I’ve so done that. More than once. We called it “bathtub laundry”. The lint can be cured by going to the big laundromat and stuffing all your near-dry clothes in for the shortest cycle that money can buy (50cents worth was good for me.)
When I’ve shortened pants, I turned the extra fabric into headbands and scrunchies. It looks cute to have hair accessories that match your clothes.
How do you darn a sock?
With a darning egg, to keep it’s shape.
I’ve been in the same position as you,pinkfreud, and I’ve kept a number of habits from my poorer days. I’m very much interested in living simply, and for a number of years, I’ve asked people to give to a charity instead of giving me gifts. I don’t need things.
My wish for you is that you no longer have to do that…
Count me in as another person who has done this recently.
I guess poor is living paycheck to paycheck without having much left over for ‘luxuries’.
I scrounge. From here and there. Always have. And, if I do some side jobs I will use that money to invest in a package or two of underwear/socks. And maybe a new pair of pants for special occassions. Can’t say I want to mend UW but socks are relatively cheap (I buy all the same color-grey, but cant figure out how they can make so many styles of top elastic. Same with black that are my backup.
I mounted a tp dispenser under the kitchen cabinet near the food prep area.
At first, family thought I lost it. But you can use one square to wipe off a utinsil or a couple to clean up a mess. That means you don’t have to use the paper towels that get expensive. Besides, it is bathroom tissue on the package, not toilet paper. I get 4 rolls for $1 or less and that is cheaper than PT’s.
Recycling is a pain in this house. Wife and son find it too difficult to sort trash.
Son will someday learn that you can’t have everything new and that sometimes you have to make do. Thrift stores work. New items can be found there even on the 25 or 50% off days.
I started with one clothes line last year. Have plans for 3 more. That will cut down on my drying cost. It is good for bed linens and towels and my work clothes.
What makes me feel poor? Going through the pockets of my jackets for loose tobacco to roll into a cigarette. Especially since I have a habit of picking sprigs of rosemary for good luck. :smack: 
Or use a light bulb instead. Here’s how to darn socks, Zebra.
I like the TP dispenser suggestion, noeienstein. I’m so doing that!
I don’t nearly have enough strips for a rag rug, zweisamkeit but, hey, maybe someday. I’m thinking of maybe using some to make little stuffed animals though.
Interrupting this thread for some good news! I take a prescription that costs almost $90 a month. Today when I went for the refill, I only had to pay $3. Seems the price went down on the very day that I picked up the refill last month, so the pharmacy gave me a credit. $88 (old price) - $45 (new price) = $43 credit for a $45 RX. 
I’m so impressed. They could have kept that money. I wouldn’t have known the difference.
Oh, man, don’t feel poor because you repair your underwear!
I mend bras that are falling apart. Usually I can get at least several months’ more wear out of them.
Hey, bras are expensive in my opinion, even though I buy them at Target and Walmart and the Dollar Store! Also I have a hard time finding them in the right size (puny).
I also manage to make underpants (and bras) last longer by not putting them in the dryer and letting them hang dry.
It’s all good! 
I have a pretty tight budget. I figured my next year’s lease would go up by $25/month like it has for the last 5 years. I got my lease renewal notice today: it went up by $65! I went from thinking I could afford to live here for 2 more years to thinking maybe I’ll have to move in June. I called the apartment manager to ask why the big jump and he said he’ll have to talk to the owner and get back to me.
I love living here, hate, hate, hate moving. It’s got me really upset. To put it in perspective, I just got a $0.25/hour raise that equals $37.50 a month, which I figured would cover the //expected// raise in rent. Now I’m looking at a gouge in my already slim budget. I feel very poor right now. I’m going to have to borrow money to move.
Can I ask if any of you have been successful at mending bras when an underwire pokes through the casing and stabs you in the armpit? That’s always the point of weakness on my bras, and I can’t seem to overcome it. I’ve tried darning the casing, placing another scrap of cloth over the hole and sewing it in place, medical tape, band-aids - nothing lasts more than another week, and most of it doesn’t last the day.
My bras cost well over $50 each (unless you know where to get good cheap bras in a 40-I), so this isn’t even a poverty issue!
I think it’s probably easier to mend bras without wires. I’m sorry; I don’t know how you could repair underwire bras. The bras I wear are those cotton thingies with no wires. In some cases I buy what would be training bras, and they are very basic and fairly easy to mend. I told ya I was puny!
I buy all my clothes at the thrift store during the last hour on Saturday, when everything is 50% off. I wear my elastic worn out panties under totally runned out pantyhose, all worn under slacks.
Darn it.
I can’t wear underwire bras (because I have a lot of surgical scarring on one side), so this isn’t a firsthand recommendation, but a friend of mine uses a hot-glue gun to put a small blob of glue on the end of the underwire.
Heck, I’ve always pulled underwires out when I first got the bras home! There was a period when I simply couldn’t find any bras in my size without underwires. Sorry, I know this isn’t helpful for you.
Have you tried OneStopPlus? http://www.onestopplus.com/Plus-Size-Extended-Bra-Sizes.aspx?DeptId=14249 has extended bra sizes, and some of them are under $40.
Incidentally, hand wash your bras and line dry them to help them last longer. I hate hand washing, but it’s worth it in the case of bras.
Ooh, that’s a thought!
My bra’s motto: Divide and Conquer! Even with underwires, perfectly fitting cups end up with the middle bit popping out an inch or more and letting the sisters reunite after half a day of wear. And no, it’s not a too small cup - the next cup size up I don’t quite fill. It’s just that there’s no natural separation between my breasts. Underwires are a must!
Thanks, I’ll check them out!
I wash my bras in the shower! :o Plug the drain, shampoo my hair and then swish the bra around in the soapy water with my foot. Rinse and hang. I only have two “good” bras (and four new “meh” ones, including two “wonderwire” or some such nonsense - extra folds of fabric instead of real wires), so they get washed rather frequently.
I wonder if you couldn’t reinforce them with a “patch” - like on the knees of jeans but a little more complicated…I haven’t tried.