Let’s get a list going. Like with a Target debit card you can get $40 cash back and it takes 1 to 2 days to be withdraw from your checking.
Remember a lot of effort and money is spent into brainwashing us from young ages to be constantly be buying shit we don’t need and to feel like we are living bad lives if we don’t have it.
Remember it’s bullshit, remember that you are more than the fucking trinkets and landfill filling they want you to trade all your time for.
Boycott shit, find any reasonable moral cause as a good reason not to buy something. There’s almost always a good reason not to buy something that you don’t need.
I feel like it would take just as much effort and basically a whole other upbringing, in a sense, to become accustomed to all the things we were raised with. So i get what you mean, but I dont know exactly how possible it really is, or none of us would really be here, for example.
I’m not poor but this always helps everyone. Wait for a while before you buy the thing off your shopping list. Wait for a week and reconsider whether you indeed need it.
If the answer is still yes, buy it. It is a must do for expensive things. Never break this rule for any massive purchase like a car or something!
Also, there’s a big difference between being able to pay for something and being able to afford something.
If you add an item to your cart but don’t buy it right away, you will sometimes see a discount that it meant to encourage you to buy it.
I try to never buy something the same day I learn of it. I’ll take someone’s business card, look it up online, comeback later, etc. that way it’s only if I really care about it and not just feeling pressured or spending money for fun (buying stuff feels like an accomplishment, but the feeling never lasts).
My suggestion is only for things, not people.
I’m not sure what you mean here. I can only think the confusion is on business cards, where I am from it common for little shops and individual vendors to have business cards to look them up later. Sales people for big things too like cars, and houses.
Ok. I thought you meant some other thing. Nvm
No worries!
Take care of your teeth.
- Get a cheap subscription to a 24h fitness with warm showers, lockers and wifi.
- Combine with a library card.
This will allow you to live in your car or be homeless, in relative(!!!) comfort, and still be presentable enough to hold down a job.
Although this seems to be an excellent tip (thanks), this sounded very USA to me.
Not American. BasicFit and similar chains allow you access to all their gyms across Europe. Obviously, the car will be a problem here. If you can afford it, something like the citroen berlingo will do. They’re everywhere, relatively affordable, and not super noticeable. If that’s not an option, there’s the library or public transport, combined with the occasional hostel. Not ideal, but better than sleeping on the street and not being able to wash at all.
Out of curiosity, how would a homeless person in your country accomplish the same things?
Not the same person but where I am there are shelters and community centers that offer these things for free. The facilities are not in as good condition as a gym membership though.
We have tons of shelters in the US too. Talk to any homeless person though and they’ll tell you they don’t use the shelter because it either: forces them to not use drugs, splits up a family, has lots of sexual assaults going on, or has more health related problems than it’s worth.
last time i took a shower at a homeless shelter:
you have to hand all your stuff to a guy at a window, he puts it in a bag, then you go to a medium sized room with several shower heads spraying towards the middle…
so you don’t just get your shower, you get the water bouncing off a dozen naked homeless guys…
the water is a tepid, narrow, painful jet…
i caught scabies and athletes foot…
…
i’ve taken one other one at a shelter in another city and state and it was identical…
…
gym is way better, otherwise i’d rather take a bird bath in a random bathroom sink…
Buy solids, don’t buy liquids. Solids are cheaper specially if you buy in bulk.
Don’t buy drinks at fast food restaurants.
Eat less meat.
Drive less.
Food banks. Look at your local church, synagogue, or mosque. A lot of them do community outreach and have some kind of food bank.
If you’re skipping meals or you have $5 'til next Friday, the food bank is for you. Don’t feel like you’re taking something away from someone “more needy.” It’s you. You’re needy. Take the help. That was a hard lesson to learn in my 20s.
If you have a gurdwara in your area, they often do free meals, almost like a restaurant. Baptist churches tend to have dinners on Wednesdays, and the Hare Krishnas are always good for some heavily dairy vegetarian foods. I wish more people knew this.
I know credit cards can be a slippery slope for some, so learn how to practice financial discipline before getting one.
That said, if you’re not paying with a credit card, you’re paying at least 2 percent too much for everything you buy except the things that can’t easily be paid for with a credit card.
That adds up big over the years.
Knocked out 80% of my Christmas shopping on my cash back this year.
Credit cards should be avoided at all times, unless you have the money to pay them off each month. Or if you’re getting zero-interest financing and you are able to stick to the plan of paying it off before interest gets added.
Getting into credit card debt is one of the most common and worst poverty traps. Getting behind on credit card bills can ruin your credit and take years to repair, which impacts your financial stability when it comes time to make a purchase with Real Credit such as a home or car.
My best poverty tip is to not buy expensive things that are unnecessary. Also cook your own food at home, and learn to repair anything that you value. I’ve saved thousands of dollars over the years by doing my own car repairs, and driving old cars long past having them paid off.
On average people spend around 5% more with credit cards. That 2% cash back is a partial refund of increased spending.
Yeah, don’t spend more. Use it as a debit card.
And, again, make sure to be financially responsible and literate before you get a credit card.
Any place to get a proper gist of what financially literate means in this context? I know maybe a few basics but always wondered about the best way to utilize credit to a long term benefit.
Basically use any credit card as you would any debit card. That means never spend any money you don’t already have in your account. And always pay the full statement balance every month on time to avoid paying interest.
That way you will get all the rewards and none of the drawbacks.
And what happens when a big purchase comes along that I really need, like my car breaking down or just a new mattress? I always figure that’s where the utilization starts going up and there’s only so much that can be paid off before the next billing cycle.
Do whatever you would do if you didn’t have a credit card.
Which has usually been borrow to buy things.
Learn to fix things yourself. Mend your clothes, fix your bike or car, patch drywall, whatever. Learning to do things gives you the option of to save money doing it yourself. If you don’t learn, your only option is to pay someone else to do it.
learn the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and make sure your money has a most bang for the buck in regards to shelter / food / safety
The library has all your entertainment if but it does require a change of mindset
stay away from anything that only has one type of use, find things that can be used for multiple uses and try and buy it used if possible
Thrift stores sell clothing for pennies on the dollar. You can put together a professional wardrobe for less then a new pair of Levis
Wearing thick clothes instead of paying for heating.
If you do have debts - try to consolidate them wherever possible. Don’t have more than one credit card adjacent means of payment (store credit cards or similar).
If you find yourself with extra money, try to pay off debts first, or at least make extra payments. Reducing debt repayments over the forward term can have a huge effect.
I once met some hippie-like people who fed themselves exclusively by dumpster diving. Not sure where they got their stuff, but they had a lot of high-end foods (cheese wheels, expensive meats, not-so-fresh produce, etc). They lived in busses, vans, RVs and stuff like that. They didn’t have jobs; not sure how they got money for things like clothes; odd-jobs I guess.
Less extreme “hacks”: Goodwill, or Ross/Marshalls if you’re feeling fancy. Ebay/Craigslist/Offer-up (need to be careful about getting ripped-off, and Ebay isn’t as cheap as it used to be). Buy, cook, and eat mostly cheap staples (rice, beans, pasta, etc). If eating meat, you can use it sparingly by cooking recipes that comprise mostly of cheap staples. Budget Bytes has decent recipes. Unfortunately, most people’s biggest expense is housing, and there aren’t many “hacks” for that. Maybe, get a work-from-home job and move to Wyoming or something
Get a chest freezer. It’s much more efficient for long-term storage than an upright fridge with a freezer because the cold air doesn’t spill out when you open it.
Toss your incandescent and fluorescent lights. Get LED bulbs (not smart lights, just white LEDs). Where applicable, install timer switches.
Fuck cars, get a bike. A simple, sturdy one, like an onafiets. They run on toast and determination.
Understand the difference between having enough money to buy something and being able to afford something.
Unsubscribe from music/video streaming services. Return to the seven seas.
Maybe engage in some light tax evasion.
Maybe engage in some light tax evasion.
haha made me lol
Don’t do drugs.
I had to stop drinking 5 years ago and holy shit the savings.
