Living in prison is hard and expensive. These tips and DIY hacks help me make the most of what I have.
Maybe they can help you, too.
File for unclaimed assets: Write your local state treasurer and ask them to search for your unclaimed assets. Many people inside have successfully reclaimed hundreds or thousands of dollars they have lost. This money can be used to pay for necessities, including legal aid, commissary purchases and child care.
Bunk stoppers: Cut cardboard into pieces big enough to fill the space between your bunk bed and the wall. These cardboard cutouts can be used on both the bottom and top bunks to stop your personal belongings from falling behind the bed. If there’s no cardboard available, just use sheets, shirts or balled-up paper to fill the gaps. You and your cellie will be relieved to not have to retrieve items that fell behind the bunk overnight.
Use shampoo for everything: Soap is expensive and scarce in most institutions. Shampoo is usually cheaper and can be used in place of them when you’re in a pinch. Try showering with shampoo the next time you’re low on bodywash. You can also use it as an all-purpose cleaner to wash your clothes, do your dishes and keep your cell clean.
Trash-can oven: In prison, some people use a stinger to cook. A stinger is a jerry-rigged heating element — usually made with wires and metal. Those wires are then hooked up to a power source, and the stinger is submerged into a container with water or liquid to heat the liquid and cook food. When cooking with a stinger, you can place your food inside the trash can and cover it with a towel or shirt. The steam generated inside the trash helps heat the food. Your meal will be ready quicker and come out hot and tasty.
Makeshift griddle: Clean your bunk or metal desk and use a scouring pad to scrape off the paint. Place your stinger on the area you scraped clean to hook it up to the bunk. Plug the stinger into an outlet. Now, you should be able to use the area you scraped clean as a grill you can cook food on.
TV hack: I don’t always want to wear earbuds to watch TV. My TV sits just 4 inches away from my cellie’s, but neither of us wants to be chained to our TVs by our earbuds. Our solution is to put both our TVs on the same channel and volume at the same time. This way, we can hear both TVs with ease throughout the whole cell.
DIY glue: If you need glue, soap from the canteen makes a great substitute. Here’s how to make it: Fill a container (such as a bag, bowl or cup) with some water and place a bar of soap inside. Let the soap sit until it softens. The softened soap can be used as glue to make clothing lines, put up shelves and make cards and envelopes.
Odor-fighting hacks: Is your cell smelling a little stale or funky? Here are a couple things you can do to make your space smell better:
- DIY air freshener: Fill a spray bottle with some water and add a little shampoo or scented lotion. Shake the bottle to mix the contents together and spray the mixture around your room to instantly make it smell better.
- Boiled onion water: Bring some water to a boil and toss in some dehydrated onions. The pleasant aroma of cooked onions will fill the room. It’s a lot nicer than dealing with body odor and other offensive smells.