Our Thoughts About 18 “Poor Hacks” (found on Yahoo)

By now all of our readers should know us well enough to recognize that we’re big on frugality.  In fact, sometimes we’re even ridiculously over-the-top with our frugal ways.  So it was very interesting & amusing to come across an article on Yahoo about “poor hacks” to see how many of these we personally relate to… or even better, to see how many of these we’ve actually partaken in.

Summary of the 18 “Poor Hacks”

1. Use a recipe generator website/app… to make meals at home utilizing ingredients you already have.
2. Don’t heat space you don’t need.  Stay primarily in one room of the house and heat that room exclusively.
3. Pop an egg into ramen… or use similar ingredients like shredded chicken, scallions, or crushed red peppers as a simple way to improve taste.
4. Dumpster dive.  Find free items that can be used or resold with a little cleaning and/or a few minor repairs.
5. Get the most out of cooked rotisserie chicken.  Usually available for cheap at Walmart or Costco; the meat can be used to make several different meals.
6. Make use of all social services available.  These services exist exclusively to help those in-need, so take advantage of them whenever possible to make life easier.
7. Add water to an empty soap bottle.
8. Maintain your own clothes.  Buying decent clothes and taking care of them will cost less in the long term than consistently buying cheap/low-quality clothes that need to be replaced often.
9. Meal prep… to save money on not eating out.
10. Stock up on free items at restaurants.  These include napkins, sauces, red pepper flakes, and utensils – all things that can be used at home later.
11. Use hot sauce as a secret sauce… to turn sad, bland food into sad, slightly less bland food.
12. Get a library card.  Not only do libraries provide a variety of free material for checkout, but many also provide free events or a variety of other free resources.
13. Use vinegar, baking soda, or dish soap for cleaning.  No need to spend money on specialty cleaning products.  Also use torn/stained clothing instead of paper towels.
14. Don’t smoke.
15. Buy generic, store-brand products.  Cheaper than name-brand and works the exact same, save for a few exceptions.
16. Fix things yourself.  Before paying to have something repaired, watch YouTube to see if you can fix something on your own.
17. Don’t rule out discounted meat at the grocery store.  If it looks good and it’s still within the expiration date, the price can be discounted 50% or more.
18. Tell your doctor if medications are too expensive.  There may be cheaper alternatives available, but doctors don’t know what each patient’s insurance will cover.

Scout

Reviewing the list of “poor hacks”, I was surprised (or perhaps not too surprised) to find that I’ve used a majority of these – either directly as written in the article or a very similar version of them.  Out of the handful of hacks that I’ve never used, I don’t think any are really unreasonable – for me it comes down to whether or not using a particular hack is worth doing vs. the actual time and/or money it would save.

1. Use a recipe generator website/app.  I’ve never done this, but should give it a try.  For some reason my pantry always contains extra/misc food.  Using a recipe app would not only help eliminate food waste, but also allow my family to try out some new dishes.
2. Don’t heat space you don’t need.  My college roommate and I did this when we were poor students sharing an apt.  We kept our bedroom doors shut to retain heat while never turning up the thermostat in common areas.  I never even used heat in my room and thought my roommate was doing the same until I walked into his room one day and it felt like a sauna – he had been secretly using his baseboard heater!  I was so mad because we were splitting utility bills and had agreed to save money by not using heat. 
3. Pop an egg into ramen.  To this day I’m perfectly fine eating ramen as-is.  There are already numerous ramen flavors to choose from right out of the package such as chicken, beef, and pork.  Plus, adding additional ingredients takes too much effort and defeats the entire purpose of ramen, which is to be CHEAP and EASY TO MAKE.
4. Dumpster dive.  I was never specifically into this, however I have a long history with used goods – growing up I would go to garage sales & thrift stores with my dad, then as an adult I was a huge Craigslist user.  Nowadays I’ve shifted to buying new items with the caveat that they are cheaper, decent quality items (not name brands).
5. Get the most out of cooked rotisserie chicken.  Haven’t done this with chicken because my family and I apparently eat too much (we can easily finish a whole chicken in one meal!)  We do do this for other large portions of meat though such as smoked pork butt and particularly ham.  I can make a spiral ham last for about a week by serving it in various incarnations such as a side dish for breakfast, an ingredient in fettuccine, a pizza topping, or just as plain old sliced ham as the main entree.
6. Make use of all social services available.  I have not done this.  While I think it’s a good idea, I’m also a little hesitant because in my opinion (which may not necessarily be correct) is that the majority of social services programs should be reserved for those who are truly in need.  I fully acknowledge that I am fortunate enough to have money and I can pay for things on my own, so I hate to use resources that could go to others instead.
7. Add water to an empty soap bottle.  I have not personally done this, but I remember my grandma doing this all the time growing up.  My wife does something similar by adding a little water to her almost-empty shampoo & conditioner bottles to ensure she can use every last drop of product stuck in the bottle.
8. Maintain your own clothes.  My tactic is slightly different since I do buy cheap/low-quality clothes but I try to get maximum use out of each item.  I’m not really into fashion at all (or caring what other people think), so I’m not afraid to continue wearing clothes with rips & holes.  This strategy has served me well and I’m proud to say that I still have clothes from high school & college that I wear (items ~25-30 years old).
9. Meal prep.  I’ve never done this and it honestly has never seemed too appealing.  Logically it makes sense as a way to save time throughout the week and to perhaps save money.  But I’m also not a huge fan of leftovers, so perhaps this is the main obstacle holding me back (since meal prep is essentially eating leftovers MULTIPLE times throughout the week… YUCK).
10. Stock up on free items at restaurants.  Fast food napkins were a staple in my house growing up and to this day they are still a staple as an adult.  Napkins are scattered throughout my life including at home, in my cars, and in jacket pockets – you never know when you’ll need to blow your nose, wipe your hands, or clean up a mess.  Much cheaper (i.e. free) and convenient than using store-bought paper towels or Kleenex.  In addition, straws and plastic utensils are core essentials that I pick up, since these can be used at home or on-the-go as well, particularly with little kids.
11. Use hot sauce as a secret sauce.  I don’t use hot sauce in particular, but I do use ground black pepper as a simple way to add flavor to almost EVERYTHING for very cheap.  In fact, I have my own jumbo pepper shaker from Costco that I keep  permanently near my seat at the kitchen table. What may take a normal family a year or two to use, I can usually finish on my own in a few months. 
12. Get a library card.  I’m a HUGE proponent of this hack.  I used to go to the library all the time as a kid, then started buying books from Amazon early in my working career (I foolishly felt pride in owning a book rather than just borrowing it).  But once I found the FIRE movement and my reading increased exponentially, I realized the error of my ways and started using the library again almost exclusively.
13. Use vinegar, baking soda, or dish soap for cleaning.  Perhaps we just don’t clean often enough or maybe we’re not a very messy family, but we really don’t use many cleaning supplies besides Windex, Comet, and disinfecting wipes which have all served us well and are relatively cheap.  The only specialty cleaning product we use is Resolve since we have pets and soap & water don’t do well at cleaning cat hairballs or throw up.
14. Don’t smoke.  Check.  I’ve never smoked and don’t plan to start any time in the future.
15. Buy generic, store-brand products.  I’ve been consistently doing this for years, ever since I’ve been doing my own shopping.  It’s hard to pay more for a name-brand product, knowing that the store-brand is at least 80-90% as good (if not exactly the same quality).  The only time I’ll buy the name-brand is if it’s on sale for a lower price than the generic.
16. Fix things yourself.  I try to do this when I can and when it makes sense, both financially and based on how much time, effort, and skill it takes.  However, I also fully understand my limitations and will readily hire someone if a task is too specialized and/or dangerous (i.e. most plumbing & electrical work, most car-related repairs).
17. Don’t rule out discounted meat at the grocery store.  Another one of my favorite hacks on this list.  I use this tactic most frequently in the summertime when I want to grill, but don’t have a particular recipe in mind – I head to the grocery store early in the morning for the best choice of sale meat, pick out whatever has the best discount (usually 50% off for meat that expires the same day), and then base dinner off of the treasure that I found!
18. Tell your doctor if medications are too expensive.  I haven’t had this particular experience with prescription medication, but I do try to buy generic versions of over-the-counter medication because it’s usually much cheaper.  This is similar to my propensity to buy store-brands over name brand products (hack #15 above).

The Squire

I also found this article interesting. I haven’t tried many of these but really do appreciate the thought and would at least consider most of them myself.

1. Use a recipe generator website/app.  I have heard of and like this idea. Both my wife and I enjoy going to the store and are usually able to find something to put together for a meal. We don’t use a particular website or app, but we will look for recipes based on what we have or a new ingredient we want to try out. We also will look for substitution ideas when we realize we’re out of something.
2. Don’t heat space you don’t need.  I like this idea. We keep the heat at a reasonable level, and I work in a cold part of the house, so I just throw on more layers and we have plenty of blankets around.
3. Pop an egg into ramen.  This sounds like a great idea! I do enjoy ramen, but haven’t tried throwing an egg or other ingredients in besides the packet that comes with it.
4. Dumpster dive.  I’ve got plenty of used furniture, electronics, books, a treadmill, and music from family, friends, second hand stores, and yard sales. I always have too much stuff and I don’t really want to get into the habit of buying things just to sell them. I’d rather just buy things that I’ll use.
5. Get the most out of cooked rotisserie chicken.  We haven’t tried this, but sounds like a great idea to get a bunch of protein ready to go at a good price.
6. Make use of all social services available.  My guess is that we would use these services if we needed them. This is a great reminder though to those that need that extra help.
7. Add water to an empty soap bottle. Yes, this was definitely me at times in college, when I lived by myself, and I’ll even still add water when the soap is low every once in a while. We tend to purchase the large refill bottles, which brings the cost of soap down.
8. Maintain your own clothes.  I am not fashionable in the least. I try to purchase comfortable clothes that can be worn in various situations. Costco and one or two outlet stores that have regular sales are my typical favorites. I typically keep clothes for decades… unless they shrink too much, at which point I typically donate them.
9. Meal prep.  Yes, this worked out great before kids. We definitely have leftovers sometimes, but don’t necessarily make multiple days worth of food at a time. Perhaps we’ll try this again sometime.
10. Stock up on free items at restaurants.  Haha yes I’ve done this before. I used to collect napkins and sauce packets. Don’t really do this much these days, but not a bad idea if you’re going to use them.
11. Use hot sauce as a secret sauce.  Yes, I love throwing salsa on something bland to add some extra flavor!
12. Get a library card.  We use the library all the time. Especially during summer break we will have 20+ books checked out at a time. We use the app for the library too for reading on tablets and listening to audiobooks. Part of our taxes go to paying for the library, so it’s not free, but it’s an amazing service, and we fully support the idea of making these resources available to the community!
13. Use vinegar, baking soda, or dish soap for cleaning.  Yes, we use these products from time to time, but we typically get other cleaning products too. Good idea to clean with less expensive products that work. We use disinfectant wipes we get in bulk from Costco as well.
14. Don’t smoke. I don’t smoke. Working at a retail store that sold cigarettes I remember how much those cost. I know enough people that smoked and had health issues too.
15. Buy generic, store-brand products.  Yes, I definitely consider generic brands when going shopping! There are some name brands that some people in the family love, but we try to save by getting those in bulk when we can.
16. Fix things yourself.  Yeah, I’m not that great of a DIYer… many times I will watch a YouTube video and consider doing it myself, but I’ll typically call a professional if there is water or electrical involved.
17. Don’t rule out discounted meat at the grocery store.  Yeah, we’ll get discounted meat if we’re going to cook it within the next day or two! Great hack!
18. Tell your doctor if medications are too expensive.  I haven’t taken too many medications, and have been fortunate enough to have great health insurance so far, but I will definitely keep this in mind going forward!

Links/Resources

• BuzzFeed, “‘They Could’ve Saved Thousands Of Dollars’: 18 ‘Poor Hacks’ People Swear By To Make Their Money Go Further”

Reader Questions

• Which of the 18 poor hacks from this article have you partaken in?  Of those that you’ve never experienced, are there any you would consider trying or any that you think are worthwhile?

Leave your answers or comments below – or email us directly at info@epicfinancialjourney.com