Becoming homeless to save money - how viable is this idea

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

One user asked an unusual and interesting question: is the strategy of becoming homeless a good strategy to save money? Residents of different countries entered the discussion, each with its own history. Today we will tell you about the most interesting of them.

Being homeless is not cheap at all

If you look at this rationally and soberly, it may turn out that homelessness is very expensive. That's why:

This is a big damage to your health.… Staying homeless even for a while can have the most negative impact on your physical and possibly mental health. Most of the homeless live in unsanitary conditions, do not seek medical help, and do not eat well. You will no longer be able to get free medical care at the polyclinic at the place of registration, which means that you have a new line of expenses.
You may be in trouble with the police … People without a fixed place of residence cause suspicion and sometimes even hostility among many, especially among law enforcement officers. Remember this, and also that simple politeness when answering questions can save you a lot of problems.
You do not have an address and registration … And along with this, difficulties arise: you will not be able to receive paper mail and in most cases you will not be able to take out a loan and.
You often have to move from place to place. As we have already found out, people dislike vagrants and feel that they are a threat. In order not to incur general indignation, you will have to wander a lot and often from place to place.

I believe that becoming homeless in order to save money is a bad idea, and it will also cost you dearly. Create yourself a folder called "Very Bad Ideas" and store that thought in there.

Fairy tale, not real life

No, I believe that giving up home will not help you either money or time. You will have to take care and think about many things that would not bother you if you had a home. For example, you have to think about where to store your things so as not to carry them with you; how and where it is cheaper to eat, since now you do not have a kitchen and you cannot cook for yourself; where to find bed and shower.

All this and the like can cost you a pretty penny. In addition, the time that you spend on solving these issues, you could be more useful, for example, devote it to your family or your own business.

If you really want to save money, then rent out your apartment and rent a small room for yourself. Well, or as a last resort, return to your parental home for a while.

Leaving your home and going in search of adventure is a very romantic idea, but real life has its own rules regarding beautiful fairy tales.

Living on the Street: The Canadian Student Experience

I think this is a great idea that will really help you save money and learn a lot of new things that will come in handy in your life. I was homeless not because of the circumstances, but because of my own choice. I became homeless because I was a student who didn't want to make money for myself. I also wanted to be engaged in writing and, accordingly, I needed to spend as little time as possible on various side jobs.

I have never slept in a homeless shelter and am not going to do so. I have always believed and still believe now that such places attract exclusively deviant personalities. In my opinion, you can lead a healthy life without a roof over your head.

I slept outside for 14 months, including during the winter. I live in Canada, so I needed to be prepared for temperatures as low as -30 ° C. The comfort of my sleep depended on the weather. This way of life costs a certain amount of money (for example, on a sleeping bag and I had to spend a lot). But this is nothing compared to the money I would have had to pay for a rented apartment. I was able to cover these and some other expenses with a student scholarship.

My daily routine is this: I wake up in the morning, go to the university, where I store my food (sometimes I leave my sleeping bag there too). For breakfast, I eat oatmeal, which usually comes with nuts or pieces of fruit. The university cafeteria has a coffee machine and even an electric stove, so you can prepare yourself a full meal if you wish.

After breakfast, I go to the university library where I keep my books (in the winter I also keep my laptop there, otherwise it would simply refuse to work due to the cold). After that, I attend classes, study a little more in the library, and then go to where I will spend the night today.

I want to continue to lead a similar lifestyle after I graduate from university, as I have a dream to write novels and works on philosophy, so I need as much free time as possible and as little money as possible.

Although after the end of student life it will be much more difficult. For example, I will no longer be able to go to the university gym, after which I take a shower. My university friends will scatter all over the world, and I will no longer have the opportunity to visit them.

Recently, I started spending the night on the rooftops and I want to notice that there is a fantastic view of the city from there. I slept in all sorts of places: in parks, in secluded corners near busy streets, and so on. I often hide my things on the street. For example, now I have left the mattress and blanket on the roof.

I believe that there are many unfair prejudices in society about the homeless. People believe that a homeless person is a priori unscrupulous, avoiding society, most likely a drug addict, constantly sleeping in dirty alleys and has suicidal tendencies. Yes, of course, there are such individuals, but it is unreasonable to attribute all homeless people to this group.

You can be homeless and have a pretty decent job. You can get registered with friends, wake up, go to the gym, use the shower, put on a suit and go to work.

Of course it is difficult. This is not living in an apartment: you wash in one place, eat in another, sleep in a third, and work or study in a fourth. But it teaches you to be flexible and manage your own time efficiently.

I am homeless by choice, not by coincidence. But sometimes I think about how to return to a normal "apartment" life. Hugging a friend while you are both sleeping in sleeping bags is not cool.

A car instead of a house

Twice the car replaced my apartment: the first time for three months in 2006, when I was still a student, and the second time - two and a half months in 2012, it was a forced decision in order to complete the project.

These two periods differed in emotions and sensations, but the problems I faced were very similar: the lack of hot meals, a warm shower, the inability to shave, put on clean clothes, etc. We consider all this to be commonplace until we lose it. Thanks to the time that I have lived without all this, I realized how much luxury we take for granted. However, I don't think this lifestyle will help you cut costs.

It all depends on what you are willing to give up

I have never been homeless in the truest sense of the word: I have never slept on the street or lived in a car. But for several months I have been living without an apartment, staying with friends (my family lives in another city).

I believe that it depends primarily on what kind of person you are, what country you live in and what hardships you are willing to endure.

Living without a home = living without shelter

Yes, you can save money by becoming homeless, but it will waste a lot of time and harm your health (both emotional and physical).

Living in a homeless shelter is like living in constant queues. Stand in line to eat. Stand in line to wash. And so every day.

If you live in a car, you will have to work hard to find a place where you will not be disturbed by the police or deviant individuals. When you are homeless, you are more likely to eat.

And most importantly, you will not have a shelter - a place where you can feel safe. You will not have a home where you can leave your belongings. You will not have a home where you can invite friends or a loved one. You won't have a family nest.

Is it worth it?

The prerogative of the young

Perhaps this is true for young people who have no obligations to others. But for the elderly, who at any time may need qualified medical care, and married couples, this is unacceptable.