7 Tips to Help You Survive While Homeless
Dominating homelessness has never been so simple.
The current job market is leaving millions of Americans without enough money to buy a home or rent an apartment.
Here are seven tips for you to survive homelessness in this economy.
But these tips aren’t coming from just anybody.
I have experienced many types of homelessness, including:
- Street Homeless: Sleeping on the cold, hard ground.
- Car Homeless: Sleeping in a car.
- Hotel Homeless: Sleeping in a hotel.
- Shelter Homeless: Sleeping in a homeless shelter.
So, I know what I’m talking about when it comes to being homeless. These are seven tips I’m sharing from direct experience on my journey.
1. Don’t Look Homeless
When you look homeless, you will be treated like the “stereotypical” homeless person.
Then, you won’t be able to get a job.
Or worse, fired.
Because here’s the truth.
You probably already have a job.
Studies show that more than half of unhoused people have jobs. But having a job doesn’t give you access to a shower.
How do you stay clean?
When showers aren’t an option, get a long-lasting hairstyle and use baby wipes.
Baby wipes can be used anywhere, for cleaning skin or blowing your nose, and are stored in a backpack easily.
Looking like you belong will get you places you never thought you could be. For example, Andi Schmied conducted an experiment where she acted like a rich person to get into places for free: https://youtu.be/aKwkMZbeeGo.
Just look at how much she got away with!
So, now you understand the importance of looking good while homeless.
Wipe that ass.
2. SLEEP
Find a place to sleep.
You need quality sleep to recover your physical and mental health.
But sleeping while homeless isn’t easy.
Most shelters get a bad rap for good reason, but you don’t have to suffer from the sounds of snoring and farting all night.
Use earplugs.
Chances are that you don’t own any right now. So, as someone who makes money through music, let me make a recommendation.
You will thank me later.
But also understand that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
The Loop Quiet Ear Plugs for Sleep are made of flexible, soft-touch silicone. So, they mold into your ears to provide maximum comfort for long periods of time.
These earplugs reduce up to 26 dB of noise. Based on my experience with the EARasers Noise Canceling Earplugs (-19dB), this rating means you will hear nothing when it’s time to sleep around other people.
Loop Quiet Earplugs are better for sleeping because EARasers are built for club environments, so there is an EQ that lets you hear voices. In addition, the Loop Quiet Earplugs are easier to clean.
But the main issue you will face in acquiring earplugs is that they aren’t available in many stores, including music stores. So, order them before it’s too late.
You can order the Loop Quiet Ear Plugs for Sleep at https://switchupcb.com/a/amazon/loop-quiet-earplugs.
You can order the EARasers Noise Canceling Earplugs at https://switchupcb.com/a/amazon/earasers.
3. Get Storage
You can’t sleep in a storage unit, but you can use one to get yourself situated or make your day-to-day life easier.
Being limited by the space a single backpack provides is difficult when you are homeless. You spend too much time swapping things in and out of that bag to get stuff done.
But do you know what’s even more expensive than wasting time while homeless?
Buying items by the unit (e.g., water bottles) instead of buying in bulk because you didn’t have enough space.
Here’s what you should consider when buying a storage unit because not all are created equal.
- Proximity to Your Shelter and Area of Operations
- Allowed Time per check-In
- Temperature Control and Weather Insulation
With a storage unit, holding onto luxury items such as laptops required for online work isn’t so risky.
And you won’t lose all your sh*t if you get arrested.
4. Get More Storage
One or two backpacks to sort your stuff in is always great.
But have you ever thought about buying more to sort your items?
Just think about what you could do with seven bags.
- Essentials that you carry around with you by default.
- Clothes that you can swap in and out of to smell GOOD.
- Blankets when you want to spice up your shelter life.
- Bathroom Tools and Supplies for washing your body.
- Medical and Cleaning supplies to recover from sickness or clean your items.
- Technology you use to make money.
- Miscellaneous or Work items you use to make money.
And don’t waste money on a chair when suitcases exist.
Now, I know what you’re thinking.
How can I buy all this shit?!
And the answer is that you are homeless. Not broke.
But when you are broke, stop reading this story immediately and get money.
Here is a story that shows you how to make money fast while homeless with no job: https://switchupcb.medium.com/how-to-make-money-fast-while-homeless-with-no-job-3152ec14db8a
So, to reiterate, you’re homeless. Not broke.
And being miserable for three months to save up for one month’s rent is not worth it when you can make being homeless a piece of cake.
Let’s get back to the point. What do you need to purchase?
Pockets. Lots of them.
And you can find a backpack or suitcase for most needs in any store.
But what about your bathroom supplies?
For that, I recommend a bag built for toiletries.
Here are three that the internet loves.
- The AvaJex Toiletry Bag has enough space to fit all your bathroom activities. You can also hang it up on the wall.
- When your budget for travel is higher, the Gravel Explorer (Small, Medium, Large) is a bag that will secure you for life.
- One baggers might prefer a smaller bag like a Muji Hanging Toiletry Case.
5. Building Rotation
When you have downtime, what are you going to do?
You can’t stay in a storage unit all day.
Libraries aren’t open 24/7.
And some shelters kick you out during the daytime.
That’s why you need to create a building rotation for every day of the week.
Libraries, coffee shops, and parks are good places to spend time.
And when you are really rich, add a gym to that list for access to a shower.
These places let you spend hours on your phone and laptop doing whatever you want. And that’s more time you have to get back on your feet.
6. Mobile Data
Using the WiFi of others isn't reliable.
Your next best bet is a phone with mobile data.
But how can you purchase a phone without a physical address?
That brings us to the last tip.
7. Legal Workarounds
Legal documents are required in many scenarios.
- ID
- Physical Address
- Phone Number
- Email Address
I will tell you how to get these things from easiest to hardest.
Many email providers let you create an email for free.
There are many ways to get a phone number.
- Purchase a plan from a carrier.
- Purchase a SIM card (e.g., Ultra Mobile Paygo) and activate a pre-paid plan.
- Use a VoIP service (e.g., Google Voice).
- Use an XMPP service (e.g., JMP.chat).
You can use a homeless shelter for your physical address. There are also mail forwarding services that give you a physical address you can use for legal purposes, but an ID might be required.
How can you get an ID when you don’t have one?
Explore the information provided by your government’s licensing office. In the United States, non-driver’s license identification cards can be registered as long as you have a legal address and supporting document (e.g., birth certificate).
Bonus.
You got this far, so here is a bonus tip.
When all else fails, go to jail.
Homeless shelters and prisons aren’t much different, especially for men.
I mean, look at all of the similarities: Both places even make you do labor for pennies on the dollar.
But jail probably won’t kick you out at random, limit the times you are allowed to shower, or make you sleep in a room with 20+ people.
So, what’s a good way to go to jail?
Slap a Karen.
Just camp in your local fast food location until you see a woman complaining about her food.
Then, proceed to get up, scream a little, then slap the shit out of that b*tch!
After the initial shock, she will call the cops, and then your shelter is secured for the night.
You get bonus points when you eat the food she was complaining about.
Jokes aside, here is the real bonus tip.
Do you need food?
Don’t search garbage bins or dumpster dive for food like a loser who enjoys suffering. You probably have access to many options:
- Food Banks
- Religious Organizations
- Public Events
- Fast Food Mobile App Signup Rewards
- Just ask people. Like, multiple people.
Looking for more stories that help you with homelessness? Check these out.
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