We live in a world full of hazards, and the less you have, the more at risk you are of infection, injury and illness.
Being able to stay more comfortable and healthy will give you more energy to navigate the nightmares of poverty, so here are a few ways to keep up your health.
Dentists can be expensive, terrifying and difficult to arrange. Better to avoid letting your teeth degrade too far in the first place.
Baking soda or baking powder will work as toothpaste. Wet a brush, add the powder, and brush away. Most modern toothpastes will have these chemicals in them today.
If you have some salt on hand, mix a pinch of salt to improve the effectiveness. All you're then missing from actual paste is some glycerin, but that can be hard to obtain on a budget. Better off just buying toothpaste.
Onions and garlic are great ways to counter infections. Chew them and they'll fight the infections with their antibacterial properties. Adding salt, same as with the toothpaste, will help make these more effective.
Finally, gargling alcohol such as Vodka, will help numb pain and disinfect your mouth.
It's important to be able to handle cuts and scrapes before they become infected.
Vinegar and salt will clean an injury, but it will sting. You'll likely be able to get a spoonful of vinegar or salt from a small restaurant if you're desperate. It's always worth asking. Worst case scenario, find salt sachets from a fast food restaurant, or quickly use some salt from a salt shaker on an outside table.
Stomach trouble can be calmed using tonic water or milk. Far harder to get, but worth bearing in mind. A little baking soda in water will also calm acid reflux, and if you have some for brushing teeth, you'll have it available.
Finally, white spirits will clean and disinfect almost anything.
If you have a place to find, or better yet grow herbs, you may have many more options available.
How to Make a Herbal Apothecary at Home or, in my eyes, Plants and Herbs that Might Hold You Together in a Pinch, is a great book listing what plants to look out for. Acquire some of these herbs and plants, share them with your community, and if you're ever desperate, someone will have something to keep you going without cost.
Modern medicines are normally just herbal remedies which have been processed to be more effective. Aspirin for example is made from willow tree bark. Pharmaceuticals will likely be more effective as mentioned, but the unprocessed origins will also often help.