“Poverty Hacks” Only People Who Grew Up Poor Would Understand

POVERTY

What’s the wildest thing you’ve done to save money while broke? After reading through some of the responses to this question, my heart hurt a little. My mind went to top ramen for lunch and dinner, but I was wrong. Someone admitted to mixing ketchup packets with boiling water to make soup. Here are what others said.

An unfortunate number of people knew what a poor man’s dinner was: to go to bed. It’s sadly the number-one-voted response. Additionally, someone suggested, “Taking a deep breath for lunch was my go-to.”

Poor Man’s Dinner

Drinking unfiltered tap water is on this list, and people had mixed responses. So naturally, some showed their ignorance by assuming the person didn’t live in America before they volunteered, that they lived in low-income housing in New Jersey, and that many places in the states don’t have clean water.

Drinking Unfiltered Tap Water

Using a Gas Stove to Heat Apartment

Sadly, others shared similar stories of heating their homes unsafely. One person shared that they learned from a homeless person to fill their sleeping bag with newspapers for heated insulation, while others confirmed it worked.

One Bedroom For the Whole Family

One man confessed that he rented a room to his friend and then slept in a solo bedroom with his wife and three children to save money while they were broke. However, they expressed they are debt free with multiple businesses thirteen years later.

Several people in the thread admitted to turning everything off and living in darkness to avoid high energy bills. One explained they used their computer but nothing else to light their room and provide entertainment while never tuning anything else on.

Living In Darkness

One man explained that he discovered how to make bacon grease candles for light after having his electricity turned off. He elaborated that while they burned longer than real candles, they, unfortunately, did not make the house smell like bacon.

Bacon Grease Candles

An unfortunate number of people admitted to saving money for housing by living in their vehicles. Many noted time frames of a month, four months, six months, and eight months. One described it as “worth it” now that he had made the down payment on a home.

Living In Car for Savings

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13 Stories of Those Who Overcame Poverty to Live the American Dream

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