Low Income Hacks by G.

Cooking

Given the situation with the avian flu showing up in cows milk, most of my food suggestions are plant-based. This isn’t a political statement or being vegan or dieting, just trying to stay safe from one of several incoming pandemics. That said, it’s not always practical for everyone to eat the same way as our bodies and lives are unique. This is just what works for me and my budget and my living situation. I’m doing my best to have good health (by eating enough as well as a balance of healthy foods) but also to enjoy life.

Carbs are the foundation of every cheap meal. Where I live, rice is the cheapest, followed by russet potatoes and oatmeal. For slightly more expensive meals, use pasta, grits, red potatoes, or barley. For occasional variety, sweet potatoes or bread.

Buy in bulk when possible, but be careful to store things in secure containers. Save and wash glass jars and quality plastic containers to store things like lentils and pasta. Dry these jars very thoroughly, then leave to further airdry for a time. Moisture will ruin your food. Food safe buckets are excellent if you can afford them and some bakeries, grocery stores, and convenience stores have icing buckets with lids that they will sell very cheaply (usually $1 each for one bucket and another $1 for a lid). A 5 gal bucket can hold over 20lbs of rice which is a lot cheaper in the long run than buying a pound or two at a time. A good bucket with a lid can also keep pet food fresh and free of insects. Label your buckets and make sure no debris or insects get in when you open them. If you buy food in a container that does not reseal well (some ziplocking tops, cardboard boxes, etc.) then it’s important to immediately put into a glass or plastic container to avoid bugs.

Be prompt and aggressive about managing insects. It costs in the short term but it's better than losing your pantry or having to tackle a larger problem later. Terro ant traps and diatomaceous earth are relatively safe. Bay leaves deter a lot of types of insects. But if you need something stronger, don’t procrastinate on that.

Foods that come in glass jars: tomato sauce, salsa, pickles, pickles, some condiments, some canned fruits, jelly, spices, coconut oil, broths/bouillons, minced garlic, etc. if you're not canning, it's better to get a glass jars that come with food inside. An empty jar costs the same as a jar of tomato sauce so you might as well get the jar with food inside. If you are canning tho, not just storing cold things or doing refrigerator pickles, these are not safe at those temperatures. Once you have enough jars, it is cheaper just to make your own on most of these, where possible.

Spices are expensive but they improve quality of life when you're eating rice and beans every day. This is worth considering. Choose a few and buy in bulk. Grow what herbs you can.

Aromatics also improve flavor a lot and are relatively cheap for produce. Onion, carrots, and celery go into pretty much everything I cook.

Frozen peas, squash (winter or summer), green bell peppers, and most types of greens are some of your cheapest bets for vegetables. Avoid things that are already prepped if possible, since they're more expensive. These products also sometimes throw out valuable parts of the vegetable that can be used for broth or even just eaten. Peel that broccoli stalk and use it as a vegetable in its own right! If you eat winter squash, save the seeds to toast as a snack!

I do splurge on mushrooms, especially dried mushrooms if I can get a good deal. I use these a lot mainly as seasoning. I love fresh mushrooms but I do tend to forget about them so in the long run dried is a better deal for me. I use mushrooms more as a spice than a vegetable due to cost and do my best to make the most of them. For fresh mushrooms, I always save the stems for broth and with dried, I always save the soaking water even if it isn’t needed for the dish. That’s a gift to future me.

Fruit is, unfortunately, a luxury. Keep an eye out for good deals and don't ignore dried or frozen fruit. Cranberry season is a favorite of mine. This week I got a big bag of fresh cranberries for $1. I mixed in some frozen blueberries and made wojapi, a Native berry sauce that's good in both savory and sweet applications. I'm putting it on my oatmeal this week.

To prolong the life of frozen produce, close the bag with a twist tie or put into a ziplock.

Keep an eye on produce that's starting to fade. Freeze, pickle, cook, use in broth, etc. For freezing, I like to wash, dry, and chop into bite sized pieces to easily add to other things later. Things like green beans keep their texture really well. I like to pickle things like ginger, hot peppers, radishes, cucumbers, etc. I usually just do a basic quickpickle recipe. I buy ACV in bulk for this purpose. If fruit is starting to go, either freeze it or cook it into compote (to put on oatmeal, pancakes, etc). To save things for vegetable broth, freeze whatever you have that's still technically edible (won't add a rotten flavor) as well as any vegetable peels and ends and such.

Protein is expensive. Dry legumes are the cheapest option here. There are lots of cheap recipes, especially the dal section on Manjula’s kitchen. I usually have to leave out some of the spices and substitute some vegetables, but try to do the basics. Canned beans are more expensive, but can be more convenient. Nuts and seeds are good when you can afford them, peanuts and sunflower seeds are usually reasonably priced. I add in further variety with nuts/seeds when possible but it’s expensive for very little food. Pumpkin seeds are probably my favorite commercially available seed or nut but I rarely buy them due to cost. Raw cashews are great for making creamy sauces but they’re expensive so I rarely use them.

If you do eat meat, seek out cheaper cuts like turkey neck that can add a lot of flavor for little money. It’s also worth it to learn to cook things like whole chickens/turkeys, etc. that may be cheaper than a tray of pieces. Bones can be saved for broth.

Soup is your friend, especially legume based. I like to start almost any soup with a legume, some onion, garlic, a carrot, and a celery stick. Carbs like potato, barley, etc. make it more filling and cheap. My favorite summer soup is sambar because it helps regulate temperature. Toast and grind your own legumes and spices to save money rather than using a store bought sambar mix.

Porridge is also really cost efficient. There are many types, all very affordable if bought in a large container instead of single serve. In addition to oatmeal (which I like sweet or savory), grits and congee are some of my favorites. You can serve cooked vegetables on top or mixed in. That said, even a bowl of plain congee with peanuts and hot sauce can be excellent.

In the summer, overnight oats are a good option since they're cold. Put bite sized pieces of fruit (dried, frozen, or fresh), nondairy milk, oats, a pinch of salt, honey if you like, and any spices in a container together overnight and top with nuts/seeds when you're ready to eat. This is a more expensive meal due to the milk and fruit, so I try to be moderate with both. I use only a little fruit and usually slightly water down the milk.

In summer, pulao is one of my favorite cheap meals. Manjula’s Kitchen has many good recipes for this, like zucchini rice, peas pulao, etc. Dal with rice is also good and cheap.

DIY flavored vinegars and infused oils can be cheap ways to boost flavors. Make sure anything added to oil is completely dry (dried herbs, dried chilies, no fresh garlic if the oil is meant to be shelf stable, etc) but there's a little more leeway with vinegar, especially if it’s stored in the fridge and strained when it's done infusing. These can then be drizzled on finished dishes, added to sauces, or used in salad dressings. If you want to use apple cider vinegar, you can save a lot of money by buying in bulk and there are bulk brands that include the mother.

Re what type of oil to use. Cutting butter entirely was necessary long ago due to cost (I still think back with fond nostalgia to when I could get 1lb butter for $1). Instead I use oil as necessary and ration it carefully. I try to select an oil with some nutrition like omega 3s, since I’m unlikely to get those from conventional sources (like avocadoes, fish, etc). This does cost a little more but in my case, it’s worth it for my health.

Drinks: obviously water is the cheapest option, but sometimes I miss other things. I do dilute juice sometimes (usually ⅓ water, ⅔ juice), drink tea hot or iced, lemon water or other infused waters (with slices of fruit or cucumber and sometimes also herbs like mint or thyme), etc. Hibiscus tea is very fruity, especially with a slice of citrus like orange floating in it. This can be a cheaper juice alternative and is very high in vitamin c.

For the holidays, adding whole spices like cloves, allspice, cardamom, and cinnamon sticks to a jug of apple juice (cold infuse overnight in the fridge) can make a drink similar to spiced cider but cheaper than the real deal.

Snacks: these are unfortunately a huge expense. Some of the cheaper options I’ve found are homemade hummus with carrots/celery or on crackers, apple slices dipped in peanut butter, homemade granola bars, popcorn, dry cereal, etc.

Treat Yo Self: Food is sometimes one of the only ways that people struggling financially can treat themselves. I think it’s important to make sure we enjoy our food and give ourselves occasional moments of pleasure. If it’s winter and you can’t afford heat, maybe that treat is hot cocoa. If it’s summer and you’re struggling with the heat, maybe you really need some sorbet. I find that it’s worth it to give myself these moments. Even just things like giving into cravings by doing things like making my favorite restaurant meal at home boosts moral. Things are tough right now and doing your best for yourself includes finding moderate and affordable ways to enjoy life.

Homemade meat substitutes

• Chickpea “chicken”
  • Chickpeas tossed with a little cornstarch and pan fried till chewy, then mixed with a sauce, are a great substitute for meat dishes with small pieces. They're good with any stirfry sauce, as BBQ sandwiches, in tacos, etc. The texture can hold up to even very wet sauces.
• Ground lentil sausage or meat
  • A couple handfuls soaked lentils, a spoonful or two of ground dried mushrooms, a little chickpea flour, grated onion, etc. blended together then mixed with oatmeal (quick oatmeal works best).
  • Smoked paprika, fennel, salt, anything else you'd add to sausage seasoning. Or taco seasoning. Or any other way you'd season ground meat. Panfry as patties or unshaped as ground meat
  • When cooking as ground meat, I find it best if also cooked with finely chopped onion, celery, mushrooms, green peppers, etc.
  • Kept pretty plain, these can also be shaped into nuggets, breaded, and pan fried. Make sure the mix is very thick, with extra oatmeal and flour to do this.
  • While the nugget shape is fine dipped into a sauce briefly before eating, this substitute will not hold up to a stir fry sauce or tomato sauce. Add all the favor to the meat as seasoning instead.
• TVP
  • TVP is an extremely cheap option but not very flavorful. It can be soaked in broth, mushroom soaking water (or water and dried mushroom powder), etc. before being seasoned and cooked. Good added to sauces, soups, and stews. Some brands of instant ramen use tvp for the meat bits so it's not too unfamiliar. Also comes as “soy curls” which are just bigger tvp. I don’t personally like this enough to use instead of beans or lentils, but it’s ok and very fast and easy to use
• Meat broth flavor
  • Mushroom broth, especially soaking water from dried mushrooms, is not to be discounted. Especially for recipes where you may expect meaty flavor. The soaked dried mushrooms can then be chopped and added to the dish for further meaty flavor.
• Smokey flavor (to replace things like chopped bacon, smoked turkey neck, etc. in recipes)

Most of these have a large initial cost but are used in extremely small quantities in recipes like collard greens or black eyed peas or anything you might flavor with smoked meat: smoked paprika, smoked salt, liquid smoke, smoked chilies (including chipotles). This technique works especially well when combined with something a little meaty like chopped mushrooms, lentils, etc.

Shopping

If you’re on foodstamps or medicaid, walmart+ is under $7/mo. In addition to free delivery and shipping, this comes with other services like Paramount+, tire repair, access to talking to a vet, etc. Instacart also has some kind of ebt discount but only some of their stores take ebt, as does amazon prime I think though they are the most expensive of these options. For me walmart+ is most cost effective with both the lowest grocery prices and the widest variety so I'm not paying shipping elsewhere. Yeah, corporations suck but it’s the best I can do.

Food for Power Outages/Storms

Between climate change and worsening infrastructure, it’s important to be prepared for power loss. I slowly built up a pantry of foods for power outages by buying about 2 canned items per month, more if I could managed it. Since things eventually go bad, it’s important to choose foods that you’re ok incorporating into regular meals and replacing with a fresh can.

• Make sure you have a manual can opener. Canned food is ready to eat and can also survive flooding and other bad conditions in a way that other food storage can’t, but it does you zero good if you can’t open the can. Some have pulltabs, but don’t count on that. If there is flooding in your pantry, make sure to wash cans carefully before using. While doing so, remove labels. Then sharpie on what was in each can.
• Things that are ready to eat or can be soaked to cook. Get the smallest cans of the canned/jarred items so that they won't go bad after opening. With a fridge, a big jar of applesauce is more cost effective but without power that jar just became one very expensive single serving. The little cup applesauces are much more cost effective for this type of emergency.
• Here’s an example of my meal plan for power outages
  • Carbs: couscous, instant ramen, oatmeal, crackers.
  • Protein: canned beans, canned fish/meat, nuts/seeds (probably peanuts or sunflower seeds), peanut butter (the shelf stable kind).
  • Produce: dried fruit (raisins are cheapest but if you don’t care for them, dates, cranberries, and coconut are also good options), canned vegetables (mixed veggies, corn, peas, carrots, etc), applesauce, canned fruit.
  • Condiments: honey, hot sauce, oil, vinegar, spices, anything that shelf stable that perks up food for you.
• Meal options from these ingredients
  • Overnight oats with dried fruit, honey, a pinch of salt, and nuts/seeds
  • Couscous, eat with canned vegetables and/or canned beans
  • Instant ramen with vegetables and/or canned meat
  • Crackers with peanut butter and possibly honey
  • Crackers with canned fish
  • No bake granola bars (mix oats, peanut butter, chopped dried fruit, and chopped nuts/seeds, then form into bars. Let set for a few hours before eating).
• Slightly more expensive options: canned soup, canned chili, jerky, store bought granola bars, canned/pouch pasta, ready to eat rice cups, etc.
• If you know ahead of time that the power may go out, produce that can survive at room temperature (carrots, peppers, apples, etc) is worth having for nutrition and variety. You can also fill thermoses with water to make hot food in future and cook up food like potatoes which you can’t eat raw if you think the power may fail.
• Tips: if you have plenty of water, rinse canned beans and vegetables to remove a little of the canned taste. Hot sauce (or other condiments) also helps cover it.
• Water: if you can, keep at minimum 3 gallons (but up to 14 gal) per person around and extra for any animals (at minimum a gallon per week for a cat, more if it’s hot out or the cat is large). If you think you may lose water but it's currently safe, it's reasonable to fill whatever jugs or bottles you have. It'll stay fresh for at least a few weeks and may save your life. For nonpotable water, fill the bathtub with cold water, but make sure to keep pets and small children away from a full tub unless supervised. This kind of thing is useful for disasters like chemical plants exploding and sending chemicals into the water, as well as times like hurricanes when water may go out for days or weeks.

Low Income Container Gardening

Produce is the most expensive part of my diet and it’s frustrating to not eat as much as I like. Gardening helps.

• Seeds can be purchased at many stores via ebt. Some stores even sell live plants via ebt. If your grocery store doesn’t sell live plants, check the fresh herbs and greens section for things either with roots. Butter lettuce often comes with roots. Regrow the bases of celery and green onions to make these staples cheaper. Greens such as kale, lettuce, beet greens, etc. grow very easily from seeds to cut down on vegetable costs. Some greens such as beet greens, turnip greens, and nappa cabbage can also be regrown from vegetable scraps. Seeds can also be harvested from some vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers or set aside from foods like amaranth, mustard seeds, coriander, etc. for free seeds. There are also giveaways online for this from time to time.
• Sprouts can be grown without dirt and are very tasty (just save a handful of whole lentils, mung beans, mustard seeds, etc for this). Microgreens are require almost no dirt. There are many tutorials for both of these.
• For starting with seeds, use an old egg carton or toiletpaper tubes filled with dirt and stood in another container as a seedling tray. When they’re ready to be upgraded to a pot, repurpose something like a yogurt container, juice bottle, etc. by cutting down to size and pushing a nail through the bottom a few times for drainage. Sit on top of an old plastic lid to catch drips. To reduce the cost of potting soil, fill the bottom of your container with packing peanuts, gravel, etc.
• The easiest indoor plants are herbs and greens, but tomatoes, peppers, radishes, etc. are possible if you have the light.
• You can repurpose large bottles as watering cans, dig with a sturdy piece of recycling, etc. rather than buying tools.
• If you want to grow outdoors, your city may have a community garden. If they don’t, check community centers and churches. If you’re growing outside, potatoes and sweet potatoes are very practical. Squash seeds, melon seeds, etc. are also great.

Household Tips

Cleaning

• Favorite cleaning supply: white vinegar infused with citrus rinds for a few weeks (shake daily). Put it in a spray bottle, 50/50 with water. Use for floors, counters, sinks, etc. buy vinegar in gallon jugs to save money. Use peels of fruit you have a second use for, such as lemons/limes you've juiced or oranges/grapefruit you've eaten. In my experience, this breaks down grease, dirt, etc. much faster than plain white vinegar.
• Another good option is mixing diluted dish soap with vinegar, but this has to be rinsed off afterwards whereas the vinegar-only one can just dry on its own and it's fine. Both of these are good in spray bottles.
• Baking soda mixed into a paste with dish soap is good to scrub with.
• Regularly sanitize sponges by soaking in vinegar for five minutes. This can extend the life of your sponge, saving you money.
• Scrub brushes are cheaper than buying labor-saving cleaning products. You can get one for $1-$2. Dedicate to specific tasks for cleanliness.

Temperature regulation

• Cover windows in clear plastic. That shrink wrappy stuff if you have it, but taping clear garbage bags or cut up shower curtains also works. Use thermoses for hot water in winter and cold water in summer to help regulate temperature. Some thermoses can keep water hot enough for tea for 24 hours and keep drinks cold up to 48 hours.
• Cover any window AC units in winter. Hang blankets on the walls in winter. Make rice socks (rice in a sock or other cotton fabric, microwave) and tuck into bed with you. Even a cheap sleeping bag can keep you pretty warm indoors. The least expensive ones are usually survival (not comfort) rated for 40° and up which isn't great outdoors in the winter but is excellent indoors in the winter if you can't afford to keep your home very warm. I'm too big for the sleeping bag I have, but it's very effective spread over me like a blanket. It cost like $20 at walmart and is great. Warm PJs are also worth investing in (cheaper than turning the heat on). Be careful when rationing heat that your pipes are warm enough. Keep an eye on the temperature (if you live somewhere that doesn't have a thermostat, there are cheap thermometers to keep an eye on air temp). A burst pipe is very expensive. If it is getting down to freezing indoors, constantly drip water through the faucets.
• Turn the water heater down in summer. Cool baths (cheaper than a long cool shower) can help or even just soaking your feet in cold water. Cooling towels are also great and come in bandana and headband forms as well as towels that can be draped across large sections of skin. These have a technology to get cold when wet and waves through the air. In extreme cases, use cold compresses.
• Electrolytes can help with overheating. Rehydration salts, diluted juice with a little salt, and cucumber water are all good options. If you go for Gatorade, the powdered stuff is much cheaper and even has artificial color free (glacier cherry) and fruit based options (the organic variety, which comes in multiple flavors like mango and strawberry). This is cheapest bought in bulk. If you go for diy rehydration salts, these can be risky if the proportions are wrong, so be careful and read multiple recipes. Fruit is also very high in electrolytes so I indulge more in it in summer, especially melons/cucumbers. Spicy food, especially with green chilies, can promote temperature regulation as well. South Indian cuisine has many good recipes for this.

Other Household Supplies

• Save junk mail or other paper with a blank side and use as scrap paper for lists, sketches, etc. A lot of places have free pens and it’s good to accept those so you always have something to write with.
• Spice bottles: use for your own spice mixes, holding spices from bulk packages, or other small items. If they’re glass, they’re great for tinctures and similar.
• Save old phones that technically still work. Even without service a phone can use 911 and with wifi (at a coffee shop, library, some restaurants, some public services like buses in some cities, etc) they can be used to call/text other people’s real phones. Download an app to be able to do that and keep your emergency numbers in there.

Hair Products and other Toiletries

• I've been co-washing my hair with either suave or vo5 conditioner. For leave-in products I use sunflower oil, coconut oil, and diluted rosewater (conditioning similar to a creamy leave-in conditioner). I also use coconut oil on dry skin/lips. It’s also an excellent makeup remover. Infusing oils, making herbal rinses, and aloe gel are also options. Covering hair at night reduces breakage which can be more of a problem if you're using cheaper products.
• Switch to bar soap for the shower. Dilute any liquid soap and buy the large “refill” size to pour into a pump style dispenser. I prefer liquid soap for hand washing. Save bar soap scraps until you have a handful and wrap them in a piece of fabric to finish using them.
• Do not skimp on dental hygeine. Toothpaste, regularly getting new brushes, floss, mouthwash, etc are all essential to protecting your most important asset. Dental pain is no joke, especially when you can't access care. You can also easily get infections that can be life threatening. And with painful teeth, it's hard to eat or even focus. This is not somewhere to budget. Toothbrushes can be bought in bulk to save money and any fluoride toothpaste should be fine as is generic floss if you don't have any specific needs there, but I spring for the good mouthwash.
• Also make sure to look after your feet. Supportive shoes, socks that breathe well and dry quickly, keeping your feet warm enough and dry, promptly taking care of any cuts or blisters or other injuries, and regular nail care are all essential to your mobility and in an emergency, that can mean your life. Taking good care of your feet is a financial investment.

Cats

• Buy cat food in bulk, store in a foodsafe bucket with a lid for freshness and to prevent insects. This prevents food waste. A 13 pound bag of the dry food (my cat eats purina naturals) fits in a 5 gallon bucket. Unfortunately she now associates a bucket lid opening with getting fed, so that’s something to keep in mind re your supplies of human food.
• Switching to pine pellets (vs clay litter) can save a lot of money if your cat is amenable.
• Provide enclosed, warm beds in winter and cooling mats, ice, extra water, and frozen broth cubes in summer. If it gets very hot and your kitty is uncomfortable, try wiping her down with a damp, cool washcloth.
• Cat Emergency Preparation
  • Cat go-bag: food, water, treats, toys, food/water dishes, clicker, harness, leash, vaccination documents, crate or carrier, blanket/bedding, litter in a plastic box with a lid, trash bags.
  • Make sure your cat's collar has a current phone number and address on it and states their rabies vaccination status. A couple bells doesn't hurt either as it can help you or others locate your cat in an emergency like a hurricane or fire. There are programs to get free tags, including through arm and hammer.
  • If you can, leash train your cat in case of emergencies. This includes things like storm evacuation (or even having to shelter for a tornado) but also having to fly somewhere together. Practice walking together and socialize them around people. Using a leash is also necessary if you were to ever have to fly with your cat (busses and trains do not accept even emotional support cats so this is the only travel option if you don’t have a car).
• Cat Toys
  • Paper bags
  • Boxes are also popular, of course.
  • A crumbled ball of paper or foil is also good.
  • Toilet paper tube treat toys (close ends, cut a hole or two to get treats in or out, slip a treat in) or puzzle toys (make a board with multiple tubes of different heights and hide treats in some of them) that said, even a plain tube with no alterations can be a lot of fun.
  • Sew a toy and fill it with a combination of stuffing and catnip. An easier option is taking an old sock and stuffing it before tying off the end.
• Cat Furniture
  • To save money, make your own cat scratchers by filling a box with pieces of corrugated cardboard (standing up like files in a filing cabinet and tightly packed so it can support the cat’s weight)
  • Build a bed out of a box or old hamper with old clothes or a cheap blanket in the bottom.
  • Re-do an old cat tree with sisal twine. Or wrap a board or post in sisal (fixed to a base of some kind and all the edges smoothed) for a diy scratcher.
  • Cardboard cat palace made of boxes.

Healthcare

• For minor health issues, it’s good to have styptic powder, canned pumpkin (for digestive issues), and cat-safe broth on hand. If you can’t afford cat-safe broth, it’s ok to buy the cheapest cuts of meat (like chicken feet or gizzards) to make your own. This can encourage a cat to drink if they’re sick. Regular storebought broth with spices and salt and onion and such is not safe for cats. Do not feed meat with bones to cats. Being proactive about their teeth (brushing, dental treats, silver vine) also saves money in the long run.
• Catgrass (just grown from whole grain wheat, rye, or barley), for cheap growing techniques, see the gardening section. This is good for their teeth and tummies and general health as well as enrichment.
• If you have Walmart+, you can talk to a vet online for free through that. Chewy also has a free vet chat on their website. This is similar to those nurse lines you can call for human medical advice.
• First Aid List
  • First aid is expensive but cheaper than the hospital. Infections can get bad, especially if your living conditions aren’t great or you’re in an emergency situation. It’s better to be able to take care of things immediately at home rather than end up with a serious medical problem and in debt. Include things for common medical issues like cuts but also tailor it for your own likelihoods. If you work with lumber, be prepared for splinters. If you have shitting joints, be prepared for sprains and dislocations. And so forth.
  • Wound Care
    • Disposable gloves
    • Hand sanitizer (if you don't have access to soap and water)
    • Betadine (disinfectant)
    • Alcohol wipes (primarily to sanitize tools like tweezers)
    • Iodine wipes (more portable alternative to betadine)
    • Triple antibiotic cream
    • Gauze (2x2, 4x4)
    • Bandaids
    • Butterfly bandaids
    • Pads (make a decent large bandage in a pinch)
    • Styptic powder (widely available for animals, usable on humans in a pinch, does hurt to use but stops bleeding)
    • Moleskin (for blisters)
    • If you have the budget using steristrips and benzoin tinctures works great instead of stitches, especially on fiddly places like fingers.
  • Pain Relief
    • Tylenol
    • Aleve or ibuprofen (do not ever take both together)
    • Lidocaine gel (for topical use on joint/muscle pain)
    • Toothache gel (usually also lidocaine based)
    • Dried dogwood bark (as a weak infusion for pain and as a strong infusion for 1st trimester abortion)
    • Epsom salts (foot soak or bath, unscented buy in bulk)
  • Nausea
    • Peptobismal (pills or tablets)
    • Ginger tea (for nausea, sore throat, etc)
    • Peppermint candies (for nausea)
  • Allergic Reactions and Burns
    • Benadryl (allergic reactions)
    • Dried plantago major (chew or grind into poultice for bugbites/allergic reactions on skin, tea as a wash for burns, tea taken internally for colds, etc)
    • Aloe plant for burns
  • Joint Injuries
    • KT tape (dislocations, broken ribs)
    • Ace bandage (sprains, I’d carry one in my purse if I didn’t already have like 8 braces in there)
    • Popsicle sticks (for finger splints, also to apply ointments etc)
    • Medical tape (use with gauze for bandages or Popsicle sticks for splints, or to buddy-tape fingers or toes)
    • Joint braces for any known bad joints (shoulders, knees, ankles, etc)
  • Tools
    • Penlight (to check pupil dilation)
    • Thermometer (in addition to cold/flu, helps watch for infection after injury)
    • PulseOx (monitor oxygen levels and pulse)
    • Sharpie (to make notes on people's skin during an emergency)
    • Tweezers (for splinters primarily, but also removing things like small pieces of glass from wounds)
    • Scissors (for tape, gauze, moleskin even clothing)
    • Nail clippers
    • Pocket knife (you don't want to have to use it, but it's better to have it and not need it than need it and have to use something dull)
  • Other
    • Hot and cold compresses: keep ice in your freezer for cold (wrap in a towel to protect your skin). For hot compresses, either soak some fabric like a shirt or towel in hot water and put in a plastic bag before applying. Or use a rice sock (rice in a sock, microwaved).
    • Castor oil packs: soak fabric in castor oil and apply as compress. Some people also add a hot compress on top. Be careful not to get it on your clothes or bedding. It's good for joint pain, intestinal trouble, and ovarian cysts among other things. Do not use if pregnant/nursing.
    • Oral rehydration solution
    • Aspirin (for heart attacks chew 325mg)
    • Ear plugs (for migraines)
    • Chamomile teabags (in addition to headaches and cramps and such, they're great compresses for some types of eye issues)
    • Syringe
    • A physical first aid guide. Taking online courses, including Stop the Bleed are also good. In addition to more extreme situations, learning how to treat injuries at home can be a cheaper alternative to the hospital. It's also good to be able to fix problems while you're out and about on a day to day basis.
    • Use small containers to keep things in handbag. Keep a larger, more complete first aid kit for regular use and also one in your go bag.
    • If you feel comfy with it, get a narcan kit. They're available free many places and can save a life. This is for opiates only and will not work on other types of overdoses.
    • If you’re injured, especially a burn, hydration is extra important.
    • Be prompt about injuries from animals, just as cat bites and scratches since these have a high risk of infection.
    • There are free online courses like Stop the Bleed, which can be lifesaving. There are also guides and courses through the library on apps like Libby and Hoopla.

  Clothing

  Crafting can save a lot of money if done judiciously.

  • Crochet your own hats, wristlets, shawls, scarves, etc.
  • Alter clothing (thrifted or your own used items).
  • I never throw away fabric of any kind. Save scraps of fabric for patching things. Hold onto bits of yarn and so forth to patch together into larger projects.
  • Embroidering over stains and tears is good.
  • If you intend to mend/alter clothing, natural fibers are going to hold up better than synthetics, especially if they’re stretchy. Even the cheapest stores sometimes have fabrics that are at least partially cotton or linen.
  • Handsewn clothes are slightly more expensive than the cheapest fast fashion (lthink Rainbow) but they last much longer. So they're a cheaper option in the long run if your size doesn't change too much.

  Entertainment

  • Free ebooks on project gutenberg (public domain books only)
  • Free audiobooks on Libravox (public fomani books only)
  • If you have a library card, your library may also give you access to Libby and/or Hoopla to check out library materials to your phone/computer. On Libby, you can get subscriptions to magazines delivered digitally every month. On Hoopla, you can check out bingepasses for video media to get a lot at once. Both also offer comicbooks.
  • Whether you have a public library card or not, Queer Liberation Library offers free digital library cards also through Libby. They do all kinds of books (all ages, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc) on queer topics.
  • Sales/specials, especially blackfriday, for some streaming services like hulu and disney.
  • Free streaming services: tubi, crackle, pluto tv, plex, some roku shows
  • Libraries also sometimes have freebies like museum passes, musical instruments, puzzles, 3D printing, sewing machines.