7 ways to live off a low income & not be poor - Seven tips that will make your money work for you

This week I give you 7 tips to help you to stretch your budget with the minimum of pain. Getting your money to work for you by trimming back on unnecessary spending.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
01:58 More House Than Money
04:18 Car Rich Cash Poor
07:16 Tell Your Money What To Do
08:51 Give It A Trim
12:09 Keep An Eye On It
15:07 It's Going To Happen
17:21 Don't Drip
19:31 Outroduction

Frugal Queen in France

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We are a British couple living in Brittany on a budget.
Frugal recipes, days out, home renovations and day to day making do in France.

We’ll give you hints, tips, advice and an insight into our life in France.

Equipment used
Camera : iPhone SE (2016)
Mic : iRig MicCast2
Editing : iMovie on an M1 Mac mini

Music:

YouTube Audio Library
Apple iMovie

[cathyphillips]

I am now retired, but was a single Mom of 2 boys for many years on a low income. I always told my boys that I've been broke but I've never been poor. Poor is a state of mind.

[lray]

In the US, the average new car costs $40K. As soon as you drive it off the lot it depreciates. Buy a good used car let the first person pay for the depreciation. I saved and paid my house off 12 years early because I bought a house that was less than I could afford. This allowed me to retire at 58. Please listen to Jane.

[shazzorama]

Pandemic living has shown my household that ordering groceries online for free parking lot pickup saves money overall as we are never tempted by sights and smells of food we can’t afford.

[judyiversen]

I lived with a no budget husband who has passed. Living extremely frugally for a couple years and gaining financial stability, I keep my budget on a spreadsheet, every expense in its category and instantly giving the amount remaining at the bottom of the category column. A good discipline. However, I’ve also had to give myself permission to buy a piece of clothing, reminding myself that the money is there in that category. That it’s OK! I live nicely on a low income with financial freedom, which is priceless.

[dissidentfairy]

I haven't left my home in two years and I'm still not bored. lol As an artist, I'm into visuals and decor is very important to me. I'm inspired by my surroundings and with a little bit of imagination and ingenuity, a poor person can live rich.

[govegan]

My husband and I are frugal so that's why we can afford monthly donations to animal charities because that's what is important to us.

[susanwebster]

I love the true, old saying..."If I take care of the pennies, the dollars take care of themselves!" 😉

[shirleymckellar]

We got tired of paying an extra $100 per month for 150 channels we didn't watch (most were advertising) from our TV provider. We have a streaming service and use antenna and have saved ourselves $100 per month. That is $1, 200 a year and we don't miss it at all. During covid I started cutting my husband's hair and trimming my own. Not to mention grooming my yorkie. That is another $100.00 a month. We don't feel deprived and live very well on our retirement income.

[sjbutler]

It's amazing how much money you can save by shopping from you freezer, pantry and fridge, also using all frozen leftovers that you have .been 2weeks since ive gone to the grocery store! Yay!!!

[mamakaka]

I just bought my first new car, and it's saving me money. No more repairs, it's very fuel efficient and no towing fees. I will keep it until it's life is over.

[mikomasterson]

I have not owned a car for several years and instead take public transportation. I plan where I live based on the availability of public transportation and put a high premium on being able to walk to grocery stores and shopping errands. I know it seems strange to many people to be a professional woman with no car, but as I see it my benefits are threefold - I save money, stay fit and help the environment. Great video! I will use your suggestions.

[angieprice]

Long ago I began to work on a partly perennial food garden. I have a plum tree, an apple tree, rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, asparagus and a variety of herbs. I save seed each year so always have beans, peas, parsley, spinach, lettuce…. You get it. Some plants are volunteers. I have some nice potatoes which I didn’t plant. You get the idea.
This year I re-did the raspberry bed as it was full of roots from surrounding trees. It was completely dug out and new soil and compost put in. I trimmed my existing plants and had enough to re-do the bed and donate some to a local plant sale.
Make friends with gardeners. Most are willing to share cuttings..

[lisagarrison]

When shopping for meats, I buy only those that are on sale...or those at the lowest cost . From there, I come up with meal plans. It's a challenge sometimes, but it's working for us.

[Foxkitten]

Garden. Keep chickens. Mend clothes. Learn basic car maintenance. Learn basic house maintenance, like fixing a leaky tap. Don’t dye your hair. Do your own nails. Make your own laundry soap. Turn off everything at night… leave nothing on, such as the telly because it sucks power all night long. Get a woodburning stove. Get a crockpot. Learn to can, pressure can, dry and preserve fruit and veg. Never ever ever use a restaurant. (Well maybe once or twice a year.) Keep your pets clean, trimmed by yourself. Use cash… it hurts more to pay cash than use a card. Get a bicycle.

[simonedutch]

Brilliant tips Jane, I live completely debt free (and I just turned 50) and we paid off our mortgage as quickly as we could. We stick to our budget, and we also trim and revisit the budget weekly. To live debt free makes me feel very rich, very proud and we live an amazing life! People might look at our home and make assumptions that we are hobby frugalist, NO I worked very, very hard to be in this position and while they were out getting their hair done, going on expensive holidays, dining out and drinking lots and wearing fancy clothes, looking like a "would be if they could be" with fancy bags, shoes, gym membership, nails done etc I was going without, and I was charity shopping and eating and cooking my meals from scratch and not having fancy holidays. I worked as a cleaner on the side to make extra money, I used everything up and reused. I didn't upgrade things around my home and I made my home look and feel very homely on very little. The big tip Jane was don't let it think your tips and advise are absolutely on point and very helpful for so many people THANK YOU for sharing your advise.

[mortenbecks]

We have stopped actively budgeting recently.

Modest spending has become second nature to us over time (we are in our early 40ies, no kids, but just one income), as a result we are saving about one third of my income without much of an efford, and when the home is paid off next year, that will shoot up to around 50%.
This feels incredible tbh.

[charlenebrissette]

My husband and I have taken early retirement and because we have no debt, we have more money now than we ever had.

[jainthorne]

When I moved to Portland OR I parked my car for a month to see if I could live without it. After the first two weeks, I never thought of it again. That was in 2008 and just that one move allowed me to pay off all my debt and buy a small home. I know it's not for everyone but riding my bike has been wonderful. When the weather is truly bad I either take public transit or catch a Lyft ride.

[debbieviebranz]

Frugal Queen walking the walk and talking the talk! Thanks!

[dianneblackbourn]

Great video. We can always trim here and there. I bought a second hand car 20 years ago and am still driving it. I regularly have it serviced and keep it clean. Sometimes people tease me about it but I mention with a sweet smile that I haven't had a car payment in all those years!