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If you grew up with money, you’ve likely never made a struggle meal out of kitchen scraps or foraged for food at an art opening. But Redditors who say they come from working-class backgrounds have, as they shared in a recent thread full of “poor hacks.” We’ve collected some of the most useful tips here for anyone who’s struggling to make ends meet, whether you can’t afford your next meal or just need to save a few bucks.
“You don’t need to spend money on a bunch of specialty cleaning products,” the thread’s top comment reads. Instead, use vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap, three cheap kitchen staples that can clean almost anything.
If you can do it yourself, don’t pay for it. You’d be surprised what you can fix yourself given the wealth of resources online, such as wikiHow, YouTube, and Reddit. That said, there are some DIY projects you should leave to the pros.
The only good thing about chichi events is that they’re often well-stocked with free hors d'oeuvres and drinks. “When I was poor and young, I would go to art openings for the snacks and free wine,” one Redditor writes. The same goes for Costco and Trader Joe’s, where you can cobble together a meal using free samples.
No one should have to skip meals to survive. But that’s the reality in the U.S., where 10% of households are food insecure. Drinking water can help stave off hunger in the short term, though we encourage people to consider resources like SNAP and WIC. Again, water isn’t a sustainable replacement for a nutritious meal.
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Food banks or mobile food pantries provide low-income households with free groceries. “There’s no shame in (using a food bank),” one commenter writes, adding that the food they’ve received has always been “good quality stuff.”
Related: Expensive Grocery Bill? Going Meatless Could Save You Cash at the Supermarket
If you’re truly strapped for cash (skipping meals, for example), one Redditor suggests purchasing food that has a high calorie-to-cost ratio. This site has a helpful list of foods that you can sort by calories per dollar, protein per dollar, and other metrics.
Unless you’ve got cash to spare, you should never spend money on napkins or condiments. Just grab a few extras whenever you eat at fast food restaurants, and you’ll quickly accumulate a year’s supply.
Related: Free Fries, Half-Price Burgers, and More Fast Food Deals To Grab Right Now
“The library was everything,” says one Redditor, who grew up in a poor family of seven. And that remains true today. Beyond books, public libraries often offer movies, CDs, internet, printing services, workshops, free subscriptions, and discounts.
Related: 10 Things Wealthy People Don't Understand About Being Poor, According to Redditors