Get Your Nutrition =)

Nutrition is an extremely important thing to have while being homeless, or at any other time for that matter.

The main things that your body needs daily are carbohydrates for energy, proteins for muscle building, vitamins for keeping your body running smoothly, and fats and oils for keeping your organs and skin lubricated and functioning properly. You also need a little sugar and a little salt in your diet every day. =)

Basically, bread is a great way to get your carbohydrates. Anything with wheat in it. Meat is the best way to get your proteins and all 12 of the important amino acids that your body needs daily. Meat is the only way to get all 12. Anything with meat in it. Dairy products are a great way to get the fats and oils that your body needs. Cheese is a cheap way to do this. Vitamins are just as important. There are different kinds of drinks that contain the daily percentage of vitamins that your body needs. Vitamin Water, sold at most stores in America, are basically water that has been infused with vitamins. These are a great way to go for that.

Once you have all of the daily nutrition that your body needs, you will not only think clearer, move faster, feel better, and be stronger, but you will also feel better. You will feel healthier and happier because of doing all of these things on a daily basis. =)

For stomach infections or any other kind of bacterial infection in the body, drinking 100% apple juice is a great way to eliminate these problems from the body. There is a chemical in apple juice that helps eliminate any kind of toxin or parasite or bacteria that can infect your bloodstream or your organs. =)

God Bless

Find Shade Spots

Make sure to remember where good shade spots are that you can go to at any time during the hot seasons, in order to get away from the sun, and to stay hydrated.

If you feel like your skin is starting to burn at any time while being out in the hot sun, make sure to get to a shade spot as soon as possible. It doesn't take long for your skin to strengthen while being in the shade, and that will mean more time to be able to walk in the sunlight without burning.

If you feel yourself being dehydrated at any time while walking or while being in the sun, likewise, find a shade spot that you can get to as soon as possible. Your body will retain more water while you rest in the shade, and you will sweat less, which means that you can go longer periods without having to drink water and having to refill your water bottles. =)

God Bless

Get Used To Walking

Get used to walking while homeless, because this will be your primary method of travel. Always taking public transportation simply isn't a viable method, so walking miles at times will become the norm.

The more you walk, the more your legs get used to walking. The longer you walk, the more your legs adapt to walking long distances.

Make sure to take small breaks along the way, such as sitting at bus stops for a few minutes in between to rest your back and bones. This will strengthen your body and replenish your energy.

Every so often, it is important to find a place where you can lay flat on your back for awhile after walking long distances, in order to keep your spine in alignment. :)

God Bless

Something For Pain

It's always a good idea to carry a small bottle of either Aspirin, Tylenol, or Ibuprofen tablets around with you at all times, in case you find yourself in a situation where you are experiencing pain in one form or another. Lowering pain levels means clearer thinking, which means being able to get more done when those situations come about. :)

God Bless

Look For Deals In Stores

There are many ways to save a ton of money while homeless. One good way is to look for sale days at certain stores or marked down food at grocery stores.

Many grocery stores will mark down prices on their food at over 75% off certain items. They usually put them off to the far side of a food area with a red sticker on them. Sometimes you can find entire tubs of potato salad for around $.69. Or an entire package of deviled eggs for around $3.99. This is because at a certain point the food gets closed to expiring so the store needs to make a profit on it quick or end up throwing it all away.

Same thing with clothing stores. Goodwill and Savers both have sale days every week where everything is 50% off in the store. Every single piece of clothing. :)

God Bless

Pan Handling

If you ever find yourself in need of money, there is always the option of pan handling. However, this should never become a daily routine, and should only be done occasionally.

Pan handling is basically just a fancy way to say asking people for money. When you pan handle, you should never ask for a specific amount, but rather you should ask for whatever they can give you. Not only because it would be considered rude to do otherwise, but also because this a way more effective method.

There are multiple ways to pan handle. Outside of businesses for a short amount of time, while walking down the sidewalk, at bus stops, at street corners, at intersections while holding a sign, etc.

All of these methods do work, and in a pinch, you can make a small amount of money this way at any given time. :)

Don't be discouraged if you get turned down by alot of people. Eventually, somebody will help you.

God Bless

Locate The Nearest Hospitals

Locate the nearest hospitals in the area that you will mainly be staying in. In emergency situations it is always important to know where the nearest one is located to you, so that you can get there in time to receive help and healing. You know never know when an accident will occur, or when someone will attempt to be violent towards you, or when you may find yourself in a situation where medical care is an absolute essential in order for your continued survival.

Hospitals also double as a place to go during extremely cold or extremely hot temperatures. Most hospitals have central air inside of them, and during the winter time, have heat, for the patients and other people waiting inside. You can take advantage of this when you find yourself freezing or dehydrated from the extreme heat. You just walk in, find a seat in a corner somewhere, and sit down, until temperatures change outside or until you feel that you can confidently handle whatever the weather is like outside. =)

God Bless

Emergency Charging Stations =)

Libraries are the best option for charging all of your electronics. Most are open from early in the morning all the way up until around 9 or 10PM at night. Libraries have many different electrical sockets for charging your battery on your phone, or the batteries on some of your other personal belongings. Some of these sockets are next to chairs that you can sit in and rest your body while your items charge. Often times if you use a computer at the library, there will be USB ports built into the tower of the computer as well, and you can plug in your items there while you use your time on the computer. Just make sure not to forget your stuff when your time is up and you leave. =)

Also, often times outside of buildings, such as some gas stations, some medical facilities, and some churches, there will be electrical sockets that are open and available for use. However, these sockets that are on the sides of the buildings usually, will only be available for charging your items for a short period of time, because usually you will eventually be noticed by the staff, or from customers coming in and out of the building, or by patients, etc., who will ask you to leave, because it can be considered loitering to hang outside of a building and charge your items if you haven't purchased anything from that building or if you have no other reason for being there. =)

Another option for charging your stuff is inside of certain coffee shops, certain restaurants, and certain fast food places. Sometimes they even have patios on the outside of the building that have electrical sockets as well, but mostly they are inside of the establishment themselves. However, with this option, often times if you haven't made a purchase while inside one of these places, after a short while of charging your items, you may be asked to leave. A small purchase will qualify, so if you do make one, try and make it for the least amount of money possible.

In a pinch though, and when you really need to charge some of your items, all of these places provide the ability to do so. =)

God Bless

 

Drinking Water =)

Drinking water is available nearly all over the city in many different ways. The first and easiest way obviously is just to fill up your water bottles in any bathroom sink, however this method is a bit less sanitary and the water might not taste as well due to bacteria from the sink. Though in an emergency this method comes in handy every time.

The second method that works very well is to go into stores that have customer drinking fountains, usually outside of the bathroom, where you can fill up your two giant water bottles as well, which means a quick, cold, and fresh way to bring water with you on the go.

Another method that works well is gas station soda fountains. Those fountains almost always have a water tab underneath one of the soda options and that water is free for anyone who wants it. Usually it is nice and cold and can even taste pretty good because of some traces of some of the other drinks which usually inevitably always manage to find their way into the water.

Another method that works is park drinking fountains. These are located in every park usually, however they don't always work, and the water is not always cold. Sometimes it can be almost as warm as the temperature during the Spring and Summer seasons. Though even when the water is warm, it can still make the difference between Life and Death.

Another method that works well for obtaining water is to go to Light Rail stations that are main hubs for travelers. Not all Light Rail stations have water fountains built into them, but the bigger ones that have the most traffic usually do.

These are some of the most common methods available for obtaining water in any city. Water inside of cities is usually not a problem at all if you know where to look for it. =)

God Bless

Hygiene =)

Hygiene is not as hard to maintain while homeless as some people might think. Bird baths are essential daily for cleaning the parts that mainly need to be cleaned. You can use your hand as a wash cloth in any single person bathroom, in order to scrub your arm pits with soap and water, which takes less than a few minutes to do so. Also, the other parts of your body can be cleaned the same way, which means that you can be in and out of the bathroom in less than 5 minutes or before someone would even notice what you were doing in there. Obviously if paper towels are available those can be used instead.
Shaving your face can also be done relatively quickly, maybe in 5 or 10 minutes tops. All you need is a razor blade, some conditioner to lather up your skin, a small vial of shaving cream, and obviously the water form the sink to wet your face beforehand. With these items though, you can prevent shaving burn, you can get a smooth close shave, and you can toss them all back into a bag and head out of the bathroom before anyone notices that you shaved. Just make sure to quickly rinse the sink out before you leave so that you don't leave a trail of evidence so that you can return whenever you have to shave again.

Some places even have electrical sockets in the bathrooms themselves, so look for those in single bathrooms in order to plug in your electric shaver for your head or for your face. That is an even faster method of shaving or cutting your hair and it can come in quite handy for when you are pressed for time.
God Bless

Emergency Food Rations

If you get down to less than $10 and you don't know how you will make it when it comes to food, there is a little trick that you can use to survive for about a week if done right with less than $7 spent on food.
What you do is you buy two loaves of $1 bread, wheat bread preferably, and you buy one of those large squeeze tubes of jelly, and a larger jar of peanut butter, and you make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day. This gives you a good source of protein from the peanut butter, and carbohydrates from the bread, and a little bit of vitamin c from the jelly.
Though your body will still crave bread after about the 3rd or 4th day, you can survive on this food for weeks if need be. At least until you find another way to purchase some more stable meals. =)
Just make sure that you don't leave your food in a bag on the ground for too long and walk away from it, because ants love the smell of bread, and jelly, and before you know it, your entire loaves will be invaded by ants and your tube of jelly will have ants crawling all over it, basically making the entire bag of food unviable to consume.
So walking with the bag wherever you go and keeping it off of the grass or dirt ground is a must. You can help by placing a piece of cardboard or something underneath it, which makes it harder for bugs to get into it when you are sitting on the ground.
God Bless

A Throw Blanket :)

You can also get a throw blanket for around $2.50 plus tax at most retail stores while you sleep, which also doubles as something to sleep on top of when you are sleeping on the ground and when the temperature is warmer.

Throw blankets also help keep bugs off of you so for less than $3 you are definitely going to get your money's worth. :)

God Bless

Sleep :)

Finding sleep while homeless and in any city can be difficult at times, but not impossible. Though this is no doubt probably the hardest part of being homeless hands down.

Obviously, a shelter could be your best bet for a good night's sleep. However, here's the problem. Not all shelters are created equal. Some shelters are far less safe than others. Some shelters are in really bad areas. Some shelters allow people to stay that are intoxicated or on drugs. This can make for a very dangerous environment.

Finding a good shelter requires a person to use their own eyes and ears, their own knowledge of the area where the shelter is located, and to find a shelter that has a zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs.

Another problem that can come about with shelters is that they can sometimes be filled to capacity, forcing a person to have to sleep somewhere else regardless.

Well lit city bus stops are usually a good choice because they are owned by the public's tax dollars. Police won't usually bother you while sleeping through the night on them.

Other places that are good for sleep are well lit public parks, after it gets dark, on a far away patch of grass or next to a tree. Usually you can get a decent night's sleep at these, but watch out for when the sprinklers turn on, because you will be woken up and have to move locations.

Other good places can be under certain bridges, behind curtain churches, and behind certain objects such as abandon buildings or dumpsters that have an enclosure that you can go in the back of.

Other areas include in the woods near population, in grassy fields close to businesses where people are in case of emergencies, behind bushes that are close to high traffic population areas, behind tree lines close to high traffic population areas, and in other places such as between two objects that can block wind and rain such as between two walls, etc.

It's up to each individual to find the safest, cleanest, warmest sleep spots that will work best for them. Different spots work better for different people. :)

God Bless

Why The Cell Phone And Charger?

The reason for having a cell phone and charger on your person at all times while being homeless is because you never know when you will find yourself in an emergency situation and need to dial 911.

Most all cell phones these days will let you dial any emergency number for free, at all times. Even if you don't have service on the phone. This comes in handy in any dangerous situation.

Aside from that, cell phones provide access to games and entertainment. Through the internet, or just built into the phone itself. Games and entertainment are necessary at times in order to help keep your mind at ease and pre occupied. This can be very important during stressful moments where you find yourself getting anxious and looking for something to do.

Listening to music is also another advantage that having a cell phone can provide. Downloading music or inserting SD cards into your cell phone that contain music on them could actually change your mood that you are in depending on the type of song you listen to, and when you are in a sad or depressed mood, that could be a crucial plus for your mental health and state of mind. =)

God Bless

Why Two Plastic Bottles?

The reason for the two large plastic water bottles that you would be carrying around with you if you were homeless and in the city is because every single store that you go by that has a fountain drink machine at the front of the store where customers have access to it means that you can fill up your two large water bottles there at any time day or night as long as the store is open, which means that you will have basically free water just about wherever you go. On hot days, this literally could save your Life. Just by having those two bottles with you.

Of course, you can fill the bottles with something else as well, such as juice, which is an absolute necessity for vitamin c, or something else along those lines. Just having the bottles in your grocery bag and on your person though is the difference between going thirsty and being hydrated which makes all the difference in the world for your health. =)

God Bless 

Why The Hat And Gloves?

The reason for one winter hat, and one pair of winter gloves, is very simple. Heat is released from a Human Beings head and hands, and in extremely cold temperatures, that can cause a person to shiver even when they are wearing warm clothing everywhere else.

The ears are also an extremely sensitive part of the Human body, and without a hat in order to cover them during the Fall and Winter season, they can become red, irritated, and can cause you many problems such as sleeplessness and restlessness. It's way better to have your head and ears covered under cold temperatures, then to have to feel the cold and deal with the irritation and stress that comes with that. That's why wearing a hat is so important during colder days, no matter how else you might feel about them.

Gloves are just the same. The hands can become very dry and brittle and start to produce a very painful rash if they are left uncovered in cold conditions for too long. This rash can be extremely itchy, and after scratching it enough times, can actually begin to produce cuts and scabs in your hands, which can become infected, and cause you to get very sick internally. The cold air can suck the moisture right out of the tops of your hands, which is the very beginning stages of obtaining skin rashes and skin irritation on your hands. Wearing a pair of winter gloves prevents all this from happening, and so there really is no reason not to wear them.

Hats and Gloves are very cheap and can be found almost anywhere during the Fall and Winter Seasons. For less than $10, you should be able to get both at discount retailers and even for free under special circumstances. Of all the pieces of clothing that a person can wear, Hats and Gloves are some of the most essential for protecting your skin. =)

God Bless

Why Only One Pair Of Socks?

One Pair of socks is all that a person needs while being homeless. Unless, or until, those socks completely fall apart.

Socks are probably the easiest piece of clothing to clean while being homeless. They can be brought into any single person bathroom and washed under the water from the sink with soap.

After ringing out the socks, and cleaning them, they can simply be put right back on your feet and be ready to go again.

Socks usually tend to start putting off an odor after about 3 or 4 days of walking in them and not washing them. This is because of the bacteria that has built up in your shoe from all the walking and sweating. As a good rule of thumb, washing your 1 pair of socks about every 3 days is the best way to keep them odor free and clean enough to get by for another 3 days after that.

Once your socks begin to tear and fall apart, which could take a long time, if properly taken care of, getting ahold of a new pair should be no hard task at all. =)

God Bless

Why Only One Pair Of Shoes?

One pair of good shoes, under the right circumstances, can actually last a person for many months and in some cases even years depending on how often they are used, and what type of terrain you are constantly walking on. Obviously, shoes are always essential to cover your feet so that you don't get calluses while you are walking, or athletes foot, or cut your feet, or injure your bone structure, or cause swelling, etc.

These shoes should be preferably sneakers, with a good rubber tread on the bottom, or, boots that are waterproof, lightweight, and also have a good tread at the bottom.

One pair is all you need at a time. If you take good care of them, it will be a long time before you will need to replace them, no matter how much walking you do In them. =)

God Bless

Why Two Warm Jackets?

Having two warm jackets at all times is a must in order to survive cold temperatures at night in any season while sleeping outside, especially during the cold seasons of Fall and Winter.

Wearing one smaller jacket and one larger jacket over it is the way to go. This will trap heat between the spaces of the jackets and secure the warmth inside them all night long while you sleep, or all day and night while you travel.

These jackets don't need to be the expensive kind at all. You can get good jackets at any retail store for around $15 or less. In worst case scenarios, you can go to discount stores such as Goodwill, Savers, Salvation Army, etc., and get them for around $7 or less. In some cases, you can even get them for free through donation bins in certain areas of the city, or through church programs, or through people who will gladly donate an old jacket to you that they just don't wear any more.

The jackets should always be carried around with you at all times, because you never know when the temperature is going to change, and when you are going to need to put at least one of them on, in order to stay warm.

These jackets can be the difference between Life or Death when temperatures drop below freezing, and can be the difference between sickness and health even when temperatures are hovering around the 50's or less.

God Bless

Why The T-Shirt And Double Jeans? =)

A t-shirt and a double pair of jeans one worn over the other are all easy to clean, and depending on what type of material they are made out of, easy to maintain.

One pair of jeans can last for a year if taken care of properly. They are much more durable than kaki pants, shorts, or anything in between. Jeans also offer protection against bugs, where as lighter types of pants can often times rip, tear, and open seams where small bugs can crawl through and bite you. Also, they don't get as dirty as quickly, which means that they will look nicer for longer periods of time.

Wearing two pairs of jeans at the same time gives your legs added protection against the elements, and also gives you an extra pair underneath in case one pair gets ruined.

A t-shirt is easily replaceable if lost. T-shirts are everywhere. You can find them for $1 in nearly any discounted outlet store or Goodwill. Even thrift shops or through clothing drives. Practically everyone has a T-shirt to spare if the need ever arose for that. This makes the T-shirt one of the most handy pieces of top body clothing available for all seasons, most especially Spring and Summer.

God Bless

No Backpack Necessary =)

Less is always more in any homeless situation. Backpacks can be bulky, and after long periods of walking around can also put much strain on your back and muscles. When homeless, a person can not afford to take time off to have to rest their bones and to recuperate from overdoing strenuous activity and pulling muscles or injuring their bodies in any shape or form.

Another downside to using backpacks when homeless is that they are automatic police attracters, because police have been trained to look for people with backpacks on their backs as a sign of possible homelessness.

The best way to carry your items from place to place while homeless in any city environment, is to use simple grocery bags that you can get at any local grocery store. It is important to double bag each bag that your stuff is in to prevent the items from falling out of the bottom.

Make sure to carry no more than 2 double bagged grocery bags with your stuff in each hand. You don't need any more than 2 bags. This comes in handy for many reasons. 1. By carrying your stuff in both hands while inside grocery bags, you eliminate any other excess weight that might hamper your traveling. 2. Grocery bags are a nice disguise for anyone who might otherwise notice that you are homeless because everybody goes to the grocery store, and everyone travels with grocery bags in their hands.

God Bless

Less Is More =)

The main items necessary when in a homeless situation and in the city are some very basic warm clothing for cold weather seasons, and light clothing for warm weather seasons.

All you need is 1 winter hat, 1 pair of water proof snow pants, 1 pair of gloves, and 2 warm jackets (worn over each other), and 1 pair of shoes (with 1 pair of socks inside and on your feet) in order to survive Fall and Winter temperatures in any American city.

All you need for warmer temperatures such as in Spring and Summer, is 1 t shirt, 1 pair of jeans, and 1 pair of shoes (with 1 pair of socks inside and on your feet) in order to survive those conditions in any American city.

God Bless

No Worrying =)

The first step when finding yourself homeless in any city environment is realizing that there is no need to panic. Being in a city means that you have access to many different things that can help keep you alive and healthy. Water is prevalent in almost any gas station or any nearby store. Food is available at City Food Banks, through some church programs, and also at certain government installations like the Department of Economic Security.

Once you understand that being homeless in the middle of the city is not a death sentence, you will begin to think clearer, and have a better understanding of what steps to take next.

Worrying is your worst enemy. Worrying solves nothing, causes you to have distorted thinking, and can sap your energy faster than almost anything else. There is no need for something like that when you need every ounce of energy you can get. =)

God Bless