Ideas for living below the poverty line. For those who are disabled, seniors, or others who struggle to just get by in life, this may be helpful. Please add any ideas or tips you can
1. Move near a discount grocery store. Shop 2-3x a week or even daily for items you will eat. We used to shop 5 days a week buying only items we wanted to eat for that evening. Such as their homemade soups in the deli + a salad, etc. Some of the items were discounted if we showed up around 4pm to buy dinner.
2. Live in a lower cost area BUT if not, then try to find substitutes to your housing costs. Such as living in an RV. Buying a Forest Service cabin instead of a home and living in it 3/4 of the year (usually cheaper but not always). Or buy land out in BFE and build a very very tiny home under heavy tree cover so it isn't seen.
3. Live within 15 min from a town with a bank. Poor people go to the bank more often
4. Save up for an E-Bike if you live near town and work. Great transport not needing to pay for car insurance, registration etc. Yet you have a motorized way to get to work which is reliable. So far no licensing is required and if you live close enough, you can tote a Kid trailer in the back bringing home groceries.
5. Learn about the nearby food banks. Visit those food banks even if they are are not in your area if it is feasible. It's best to volunteer maybe 1x a month to give back, if possible
6. Grow vegetables which are easy and cheap to grow in your area. Ensure you are near a resource where free manure is available. Learn how to garden and grow things for almost free.
7. Invest in a greenhouse if you've taken to growing your own food. It can extend the growing season. You may be able to make or build your own with free materials. Do not be afraid to ask people whom you think would otherwise toss them out.
8. Find a job where you are paid to sleep. Very few of these jobs...but they are possible, usually with Developmentally Disabled adults. Some states allow you to work very long shifts such as 18-24 hrs without overtime. Shower at work. Visit gas stations to clean up if needed. Work as a produce person in a mom and pop health foods store bringing home the old organic veggies and juice them. cutting off bruising spots.
9. If you buy a home, ensure it includes at least a half an acre. Consider raising your food such as chickens, pigeons, rabbits, etc yet you do not want to be a public nuisance to the neighbors. Best out in the country.
10. Sometimes living in expensive areas is best BUT NOT USUALLY. Our nearby tourist town offers free transportation via their lush busses all year from 7am to 7pm. A weekly food bank Pay is often $17 per hour for the fast food joints. Plan to reside in an RV since housing is incredibly expensive in these areas
11. Work where-ever your hobby is. Example- Reno, NV boasts a huge waterpark with water slides. Work there for the summer for the free summer waterpark pass. Ski resorts located 1 hour away offer free skiing and often, discounted lodging in dorms for employees. If you have an RV, request to use their dorm showers and park free on the property ALL year. No need to depart after the season has ended if you enjoy that area.
12. Understand how Social Security is calculated. Ensure when you retire, if you are STILL poor barely able to get by,... for whatever reasons (mental disabilities, health, etc) and you are just below the poverty level then your Medicare Part B is covered (so no cost to you), One dollar above could mean you pay the $170 per month.
13. Invest in an IRA or 401k. Understand the Savers Credit which provides 2k a year of savings for a single or 4k a year of Tax savings for a couple.
14. Find a job that provides housing if you reside in an RV. They are usually open to letting you park for free. Ask if they mind if you live in your automobile/Van but shower in the employee dorms. Or work at a Mom & Pop Hotel. Ask if you can trade to park in their parking lot and shower in their rooms when there is no one there Surely it's a go
15. Find a location with a fantastic library to rent movies & books.
16. If living on land, try to locate a water source. On your land or adjacent land owned by a non-local. Develop any wet areas you see in summers, they may be seeps which can be developed into springs for free water to grow your food.
17. Volunteer at a Food Bank. Bring home the old food if you do not want to sign up yourself. Many places have endless eggs and dairy ready to expire. It should provide some food to make your own homemade dog food.
18. If you have a dwelling but are still somewhat poor, considering fostering a child instead of having biological kids you cannot afford. The stipend to helps to offset the Childs needs & free medicaid coverage for that child until age 26. It's usually more work, sure...so ensure your regular job is very stress free.
19. Eat mostly organic food to keep the mind sharp, Maybe take a p/t job which requires exercise such as a Security Guard at a Country Club. They often offer a free meal per shift too. You'll always be in shape.
20. Try to avoid food stamps if possible. We used to sign up for one month a year to get discounts such as Amazon Prime (for streaming movies- $5.95 a month) and a 20% discount on our power bill. We'd then cancel the food stamps the next month. We only qualify for about $10 but again, we do it so we can get the discounts. Since our business made the most money just half the year, this works.
21. Join a church. Don't worry if you do not have $ to donate. After a while, you can volunteer instead. Maybe lead a bible study, clean the bathrooms, send off bibles to prisoners. Don't worry if you are not a Christian, most everyone else isn't either. Nowadays, no one will know.
22. Invite your neighbors over for monthly or weekly Bingo, Bible Study or Trivia night. Add in a potluck to spice it up.
23. Learn solar. Try to avoid utilizing the grid as much as possible. Buy a few solar panels+ a battery if needed. If you have issues breathing, your power company
may provide you a free back up battery. Our solar Panels were $200 each and we own 3 of these. Very helpful in power outages Our back up battery is worth 2k and provided free by our power company (this is not welfare he is on a BPAP machine so it's provided to that subset group)
24. Live where most of the year it is hot. then you can hang dry your clothing, sleep outside when it's hot. If it's pretty hot, live near a river so you can cool down before bed.
25. Invest in an electric toothbrush and brush your teeth 4-5x a day to avoid having to see a dentist.
26. All jobs you take have a dual purpose. I knew a lady who worked on weekends, 10pm-6am as a Security Guard but also did her EBAY business during that time-taking pictures of items then listing online etc...she took a job in a remote area with million dollar homes where people only seemed to visit mostly during summers .She visited the current security guards to learn what was expected of her. Winters were pretty dead, no cars for 1-2 hr stints while she sat in the guard shack. She eventually became a CPA working only weekends from 10pm-6am as a Security Guard.
27. Grow herbs for food. They grow very fast in jars you can find in the trash. Find an internship to learn how to garden in trade for housing
28. Buy a home but near a store you can visit daily. We saved a ton of money only buying what we wanted to eat that night when we lived within a 5 min drive.
29. Check around for rates on auto insurance.
30. Sign up for discounts such as $30 off internet thru The Connectivity Program. Learn to share internet with your neighbors asking them to chip in for $15 a month. Most people are not gaming online or doing things which require heavy downloads.
31. Scout the store trashcans after Halloween. Take the old Halloween costumes, Halloween themed items and sell them at a yard sale or just keep. The halloween candles we had for years. Great during power outages. W
32. Pick up items off of Craigslist free section and sell them.
33. Go to College for something you enjoy which takes little time to start work. Maybe become a phlebotomist or a pharmacy Tech, go to cosmetology school to become a barber, something which requires a little skill so you earn a little more than min wage. If you own a house, you can cut hair inside of your house?? Can you work at a restaurant part time for the free meals which are included then ALSO reside on their property for free in your trailer?
34. Hang out in coffee shops or libraries all day. We did this in our 20's during summertime because we couldn't afford our home air conditioning. Once we were billed over $100 about 30 years ago.
Or Always live near a river where you can jump in a few times a day to cool off.
Currently our home is too hot during the months of July-Aug. With no A/C we instead take a dip in the river located just a few minutes away
35. Rent out your driveway to someone in an RV or a part of your property. Learn how to share internet with them if possible. Provide water if possible.
36. In summer, open the windows at night and close them in the morning. This keeps the heat out. Sleep outside to stay cool
37. Never make special trips to town. Make a list of what you need to do and do it on the way home from work or make one trip encompass everything .Doctor visits, grocery shopping, visiting a friend, etc.
38. Plan a weekly coffee meet up. Find a theme, "Friendly Meetup for Anyone" then make friends that way. Ask the coffee shops if you can advertise a flyer in their window. We used to meet up with a group of about 8-15 people every Friday morning at 8am before work.
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