| good times |
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How was it? Describe how you got there and how you got out (or why you chose to be homeless in case it was by choice). |
| Fresh air |
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Management was toxic so I quit my job. Saved up enough to buy chicken and rice for a year. Been living in the bushes, alley, beaches ever since. It's not that hard. It even might be better than spending all that money and time on working so you can afford rent. Nothing like sleeping in fresh, cool night air. I might not ever go back to "normal life". When money is low, I just find an odd job on Craigslist. Sometimes I pick an odd job up being advertised across the country so that I can travel and see new places. The odd job on arrival neutralizes the cost of travel. |
| Rick |
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6 months. My choice. |
| Ivyguy |
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Two winters in Upstate NY, actually. It was not a lot of fun. I found shelter (without trespassing), but it was sometimes cold, dirty, and uncomfortable. NB: I almost never actually spent a night outdoors--I wasn't that kind of hardcore--but often "camped out" at work. At the time, I was getting my coaching career started. My teams were funded poorly (or not at all)--and I was paid poorly (or not at all)--so my limited dough tended to go to the teams, rather than housing. My choice. I got out of that situation by finally being successful enough in my coaching to get a job with a five-figure income. |
| Fresh air |
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Cold? Shoulda bought an insulated winter sleeping bag |
| siracha |
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Three months during my last semester of college. My apartment flooded with sewage after we returned from summer break, and finding housing was hard with all the students returning. It was warm enough still that I could camp out. I spent most of the day at campus, then at night I'd usually go fishing or hiking and sleep in the back of my truck. I had a friend who lived at the fire hall, so sometimes I would crash on his couch. I slept at another friend's house once, but it was honestly such a pig sty that I couldn't stand it. I had a bit of money saved up so it wasn't like I was destitute. Still, I was very frugal about spending money, eating a lot of fish and rice over the campfire or finding freebie meals around town. |
| Rick |
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Boulder CO for months homeless. Friend drove me to Vancouver CA. Worked and lived in a van. Socialism was weird and people smoked pot in the bars. Hitchhiked across border and snuck onto buses till I got back to Boulder. Then got a ride to Newport, RI. It was hell but my family could care less:( |
| Peppermint Joseph |
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Since you were in college, did you just shower at the gym on campus or something like that? |
| siracha |
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I showered at the gym, usually twice a day. Laundry was more difficult. A couple times I poached the facilities at a nearby apartment complex, and sometimes I could do a load at the fire hall. |
| Daily double |
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Spent a lot of nights in my car in the 90's after getting fired repeatedly from rat race and ruthless corporations--would rather sleep in my car than work for those places. |
| Peace Out |
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I live in Edmonton where we have winter for 5 months and the temperatures often get down to -22F, but we still have homeless people. I don't know how they can survive here. |
| crazy person |
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Never been destitute, but lived in my car for a week during college. That was fun. Life gets more interesting when you intentionally make it harder. Haven't had a place to live at various time and went on the road for a couple weeks. The last time I did it, I reached the conclusion that I would rather be around people in some dumpy city rather than explore by myself. |