50 Ways to Save Money on a Lower Income

A little about me: I work at a dental office ¾ time or approximately 35 hours a week. I have a lot of health issues and found that working more than that impacted my health. My husband is a project manager for a fishing industry company. He makes an average amount but loves his job and therefore is not interested in looking for a higher-paying job elsewhere. So we had to find a way to make it work.

On top of it, I live with 3 autoimmune diseases; two of them are expensive. With my type 1 diabetes, I have to pay for monthly insulin pump supplies, insulin, test strips and other supplies, part of which is not covered by my insurance; and for my celiac disease, I cannot eat anything that has gluten in it or may have been cross-contaminated with gluten on machinery, which eliminates A LOT of generic brands of food. I eat a very low-carb diet, which means I eat no fruit, pasta, rice, bread or processed food but I do eat a lot of meat and vegetables.

I used to be one of those people who thought saving money was only for those who could afford to. I thought, If you are already living paycheck to paycheck, how are you supposed to have enough money to start an emergency savings? I don’t spend on anything not necessary, so how am I supposed to cut back?

This question plagued me, but I was determined to find out, since my husband and I were in debt and, without a plan, it didn’t appear that would change. I checked out books from the library, read financial blogs, followed financial people on FB and IG, watched every single episode of Extreme Cheapskates on tv and my husband and I took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University through our church. Surprisingly enough, I DID find ways to save money AND pay off debt AND have a cushy emergency savings. I wanted to share with you the list of things we wrote out during our planning stages; ideas we gathered from all the sources we researched, that we continue to do 6 years later. Some of these things are common sense, but when we were crunching to save money, we wrote down everything we could do, even the obvious ones. So here we go:

1. Unplug every outlet in my house that I’m not currently using- including lamps, tv’s, computers, charging cords, etc.
2. Turn off all lights and TVs in rooms not being used. Don’t leave a room and leave the light/tv on.
3. I don’t get manicures or pedicures (Why spend $30-$40? It’s free at home. Give yourself a nice Epsom salt soak, drop in a few drops of essential oil…smells amazing!)
4. I never eat out at lunch time. I pack my lunch every single day.
5. I asked for (and received) a Ninja Coffee Bar for my birthday so I could make my own fancy schmancy coffees instead of paying $4-$5 for one at Starbucks (it makes the best iced coffee drinks!)
6. If I see a book I want, I check the library first, followed by a local used book store. I also check with a couple of my book worm friends to see if they have it.
7. I don’t pay for magazine subscriptions. I work at a dental office and take them home and read them for free.
8. The magazine subscriptions I do have, I earn for free using www.recyclebank.com. You read articles and take short quizzes on recycling and earn free magazines! I haven’t paid for my People magazine subscription in over 5 years.
9. I ask for practical things for Christmas, such as car wash certificates or gift cards to a place where I am saving up for something. As an example, for a year and a half, for all holidays/birthdays I asked for TJ Maxx gift cards, because I wanted to purchase a Le Creuset pan. I was finally able to get it! And my husband and I asked for gift cards to Home Depot so we could fund small home improvement projects we wanted to start.
10. My husband and I eat out maybe 1x month. It is planned in advanced and is based on gift cards we have or coupons we can find online or in the weekly flyers.
11. I use Aquaphor ointment on my lips 24/7. Nothing keeps them as soft at this and a small tube will last you years.
12. We have sold a lot of our stuff. Like Dave Ramsey says, “Sell so much stuff the kids think they’re next.” LOL. We live by the motto that if you don’t use it regularly and it’s not nailed down, sell it. I use a combination of eBay, local facebook garage sale sites and Craigslist. Today I sold back a stack of books and cookbooks to a used bookstore and made $47 cash.
13. I use half the recommended amount of laundry soap and my clothes are always clean.
14. On that note, when I used to use dryer sheets, I cut all of them in half and used half a sheet per load. Now, I don’t use them at all and just use wool dryer balls with some essential oil drops on them.
15. I make my own salad dressings. I love dump ranch (google it) and I make a vinaigrette out of oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper and a splenda packet.
16. I use white vinegar as the rinse aid for my dishwasher.
17. Never pay for services you can do yourself, such as yard work, house cleaning, pedi/mani’s, car washes (unless you have gift cards).
18. I never ever buy canned soup. Make your own! Google what soup you want to make. It tastes way better anyway! Freeze half for later.
19. If I must buy soda, I buy a 2-liter instead of cans and bottles.
20. I take Martha Stewart’s advice- she said never buy anything from a gas station except gas!
21. I buy either boxed cards, or I go to Dollar Tree and buy 2/$1 cards. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND the trend of these $5, $6, $7 cards you see now at Target and Walmart!!!!
22. I never buy paper plates, cups or silverware.
23. I don’t replace my technology (ex: cell phones, tablets) until they literally stop working. Right now I am using a super old Lenovo laptop that my husband got from his work for free. They even update it with new security and Microsoft Office Suite they use on their work computers.
24. I use a very minimalist approach to decorating- the less the better. Besides, it will make your house look MUCH cleaner, too.
25. I use my razors much longer than most people. I change them only when they get really dull.
26. For shaving cream, I use Pure Silk brand (found at Walmart and Walgreens) because each can literally lasts me 6 months or longer compared to other brands.
27. I use plastic grocery bags as my small-can garbage bags.
28. I never purchase snacks or drinks from vending machines. So overpriced!
29. I upcycle/repurpose as many items in my home as possible. For example, I use old food jars for food storage (like pickle and spaghetti jars), I use an old mail organizer under my kitchen sink to organize my cutting boards.
30. Any leftover coffee in the pot is put into a Thermos and reheated the next morning (tastes fine to me!)
31. I don’t drink alcohol, which in general saves me a lot of money. I don’t go to bars and when I go to restaurants, I only order water.
32. I do a lot of free activities- reading is my #1, but I also exercise by going for walks and doing DVDs, I love cooking and trying out new recipes, too. Also, going out for coffee with a friend is a less expensive option than going out to eat.
33. My husband and I both cancelled our low-cost gym memberships. Even if they are cheap, they still cost money and unless you are a die-hard worker outer who’s NOT in debt, I say cut it.
34. I would never pay for a service like Sirius radio. Regular radio is free, granted, not as much variety, but free.
35. I plan errands in advance so I can map them out so as not to waste gas.
36. Every 6-12 months I renegotiate my internet and garbage rates. I am not just throwing a threat out there to them- I WILL cancel if they do not reduce my rates.
37. We always buy used vehicles (both of ours, a 2008 Subaru Outback and a 2014 Chevy Silverado, are paid for). Let the first owner take the depreciation hit! Also, I really take care of my vehicles. I do the maintenance, keep them very clean inside and out and I don’t drive them hard.
38. I grocery shop at Aldi for almost everything. There are a few things I can’t get there in which case I will run to Walmart.
39. I buy home organizational things from Dollar Tree.
40. I wash and reuse my Ziploc bags.
41. I shop at thrift stores and clearance racks for clothes. I usually will not spend more than $10-15 for any clothing item. Most of my shirts were under $10 (even the brand new ones).
42. I read a lot of frugal and minimalist blogs for new ideas!
43. I go to a local beauty school for haircuts and color. I save over $100 JUST ON THE COLOR ALONE.
44. I don’t use coupons.
45. I always write on both sides of my paper, and will use scrap paper (something that already has something printed on the front) to print stuff out on the back side.
46. I don’t throw out food! If I think it might go bad, I eat it or freeze it.
47. I use an envelope system to budget. I pay cash for just about everything.
48. I have $0 credit card debt because I pay for everything in cash.
49. I only own 2 household cleaners- Scrubbing Bubbles for my bathtub and Young Living Thieves concentrated household cleaner for everything else. Don’t waste your money on cleaners that are single-purpose. A good multipurpose will clean your counters, appliances, floors, windows and mirrors. And I use just a plain microfiber towel for dusting. I am a complete clean freak and am always cleaning my house.
50. I eat a lot of eggs. They are the cheapest form of protein you will find and they are versatile. I fry them, boil them and bake them into egg muffin cups. I love eggs.

Now let me just tell you a few things that I DON’T skimp on:

1. Pet care. Buy them good quality food and take them to the vet for vaccinations, wellness and sick visits. Do not let them be sick simply because it’s not in your budget. If you can’t afford to take care of them, find them a home that can.
2. Health care/health insurance/dental insurance. I always get the highest/best plan available, even if the premiums are higher. I have health conditions and prescriptions so it saves me money in the long run.
3. Healthy food/meals. I do not eat any (read: ANY) processed food. I make everything from scratch and never use mixes or crap like that.
4. Timely car maintenance/repairs. Getting your oil changed regularly (or do it yourself if you have the know-how) and also getting small issues fixed before they get bigger is going to save you money.

The best way to save money is to stop spending it. Quit buying the coffee, buying extra things not on your grocery list when you are at Walmart/Target, don’t buy 15 different household cleaners. Quit buying stuff. Set a strict grocery budget for yourself. Make it hard; see if you can do it. If you didn’t allow yourself enough; increase it in small increments. For example, with my type 1 diabetes and celiac disease, I have to follow special medical diets. But between my husband and I, we are still able to eat on $75/week. I buy only 1 week of groceries at a time, which helps to stop overspending. Only buy what you can eat THAT WEEK. It’s easy to want to “stock up” when you see a good price on something but you will quickly blow your weekly budget that way. Don’t worry; something else will be on sale next week and you can eat that instead. Resist the temptation to “stock up.” At least until you get your debt under control.
My husband and I now have financial freedom; we only owe a mortgage and a
small boat loan (almost paid off). We have a nice savings account. But we still live the frugal lifestyle by choice. And we (by comparison) do not make a lot of money. It doesn’t matter how much you make; it’s what you are doing with every little dime.