14 EXTREME Frugal Living Tips | 🤑The CRAZIEST Things I Have Done to Save Money

[@raisingwildflowers]

What is the most extreme/crazy thing YOU have done to save money?

[@jamieperson7623]

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.

[@amandazplace5663]

Fantastic! My kids & husband all shower at the gym (they all have free memberships through work & school).

[@KS-jf2jf]

@@jamieperson7623 yes, powerful and creative.

[@msstacey777]

Throwing away food from these stores VERSUS donating to local food banks or shelters is bananas to me!!!!!

[@anniep855]

You are also helping the planet, wildlife and other humans through your frugal living. Thank you!❤

[@KS-jf2jf]

@@anniep855 Frugal living is almost always sustainable living 🌍

[@loveandjoy810]

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.

[@bradlafferty]

You are a kick-a- problem-solver, trying all those ways to provide well for yourself and your family! Thanks.

[@samaholderfield1518]

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

[@makeanddohandmade]

How brilliant that you used your food stamps to get all your extras from CVS for free, that’s amazing and impressive 💗

[@SimplyKatieWalks]

I pick up receipts on the ground outside of stores and put them in my fetch app

[@joculp-yq3qh]

I do the exact same!😊

[@ltrg361]

Please share how beneficial fetch app is, thanks! does it TRACK your lifestyle and do something undesirable with the info?

[@sheenafletcher-h3x]

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

[@gurrrrlish]

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 .....

[@tbacon2784]

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]

Wow, that was so amazing! You were really awesome in your resourcefulness!

[@ccstinchcomb2967]

You are truly the Resourcefulness Queen! Love it!

[@stephanieblackmore1461]

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.

[@amandazplace5663]

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.♥️🇨🇦

[@iriswelch3553]

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!

[@GrannyLinn]

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!

[@marissawussler8669]

Thanks for sharing! Appreciate your honest, down to earth videos- you’re very inspiring ☺️

[@lenzgodeep5053]

So Brilliant! I like your mentality, you are always winning. Keep it up!

[@bwillsboys]

👍

[@barbarahughes6009]

Bloody good for you!Smart,clever,innovative,intelligent thinking.

[@Fritz0616]

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]

These are all GREAT ideas! I am wanting to learn to do so many of these things :)

[@joculp-yq3qh]

This is so impressive!!

[@caballefam]

Ohhh my you are so resourceful!

[@Fritz0616]

@@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.

[@ccstinchcomb2967]

You are a wealth of amazing ideas! You should write a book or something!

[@Judi-lm2fj]

Great video. I love being frugal

[@ClairenParkerontheRoad]

Online surveys would get be out of a lot of binds. Awesome video. Oh I lived in my car too!

[@KS-jf2jf]

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.

[@NoOneUKnow-c3y]

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.

[@ShopLiveBeyondTheLines]

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.

[@joculp-yq3qh]

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!

[@tomlangley6969]

Great vlog I haven’t shaved in years. I’ve done all sorts of crazy things to save money.

[@AnaViolinViola]

I did 10 months without buying any clothes, also managed to de-clutter and re-think my style during that time!😅

[@Mbusowabalondo]

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. 🙏

[@ccstinchcomb2967]

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.

[@mightymommom5888]

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.

[@nata3467]

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

[@rebacarmack8335]

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

[@makeanddohandmade]

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

[@Utah_Mike]

Sold plasma through out my twenties, paid $25 a week in the 80’s.

[@kimpatterson8741]

❤

[@dp3797]

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.

[@cindyklempner7203]

Amazing ideas.

[@nancykaufman1645]

Great job!

[@ashleybosvik3031]

Would you dumpster dive again? Did you not worry if they poured a chemical over the food?

[@Karmin19991]

it is sad they are locking the dumpsters. I wish they would donate the food to shelters.

[@cherylT321]

Yes, my local Family Dollar locks their dumpsters.

[@gurrrrlish]

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.....

[@raisingwildflowers]

I will admit, I am not very hairy lol.

[@moonhunter9993]

I want to consciously try no spend months.

[@hermonorossco7988]

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

[@ccstinchcomb2967]

My husband works for a grocer also and says the same. He occasionally brings something home, but the employees are discouraged from doing that.

[@sallyapplegate4591]

Good video!!!! I love cvs coupons!!!! Every week!!!😂

[@CathAlexandra]

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.

[@ltrg361]

Outstanding home renovation! Dumpster diving is a bit too much ... just buy food at swap meets or on clearance at supermarkets

[@hollieperry9300]

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

[@LynnSJ]

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. 😊😢

[@greengrace21]

Spend less than 1k and have the hair permanently removed; no more shaving.

[@mightymommom5888]

Omg. I’m looking into this!

[@CorrieCharlotte]

Do your older kids still live with you?

[@lyndabelknap8367]

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.

[@MelissaCoup]

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

[@cherylT321]

Why did you buy a cash register?

[@user-lb9jh9gq8z]

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.