1) Free audiobooks from Libby (public library app) and LibriVox. Kanopy for free streaming movies, if your public library is part of the network.
2) When there’s a major purchase, we plan and finance on a 0% credit card. The secret sauce (life hack) is to use any online credit card payoff calculator to determine what payment is manageable and make WEEKLY, not monthly, payments until the balance is zero. Once paid off, we apply for a new 0% card to have waiting in the wings for whatever might be on the horizon. Paying weekly allows for acceleration of debt payoff, but also flexibility to skip a weekly payment just in case.
3) My son takes old sweaters, things people give him or he finds at garage sales or Goodwill and he deconstructs them into yarn and knits new things.
4) I garden, grow food and then can it. Some things I freeze, I grate orange and lemon rinds and freeze it before eating or using them. I compost, save all the eggshells and grind them and add them to soil. If I have milk I know I won’t use I make yogurt or cheese out of it. I use the resulting whey to make lemon curd. When I have a lot of garlic I puree it then spread it on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven on low. When it’s hard I grind it into powder. Overripe fruit I turn into fruit leather. I cut off the fat from raw meat and save it in the freezer. When I have enough I make tallow. I save bacon grease and freeze it in little silicone mini muffin pans, pop them out and keep in a bag in the freezer. Perfect size for cooking fried eggs or as a base for carbonara sauce.
5) Freezing bone carcasses and then later making a gigantic pot of bone broth, which can be reduced down and frozen if wished. From my Mom, keeping a gallon bag in the freezer to put those bits of leftover veggies that did not get eaten. Peas, corn, green beans, carrot, even chopped onion etc. Later with the bone broth and that bag of leftover veggies, free soup!
6) It sounds simple but I just stay out of the stores as much as possible. I used to go to the craft store and wander around and buy more random stuff that wasn’t on my list. If I go to the grocery store, I have a list and go through the ads ahead of time to see if there are any specials. For a lot of my dry goods and household stuff, I just use Walmart pickup. Much cheaper and easier to deal with as I have some mobility issues.
7) No paper towels. Installing a bidet. Freezing leftovers. Batch cooking. Learning to mend. Selling off unwanted but still useful items on marketplace. Growing my own veggies. More meatless meals. Exploring recipes for ingredients I have on hand, rather than buying more food. Food is probably where I save the most.
8) I use a heated mattress pad. I turned off the heat in the bedroom, and I stay nice and warm. It does make getting out of bed in the morning a little harder, though lol.
9) Rotisserie chicken from Costco for $5. It’s just my husband and I. Cut in half when you get home and freeze half. I heat the half in oven with potatoes and carrots as meal one. Cut up leftover chicken and use for chicken casserole or salad for meal 2. Save bones and freeze. Do the same with second half. Then use bones for soup. We get 4-5 meals out of one chicken. Those Costco chickens are huge.
10) Got rid of my car and bought an electric trike. No insurance, no gas etc…
11) If you have a Senior Center near you, take advantage of EVERYTHING they have to offer. Meals, social services, classes, entertainment, games and social activities, bus rides to grocery stores, doctor appointments and more. So much that they offer.
12) Apply for every bit of financial support available if you qualify based on income. We get low cost internet and phone, free ACA insurance (not yet on Medicare), Farmers Market vouchers, and state income tax rebates for low income homeowners. We don’t qualify for SNAP or use food banks, but we don’t need them, fortunately.
13) Volunteer at a food bank. Many encourage volunteers to take home a bag of groceries each day they work. I usually bring home enough produce, canned goods, sauces, and condiments, so I don’t need to buy much. Plus, it’s a good way to be involved in the community and make new friends.
14) Going to be 70 in September. Retired at 67. Only have Social Security and I often make vegetarian meals. Beans and rice, pasta and garbanzo beans—any legume combined with a grain makes a complete protein. Usually buy whole grains for extra nutrients and fiber. Also adding dairy to potatoes turns a filling potato into a good protein source. Baked potatoes with shredded cheese or cream of potato soup for example.
15) In colder weather I make soup in my crock pot. Cabbage soup or vegetable soup with beans. I rarely add meat except sausage in the cabbage soup if I get a good price. Freeze my leftovers in freezer quart bags then put those in freezer gallon zip-lock bags. Good homemade soup just by thawing one frozen bag.
16) Apply for SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. If your only income is a social security check you likely qualify and even if they don’t give you much in actual food benefits, being on EBT has a whole cascade of benefits from other companies. Museums, parks, discounted internet, Amazon Prime discounts, etc.
17) Check with your local utilities to see if there are low income discounts available. I was able to get discounts on gas, electricity and water/trash. My gas and electric companies also have programs to assist with energy-assistance home repairs. You may qualify for things like new energy-efficient appliances or home insulation.
18) Called my internet provider and told them I was going to change providers to get a cheaper service — they cut my rate considerably to keep me. Never hurts to ask!
19) If you are a homeowner some states have tax relief programs to help with property tax bills.