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Tips for Living Poor

Tips for Living Poor on a Budget

If you are living paycheck to paycheck, then it is time to look at your budget. If you feel like you are broke, you can use some tips for living poor and saving more. Using savings hacks can really help in times of financial need. 

According to Investopedia, a budget can help you gain financial security. And if you are living poor, a budget can help you start living better. Are you sick of feeling a pit in your stomach every time a bill arrives? 

It will help to save money by cutting back on small luxuries in life, for example, coffee shops or restaurants. It might be tempting but these small luxuries add up over time and can really cut into your budget if they are not monitored. You should also try to find ways of making more money by working overtime or finding another job with higher pay at the same time.

Yet, living on a budget does not mean that you need to deprive yourself of the things that make life worth living just because you are working with a tighter budget

How to Save Money

Saving money is important if you are living poor. If you don’t have enough to pay bills each month, you can cut your expenses and use your money to stay out of debt.

Some easy money-saving tips to get you started are as follows:

#1 Meal Plan

You can use the following posts to get you started and learn to meal plan on a budget. Cutting food costs is not only easy but can save you so much each month by being prepared and avoiding eating out.

$75 Meal Plan

$40 Meal Plan

Aldi Meal Plan

Cheap Meal Plan for Two

Summer Meal Plan

Fall Budget meal Plan

#2 Find Free Stuff To Do

Search your city website or surrounding cities and find free stuff to do. You can save money and still have fun! My family and I are going to our city tree lighting this week. It is a fun occasion and totally free. I even won a $25 restaurant gift card a few years ago. 

Fall Frugal Family Activities

Summer Activities for Kids that are Cheap or Free

Frugal or Free Holiday Activities for Families

#3 Clip Coupons

Couponing is so easy in today’s world. I used to clip coupons all the time, but not since the digital coupon era my clipping is just tapping my phone. I still occasionally use paper coupons, and if you’re just getting started I suggest setting a goal of saving at least $10 on your next shopping trip. Some deals can be overwhelming and time-consuming so start small and follow some coupon Youtbuers to get you started. Try to only buy things you need and use Ibotta when you get home from the store, to get money back!

How to Save Money Without Clipping Coupons

#4 Shop Sales Cycles

Instead of buying things at full price start tracking your store’s sales cycle. You can then stock up when items you use are on sale. 

#5 Buy in Bulk

Buying in bulk will save you money as you often pay less per item when you buy in bulk. Do the math to make sure you are getting a good deal and then start stocking up on items that are nonperishable or freeze items that are perishable. 

However, if you are really ready to dive into frugal living and are sick of living poor, you can check out these posts with even more tips to save money:

 

By cutting expenses you can pay down debt, stay out of debt, and start building your savings. Give it a try and watch your money grow. 

 

How to Spend Less

 

It is difficult to avoid spending money, but there are ways to save more money.

One step towards saving money is to buy less. This way you will only buy things that you need and avoid impulse purchases. We can also use the old adage of “USE IT UP, WEAR IT OUT, MAKE IT DO” to help us use up what we already have so we don’t purchase anything new.

We could also be smarter about how we spend our money. For example, instead of buying things that are on sale or clearance that we don’t really need, why not leave these items on the shelf and only buy items we will use. 

In fact, tracking spending can be a real eye-opener. Try writing down everything you buy for the next two weeks. See Where your money is going and if you really need the items on your list. You may be able to save hundreds just by tweaking a few areas of your budget. 

Also, try earning rebates on things you buy. Check Rakuten when shopping online to earn money back and Ibotta when you finish shopping at the store. See if any of your items are on these rebate lists. 

21 Things to Stop Buying to Save Money

Managing Your Debt

 

Debt is a problem that affects a lot of people. If you are living poor, you may also be in debt. It happens when you take on more debt than you can repay or when you have some money coming in that is less than what you owe.

It is important to try and get rid of the debt as fast as possible if it becomes unmanageable. This is because the interest rates on credit cards, payday loans, and mortgages are often very high which ends up making the debt even more expensive. If it gets bad enough, there may be times when you can’t pay your bills and end up losing your possessions or assets to creditors to help with their losses.

There are a few ways that a person can manage their debt successfully:

1) Get an emergency fund for unexpected expenses

2) Create a debt payoff plan

3) Pay cash by using the cash envelope system

4) Start a Side hustle to build up more cash flow

5) Create a Budget and create a plan to pay off debt

 

If you are struggling to budget, check out the I Heart Frugal Printable Shop. This shop offers a budget planner complete with debt payoff sheets. Check it out!

Conclusion

If you need some tips for living poor, it is best to find ways to get ahead so you don’t have money stress and feel like your debt is out of control. Use the tips above to save more and spend less. Therefore, you can pay off debt and stay out of debt for good. 

 

Tips for Living Poor

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