Ask Lemmy

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Learn to do things yourself. Let me give you a few answers

• Car oil change: $35 for both the oil and oil filter. Would be a little over $75 if I had a shop do it.
• compare prices when buying food, same with the amount of food in the container compared to the price.
• spend in cash, easier to follow a budget if you have physical money in your hand.
• buy things from the second hand market, my laptop that I use was $1100 MSRP, got it for $750. That's a good deal
• don't eat out at restaurants
• eliminate monthly services.
• fix broken things. I fixed my aunts AC window unit for about $10 with a used run capacitor from eBay. Would have costed a little over $300 for a new one.

There are lots of things I could talk about, and some of these things involve learning a bit, and some time. As someone who was without a job for the entirety of COVID, it forces you to be thrifty.

Start learning how and where to ask for help.

What I mean is that you're going to have a lot of unmet needs, and you'll need others to help boost you up. Many of us live like we are islands, but the reality is people support people. But only when you are specifically able to ask for the help you need in clear language. And that is a skill that takes time to develop.

Thank you everyone for your answers. You people are very resourceful!!

Buy big bags of rice and beans

Maybe consider living in a vehicle.

When I had to move out due to abusive family, I lived in my car for several months traveling and looking for my future home.

I had time to setup the car like a mini camper. Had everything I needed. Twin bed, fridge, solar power, etc. I recommend watching the YouTube “cheap rv living” and other channels about car camping. It’s quite affordable to live in a vehicle and not pay rent, utilities, etc.

As others said the gym is a great place for showers.

Canned foods are extremely cheap and last for a very long time. Wear multiple layers when it's cold, don't turn on the heat unless you'll damn near die without it. Buy the cheapest sundries regardless of your preferences. Don't buy name brand items unless they're the only ones available. Use coupons as much as possible.

Food and personal hygiene ARE your morale. Prioritise those two above almost everything else. (Apart from your personal safety obviously)

A gym membership is cheaper than an apartment, and will allow you access to restrooms and showers. If a public pool is cheaper, even better.

Familiarize yourself with food banks and other resources now, because access to both transit and the Internet is going to get a lot more tenuous.

Find a storage option for anything you truly value, even if it's just renting a lockable closet somewhere.

Try to find a housesitting gig if you can, which will give you shelter and maybe even income. Do not reveal your financial situation to your new employers.

I was only homeless for a few months, thank God, and like you I knew it was coming and had time to prepare. Some of the above is things I've done and some is things I learned later or wished Zid done. It took me a lot longer to climb out of that hole than to fall into it, but with hard work and luck and a lot of help I made it. I hope you can, too.

• First, know that the majority of people who are poor or homeless are only in that situation temporarily. Unless you have debilitating addictions or mental health issues that prevent you from functioning within society, you WILL get through this.

• Buy a small notebook and make a list of local poverty resources: homeless shelters, food banks, hospitals, public restrooms, churches mosques and temples, libraries, employment offices, etc. If you don't have these things where you live, you make have to migrate to somewhere that does.

• Make a list of friends and family, and their phone numbers too. Swallow your pride and call as many of these people as you can and explain your situation to them. Be prepared to gracefully ask them for help, and be prepared to be denied. But if even 1 person can give you a short lifeline it might be enough to help you prevent the situation.

• Remember and prioritize what is essential to survival--food, water, shelter, clothing and medicine. Those are first and foremost. After those have been figured out, then you need to focus on finding some kind of employment and income.

• In a worst case scenario, you will be on your feet with only the possessions you can carry. You will need your personal identifying documents, medications, your phone (and a charger or two), and anything truly sentimental to you. You will need warm and cool weather clothing, as well as a blanket. A water bottle can also be useful. Any other possessions can be sold for cash and replaced later, if absolutely necessary.

• Consider what lead you to this point and do your best to address it in the future. You will make it through this, but you still need to change how you've been living to avoid falling back down to rock bottom again. Seek help for mental health issues and addictions. Always remember that you are a human being who is entitled to life and worthy of love. Good luck!

If you're going to lose your housing, start advertising for live-in pet sitting.

Connect to all neighbors and friends and former friends and relatives. Renew relationships.

Think how you can find a better job. Also ask this question to all friends etc.

Search for benefits from your country or local / regional governments. Search for organisations who help the poor.

Make your own life less expensive. Look where you spend money, and change everything to cheaper alternatives. Leave all your addictions.

Sell stuff you don't want(if possible), save stuff that you want. Save money as much as you can, work at any job, even if it's a cafeteria, even if it's a part time. Ask for help from friends and family if possible. If you are loosing your home too, save stuff that you want, give them to a relative or friend.

First off:

Good luck! You'll get through this ❤️

I'm not claiming I went through a situation like your sentence implies in that extreme, my advice comes from a bit less drastic situation - and I'll assume no safety net.

The hard truth: you are broke. Not in the future, right now. Treat your money like it. If you can't pay rent in a few months time you can't now. Same for all other invoices.

Reason: shit has hit the fan already. Now you're standing there and wondering which the biggest piece will be to hit you.

If you start with that today then you'll stretch the time out overall.

Your job is threfold: priority one: reduce spending to near zero. Short term survival beats anything. Including and especially credit score and the likes. The details depend on your situation, laws and standards.

The second is even harder: What can you do to increase cash income? This is a shitty situation and your reaction most likely is "well, yes. Of course dumb fuck what do you think I'm doing??".

I can fully emphasize if it is. That said: I'm not only talking about applications. Use your social circle to ask for help, both money and job. Reach out to former colleagues or school friends. Use everything and everyone you have in your environment.

The last part is the easiest but very annoying: read your local laws and statutes. What social security structures exist? What are eviction regulations? What about late payment terms? Re education sponsorship? And so on. Most countries have at least something but it's often hidden in highly formal bullshit. Get your shovel and dig through legalese. And if you can't do that: the second point automatically applies here as well.

Lots of great advice. One thing to add, pets. If you have family that can look after them ask if they will. Ask friends, even contact the local animal shelter. In fact if you're lack for things to do you can volunteer there as well. I know it may seem rough but don't abandon them somewhere, though I doubt you'd do that. Make sure they're taken care of even if it's not with you.

If you aren't broke yet, but will be, then start acting like you are right now. You have time to figure out how to be broke but still have some money at the end of the day for if you can't figure it out.

You need clean water to drink everyday, where can you get that? You need food at some point, find where you can get free food from government or religious groups. If there's nothing like that then find the cheapest food and figure out how you can make enough to buy that(beg, recycle, etc). Find a safe place to sleep. You don't need a camp or permanent spot, you just need to be able to sleep for 6 hours. Those are the basics that will keep you alive.

What do you mean by "end up broke"?

Do you mean you're going to lose your job in a few months?

Do you mean that you currently have no source of income and you project that you'll hit zero in a few months and won't be able to find a job?

Do you mean that you're going to be declaring bankruptcy because of debts and will have to start over?

These are all different situations. If you don't have a job and don't think you'll be able to get one even though you have months to try, is it because you're disabled or somehow unable to work? If so, there are government support programs available in most places. In places without that, people tend to rely on family to support them. If you can't work, can't get government support, and don't have family or friends who can support you, there really isn't any advice we can give you.

If you currently have a job but they're laying you off in a few months, there are often support programs available. It's best to assume you won't get a job, or at least won't get one right away, so you should reduce your spending now rather than wait.

Declaring bankruptcy is completely different. Often when people do that, they still have a job, it's just that their debts are unmanageable. In the US this is often due to medical debts. You may have a job paying a decent wage, but you simply can't pay down a million dollars in medical debt. That's a different kind of situation, because you still have a job, you still have money coming in and going out. The problem is often that you suddenly have to do without credit cards, you can't get a car loan, etc. So, in that situation the trick is more about how to switch to using cash and debit cards and to build back a good credit rating over time.

If you're truly going to hit zero money in a few months, you need to act as if you're basically at zero money now. If there are food banks nearby, start going there and learn how they work. Watch every single cent you spend and cut off your spending ruthlessly. No subscriptions, no luxuries, etc. If you rent and you expect you're going to be evicted, start selling off your stuff. Better to part with it now and get some money rather than getting locked out and having the owner throw it all away. If there are public libraries nearby with Internet access, figure out how that works so you can still get online.

Also, maybe you can move somewhere else before you hit zero. I don't know what your situation is, but maybe there are places with a dramatically lower cost of living where you can get by for longer. Maybe there are places where you could find work. It's best to make that decision early rather than be unable to make it once you hit zero.

Other advice is great, but I also have some financial related advice on stuff you already have.

If you already own things like cookware, tools, collectibles, clothes, etc. downsizing to a manageable amount is a good idea because you might need to move it frequently. Sell what you don't need, and the things you should focus on keeping are sturdy clothes you wear frequently, basic toiletries, small and expensive to replace items, and a small amount of keepsakes. If you need to stay with friends a week or less at a time being able to move everything quickly is a huge benefit.

It's probably best to evaluate your needs and base a plan on that. Everyone is different, but the basic needs are the same: food, shelter, security, and mental health. Secondary (but also important) is gonna be things like transporation, basic hygene, and bulding back your income. Eliminate all expenses that don't relate to these.

Food: many religious places offer food assistance. Protestant and Catholic churches sometimes have no questions asked donations, I also know Sikh temples do Langar and offer food to those in need. Worst case scenario is finding fast food joints that throw out whole food. Big box stores also get rid of a ton of fresh stuff. A homeless friend of mine says that Dunkin always throws out perfectly fine donuts every night, for example.

Shelter: if you have a car, try buying some window shades and stealth parking. Places that are out of sight like hotels and big apartment parking lots. Campgrounds are good too in remote areas. You may get "the knock" to leave but at least it is out of the elements. Always park somewhere differnet every night.

Security: always be aware of the area you're in. Too rich and they will drive you away, in some cities arrest you. Too shady and you'll be in danger. Find an area wih the right "vibe" and dont stay in any one place too long. Trust your gut.

Mental Health: there's no way to sugar coat it; it's gonna be rough. But it is never permanant. With enough time and effort, you can get back up after every knockdown. Most have a reason to be here, to work, and to love, and that reason is why they fight so hard to survive. And if you feel like there is no reason, purpose can be forged from nothing too. Today will not be the same as tomorrow, and sometimes you simply have to wait out the storm. Keep this in mind when things get hard, and don't put mental health on the backburner, or it will be just as lethal as starving.

Once you secure these however, you can focus on cleaning up, and finding work/income. Restaurants are usually good places to work, wih down to earth types and simple labor. You can also head to your local library to access job sites and look around. Anything to at least give you some stability will work, bonus points if you find passion in it.

I hope some of this works for you, I wish you the best

The library has great resources for people, for free, for all sorts of situations

I have been out of work for almost two years. Now granted I have been substitute teaching but to me that is out of work as its ad hoc and a pittance. I agree with a combination of some responses. You have to look into any assitance out there. If your in the us I know this can be daunting because nothing is really out there to even help you get started. Check at every level. Your town/city, township, county, state, federal. There is not much but anything at this point helps. It sucks but you will have to put in an inordinate amount of time both getting and micromanaging the thing because of how it works in the us and it will be worth less than minimum wage in most cases with the work you put in but it results in something as compared to resumes which may never result in anything. Next as another person said you have to only spend for necessities. rent, basic utilities, food. I often mention having zero disposable income because until I get a job that is the case. I mean there are a ton of stupid little purchases that im desperate to make but don't. Finally obviously you look for work both a real job that gets you back into the black and pickup work that will work for you. Unfotunately we have a situation, at least near me, where many people are looking for work. Then fight the crippling depersion as much as you can and look for help with things like that. So far though I have not been able to find any sources that actually do anything that might help. There is like phone numbers and such but ultimately you need the right insurance things or such.