I stink 😅 Men have armpit hair and most of them don’t smell all that bad. If I was embarrassed of my pits then maybe I just wouldn’t say anything about it … or shave 🤷♀️ Common sense isn’t your thing.
Decades ago when raising my toddler, I bought a cash register at Sam's Club. I'd go behind bars and take their bottles. At home I soaked them in a plastic pool and peeled off the UPC Codes. I would send them in with $3-$10 rebates and mail these checks to my parents house, grandmas house, my house, my aunts house in my name. Go the bank and cash the individual checks. It really helped. I believe I made about $100-$125 back then which would be more than double now with inflation
I found a phone service cheaper than Mint Mobile, which is just as good too, it is called TELLO. You can pick your plans which I like a lot. I dumpster-dived once for bagels. A few dozen in a bag right on top of everything. Then shortly after, the bagel store enclosed the trash cans with a fence. :( I also use wee-wipes, no paper-paper towels, and I make laundry soap. I only shave once in a blue moon, but when I do I use a reusable metal razor and only use homemade deodorant. I make my own toothpaste but mostly use baking soda. I do not buy lotions or cosmetics, I use plant oils for moisturizers. I buy second-hand clothes and make my own clothes. I am happy with my outside-of-the-box not norm approach to everyday living.
I dumpster dive, but if I was rich I still would do it. John Hoffman, The art and science of dumpster diving. I keep extra mugs in my car so I can get my coffee for ½ price $1.55 or pop for 79¢ but my cup is 40 oz. Right now my power is out. I've been in my car since 9/11/24 it's the 23rd today and IDK when it's going to be repaired.
What is the most extreme/crazy thing YOU have done to save money?
I used to shower only at work to save hit water at home. I only walked when shopping around town to save gas. I rented out all my bedrooms and slept in my living room to cash flow my daughters college. I never felt poor, I felt powerful and creative. You are such an inspiration and validation for frugal living.
Fantastic! My kids & husband all shower at the gym (they all have free memberships through work & school).
@@jamieperson7623 yes, powerful and creative.
Using your food stamps to buy food then using the extra care bucks to get non food items is truly a genius move. 😮. I was on food stamps as a young mother and I used my time on welfare to go to college. It got me through the first 2 years. I had to take student loans for the last years. I really think it’s not a hand out, it’s a hand up. Now as a registered nurse I hope my taxes go to help people in their time of need.
Throwing away food from these stores VERSUS donating to local food banks or shelters is bananas to me!!!!!
We used to take a lot of walks and always carried a plastic bag to collect cans. We turned them in for money and bought savings bonds for our kids. That helped fund college!
How brilliant that you used your food stamps to get all your extras from CVS for free, that’s amazing and impressive 💗
I did 10 months without buying any clothes, also managed to de-clutter and re-think my style during that time!😅
I use a menstral cup and cloth pads, I wash my clothes in a 5 gal bucket and a laundry plunger with homemade laundry soap, I use a shampoo bar and cider vinegar for my hair - no shampoo for over 7 years now. I use the Flashfood app to buy meat that’s close to its best before date and either eat it right away or freeze it. “Family Cloths” for wiping after urination. I don’t drink, smoke, gamble or drive a car. I have never turned on the air condition8ng in my apartment - I don’t know if it works.
You are a kick-a- problem-solver, trying all those ways to provide well for yourself and your family! Thanks.
That’s what programs like food stamps are for: to help you get on your feet. My daughters received help as single moms and now are contributing to pass it on. Nothing to apologize for!
Have dumpster Dive. But the chip guy would call me and tell me that he would left boxes on top for me.All different types of chips.And I had a bread man that did the same thing. Came in handy when I was raising all my kids
Used cotton diapers with both of my children. Made my own cotton diapers out of cotton tee shirts and other soft cotton apparel I would find at the thrift shops. Hang clothes on line, rather than use dryer. Buy everything I can used or on sale.
You are also helping the planet, wildlife and other humans through your frugal living. Thank you!❤
@@anniep855 Frugal living is almost always sustainable living 🌍
oh - - i almost forgot - the town where our beach cottage is has a "swap shop" i take great junk from there on the regular.... appliances - kitchen wares - bedding - wind surfers - reclaimed pavers - garden soil - sand - furniture - luggage - old doors windows - lawn mowers - garden tools - books dvds ---art - a chicken coop - power tools - crystal - china - ladders everything....
my 2 cottages are basically outfitted from the dump top to bottom .....
I pick up receipts on the ground outside of stores and put them in my fetch app
I do the exact same!😊
Please share how beneficial fetch app is, thanks! does it TRACK your lifestyle and do something undesirable with the info?
in some countries it is illegal to throw out food that can still be eaten- I hate that they just do not donate the dog food - that sort of shocks me
I love this video! I love your hair too without sounding weird. I’m very frugal but I don’t do without things like internet and other things deem essential. I use to dumpster dive for coupon inserts..lol..I was a CouponQueen or many years. I hand sewed my monthly pads. I wear no deodorant although I do shave my underarms with my $1000 free after coupons disposable razors from over 20 yrs ago. I cut my own hair, have not bought my mascara and eye liner in at least 5-6 yrs after using coupons they cost me a $1 each. I make my own body butter, my own chapstick from my home grown infused lemon balm as the base oil for the chapstick since I suffer from cold sores. I make all of our medicines, tinctures, salves, cough syrup, chest rub, jock itch salve, chub rub, wound salve,topical antibiotics,, tooth powder, shampoo, body wash to name some not all..I make all of our home cleaners as in pine needle infused rubbing alcohol (bathroom) , citrus peel vinegar cleaner. I foraged wild apple trees and put all of our apple goodies that I canned..all peels and cores I used to make apple cider vinegar with mother. 2-weeks ago I learned how to make pectin from wild apples and canned it. I make our wine from dandelions..blackberry brandy from foraging blackberries. Love to forage anything edible/medicinal. I found a huge patch of wild oregano that I harvested and made a tincture, a oil and dried a bunch as our spice. 2-weeks ago up the road from my house I saw a very unusual patch of white topped flower balls is the best way to subscribe it..a fyi~I’m always and I mean always looking at the sides of the road to spot any new to me edible/medicinal plants..anyhow..I googled anything that might look remotely close to this plant I saw it turned out it was a allium giant basically it’s a wild onion..lol..I have driven by this plant a million times but never noticed it until it went into bloom..I grabbed my shovel, a cardboard box and dug up a patch..this was on the side of the road, near a swamp-no I wasn’t stealing it from any bodies lawn..lol..plus the Town owns so many feet on both sides of the road so I’m sure the Town isn’t going to say anything. Anyhow..I planted it in my yard like I have done with many other foraged plants. Feel like I’m bragging but believe me I’m not..I learn any skills to help save money on a minute by minute basis.
These are all GREAT ideas! I am wanting to learn to do so many of these things :)
This is so impressive!!
Ohhh my you are so resourceful!
@@raisingwildflowers ~it took me years. Since you own land and you are into self sufficiency and are a vegetarian I would invest in a perennial survival food if you don’t already know this and that’s to plant sunchokes, they are a potato substitute that is absolutely delicious in my opinion as well as medicinal excellent for diabetics as it has no carbohydrates to spike blood sugar..they grow very tall like 10ft plus -have a small sunflower in the late summer closer to fall in my area, after the first hard frost the plant will die and you dig up the tubers..I roast mine with a little olive oil, salt and garlic powder..you can put in soups and stews pretty much anything that you would use potatoes for. 1-plant can produce 2-3lbs and are very prolific and invasive. I bought from Etsy many years ago for $10 a lb have no idea how much they are now but once established you will forever have them for a food source and potential income if you choose to sell them. Also the stalk can be used as a tomato support they are very strong. There is nothing like having this plant in my opinion.
Next would be having a perennial walking onion patch they are also delicious and the whole plant is edible. Very prolific once established..and a real money maker!
I forgot where you said you live but I’m sure you can find/forage lots of edible perennials that you can dig up and plant on your property.
You are a wealth of amazing ideas! You should write a book or something!
We have a ''Dumpster Diving Network" in my city. People share tips, ideas and good locations. Most food is perfectly good and it's terrible to see it trashed, but a lot of us are taking it and using it which is great. There is no shame anymore as food has become so terribly expensive everywhere and most people.
Thanks for sharing! Appreciate your honest, down to earth videos- you’re very inspiring ☺️
Got kitchen cabinets off the side of the road and made my summer kitchen in my basement. That's where I didn't my canning in the summer.
Things I have done. When I worked at this one hotel, every Monday the manager would let me take any coupons out of the leftover newspapers that didn't sell before they were thrown out. Kids and I have went dumpster diving. Every Sunday, weather permitting, we take a walk in the neighborhood to see if other are throwing out anything worth saving. By doing that we have found guitars, storage bins and baskets, desks, a pleather sofa and a Keurig. We except hand me down. Half the kids clothes and all furniture except for 3 dressers, a sofa, 3 shelves, and 2 futons were free. I work at a bagel shop and when we close, i take bagels before they get thrown out
We spent 6 summers camp/park hosting at a state parks that we loved when our children were between the ages of 8-15. Lots of really fun memories, we learned about how parks were run. Our kids got service learning, and experience for boy/girl scouts. We received free firewood when cleaning campsites, and found all sorts of beach towels, sunscreen and toys during our evening beach cleanups. Not to mention all the interesting people we met, especially the AT hikers. Now I work at a preschool and take home the left over snacks that would otherwise be thrown away several times a week. I also batch cook larger portions when using the instant pot, or oven. Recently bought a used plug in hybrid car and have not had to buy any gas in 5 weeks. It uses about $1 of electricity for my work commute compared to the $3-4 daily that the SUV we had used.
You don't have to answer to anyone that you dumpster dived you provided for you and your family, love all of your ideas thank you so much for sharing my family thinks I'm cheap but what they don't know is I live off half my income no debt and alot in savings my clothes are shabby but I'm a good person ❤❤❤
You are so smart & resourceful! Amazing how hard you work for your family. I hope they all know how incredible you are and how valuable the life lessons are that they're getting from you.♥️🇨🇦
I am a german and I shaved for only few months of my life. I am now 67 years old. During my youth, shaving was out of discussion. We had long hairs and we were proud of our bodyhairs. In the 90th shaving was a trend also in Germany, but this has passend, my daughter (27) told me. I tried to live as natural as possible. Good video, thank you so much!
Bloody good for you!Smart,clever,innovative,intelligent thinking.
I was a manager at a store that would throw all the food away even when it was still good. We had several dumpsters so I would have the employees separate the food into separate dumpsters so that people could dumpster dive and the food would stay better that way, you know produce in one and boxed foods in another. You are right about there being so much waste. I also worked at a school as a janitor and you would not believe the waste that goes on there. It is terrible.
Our first year of marriage, we did a live in job at a group home while I finished grad school. The free rent saved us over $700 a month, and the job hours were just a couple hours every morning.
So Brilliant! I like your mentality, you are always winning. Keep it up!
👍
I really want to hit up the DGs in my area. I’m so afraid of getting caught! How do you dumpster dive and not get caught? I personally do not care what anyone thinks of me going into a dumpster.
Great list!
I do not use toilet paper at home 😮 we have bidet and old face cloths. Works excellent and more hygienic. We still buy toilet paper for guests. Same goes for most other disposable products, just don't use them. Huge savings.
Great vlog I haven’t shaved in years. I’ve done all sorts of crazy things to save money.
I’ve heard so many times of people going through dumpsters of Ulta and Sephora because so much make up/beauty products are thrown away.
We grow most of our food in the garden, have a compost toilet ( which means no water bill for this plus no fertilizer because of composting everthing). Having a wood stove and chicken helps too.
I bartered in a restaurant for them to only charge me for the take out price for fish and chips even though I was eating in the restaurant. It saved me $2 and then I left a hefty TIP for them doing so. It was a social experiment but I am sure it confused them.
Great video. I love being frugal
The no shave thing was popular in the 60s.
I am a baby boomer, and I stopped shaving except for 2x year, once at the beginning of summer, and once just before Christmas. My husband didn't care, so why should I? I also got a free paper delivered that I would go through to find free things to do with the kids. I started breastfeeding back when the nurses at the hospital would tell you that breastfeeding was nasty and that I should not consider it. I used cotton diapers when everyone else had gone on to disposable diapers, and hung my clothes out on a line, in the city. I now use family cloths and make my own cotton diapers that I must wear due to a disability. I also always took cash to the grocery store along with a manual hand calculator to make sure I didn't go over what I had budgeted. I used coupons and cash rebates. I bought stuff at CVS and Walgreens to get freebies and donated extras when I had them. I went to city hospitals on Sunday and 'with permission', I took the coupons that were still left in waiting rooms at the end of the evening. I also went to other places and got permission to gather coupons still left in the papers that were left out for their customers at the end of Sunday. I went dumpster diving before it was popular in the midwest. I cut up whole chickens and was given leftover turkey every Thanksgiving by my mom, so I bought a grinder to grind it up and put it in the freezer for turkey salads. As soon as I got married, I started trying out generic brands. I got free cothes for baby or went to thrift shops, which was looked down upon at that time, I actually lost a job because bosses found out I bought my clothes from a thrift shop, and they just couldn't/wouldn't take a chance that their neighborhood clients might find out. While I lived in the city, I used to bundle my youngest into a stroller while my daughter walked beside me,and we picked up a grocery size bag of cans on the weekend while also looking to see what everyone was throwing out. Then I would go back home to get the truck to pick up anything I thought we could use, like a bunk bed, a baby bed, like new carpeting that had a stain where I usually put my sofa, several partial bikes that my husband turned into two good bikes as the kids got older. I once owned a business in a small town and when my husband got let go from his job, we built an apartment into the back of it and lived there for awhile. Yes, my family considered me a wildchild! 😅 I have also been cutting my own hair for about a year because my disability check is barely enough to pay rent, and now I am considering moving into my van. I also noticed that their was always change laying around at bus stops and laundromats because people wouldn't bend down to pick up what they dropped. When i found out that places were buying used Levi's jeans, I bought themat thrift shops and garage sales, etc. and sold them at the business that bought them. I also bought gold jewelry this way as well and sold them at pawn shops, now i would do it on ebay... I know there are many more things I am forgetting, but I can tell thati did everything i could to save money because my husband didnt like me working even though everyone said you couldnt make it on one income, and my husband made minimum wage at that time! I also got free babysitting in exchange for cleaning 1 house, so that I could go clean houses a couple of days a week after the kids started school, ironed peoples clothes from home, babysat, pet sat, etc. to make extra money from home...
Wow, that was so amazing! You were really awesome in your resourcefulness!
You are truly the Resourcefulness Queen! Love it!
@cherylT321 Thank you, I had to be when my husband was making minimum wage and didn't want me working. Even after he doubled his income, he wanted more children, so I kept it up. It was hard work, but back in the 70s, everyone thought you needed a family income of about $7 hour to just scrape by. We usually did it on $3 except for the 2 houses that I started cleaning after baby #2, which eventually added a total of $50 week for 2 days of work.. And of course, we can't forget the bags of cans I picked up on the weekend, and later yet 50 cents worth of gold that turned into $10!
@ccstinchcomb2967 Even today, I believe you can make it on one income, though it might have to be more like $10hr. I bought my house while we lived on $3hr, although, I did have to borrow $1,000 toward the down payment. At that time, the average house was between $40,000 and $50,000. I found us a house for $18,000 and had to do some work on it, but I only had 1 child at the time. It was run down and ugly, but it was ours. I did have to do a lot of work, but it had decent bones. It was hard work, but back in the 70s, everyone thought you needed a family income of about $7 hour to just scrape by. We usually did it on $3hr, except for the 2 houses that I started cleaning after baby #2, which eventually added a total of $50 week for 2 days of work.. And of course, we can't forget the bags of cans I picked up on the weekend, and later yet 50 cents worth of gold that turned into $10 here and there! It was all worth it to get to see my children growing up. I simply had to replace working outside the home with working hard at home... and I saved on childcare costs, transportation costs, clothing costs, etc. For us, not having to pay out all that money on work expenses actually helped us out a lot. All together, we probably came out ahead by my not working outside the home. If more people today were willing to be creative, do a lot of investigating on how to do things cheaper, doing a lot of work instead of buying the newest electronics, etc, getting by on less, (I forgot to say that we went without a phone for over 10yrs, and only bought necessities for many of those years) they could probably be stay at home moms as well. After all, they claimed it couldn't be done back in the late 70s, 80s and 90s when I did it!
❤❤ I do the same 😂
Online surveys would get be out of a lot of binds. Awesome video. Oh I lived in my car too!
Appreciate your positive perspective on dumpster diving. I have a bad impression of people going through neighborhoods the night before trash day, digging through garbage for something they can resell because they would open bags and leave the trash scattered on people’s lawns. Not to mention the biohazard of discarded diapers, used menstrual products, rotting food, or even pet poop. Now we wait until the morning to put our garbage out.
In my area grocery stores donate excess to local food banks. In the area I used to live, grocers locked their dumpsters.
CVS has some great deals on products where you can earn extra bucks. Our prescriptions are at CVS and we earn extra bucks that way. Great program!
Great strategies!We had to use food stamps once when my husband hurt his leg- the looks and the humiliating looks from other customers made us try to get off of them asap. No, I couldn’t work at the time- problem pregnancy, I wasn’t being lazy
it is sad they are locking the dumpsters. I wish they would donate the food to shelters.
Yes, my local Family Dollar locks their dumpsters.
Dumpster dive? Yes!! for food no! But, people will throw away the craziest stuff like burnt pans that a little time and effort come out spotless and Shiney..found lots of things in my younger years that we used to sell in yard sales and made money😊
I live in North western Indiana. Just a few miles south of Lake Michigan. Anywho, lol, USDA has loans and in some cases free $ for people who need heat or air repair or replacement. Hope this might help some people
I can’t wait to see your house build. I can see you guys doing a small barndominium!!
I barely shave so I have a feeling I’m only giving away one month of my life to hair maintenance hahaha
Sold plasma through out my twenties, paid $25 a week in the 80’s.
Many dumpsters have fences now around them.
You're lucky, because Maryland the police post up near dumpsters
I used to dumpster dive at the supermarket near my home. They throw away good stuff. Even now I got no shame to talk about it. Today I'm at where I am because of frugality. 🙏
Would you dumpster dive again? Did you not worry if they poured a chemical over the food?
Wow, I took a deep dive into the comments section! Had to give my 2 cents: people are entitled to their opinions, of course and we are allowed the right to free speech (assuming we are American in this little rabbit hole on body hair), some people shave because their hair is coarse and curls and ends up ingrown (ouch!), some people shave because they are conventionally minded, some shave because they like how it looks or feels. Some people do not shave because they have light hair and can 'get away with it'. Some people shave because they think their deodorant works better without the hair. Some people have such a small amount of hair (post menopause) that it is not an issue unless you choose to shave the couple short hairs you have. Some people shave only in the summer when wearing garments that will expose the hair. Some people just don't care about their hair! Be kind to others and don't judge because it is a tough world already. ❤ 😉 Love to you all.
LOL if your legs were as grizzly hairy as mine - - -you'd spend....
i got laser hair removal way back when it was new - - - best 10K i ever spent in my life - - - can i get as AMEN.....
to save money - - 1 time i lived in an inner city looking triple decker despite being a solid 5 figure earner... i wanted to save to be able to pay for my house in cash or have the mortgage difference banked... i got a mortgage & banked the difference... i also drove an old dodge colt that looked poverty ...
no regrets on any of it ...best early 20s decisions of my life.....
I will admit, I am not very hairy lol.
Great job!
Amazing ideas.
How do you take care of your toilet waste?
Outstanding home renovation! Dumpster diving is a bit too much ... just buy food at swap meets or on clearance at supermarkets
I want to consciously try no spend months.
I work at a grocery store and it sucks because the donation center limits what we can give. Also food that is returned even pet food cannot be reused. Open or not. You don’t know why it was returned or what it was exposed to. Don’t risk your pets safety to save money
My husband works for a grocer also and says the same. He occasionally brings something home, but the employees are discouraged from doing that.
I work for Walmart and they donate a massive amount of food to a local pantry, as well as any meat scrapes to a farming place that uses it as feed or fertilizer, I'm not sure which. And anything returned non edible, though can't be resold, gets sent back to distribution as used assets. We have separate dumpsters for food and non food, and the food ones are locked but only because it's anything too bad for donation and we don't want people getting sick
Somebody who lives under a bridge or in a cardboard box would look at you and think you are wasting money on crazy things. So anybody that wants to talk down to you, or look down upon you. screw them.
I volunteer at a food pantry/thrift store many hours a month to get free food and clothes. Even they will throw away expired food.😢
Do your older kids still live with you?
That’s what food stamps are for
It is so frustrating that these grocery stores and other stores can actually mark these items down so consumers are able to afford these and or donate to charities and food banks and homeless shelters instead of wasting all the food and other by throwing them in the dumpster
❤
I shave once every three months. No one's said anything. I don't think it's that noticeable now that I'm old-ish.
Awesome video.. I would do or attempt to do or try everything ... except the saving thing....1st I feel whatever you feel comfortable with do that and I don't judge... but this girl will be shaving... shaving it all off...
Says the chick that has her hair past her butt
Good video!!!! I love cvs coupons!!!! Every week!!!😂
Hi, you might like Kirsten Dirksen / you tuber, for inspiration for your house inspirations. Peace, love and tofu !
Spend less than 1k and have the hair permanently removed; no more shaving.
Omg. I’m looking into this!
Uused to take wads of napkins every place visited, signed up for various free things take surveys.. actually got a coffee maker from a new espresso type company yrs ago. My mom was THE master of talking anyone into giving it to her free..! Customer service desk employees knew her well. 😊😢
Living this way to make ends meet is okay but I would not want to spend the rest of my life like this sometimes it becomes an obsession. Life is good if you meet the right person in the beginning and work towards your goals in life. As for dumpster diving in canada our dumpsters are locked and it is very hard to get coupons for things. But as far as health care goes I could have a quadruple bypass and it would not cost me anything. Yes our taxes are high but health problems, prescription drugs and dental care are free for most. As for the penny pinching lifestyle I wouldn't want to do that for the rest of my life.
Not shaving is gross. You can go to the dollar store and get a razor and shower gel. This is just being lazy. I hope your daughters shave.
It's literally just hair. You know, the same stuff that grows out of your head. Women shaving the legs and pits wasn't even a thing until the 20s when razor companies wanted to sell more product. There's nothing gross about it as long as you're washing properly.
It’s disgusting to look at a woman with hair under her pits. Not classy at all.
You may want to examine WHY you think women’s armpit hair is gross. But not the hair on our head, eyebrows, arms? Not men’s armpit hair? Now, if you want to shave your armpit hair that’s perfectly fine, but to believe and SPEAK that women are gross and lazy if they choose not to … that’s gross and intellectually lazy.
Well she doesn’t show herself with her armpit hair so she must be embarrassed about it. Do you walk around with hair hanging from your armpit? It’s called personal hygiene and nobody wants to see your grossness. Makes we wonder if you use deodorant or do you walk around smelling?
It’s so bizarre you think armpit hair means I stink 😅 Men have armpit hair and most of them don’t smell all that bad. If I was embarrassed of my pits then maybe I just wouldn’t say anything about it … or shave 🤷♀️ Common sense isn’t your thing.
Decades ago when raising my toddler, I bought a cash register at Sam's Club. I'd go behind bars and take their bottles. At home I soaked them in a plastic pool and peeled off the UPC Codes. I would send them in with $3-$10 rebates and mail these checks to my parents house, grandmas house, my house, my aunts house in my name. Go the bank and cash the individual checks. It really helped. I believe I made about $100-$125 back then which would be more than double now with inflation
Why did you buy a cash register?
I found a phone service cheaper than Mint Mobile, which is just as
good too, it is called TELLO. You can pick your plans which I like a lot.
I dumpster-dived once for bagels. A few dozen in a bag right on
top of everything. Then shortly after, the bagel store enclosed
the trash cans with a fence. :(
I also use wee-wipes, no paper-paper towels, and I make laundry soap.
I only shave once in a blue moon, but when I do I use a reusable metal
razor and only use homemade deodorant. I make my own toothpaste
but mostly use baking soda. I do not buy lotions or cosmetics, I use
plant oils for moisturizers. I buy second-hand clothes and make my
own clothes.
I am happy with my outside-of-the-box not norm approach to everyday living.
I dumpster dive, but if I was rich I still would do it. John Hoffman, The art and science of dumpster diving.
I keep extra mugs in my car so I can get my coffee for ½ price $1.55 or pop for 79¢ but my cup is 40 oz.
Right now my power is out. I've been in my car since 9/11/24 it's the 23rd today and IDK when it's going to be repaired.