SURVIVAL WHEN SKINT

Grow a garden seeds are cheap! And if you can find a big "barrel" or anything somewhat large that will hold water, then you can even water your garden for almost free (if your garden is huge then you may have to use your house watering system). The money you save on veggies (and fruit...depending on what you can grow in your location) could be used towards some more meat or whatever.

I'm planning an enormous garden for next spring, and we raise our own poultry and beef. We also get eggs from the chickens. Yes it costs to feed the animals, but not near as much as it would cost to buy it all. I'm also trying to convince the hubby to let me get a pig or two so we won't have to buy pork.

Also, invest in a small sewing kit. You don't have to be great at it to fix most holes in pants or shirts (I find the holes are usually in the armpits, or crotch area....those are places where no one sees anyway....or at least they shouldn't be looking there lol).

Learn a hobby that doesn't cost much and might even provide something useful. That way you can still enjoy doing something without breaking the bank. I can knit....not well....but good enough that I can make small things like neck warmers and such for my kids. Kills time, is relaxing, and something useful is provided when I'm done.

And we hunt. Not year round (that would be illegal here) but during hunting season, we hunt. Wild meat is sooo much better for you than any other kind!

Everything else aside, a garden can save you tons! I probably spend about $150-$200 on fruit/veggies a month, most of which I could grow myself. We have a short season where I live, but I should be able to can or freeze alot of what we can grow here. This spring I'll probably have to spend about $500 on my garden, but the majority of that should be a one time expense (fruit trees). After that, I should be able to enjoy years of fresh fruit in summer/fall and canned/frozen fruit the rest of the year. Of course I'll have to plant my veggies every year, but for $50 you can plant a massive garden! So instead of spending $2400/year on fruit and veggies, I'll probably be down to about $20/month ($240/year...for the things I can't grow like bananas and oranges).

My biggest tip is to know how much the things you buy normally cost. Its all too easy to see an "offer" and assume its good value. Similarly posher brands on offer can be better value. When you know your base prices you can make informed decisions.

I have started shopping in Aldi - much cheaper than the main supermarkets and actually a lot nicer for many things.

My boyfriend and I are swimming several thousands of dollars below the poverty line, even with our school aid. (We are both students and hold outside jobs.) Some of the ways we try and make money stretch: buy canned food instead of fresh food. It keeps for much longer and doesn't require repurchasing as quickly. Unplug appliances when we aren't using them. We can't afford to shop in bulk, so we make do with the absolute minimal purchases week by week. (Buying the 2 dollar, six rolls of cheap toilet paper instead of the 8 dollar, 24 rolls - etc). Cook everything that we possibly can as opposed to buying it pre-packaged. Treats come in the form of 1 dollar candy bars or mini-ice cream servings, not entire bags or cartons. Limiting our travel to save on gas. Using the smallest bowls possible when buying self-serve items at the school cafeteria. And giving the cats extra cuddles as a reward as opposed to buying expensive kitty treats.

I can't wait to not be a poor student.

Not really much of an answer but i would love to hear some more ideas. Me and my other half 'get by' but fell into the stupidity of using pay day loans when we were so broke im hoping to get out of that cycle this month and really work hard to make our wages last a full month.

Im my own worst enemy in some respects though!

My current project is using up what is in the freezer and larder before investing in replacements as I shop every two weeks.
I have started to batch cook up soups as I am enjoying them at lunch, and will not be purchasing any mince, chicken, salmon (the main things I eat) until the supplies are OUT. There is plenty in the freezer at the moment, so there is no excuse for having huge amounts just sitting there until I actually need them.

A friend recommended I purchase some stay-fresh veggie bags which I am going to give a try this fortnight, as my veg usually goes bad towards the end of the second week.

I learned a valuable lesson this week - previously I'd use a half-kilo of mince with jars of sauce which would just stay in bulky tubs in the freezer for... well... ever! Realised the jars only call for 300g approx... so immediately cut down on portion size (now measured and added as recipes in here) and batch cooked two jars this week so now have 6 portions of mincey goodness.
Same principle will apply to a hot-pot recipe I have - will make up a 250g of the mince, freeze half and use a Remoska to cook up the other half for sunday dinner and leftovers (and the Remoska is meant to be way more energy efficient).
All of these now go in these flat pack bags that take much less space in the freezer too...

I think it will take some training to not just buy jars this weekend - but I lost count of how many times they run out before I bother to use them... and I figure now I have enough range of stuff in the freezer, and enough veg to complement them that I can use stuff up and then just replace as and when.

I put aside a set amount each month linked to a supermarket card I use. My challenge for the rest of the year is to NOT resort to the credit card and cut out those mammoth shops I used to do, down to poor planning.