10 EXTREME FRUGAL LIVING TIPS | CRAZIEST THINGS I EVER DID TO SAVE MONEY

[@FrugalFitMom]

Go to Gabb.com/FFM to get $25 off any device - no contract required! New customers only. This is my favorite company to help keep those kids safe while also allowing them to use phones. *Thank you Gabb Wireless for sponsoring this video!

[@michellehommes9773]

When my son was little, I was at a grocery store that had kids clothing on sale for 90% off the out of season clothing. I bought him every size of the same PJ's from toddler 4 up to junior 12, at 3.00 each. They had 2 different colors white or navy with a sports motif .Every Christmas Eve he opened a new size of his same Pj's and we would take a Christmas photo with him in his Pj's. When he turned 13 and the sale PJ's ran out, he got a new style of PJ's. He's now 26 and fondly remembers his sports PJ's that he had for 8 years. Only 24.00 dollars and years of memories.

[@hope8989]

I happened across boys stride right shoes for $6 (originally $25). I did the exact same thing and bought every size available. Every time my son sizes up he is so excited.

[@lisapalmeno4488]

Love it

[@cathyphillips679]

In 1985 I was divorced and found myself being a single Mom to my then 3 and 6 year old boys. I worked in a job that was strictly commission. One memorable week, my paycheque was $18! I put $10 worth of gas in the car (because I needed the car for work) and spent the remaining $8 on bread and peanut butter. All we had in the house to drink was koolaid. I felt like the worst mother in the world. Amazingly, my boys (now in their 40's) still talk about that week as "the awesome week" that Mom let them eat as many peanut butter sandwiches as they wanted, and let them drink green koolaid for breakfast. 😂 Thank heavens it was only a week. We all survived.

[@judytieger8976]

@@cathyphillips679 I had a similar situation. I feel proud now that I made it through that time, and although financially sound now I am still frugal.

[@mistycharlesehley4544]

Kids are resilient!

[@EmmaMarch]

Bless your hearts 💕

[@StormSheldon]

You sound like a Heroine ❤

[@lisapalmeno4488]

They got their protein.

[@maryjanegibson7743]

When she was raising her family, my grandmoher became known as the person who would come and "clean off" a garden at the end of the season, after people had already harvested all the food they needed. In exchange for the food that was left, she would finish off the garden and get it ready for the enxt season, which was a lot of work. She was still doing it when I wa a kid and we kids would spend hours with her at the end of the summer in other people's gardens and orchards. It was hard work but it was good experience for us, and people were delighted to have us come to do it. Then my grandmother and I would can and process all the food for the coming winter. We would process hundreds of jars of fruits, vegggies and jams, and fill the freezer.

[@mkchris9154]

@maryjanegibson7743, you had an awesome life... the experiences, the fun, the knowledge your grandmother taught you... you are truely blessed!!! Great times you will cherish forever. ❤❤❤ Thank you for sharing.

[@firequeen2194]

That’s amazing! I’d do that now! What a blessing that would be. I can afford food, I’m just frugal and I love to can/dehydrate food, 😂. Sign me up. You had an awesome grandma. 🥰

[@suznknight5896]

I didn't do this but my best friend did. She was basically homeless with 4 kids. She had a low paying job. She rented a campsite by the week and they lived in a tent. Her kids remember that as the summer we lived on the playground and had a huge pool - greatest summer ever!

[@rockyzman]

Many years ago I lived in my car for two years and saved almost all my money to buy a house paying cash I went to work everyday to the same job I had for 35 years and showered at work and no one was the wiser. 2 years into this I found a foreclosed suburban cape cod in great condition in a great area of other well kept homes for .10¢ on the dollar.

[@PowerToolsWithThread]

In San Antonio, Whataburger used to have free tickets to a Spurs game (circa 1992) on the papers that lined their plastic trays for eat-in dining. I couldn't afford to eat there so I'd walk in and ask customers tossing out their food if I could have the paper tray lining. I'd then take my 8 year old son to a Spurs game for FREE (I was active duty Air Force (E-3) so I got free parking for vets at the AT&T Center) and our seats were in the nose bleeds. At the 3rd, after we eyeballed seats down near the court that had been empty all game (a.k.a. season ticket holders that didn't show) we'd high tail it down courtside and sit near the players. It was a game for us to find the best seats!

[@leoavila915]

Good deal! From Tejas too

[@CCS1780]

This is why I listen to your channel - you’re real and you understand in a very real sense how tough things can get. You deserve all the success you have with this channel because you’ve earned it.

[@FrugalFitMom]

I appreciate that

[@susanf4857]

I agree!! 👏👏👏

[@eileencapelle7478]

We saved so much by asking for hand me downs when our kids were born, people gave us cribs, mattresses, clothes, toys, and plenty of other baby stuff. Barely bought anything except diapers and wipes. It was great! Babies don’t need everything to be new, they grow so fast anyway. They just need lots of love.

[@lauranewman564]

That and a car seat that's never been in an accident and you're set!

[@marywatkins6798]

This!!!!!

[@janeellis5136]

I donated plasma. My kids wore cloth diapers. I bought bread at the stale bread store. I shopped at a store that sold food that was near expiration dates or dented canned food. I didn't hire a trash pick-up service. I drove my trash to the dump and paid $1 fee to dump it there. (It was way cheaper). I prayed for things and God always delivered. Thank you, Christine, for causing me to remember back on those times and remember what God did for me.

[@lenziany]

Yes, the dented canned food is the best deal we all could get😂

[@mistycharlesehley4544]

Yes, God is our provider. These are the situations he used to build our faith and to help us to have an attitude of additude!😊

[@GrandmatoRVSGCM]

So I’m a little older than you, when my kids were little we lived in Twin Falls, ID 1992-1996). We also did play group and did much of the same things you described. But back then Happy Meals were $1.99, So it was super cheap to feed me and my 3 girls Happy Meals, we shared 2 of them! My son was an infant back then so no happy meals for him. We also did tours of the police station, fire departments, and stores. The movie theaters in the summer had a summer movie program and movies were 25 cents per ticket and played every Tuesday and Thursday from June thru August. We did t have AC so we spent every Tuesday and Thursday at the movie theater in the afternoon when it was so hot and again baby boy was free, so for $2 per movie, I took us all to the movies twice a week all summer long! We also did library story time, free, three times a week! My hubby worked for Target, that is what brought us to Twin Falls, he helped open that store. When they opened, they had summer clothes, but quickly turned over to back to school, so they turned over the summer clothes after about 3 weeks. My husband called me and said get down here not we are clearencing out all summer stuff. I ended up getting shorts and t-shirts for .25 each, sandals for .75 each. I bought one of every color and every size tops and bottoms because with 3 girls (who were 1, 3 and 5) I knew I could hand down from the oldest to the youngest. I started at 2T and bought up to size 10 because I knew I would never be able to buy shorts and tops that cheap ever again! And I bought two pairs of sandals and tennis shoes in every size. My oldest had summer clothes for the next 6 years after that and the youngest for 10 years! Best $80 I ever spent!

[@bigbooklisa]

One February my husband and I were both out of work for a few weeks. He had a friend who owned a flower shop. We delivered Valentine flowers all over Boston for 3 days. We made some money and everyone who got flowers was so happy! [Bonus - it was the best Valentine's day for us too.] Thank you Christine. I love your channel.

[@billkelly3679]

Back in the mid-80s, I was living in College Station and delivering pizza. I donated plasma twice a week... 10 bucks the first time and 15 the second. An extra hundred bucks a month was a big deal. It also helped with books. I was doing a road trip back in 1980. I had cash for the trip, made lots of sandwiches on the way, et cetera. Then my hotel room got robbed. I couldn't prove it was the shifty desk clerk. I had twenty-five bucks on me and a tank of gas. I called the local Manpower and got a job for a week. I lived in a campground (in New Jersey, in February) in my car, eating peanut butter sandwiches. They pitied me and gave me enough cash up front to get me home, mailing me the balance. I pulled into my folks' driveway with no money and a quarter tank of gas.

[@Mona-pn6nj]

My daughter calls me “mom mart” and my husband is “daddy depot”. We always help our kids starting out. ❤

[@susanf4857]

Love this!! 😂

[@susanhansen9934]

This is one my niece did. She signed up for a service where she would stay at people homes and take care of their animals while they were out of town. (I think it was called Rover) She scheduled one job right after the other and did not have to rent a place while she was in college. There were only a few times that clients cancelled, and she was able to stay a night or two at friends. Personally, I have done many of the items mentioned by others. With the invention of KZbin I have fixed many appliances, laid new flooring and repaired simple things on my pickup. I schedule all of my errands on one day so I'm not spending gas money on countless separate trips to town. A friend and I started a business planting flowers for the 'country clubbers'. They want their patios and flowerbeds to look gorgeous, they don't want to do the work and many of the landscaping companies here don't want these small jobs. We now have 65 customers, work our tails off for a month and a half and make a very good chunk of change.

[@paulashealthyliving]

My brother had a lady from Rover stay at his place while he wintered in mexico. She rented out her own place to make money. (He has three large dogs so for him getting free doggie care was great and from a caring person). I've actually thought about doing this now that I'm retired.

[@elizmon8526]

As an undergrad student, I took a Spanish 101 class, where I was able to gather enough students and tutor them, since I was almost fluent!! Supply and demand. I used to clean homes, organize closets, since I was and still am a super organizer and know tricks for saving space. I am not afraid to work or hustle. That's a great quality.

[@nephilimslayer73]

Gidday Christine. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I invested in buying books for her. I also purchased books from the school book club. When she started school, I got her a library card. She could borrow up to 30 items per month. DVD’s and CD’s included. She also had free internet access. I loved to shop at thrift shops. My favourite was St Vincent’s (Vinnies). They had regular book sales to clear the shelves. When she was on winter holidays, I took her there. You would be given a large rubbish bag (clean) and you could fill it with books for $5. I gave her a $5 note and the bag, she went crazy filling it and also took home other treasures she found, usually at cents per piece. So she had whole book collections. Some bought new, some bought second-hand, some gifted to her. Whenever she was grounded, we took her electronics away. She spent hours reading and it was good for her education. She still loves reading books now, even with the technology. And she loves real printed books. While we were the working poor, she had a good education, excelled in reading comprehension and learned how to be frugal.

[@tooblessedtobestressed9715]

When Dawn brought out the green apple version I tried it. I was disappointed and dropped an email singing the praises of blue Dawn to explain why the green apple one was such a disappointment. They sent me so many coupons for free Dawn products that I was giving it away & still didn't have to buy any more dish liquid for FIVE YEARS! 😂 I still love them & now they have me hooked on Platinum and Power Wash! lol😊

[@loriburgess1866]

I was a young mom in the 80’s. My children were born in 81, 85, 89. We walked all over town. We were at the library for story time and crafts. We checked books out. We belonged to a preschool co-op. Us moms found ways to spend a bit of time together each week. It might be a meet up for play at the park. We moms passed clothing, toys and furniture around. We supported each other through thick and thin. The goals were to raise happy, healthy children. In all the ways we could we invested in each other’s families. I now have grown children and it seems they simply do not have the time to cultivate these kinds of relationships. I have my own ideas as to why this may be but what I’m saying is that they don’t have the freedom to network and grow friendships at the level I was so privileged to have. Having such a network aided us in having a frugal and full lifestyle. I’m still friends with some of these moms even though we have moved far from each other.

[@kettlebops4271]

I have eaten expired food forever - my nose and eyes tell me everything. I'm in a position now to not need to, but I hate waste.

[@dianasimplifies]

These dates are so random. We had a bottle of bbq sauce that had never been opened. Supposedly expired in 2021. I told hubby to taste it first. It was fine. No one is dead. It kills me to see people throwing everything out bc of a random date.

[@EmmaHope88]

@@dianasimplifies The only sauces you kind of have to be careful with, once they are expired, are ones with oil, in my experience. They can go rancid after a while, though not within the first six to nine months after.

[@marioneagan3084]

@@dianasimplifieshave to laugh that you made your husband taste it first. Smart woman!😅

[@dianasimplifies]

@@marioneagan3084 oh hahaha I don't eat it! That's prob why we had such an old bottle. I do try to rotate my pantry so that doesn't happen 🤣

[@lisalamphier1410]

Not really a money saver. If your food is expiring, you're buying too much of it. Buy less.

[@jerim4543]

I had a very sweet apartment deal in a NYC neighborhood I absolutely couldn't afford to live in. My neighbors would put amazing things out for the trash. I once dragged an entertainment center 20 city blocks BY MYSELF, one excruciatingl step at a time. It took several hours, and I still have it 30 years later!

[@phoenyxwilson3548]

I did something simular on my paper round someone was throwing away a new surpind sound and record player with a tape deck in it and loads of vinals because he was now a grown up and I was like can I have them he said yes and I ran a cross the road to grab the big shopping trolly and put it all in there a sold those records about 15 years later for a good amount.

[@larrydavidwillissr]

When I was a poor student I bought 100 boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese Dinner for $10 at a store going out of business. I ate Mac and Cheese for months! Friends would say how can you eat that every day? My answer: it was 10 cents!!

[@christinebutler7630]

I did that too! At one point, I lived on nothing but one peanut butter sandwich per day. For three years. Jam on Sundays. It was great for weight control.

[@piggiesgosqueal8066]

@@christinebutler7630damn. Impressive

[@Evie0526]

You’re a legend! I love it ❤

[@vickiehat1074]

😂😂😂👍🏻

[@phxfarmer4844]

Lol i love that

[@ramonaearnest4709]

As a divorce mom of three boys I had to feed and entertain the four of us. I was lucky enough to get food stamps which I would take to the local farm and buy fresh veggies to freeze. I also learned to coupon and use rewards programs. Yes many times I would bring our own snacks when we were at the park or sneak snacks into the $1 show. We could watch a movie for $1 and a man with a cane would walk out and sit at keyboard and play music before the movie started! It was great! We are lucky enough to live in Missouri where many things for entertainment are free. Our world renowned St Louis zoo and our museums are free. We can go to the Muny Opera to see musicals for free. We have many parks that we go to for free. We can go swimming at our local pools pretty cheap! We have community centers with activities year round. We can go to the library and rent movies and books for free! When you are a divorce mom you get very creative with entertainment and survival. We didn't have cell phones or computers back then. Even if we did we couldn't afford them. Many of my kids clothes came from the Goodwill or the clearance racks bought off season. If I had a little extra money I would stock up on food and necessities. I still do many of these things today even though my kids are grown. I live by myself and I know how to survive if I can do it you can too!

[@elizmon8526]

You do what you have to do to survive. There is absolutely nothing wrong or shameful about being creative or frugal. you are not stealing, living off the government, or demanding handouts like many entitled grabbers out there. You are making do to care for yourself and your family!!! Bravo for you.

[@heatheramador4607]

My mother after her divorce we would go around our town in early morning once week collecting cans I was around 7-8yrs and then we'd go sale cans at our local recycling place. Being a mother now I understand every pennie counts. I respect how hard my mother tried and it taught me a good work ethic!

[@robinmcmillin-of5ff]

I stop at my parent’s house every night for dinner! 😁. The best thing is it was my mom’s idea, she’s a great cook, since I live next door to them it’s not out of my way & I often get to take leftovers home to take to work for my lunch the next day! ❤️ you mom!!!

[@vickiehat1074]

Always great to be at mom’s place 😊😊😊

[@teranda3974]

I do this too on the weekends. My mom lives 15 minutes away so I always visit every weekend and take whatever foods we don't eat back home.

[@gailwentz8296]

My niece was an extreme couponer. What she couldn’t use, she gave to people In need. The rest went to the local Rescue Mission!😊

[@leelaural]

been there, done that in many ways....I picked up aluminum cans at work, from the trash, to recycle...I wash and reuse zip lock bags...I buy the dried up half price plants at the store and get them back to life...

[@olasarts]

After a few years on faculty I started attending faculty retreats. If you think it sounds fun- it's not, it 8 hours of meetings. But they feed you, and normally there's lots of extra food. One of my colleagues would bring a purse full of gallon size Ziploc bags and take home the bagels, cookies, etc. she offered the bags to other faculty but I was the only one who took her up on it. It was awesome to have all those bagels, but it was equally awesome to see someone loud and proud of their frugality. I'm now the Ziploc lady, and I take All leftovers offered from all events. Is this embarrassing 😅 or awesome 😎?

[@WeberIMayRoam]

It's awesome! I'm the same way! And I love to share with others how I repurpose stuff. Some examples... Extra bags of plain chips can be turned into crumbs for coating chicken breasts and baked in the oven. Uneaten dips (like bacon ranch, or french onion) can be turned into pasta 'sauce' or spread on chicken so bread crumbs stick (in lieu of egg). Bread rolls/buns can be frozen and used later; burger buns can be turned into garlic bread. Fried chicken can be picked off the bone and used in tons of recipes, and the bones used for stock later.

[@phoenyxwilson3548]

This reminded me off uni when there were meeting they left so many sandwiches and fruit and I would wonder the halls and see where the meetings were and sometimes managed to get a load of food. I just asked the cleaning ladies if I could take it as I was homeless and usually they would say yes a couple of times they would say yes but leave a couple of pastrys as they were her fave and she wanted to take them home, some of the stuff I got lasted me two days.

[@firequeen2194]

Awesome! That’s my vote and I’m not changing my mind. 😉

[@maryannewagoner6330]

Awesome!!!

[@juanitaglenn9042]

Totally awesome!! The food gets thrown out anyway, so at least you help clean up too!

[@PlannerMemaw]

I eat expired food all the time. I didn’t fix my dryer that had a sprung door, I used a bungee cord to hold it shut. I fixed another dryer myself, just needed a belt replaced. I’ve done minor repairs on my car with parts from the salvage yard. I’ve joined medical research studies for extra money and delivered pizza for 3 years in addition to my full time job to get out of debt. My husband also drive old Toyotas and have old phones instead of buying newer things all the time.

[@duplotraci]

Most unusual was crafting with trash I found while walking. I love crafting when my kids were toddlers but we had no extra money at all. So I would pick up rusty metal and turn it into sculptures, signs, and chimes. One of my favorite things and my kids look fondly on finding treasure with me.

[@loveGG3]

Selling boxes of potatoes as a school fundraiser is the most Idaho thing I've ever heard.

[@jacqueslee2592]

How? Potatoes are originally from South America.

[@JulieAnnPowell]

Single mom and had my kids 100% of the time so it was tight for many years. I would strangely show up at my parents' house around dinner time quite often, the pawn shop workers and I were on a first-name basis, always turned in any cans for the nickel, volunteered to help with the school carnivals because I enjoyed it, but also because they gave the parents any extra free food coupons that were leftover prizes, purposely went to the houses that gave away raisins and fruit at Halloween, spent an hour a day online scouring the internet for freebies to create gift baskets as Christmas gifts, for a few years created my meal plans according to what was cheapest at Grocery Outlet, made a lot of snow ice cream in winter, spent so much time at the Franz bakery outlet that my son wanted to be a driver for them when he grew up, free food samples and a free cookie from Fred Meyer bakery were my idea of an easy lunch, when our dryer broke down and we had to use the laundromat, I went to the best one in town that had a little play area and a tv that played animated movies and told my kids it was a "play date"...they loved it, didn't have room for a garden but I grew a few tomatoes and peppers in long pots from dollar tree that fit on my back window sills, always did (and still do) shop the after holiday sales for the next holiday, another "special day" with my kids was to gather up any change I had and hit up the burger king dollar menu for a burger and side salad and take it to the free concerts in the park, I could go on but I just got the urge to hit up the bread store 🤣🤣🤣

[@gaildickerson2226]

You are the best, awesome mom

[@firequeen2194]

Our “day old” bread stores are gone. I miss them 😢.

[@christineshah7330]

I started chatting with a lady at the secondhand kids clothing store and ended up with a huge box of travel size Tom's toothpastes. We used random flavors of Tom's instead of buying our preferred toothpaste for at least 2 years. I have no idea where she got all of it. There were coupons, too. So, toothpaste from a stranger. That was an unusual score.

[@twovirginiacats3753]

I ate a baked potato and a glass of milk every night for dinner for months till I had saved up enough money to put a downpayment on a car. At one point when the kids were in college, I did without a car entirely and took the bus instead. This lasted almost 5 years. Between a modest car payment and insurance, you can really save big by not having a car. I still routinely shop at thrift stores first. The coolest thing I ever found (so far) was a pair of brand-new Italian leather shoes for $4 (they retail for $150).

[@ethom51]

Selling potatoes as a fundraiser sounds like the most Idaho thing ever! But absolutely with you on the expired foods! I found a salvage grocery near me because of you and am eating expired refried beans with my breakfast this morning!

[@rojatex55]

One year, I needed extra money in order to buy Christmas gifts for my Parents and sister and a new coat for my Husband. I had a necklace, given to me by an old boyfriend and I decided to try and "pawn" it. I was so scared. I thought that was doing something illegal. The Owner of the Pawn Shop was so kind to me. He explained the difference between pawning and selling and even paid the amount that I needed in order to buy those gifts. ❤❤❤

[@kathyoconnell377]

Hang clothes on the line outside when its warm enough, live in Minnesota. Cut ends off of food and bathroom containers to get every last drop, sometimes there is a lot left in there.

[@campbellhouse6569]

When my kids were babies, I too was an extreme couponer with my big coupon organizer. I saved thousands on groceries. I even made money from one transaction. I turned my backyard into a huge garden with fruit trees and blackberry bushes.. I learned how to can and made pasta sauce, salsa, and blackberry jam. I was so busy and sooo tired living my best frugal life. I wish I slowed down and invested more in forming friendships and playing with my kids. Finding the right balance is key to life. Those babies grow up too fast

[@pipersecretp3]

Sat in multiple MRI scanners for a research study. It is cold and I was naked but for a gown, but $150 for an hour is better than my 9-5 job’s pay!

[@ccstinchcomb2967]

We camp hosted every summer for 6 years at two of our favorite state parks. We would stay with our 2 children for a month each summer and had a great time helping the other campers, cleaning the park, and seeing how they operated the state parks. In exchange we had a full hook up site, use of a golf cart/Polaris, all the hiking, fishing, swimming we wanted, met all sorts of other hosts and guests. They were my all time favorite summers and they were free family/working vacation time.

[@tanjacavlovic8053]

Oh wow. That's genius and amazing experience.

[@abcjerilee]

BB dates mean "Best By", not expired. Our troops have eaten MRE (meal ready to eat) for years. When times were tough I always got a second job. My folks helped so much with child care. The last time I had 2 jobs I was 54 years old. We lost everything and had to start over. My kids were grown, so there was no need for child care. I am retired now and because of this economy we qualify for the food bank. This is the worst thing I ever did to stretch a dollar, but I thank God every time I go (once every 2 weeks) for all the "expired" food I get.

[@dianasimplifies]

I wish more people understood it's not an expiration date. People are throwing out perfectly good food!! Also cleaners. It takes years for cleaners to get funky.

[@emilychapman4122]

My neighbor and I would purposely take our toddlers for walks with double strollers on the eve and mornings of trash day in a rich neighborhood to get nice stuff for free. You know, one man's trash is another man's treasure. One time I cruised that same neighborhood and loaded a huge air compressor in the back of my suv then sold it in a moving sale years later for $200. It paid for the moving truck rental.

[@hollybolien2053]

Scored a NICE double stroller that way once.😎

[@hollymarcus7284]

I got our porch chairs that way!

[@janicedwyer6216]

I got my dining room set that way.

[@janicedwyer6216]

I got my dining room set that way.

[@lissa599]

We picked up our kitchen table and a TV hutch that way!!🙌🏻

[@jocelyngelms4117]

My hubby and I saved for a house shortly after we were married and rented out the basement for 9 years while making extra payments every month. This meant that we didn't have money for date nights so we went for walks in the evening the night before garbage day and snagged beer can/bottles and wine bottles from people's recycling in order to eat out at Ikea, for super cheap for our date nights. I've done the extreme couponing thing with rebates and most of the clothing we all wear comes from friend's hand-me-downs or from Thrift stores. I don't shop the thrift stores until they have 50% off days though. Prices are crazy there these days. This is what works to keep costs down for our family of 7, and I was inspired by your home payoff, Christine, so that's our goal in the next 2 years. Thanks for the great videos!

[@nanainthemidwest]

Your comment about McDonalds reminded me about back in the mid-90s when I was a SAHM. We did not have air conditioning, so on super hot days, I would bring our two kids to Burger King (no more than once a week). We did not have much money and lived paycheck to paycheck, but back then I put $5 in the budget and it would buy two kid meals and a hamburger for me. The kids played in the play area, enjoyed their food (I watched them play and kept cool), and the best part was they got a new "toy" from the kids meal! As far as plasma donation, not only is a person earning money, but you are helping people who NEED this!

[@pek5117]

When I was a kid I wanted a Nintendo and my parents said, "Get a job and buy it yourself" I was like, I'm a kid and they said yes and 50 years ago you would have been working in a factory. I went around to all my neighbours and asked to mow their lawns. I got a paper route and then started pamphlets as well for twice the pay for the same work. Felt really good going in to buy it on the boxing day sales and saving heaps on it. I love how you had a food garage sale! Nearly all my toys as a kid were bought at garage sales, pretty much every clothing I had was a hand me down. I've contacted companies to get free and discounted items, still works well. Every second pizza I buy is free because they keep messing up my order and I complain so they give me a free pizza next time to keep me coming back. Having someone growing produce they dont want is great.

[@sherihepworth8253]

Our first years homeschooling, we had almost no income. I was directed to an experienced homeschooler who loaned me all the books I could need. Since every page was already filled in, I wrote out the workbooks into cheap lined wire-bound books we got at Kmart for 15¢ each. My first three years of homeschooling cost less than $50 total.

[@DrLolaDane2]

I save money by not spending.🤣 Seriously, if I don't need it, I don't buy it. Anyone else?? Thanks Christine!

[@jillgott6567]

* I trash picked then had a yardsale selling the items. Best money I ever made at a yardsale. * I walked, took bus for two years no money for cat repairs. * I picked up and still do cans and turn in for money. * I cleaned * fluffed holiday trees * did home chores such as painting * i have taken care of elderly * I dog sat * I did office work for a friend *I did focus groups * I did mystery shops to earn money * I eat expired food * I cut portions to save money on food * I call for coupons for cat food and litter * friends gave me trash bags, soap they did not like I used it

[@debbiekoortzen1154]

Great ideas ❤

[@dianebaugher3919]

You should always repair your cat 😂

[@cathyb3790]

Yes if there is a will there is a way to get extra money , I do surveys and average $20 gift cards to Walmart or Amazon per month

[@rachelrichards8312]

Was your cat expensive to repair ? !!

[@becreative2420]

I can attest that cats are very expensive to repair. 😉😉 And it doesn't always work. 😢😢😭😭 we miss our furry one.

[@cherieturck6558]

I enjoyed your video. I remembered a lot about raising my 4 kids on my husband's paycheck from working 40 years in a papermill. Rummage sales, canning, and gardening was what had to be done. Thinking back those days were the best. Thank you for sharing this.

[@jenniferjenkins3412]

Christine, you are awesome! Thank you for painting an honest picture and normalizing money-saving behavior that I have also done, yet sometimes felt shame over. Raising a family of eight caused me to get creative, and I am extremely resourceful as a result. My children know how to stretch a penny, so inflation doesn’t scare them. I’m sure that’s not the case for everyone.

[@lindadorman2869]

I moved into a storage unit. Actually, it’s a converted live/work space above a storefront where I keep inventory for my online retail store. It’s got a fully equipped kitchen and bathroom, central heating and A/C, full-size W/D, wood floors and high ceilings. Since I use it for work and the building is zoned as commercial space, the rent and utilities are fully tax-deductible. Plus I work from home and live close to public transportation so I sold my car too.

[@bethsnodgrass8218]

I also take advantage of eating for free at work, I work at a private country club. I box up salads and soup 2 or 3 times a week. I have so much soup in my freezer to feed an army. I do give away to my neighbors.

[@beachseeker634]

A KZbinr I follow has a friend who started a free swap in October years ago in her home. It includes clothing, toys, books, housewares, etc. It has grown so much the host now holds it outside. I think it's a wonderful idea.

[@catarinaaraujo8854]

I when to a kids Swap last year love it so much!!!!!!! Everything was free!!!!!

[@muddyshoesgardener]

When my kids were younger I worked at a private school as their night janitor. They let me clean up their unclaimed lost and found clothes ( at the end of the month) and gave me the unclaimed clothes. My kids wore these when we didn’t have enough money to buy thrift store clothes. We lived in an apartment and had to pay for electricity use. I would wash clothes at night by running an extension cord to the hallway to be able to afford to use the washer/ dryer. We used solar camping lights and flashlights- we literally did not have a single lamp. As a single mom I had to be really frugal. 🙂

[@susan7184]

Yard sale saved me a ton on kids' clothes. I was a couponer and taught my kids. It was a proud mom moment when my 16 yr old brought me a handful of coupons for back to school clothes.

[@elizmon8526]

Yep. Knowing how to coupon is a skill. Recently purchased a 4 roll of TP for like 27 cents! And usually save like 40-80% at CVS every time. Why spend $5 when you spend 80 cents? It's the same product you are buying.

[@dpinar21]

My husband had a carpet installation business and when people didn’t want their left overs we would make rugs out of them and sell them in a garage sale. We would sell them from 20 to a 100 dollars! It was an amazing time. All that money went to kids sports! 🏀 🏈 cheerleader was the most expensive!

[@lisamorris4232]

My husband rode his bike to work and collected empty soda pop cans alongside the road which had a 10 cent deposit per can. He would collect enough to pay for gas in our car.

[@leahsiemens1424]

Ours are 10 cents too. They used to have varying deposits from 5 cents all the way to 25 cents and my husband would collect them at work (construction sites) to help pay for groceries.

[@jkrausz3]

When we were much younger and broke I would buy brand new stuff at yard sales for Christmas gifts. Stuff like candles, ornaments, home decor stuff, sports memorabilia, toys for the kids. I got paid in the early 2000s to write an article for Dollar Stretcher newsletter about it called “Yard Sale Christmas Shopping.” Good times!

[@kristiluce2838]

That's awesome. We do themed Christmases, and this year, our theme is secondhand.

[@Bettyboop991]

I’ve followed the dollar stretcher online for many years!

[@saversavvy2670]

Our kids grew up with thrifted gifts. I never hid it from them. They got so many gifts for the 20 dollars that I could spend for each one. I would buy stuff all year long. They are 17 - 25 now and they buy secondhand gifts for each other all the time. We love it!

[@maryhall9224]

I worked a concession trailer every weekend to pay my way thru college. As i saved all my decor and main food budget items came from the dollar tree and thrift store items. I had gas money, fun money and a super small food budget this way.

[@sharondube1101]

I can relate to your using the McDonald's play area but bringing your own food. About 15 years ago, when most places were starting to offer free wifi, I was going thru a difficult break up and could not afford to pay for internet or cable. I had a first-generation Kindle that had streaming video capability. When I would get home from work several nights a week I would make a pb&j, grab an apple or banana and go sit in my McDonald's parking lot so that I could watch an episode or 2 of TV that was free on my Amazon Prime account( this was before we had an annual fee, it just came with my device).

[@jbalconi9903]

I cleaned houses and apartments in exchange for food or sometimes secondhand clothes.

[@williamwarren9448]

When ever we have an abundance ( basil/ peppers/ apples/ lemons) we share with our wonderful neighbors ❤who share their extra grapefruits and oranges ! Glenda

[@EvelynSaungikar]

I furnished my entire student apartment with trash pickings. Some items were still new in plastic, a set of kitchen chairs, and a sofa bed mattress. I always shop thrift, and I cut down my son’s outgrown pants to shorts, he was 9 when he had a pair of purchased shorts for the first time, that weren’t a sports uniform. We have an organization in our city called Not Far From The Tree, which organizes volunteers to pick fruit in people’s backyards. Cherries, pears, grapes and apples grow extremely well here. The volunteers share a third of what they pick, a third goes to food charities, and a third is left for the homeowner. I got 75 lbs of apples and made 18 quarts of apple butter, which I gave out to family and friends, many of whom gave me their garden extras in return.

[@arabianknights7391]

Not meant negatively, but never take soft furnishings like the sofa bed mattress. You could unknowingly bring home bedbugs, which are a horror to get rid of.

[@crazygrandmaweaz8942]

Oh Girl, we have a lot of amish discount stores here. I've shopped the outdated stuff for years. As a single mom of 2 boys, I cut corners everywhere. My car needed a power steering pump, the garage wanted over $200 to change it. In 1992 that was my whole months grocery budget. The part at the parts store was $19.95. 2 bolts to change it. Seriously! My Dad coaching me and a Saturday morning, the new pump was installed.

[@ginasartadventures2716]

I am currently donating plasma and have been doing so for two years. It helps me cover the cost of groceries and other essentials. I drove from Colorado to Florida to become a Certified Bob Ross Instructor. Since I couldn't afford a $100/night hotel, I stayed at a $25/night campground and lived out of a tent for three weeks. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

[@karenprinz5987]

I lived in NYC in my 20s and refused to pay delivery charges so I took some very random items on the subway. A TV. A random potted palm tree and various furniture pieces.

[@clarebear6736]

My kids are now 24 and 23 years old( All before social media) and I dressed them in charity shop clothes and bought their basinet and cots second hand. I made a lot of their clothes including shorts and one of their favourite childhood memories was choosing the material. I was only buying about up to about 40 cm/16 inches for each pair of shorts. Raiding my parents fruit trees as well as purchasing fruit and vegetables from road side stalls saving me heaps of money. I have taken home made lunches to play dates and yes even to McDonalds. No shame here. You do what you have to do. Love your content

[@LK-ir2pg]

I appreciate videos like this so much! As a young mom who’s at the very beginning of their struggle years these tips are so helpful to give ideas for how to make ends meet. My husband and I are welcoming our first baby this month, and just moved into a mobile home we have saved up for the last four years to buy. The payment for this mobile home is at the absolute max of what we could afford but there was nothing cheaper in our area. I already know we are going to be scrimping as much as possible to attempt to save anything up for our future. ❤

[@pom-momtina6254]

Congratulations on your hard work to get your new home! Be proud! Being frugal is a necessity, when starting out, but maintaining those habits and always tucking away a little money, whenever you can, will leave you better off, especially as you age, and you'll thank yourself for it, believe me. You GOT this :)

[@CM-wh8hn]

totally free and my very own idea, my friends are amazed with this idea. ..... If you have a tops with short sleeves, you are not wearing anymore.... Just sew the bottom hem closed (by hand or machine), and then hang it on a hanger in the closet.. I use these tops to hide valuables (like my laptop) jewelry, private papers ). very easy to reach into the top of the top to pull out the laptop etc. . This is also a way to hang up many things, like purses. An extra benefit is that the fabric of the tops protects the purses etc from getting dusty.

[@rebeccaknudsen6190]

I have a friend that's a nurse nutritionist that says that dates are a way of inventoring. Although some nutrition may have gone down still safe to consume.

[@kcmarie3774]

You deserve every bit of success that comes your way! You give the best tips, and you actually know what it's like to struggle.

[@tanjacavlovic8053]

I wanted to comment the same thing. Absolutely agree.

[@lynn2574]

My daughter - an only child- was born in 2008. I was couponing a bit at that time to help pay off some debt although my husband and I were both working. I was thrilled to finally be a mom after years of trying and losses, and I took so much joy in dressing her cutely. I fell in love with Gymboree clothes. And I was working as a social worker - I definitely could not afford Gymboree clothes. But I found so many amazing outfits for her at yard sales, a local children’s thrift store, and the stores clearance rack. Over the years we have found some incredible deals at yard sales and online marketplaces.

[@FrugalFitMom]

Exactly! Such great deals to be found!

[@elaineengland]

My son is 42 years old and he knows we called him the yard sale baby because everything he had came from yard sales. I was a single mom!

[@mostuniquemary]

Salvage grocery stores (I call them the dented can stores), clearance shelves, picked off of others trees/gardens, canning, dehydrating, gardening, bartering, thrift stores, picked a few things off the neighbors' curbs. I take my girls to the library for kids events, splash pads, parks, free summer education events at school, concerts at the park in the evening.

[@QueenBrandinK]

I worked as a waitress in my early 20s. I became a trainer because every time you trained a new person, you got a comped meal to try so they could taste the dishes and describe it to the customer. Sometimes, that was my only meal that day.

[@pom-momtina6254]

I started serving in my 20's, too, and kept it as a part-time job, in addition to my full-time career, for the past 40 years! I still train, and they still give the trainer AND the trainee a comped meal at the end of the shift! If I'm lucky, I can make my meal last for two days, so once for dinner and again for lunch with the leftovers the next day :) I only work part-time now. A few years ago, took a job at the Pizza Hut buffet, because I got to bring home all the leftover pizzas! Now, they've closed all the dine-in locations in my area :(

[@mrswebbshouse]

I use to coupon often back then our grocery store did triple coupons. They would triple any coupon that was $1 or less plus their in store sale price. Once I got $250 worth of groceries for $42!!! With 4 kids at home it save me a ton.

[@debbiefisher8596]

The good old days

[@WordOfTruthTube]

Your videos have been so helpful. I grew up in a home where it was, fend for yourself. If cooking happened, it was me doing it from age 9 and up. For my brother and I. ❤ So I never really learned how to cook outside of the box until, the last 5 years. Your videos, cooking tips, and shopping tips have been so helpful. ❤❤❤ THANK YOU!

[@jpv-yw2ok]

My 2 kids are 1 year apart. Many years ago both were in diapers and that was rather expensive. At that time, my cousin referred me to a marketing company that was associated with companies that manufactured diapers and baby products. I participated in product research. I was given free diapers , and childcare products for both kids for participating. I had to weigh the diapers and fill out questionnaires regarding satisfaction of the products. I did this for many months saving hundreds of dollars. Now I am a grandma, of 4. I buy practically all of my grandchildren's clothing at thrift stores. There is a thrift store near us in an upscale neighborhood. They carry a number of new items and name brand high quality clothing in pristine condition. I am retired now and have time to sort through all of these items. I even buy for a number of nephew's children as well. It helps the out because the cost can be prohibitive. The kids are young and don't know the difference or care. It makes me happy to see pictures of the kids in the clothes I have purchased.

[@nancycarney]

I am a prep person. 2 years of planning. Lost my husband and my Dad this year. It is now just me. Yes. I will eat expired food that has never been opened. canned veggies , peanut butter and pasta. Lots of the pasta I vacuumed sealed.

[@margotmartin-ck7qr]

I’m so sorry for your losses 💔

[@aHavenForTheLost]

I pray for healing and restoration in your life. I am very sorry for your loss and pray for strength through your grief.

[@tgayer1]

Love and hugs to you. God loves you and is always with you. 💕

[@pamforrester844]

Smart woman, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Sincere condolences

[@jessicab2651]

The weirdest thing my husband and I did was we had "guest toilet paper" for when people visited, and we used the cheaper stuff that lasted forever for ourselves. Sometimes my husband even brought home the near empty rolls from school that the cleaning lady took out of stalls and placed in a basket in the windowsill of the bathroom when she changed out the rolls. We don't know if that was her intention for the almost empty rolls, but she always left the basket there when she was done, so maybe 🤷‍♀️ We were doing whatever we could to stay afloat back then. My husband graduated as a doctor of physical therapy and was surprised when his student loans amounted to $155,000 with a minimum payment of $1,770 per month, and we found out physical therapists don't get paid doctor wages. Add in that we just found out we would be first time parents to twins in a new city where we didn't know anyone and our closest family was 3 hours away. So we saved the fancy toilet paper for guests 😅 We did a lot of things that feel "crazy" now, but the toilet paper is the thing that sticks out the most. Another thing I remember was freezing $0.33 cups of yogurt when I was pregnant with the twins and had cravings for ice cream. It wasn't the same, but we couldn't afford ice cream and we could usually find around $0.33 on the sidewalk when we took the dog for an extra long walk.

[@tainahollo8567]

When I got divorced some years ago, in my new apartment toilet paper was just for guests - for myself, I cut about 15 x 15 cm pieces of ragged T-shirts etc. that I got from the recycling center for free, used them as toilet paper, and discarded them...

[@brianaperez8326]

You are truly my favorite person on KZbin

[@MsRene98]

I grew up with great depression parents. I am frugal as heck and always have enough canned food to feed the neighborhood for 3 months lol. I've done the stock up at sale time for 40 years.

[@leahsiemens1424]

When my kids were little, I used to scour the newspaper for free BBQ events. Local businesses would sometimes have free hot dogs, chips and drinks to celebrate some sort of occasion. We would go and eat the free hot dogs and that was lunch. One time I spied an ad for a BBQ at the local "garbage recycling depot." We didn't go but we still love to joke about having free hot dogs at the dump 🤣

[@sarahlangham635]

I was a HUGE couponer as well- So much so that for an anniversary gift one year my hubby bought me a 5 inch 3 ring zipper binder with a shoulder strap for my coupons 😂😂

[@FrugalFitMom]

That is awesome!

[@Leslie-wb8cb]

And they say romance is dead!!

[@sjrogers7498]

I had one just like that… my kids named it Richie. We didn’t go anywhere without Richie.

[@anneliesejohnson3662]

I love this video! We rented the cheapest "livable" house we could find, and the owners paid us to fix it up. Love on the secondhand options out there too. We did an entire thrift store Christmas one year, and in 24 years of marriage, we've never bought a new sofa, washer, dryer or refrigerator!

[@Karwrecked]

I once opened a checking account with a new bank because they were giving $200 to all new accounts that stayed open 30 days. Got my 200 bucks and closed it right after

[@bethjudy1111]

My husband and I painted a large shed in order to make money to put as a down payment on our first minivan. By that time, we had 4 kids and 2 in car seats. One of those car seats was our baby in the front seat between me and my husband. Thats why a van was so needed. The best $400 we ever spent! 1995!

[@ellenkelly9568]

I appreciate your honesty, I feel like I'm a thrifty shopper, raised 6 kids and 10 grandchildren, love your tips squeezing out everything I have in a pantry to make a great meal, planing the meals is probably the best advice, using the spices I learned from your show has been a game changer, making the same foods I make taste better,of course I'm way older however I wish I knew these tips years ago, thanks! keep making these videos, good information on them😊

[@Zorro-5515]

🇨🇦 when we were first married, my husband had to go to Ohio for a year's training. Pay came via snail mail AND there was an elongated postal worker strke back home. We could barely pay our rent. A/C for me as a STAH was a fan blowing over ice cubes. It was SO hot.🔥Supper was a picnic at a park. We went to day old bread store, bought pink salmon, turned to marg not butter, and skim milk and always shopped clearance shelves first. Supper was sandwiches at a park. Learned to make salmon patties.Gas was 26 cents/gallon due to a gas war so we took advantage and visited nearby towns/fairs when he had time off. Learning curve. We still buy skim milk and pink salmon and always check the clearance racks first. Good times! God is good!

[@seasonallyproductive]

We also eat from the "reduced to clear" grocery section. Past prime fruit is great for smoothies or dehydrating too. Bread is a tiny fraction of the cost, etc. Loved the first tip about camping! That's how we afforded a 2 week, 3 island Hawaiian vacation. We're also known to sleep in our van in parking lots 😂

[@kathleendavis6122]

YES! TLC absolutely ruined couponing!!!!

[@vlmellody51]

When my son was a child, I became a very good couponer. TLC ruined it for everyone, especially those of us who are poor.

[@Kelly-nd3cz]

I remember the days when coupons were double off up to a dollar not anymore. They definitely ruined it for us

[@cookshackcuisinista]

As a Canadian I'm not familiar with TLC but could you explain to me what happened and why they ruined couponing for everyone?

[@Kelly-nd3cz]

@@cookshackcuisinista I forget what the TLC stands for due to memory impairments, but back in day “They would double your coupon-50+50=$1.00 Or .75+.25=$1.00. Some stores on special occasions in West Ft Laud would have triple coupons like a coupon worth .50 = $1.50 off the item. And ppl would go around and buy like 10 20 papers on Sundays (still today ppl sell the coupon inserts cuz now it’s so much off the the digital plus the coupon and alot of times you can get the item for free or very very cheap. I used to work at Winn Dixie at 16 in HS and learned how to do-That my dad literally had me do the household grocery shopping on double days. I’m 56 now so that was 40 years ago. I learned from the shoppers they literally would come in and buy $700-$800 worth of food and walk out paying anywhere from $22-$35. Seriously. I was like “Are you for real-This is too cool”!😃❤️💪♥️🇺🇸🙏STAY SAFE AND HAVE A SAFE 4TH OF JULY!!!!!! Plz pray America is saved!!!!🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@Kelly-nd3cz]

@@cookshackcuisinista Trying to remember the name of show for you let me look it up

[@nadinefrandsen6087]

Yes, to expired food🎉🎉 You just need to have some common sense to know when the food should actually be tossed. I also did the couponing. I remember getting a whole grocery cart full of laundry cleaning supplies for free. Would have gotten cash back if they allowed it. Love this video so much!!

[@jessann5581]

The best way I have saved money is, I wired my brain to make me think that I’m actually paying bills. 1- work out how much pet/life/funeral/house and contents/car insurance stuff will cost me each month, I then put that same amount of money away each fortnight into a savings account while still paying our house/content and car insurance. I have earned $1000 in interest while doing this. 2- I work out how much I would need to buy a brand new expensive item like a lounge ect, work out how much a PL will cost me to get said lounge on finance and then put that money away aswell into a savings account to earn interest and save for the new lounge. (This is an example, I buy 2nd hand as I have 4 young sons that ruin lounges), but you get the point. 3- I work out exactly how much petrol will cost me to fill up my tanks from empty on an expensive day (I drive a 4x4, it had 2 tanks totalling 125L), I will put that money away each month then when I need the money I can use it to fill the car or for emergencies or whatever. It sounds crazy, it really does but this is how I need to do it as to me I feel like just putting money away for a rainy day, it doesn’t serve a purpose to me so I have wired my brain to make it think it’s paying these “bills”, but I’m actually saving money. If that makes any sense at all. Thanks for another great video as always Christine. Stay safe and cool. I’m trying to stay warm in Australia. ❤

[@saversavvy2670]

That's how I do it too! I keep a spreadsheet of our high yield savings account to keep track of all my categories. 😊

[@TheCottageCheeseRevival]

We used to live next to a retirement community in CA. I would see orange trees in their yard they could never eat it all and would end up dropping on their lawn and make a mess. I would ask them if we could pay to pick. They never would take money, but they always let us pick. We would pick weeds afterwards to help out.

[@dianasimplifies]

I don't understand why a retirement community or anyone else would let that go to waste but good for you for picking the oranges for your fam!! ❤❤

[@susiefloosie8885]

My daughter use to "shop" at my house, but now she is older, her kids "shop" at her house. What goes around comes around! LOL I've done many of the things you've done back in the day! Not only did I do extreme couponing, I use to do "refunding". I wonder if anyone remember that.

[@sandrajiggins6303]

Made my own baby food. Only bought purred fruit and occasional jar food if travelling. Saved so much money doing that. Also made laundry detergent and pancake syrup. Kids bought their own phones second hand and paid the monthly fees themselves. My mom was a manager at A thrift store and received a lot of clothes for the kids.

[@kathryncurry8728]

When I was much younger, a friend convinced me to go dumpster diving at a college close by after the semester was completed. You wouldn’t believe the amount of stuff college kids leave behind. Found a pair of Sperry’s in my size, which I couldn’t afford at the time! Win 😊

[@LaManteca76]

That's the best time to dumpster dive! 😊

[@evmenke]

I have loved your channel for a long time!! I’ve seen the improvement to your guys’ life and am so happy for it! Have also always loved the encouragement from your frugal days and vids then and now because it has really helped me during mine! One question I have is how did you not let the stress of such low income affect you mentally?Sometimes the mental load to find everything so cheap because we have to weighs me so heavily and feels like so much work. Any tips for the mental side?

[@VioletWithey]

Growing up we had a huge garden. Mom foraged and transplanted wild asparagus and blackberries. We picked (with permission) hickory nuts from the neighbors yard. She always found someone giving away apples. As an adult I've had a garden, canned my produce and jams. I love to garage sales and shop at thrift stores. I have a hard time paying full price for any thing.

[@HollyFriedman-w6b]

You are 100% right coupons use to be the best!!! I miss those days.

[@FrugalFitMom]

I miss those days also!

[@Rpol_404]

With the extreme double digit food inflation, I’m actually surprised that retailers haven’t brought back coupons.

[@lorisarchet7732]

​Don't you think their apps and free membership cards do that same thing?? It's just electronic. I still don't think the discounts are as good.

[@valteach21]

@@lorisarchet7732 Our local store used to let us use coupons on the app AND paper coupons. Lots of free stuff. But no more.