Category: poverty

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People Who Grew Up Poor Discuss the Unwritten Rules They Had To Live By

If you grow up with no money, you are instilled with a different set of codes and rules than people who were more fortunate.

Some things that relatively comfortable folks took for granted seem totally foreign to them and there were certain things that they just had to deal with because of their situations.

People who grew up poor talked about the expectations and unwritten rules they had on AskReddit. Let’s take a look.

1. Hide it away.

“Hide money or it will be “borrowed.”

Also, don’t get attached to anything because if it’s any good it’ll be sold in a yard sale, and if it has any value it will be pawned.

I got the same CD player for three Christmases and birthdays in a row…out of pawn for birthday, pawned again a month later, out of pawn for Christmas, pawned again by March, etc.”

2. Hmmm…

“I am the second of 8 kids of high school dropout parents.

“It doesn’t matter of you don’t like the (food, clothes, shoes, toys etc) take it, say thank you and be appreciative.”

“You can do anything you want, as long as it’s free.”

“You will survive. If someone needs it more, let it go.”

“Never tell anyone you are hungry or need something, it makes you seem weak and needy.”

“The second you become working age, 10+. You will help with bills. You have no choice. Your money is everyone’s money.” Which is fine, until you realize the new tattoo mom has and dads new tv.”

3. On the down low.

“Keep your aspirations to yourself.

Telling anyone in your household/social strata about your plans to get out and do better may be met with bitterness and downright ridicule. People will call you uppity for wanting to go to school or stupid for having a career goal that isn’t modest and local and vaguely dead-end.

People will tell you that you have no common sense simply because you refuse to see the world in terms of pure survival.”

4. Be proud of yourself.

“Stand up straight and speak with confidence.

It was so easy for people to look down on the poor kids, so we made it just a bit harder for them.”

5. How sick are you?

“Going to the doctor isn’t an option until your fever is sustained at 104, a bone is broken, or the tooth rotted and won’t fall out on it’s own.

I am in my late 30’s with full insurance and still have a hangup about going for medical care.”

6. It’s all a secret.

“Never tell your friends that you couldn’t afford food or give them any clue about what it’s like at home.

My mother used to ask me if I told anyone how we live and that’s when I started questioning our situation.”

7. Hunger.

“Not eating lunch because it you either “just ate breakfast” or “dinners only a few hours away you’ll be fine”.”

8. Don’t waste anything.

“Nothing wasted!

Mum had a dish called mixed-up stew which was basically a little mince beef, mashed potatoes and any leftovers from the fridge.

Good menu planning – she never called it that but one meal led to the next with last’s night leftovers included. Failing that, she always had a soup on the go using bones from chicken, dried barley and, yet again, leftovers.

Thing is they were all delicious, but that could be me just remembering her fondly.”

9. That sucks.

“We weren’t allowed to do any kind of extra curricular activities.

So, no instruments, no joining any kind of sports or Girl Scouts or anything that required an upfront investment for uniforms or the season.”

10. Embarrassed.

“We were very poor growing up.

You never ate the last of anything without asking first. Portions were small and limited. When I was 11 I was invited over to a then friend’s house. I was floored by their house and furnishings. Very opulent compared to mine. Lunch time came. Her mom had set the table for sandwiches. Everything laid out, 3 different breads, all sorts of meats, condiments and fruit.

At my house lunch was a sandwich with white day old bread with peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes we would have those land o frost thin sliced meats. We were only allowed 2 slices of the meat per sandwich. So, at this friends house, I make my sandwich with one slice of ham because it was way thicker then the stuff at home. The mom kinda freaks out…”what kind of sandwich is that? You need to put more on it, thats not enough.”

I explain that’s what we do at home. They were horrified. Ended up sending me home with a “care package” of food. My parents never let me go to her house again because they were embarrassed I told them we were poor.”

11. A tough one.

“You never brought the field trip permission slips home because you knew better than to make your mom feel guilty.

She couldn’t pay the $5-20 fee to let you go.”

12. Sounds miserable.

“A/C was only for company.

I lived in South Florida and didn’t know I could use the air conditioner without having someone over until I moved out of my parents’ home.”

13. Advice from Dad.

“My father was constantly driving these two things into my head since I was old enough to remember: 1). Hard Work will set you free 2). You WILL NOT get anyone pregnant.

He never meant that hard work would make you rich. He meant that if you’re willing to work hard, you can always work some sh*t job that puts food on the table, and you’ll be so exhausted by days end, you can rest. In my father’s eyes food on the table and a good night’s rest was all a person really needed.

The pregnancy thing was totally about shame. He grew up in the deep south with a Baptist preacher father. My father was around 6-7 in the early 1950’s when his oldest brother (15) got a girl (18) in the church preggo. The resulting shame and shunning from the community that ensued drove my father’s mother to suicide.

I’m sure to some degree he blames his current life on the pregnancy that he had nothing to do with.”

Did you grow up poor?

If so, what were the unspoken rules that you understood and that were expected of you?

Please share your stories with us in the comments. Thanks!

The post People Who Grew Up Poor Discuss the Unwritten Rules They Had To Live By appeared first on UberFacts.

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Folks Who Grew up Poor Share the Items They Thought Were Luxuries

I didn’t grow up poor but I didn’t grow up rich either, so I remember believing that some things were definitely luxuries.

But if you truly grew up in poverty, your whole perspective is different about how you view the world.

And those kinds of things stay with you forever.

AskReddit users who grew up poor talk about what they considered to be luxuries.

1. Hot water.

“A hot shower.

Cold showers were always available, but when you scraped enough cash to get some diesel fuel and get the burner to kick on long enough to have a hot shower man, absolutely nothing better.”

2. Clothing.

“New clothes.

I grew up pretty poor (no TV, no toys, but had a Sears catalog). My dad got in a serious accident when I was in 4th grade and almost lost his life. He won a small settlement from the community college he was working at and I was able to buy new clothes for the first time in my life.

Before this all I ever had were hand me downs from my cousin and donation clothes from the church. Most were worn to the point of having patches on the knees.

The worst part about getting new clothes for the first time is I felt terrible the whole time picking out new clothes because I always felt like a financial burden to my parents. I remember going to Miller’s Outpost and picking out typical 80’s clothes (OP, TnC, etc.).

It’s funny how growing up poor affects my everyday choices, for better or worse. I’ll never outgrow some of the feelings I had as a poor kid and I feel for any kid who has to endure a childhood of poverty.

It will affect them and their choices for the rest of their life.”

3. The good stuff.

“Honestly, I didn’t know that Pasta Roni was $1 until I was a grown man. I thought that was some gourmet sh*t.”

4. Going hungry.

“Having breakfast.

It’s gotten to the point where I can’t eat in the morning because my body is so used to waiting.”

5. No movies.

“Going to the movie theater!

I saw a grand total of, like, three movies at the theater when I was in high school. My classmates would be discussing movies that had just come out and I never knew what to contribute to the conversation because I had not seen them yet.

Finally started seeing movies at the theater when I started earning my own money.

We weren’t really poor, it’s just that most of the money went towards our education, basic necessities, and luxuries like an internet connection. Pretty middle class, but I guess there’s a huge difference between first world middle class and third world middle class, ahaha!

It also wasn’t very common for high schoolers to hold part time jobs, although I’m not sure now?”

6. Instruments.

“I don’t know if anyone can relate, but in about 3rd maybe 4th grade, me and my twin brother had a music class where we were both required to buy a recorder, like a plastic flute thing.

Well my mom said we didn’t have the money so my twin brother and I tore the whole house up in search of $6 for two recorders. We brought a ziploc bag full of change pennies, nickels, dimes etc.

I think the teacher felt sorry for us, cause she paid for our recorders when the rest of the students left the room. Gave us the ziploc bag back.

Thank you Mrs. Albrecht.”

7. Brand name.

“Brand name cereal was for the upper class, man.

Every time I saw Reeses Puffs on top of the fridge, I knew tomorrow was gonna be a good day.”

8. Wow.

“Grew up pretty poor in Arkansas in a trailer.

I literally got a door to my bedroom for Christmas one year.

It probably still was the best gift I ever received.”

9. Scraping by.

“In middle school I was on reduced school meals so it would be .40 for lunch.

So my parents would always give me 2 quarters every morning for lunch, now the cafeteria would also sell cookies which wasn’t part of the lunch set for .50 each.

So saving .10 each day I could afford one cookie by Fridays lunch. Good times.”

10. Trying to stay warm.

“A new winter coat.

I don’t remember having a new winter coat until I was probably 14 or 15, they had always been hand-me-downs from my cousins.

They were usually at least ten years old by the time I got them and the stuffing would be all clumped up.”

11. Sad.

“School parties where everyone brought something to share for lunch.

“If you don’t bring something, you don’t get to participate…”

I brought two carrots after not being able to afford school lunch for two years. Even the teacher laughed at me.

My young self just decided that day that some people don’t deserve lunch.”

12. Hiding.

“Staying at someone’s house who wasn’t poor, like a relative or friend.

Their house was also so clean, beautiful, pictures on the wall, knick knacks on the counter, and carpet you could play on because it was clean.

I spent my entire teenage years hiding where I lived.”

How about you?

Did you grow up poor?

Whatever the case, we want to hear from you.

In the comments, tell us what you considered a luxury when you were growing up.

The post Folks Who Grew up Poor Share the Items They Thought Were Luxuries appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Who Grew up Poor, What Did You Consider a Luxury? Here’s What People Said.

It’s interesting how our childhoods affect us for the rest of our lives.

I remember a friend once told me that their grandmother used to save pretty much everything that could be reused or repurposed around her house. And I do mean EVERYTHING.

The reason was that she grew up during the Great Depression and those hard lessons stayed with her throughout her whole life.

Folks who grew up poor, what did you consider to be a luxury?

Here’s what people on AskReddit had to say.

1. No vacations.

“Going places during school vacation.

The kids would be all like “what!? you’ve never been to XYZ amusement park!?”

No, Trisha. My family doesn’t even have a car.”

Which is another luxury to me.”

2. None of that!

“Being allowed to turn on the heat during the winter.

And also being able to hire a professional to fix broken appliances, plumbing, etc.”

3. A big treat.

“My Mom had 7 children in 10 years, 1950-1960.

I remember having a whole bottle (those smallish glass ones that came out of the machine for 10cents) of soft drink to my self instead of sharing 1 bottle between all 7 of us.

I was perhaps 5 years old. I still remember this as the best thing ever.”

4. New clothes.

“I wore hand-me-downs or thrift shop clothes because we couldn’t afford all new ones. At the beginning of the school year, my mom would give my siblings and I $50 to spend on new clothes plus we’d get a new pair of gym shoes.

I struggled to pick out new things because I knew she and my dad were giving up something for us to have new things. Often, I’d get a couple of things and ask her to save the rest for later, then I’d pick out the cheapest shoes I could.

Even now, buying clothes for myself is super stressful and I only buy when it’s on clearance or at Goodwill.”

5. A big moment.

“I almost never even had winter coats since all my older siblings were female. I would just wear a decent hoodie over a ton of layers of old clothes.

When I got my first new coat, I experienced warmth like I had never felt before and it was so amazing.”

6. You gotta see…

“I remember in 8th grade on my birthday at school one of my teachers asked me what gifts I had received. He asked in front of the whole class, I excitedly shared that I would be getting contact lenses.

My parents let me choose one thing that I wanted and I desperately wanted to stop wearing the broken glasses I had, which I usually didn’t wear. One of the boys in class made a comment like “contacts aren’t a present..?”

And my teacher had to explain to him- again in front of everyone- that for some families they were too expensive not to be a luxury. After that experience I worked two and three jobs in high school so I could buy myself and my brothers the things we needed.

The first thing I bought with my money from my first job as a hostess at a diner was a queen size bed because my twin mattress was about 20 years old and at 15 I was having back problems and issues with rusted springs poking me.”

7. Keepin’ cool.

“Air conditioning.

Sometimes we had a jacked up old window unit that would cool down my parents room on the hottest of summer nights and we would sleep in sleeping bags on their floor.

Sometimes it was broke.

Sometimes it just wasn’t hot enough to justify running it.

Never during the day though, that’s what the library was for.”

8. Bathing.

“Taking a bath.

We bathed every night, but it was by heating up water (that we would go to the park down the road to get in 5 gallon jugs) and filling up a mop bucket to wash off with.

Staying over at a friend or family members house and getting to take an actual shower was amazing though.”

9. Dinner is served.

“It’s a long time ago – but when I was young (about 6-8 years old) back in the early 1960’s we had meat once a week for the family dinner – on Sundays.”

10. On sale.

“Until the age of 12, I thought that you weren’t allowed to buy things that weren’t on sale.

My mom only bought things when they were on sale and/or she had a coupon, so I thought that the “non-sale” items weren’t being sold.”

11. Always working.

“Parents helping out with homework and school projects.

They can’t do that if they always work 3rd shift.

My projects were always notably worse than everyone else’s.”

12. Movie night.

“Renting a movie from blockbuster the first weekend of every month.

My brother and I got to pick any movie we wanted as long as it wasn’t rated R.

On really special nights, we even got a 2-liter bottle of Sprite for the family to share.”

13. Best night ever.

“KFC take out was the best night of the year growing up.

Only got it once a year but man was it the best night ever”

How about you?

What did you consider a luxury when you were growing up?

Talk to us in the comments. Thanks!

The post People Who Grew up Poor, What Did You Consider a Luxury? Here’s What People Said. appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Share Their Favorite “Poverty Meals” They Love No Matter How Much Money They Have

Do you have a favorite “poverty meal” that has stuck with you regardless of how much cash you had in your pocket?

Maybe it’s peanut butter and jelly, maybe it’s plain tuna fish out of the can, or maybe it’s good old fashioned SPAM.

Whatever your preference, most of us do indeed have these culinary delights that stick with us through the bad times and the good ones.

AskReddit users shared their favorite poverty meals.

1. Some good ones.

“Lentil stew

Boiled potatoes with salt and a couple of slices of herring

Cabbage soup and crackers

Tea and toast

Steamed rice with furikake.”

2. Do it the old way.

“Pizza in Italy was originally only eaten by poor people who couldn’t afford proper meals, and so they used the basics of flour, tomatoes and other cheap items to come up with pizza.

However, instead of the meat and other things on modern pizza, the basic vegetables make the pizza just as tasty and I always enjoy eating it.”

3. An Indian dish.

“There’s a south indian dish called Kanji, which is pretty much just rice put in water and cooked for a really long time.

Sort of like rice porridge.Then you put different food items and curries inside for flavor.

I still make it all the time, especially when I’m sick.”

4. Give them a shot.

“Lentils! Great cheap protein and can be used so many ways. Lentils with curry and whatever cheap veg is around, usually spinach or cauliflower.

Also a baked plantain for a super cheap and filling snack.”

5. Nice and easy.

“Fried egg with rice and beans.

I was a missionary in Brazil for a few years and when I would eat at peoples homes they would apologize for that being the only thing they could afford.

I could not convince them that it was one of my favorite meals.”

6. Really cheap.

“Yellow pea soup.

500g yellow peas. Soak over night

1 onion. Halve.

Boil together until peas start to fall apart.

Add salt, thyme and marjoram.

Enjoy with mustard.

About 1 buck will give you ten servings. And gas.

But it’s one of my all-time favorite meals.”

7. I love these!

“English muffin pizza.

A jar of pasta sauce, English muffins, mozzarella and toppings of your choice. Fresh produce is dirt cheap.

The pasta sauce is the most expensive part, and if you make it, and the English muffins at home, each mini pizza is like 30 cents.”

8. Sign of the times.

“Velveeta.

Made a huge comeback in my house at the beginning of pandemic when we were scared, unemployed, and feeling sorry for ourselves.”

9. Listen to this person.

“I’m a chef. I own a restaurant.

I’ve eaten some of the finest foods on this planet.

Very few things taste better than box Mac and cheese with cut up hot dogs.”

10. A classic.

“Cuban style rice and black beans.

Sure, I’ll toss in some avocado now I can afford to, but the base dish stays the same.”

11. A delight.

“Peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Containers of both last forever.

Last year, we lost power for 13 days in the rural area I was living in and lost all food. I lived off those sandwiches on rye bread for those two weeks and bottled water. Never got sick of them at all lol.

I lost 12 pounds.”

12. Yum!

“In Ireland (specifically Dublin) we have a dish called coddle. It’s a salty white stew from the days of the poor tenements.

It’s made with leftover sausages, bacon, potatoes and variable other veggies and grain such as barley.

It is an ugly dish to look at but it is so tasty, wholesome and filling.”

13. The good stuff.

“Buttered Noodles!

Any pasta, a scoop of butter, and a dash of salt.”

14. Good idea!

“A gas station slushie mixed with gas station wine.

Poor man’s daiquiri.”

Now we want to hear from you.

What are some of your favorite cheap meals that you enjoy?

Tell us all about them in the comments!

The post People Share Their Favorite “Poverty Meals” They Love No Matter How Much Money They Have appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Admit Their Go-To “Poverty Meals” They Enjoy No Matter How Much Money They Have

Whether you have $5 in your pocket or $5,000, there are some meals that stick with you and that you still enjoy from when times were lean and you had to do everything in your life on the cheap.

I think my go-to cheap meal is just a plain cheese quesadilla. Cheese and flour tortillas, that’s all you need.

And they still taste great and I still make them to this day!

Let’s dig into some cheap meals with folks on AskReddit and see what they had to say.

1. Lessons from Mom.

“Grew up poor, but my mom sure knew how to stretch a dollar.

She would make steak fingers out of the cheapest cuts she could find. Tenderize, fry them up make gravy out of the drippings and serve with mashed potatoes.

The whole meal probably cost less than 5 bucks in ’70s dollars, and I’m telling you nothing tasted better. I made it for my kids when they were growing up and they still ask me for it sometimes.

She would be 94 today. Love you miss you mom.”

2. Potato time!

“Put some red skin potatoes, fresh green beans, chicken stock, and seasonings in a pot (or slow cooker) and simmer it for an hour or more.

Use a slotted spoon to put some in a bowl, then add a bit of stock and plenty of butter.

It’s heaven.”

3. Pretty simple.

“We used to eat squash and eggs growing up.

Grew the squash and eggs are cheap enough, or trade with the neighbors. You just cut the squash into thin round and cook in a pan with a little oil until they’re just soft. Scramble the eggs with the squash, add a bunch of pepper, some salt.

Sometimes we ate it over noodles or rice.”

4. Yummy.

“Oven-baked potatoes with salt and margarine. Cheap ingredients found in almost every home and easy to make.

Also, the starch in potatoes makes you feel full for pretty long.”

5. Here’s the deal.

“Steamed white rice, crack a raw egg in it while it’s scorching hot, stir aggressively and dash with soy sauce. I

f I have some, put roasted seaweed in. Super cheap breakfast but oh man is it filling/delicious.”

6. The best!

“Grilled cheese is great pretending to be bougie food too.

My brother and I used to go to the store together and splurge on fancy-ish cheese (i.e. still the precut stuff in plastic in the dairy section, not the high end stuff in the deli section or the fancy cheese cooler) and see who could come up with the best combination of cheeses and bread from the bakery section.

I think we settled on sourdough, smoked gouda, havarti, and cream cheese.”

7. So good!

“I had a PB&J recently and felt like a fool!

Why did I stop eating these when I became an adult? Society lead me to believe this was the way.

It is not! Been having PB&J a couple nights a week since. I refuse to let societies unenlightened views dictate my dinner choices!

PB&J is a top tier dish for any occasion.”

8. Mix it up.

“Make some pasta and add in whatever you can find in the fridge or cabinets.

Cheese, lunch meat, Spam, spices, etc.

No two meals were ever the same.”

9. Sounds good.

“Peanut butter and sliced banana on toast.

Now that I’m better off financially, I’ll add real honey and ground cinnamon because I’m fancy now.”

10. Struggle nachos.

“I still regularly eat my struggle nachos, tortilla chips with slices of American cheese on top and microwaved.

Now that I can afford it I’ll throw taco meat on top every now and again but still very much enjoy just the chips and cheese.”

11. Keep it simple.

“Quesadillas (with hot sauce if there is any)

I think a lot of people have different ideas of what a quesadilla is. My version is strictly a single tortilla with whatever cheese I have lying around (usually dollar packs of singles).

That means no meat, beans, lettuce, tomato, etc. And I definitely don’t use a Foreman to make mine”

12. Every day.

“Toast with a fried egg for breakfast.

Been eating that for probably 6 years now and still look forward to it every morning.”

13. There you go.

“Mexi-Mac:

Cook a pound of ground beef with a packet of taco seasoning. Make a box of Kraft Mac n’ Cheese. Mix together.

Also, that’s your salt quota for the week.”

Do you have some go-to cheap meals that you enjoy no matter where you’re at financially?

Tell us all about them in the comments!

We’d love to hear from you!

The post People Admit Their Go-To “Poverty Meals” They Enjoy No Matter How Much Money They Have appeared first on UberFacts.

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Former Poor People Shared Things They Have Now That Were Considered Luxury Items Growing up

A writer named Victoria Barrett recently posed a very interesting question to people on Twitter and it started a thread that was very revealing about how people view money and possessions.

Here’s what Barrett asked the Twitter-verse.

Let’s see what people had to say.

1. Barrett offered a few of her own.

Missing the essentials.

2. A lot of the basics.

Sounds like it was tough.

3. Real veggies.

Not the canned stuff.

4. The comfort of certainty.

That must be a relief.

5. The little things.

They’re pretty important once you have them.

6. Actual tissue paper.

Using old napkins.

7. Taking care of pets.

Makes her want to cry.

8. Enough food…

Going hungry is no good.

9. Mismatched stuff.

But not anymore…

10. The stuff you need.

And that every female should have.

11. For rich folks?

Not exactly…

12. For the kids.

That’s a nice story.

Money sure is strange, huh?

Now we want to hear from you!

In the comments, tell us what you used to think of as luxury items before you had any money.

We can’t wait to hear your stories!

The post Former Poor People Shared Things They Have Now That Were Considered Luxury Items Growing up appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Who Used to Be Poor Talk About What They Considered Luxuries When They Had No Money

It’s interesting what you consider to be luxuries at different points in your life depending on how much money you have in the bank.

And a recent Twitter thread that was started by a woman named Victoria Barrett showed just how much a lot of people out there have had to overcome in their lives when it came to poverty and having simple material possessions.

This is the question that Barrett posed to people on Twitter.

Let’s take a look at some of the very interesting responses.

1. The real stuff.

It does taste better.

2. Never run out.

Always have a back-up.

3. Take care of those teeth.

You’ll be thankful later in life.

4. You know you can get it now.

No more worries.

5. My own space.

It makes a big difference.

6. Sounds pretty bad.

Roaches are awful.

7. This is huge.

Still have a long way to go on this one.

8. Constant noise.

Silence is golden.

9. That’s what wealth means to them.

No more stress.

10. Fancy pants.

Living the good life.

11. The essentials.

You need those basic things.

12. Peace and quiet.

And safety.

How about you?

What did you think used to be something that was really fancy before you had any money?

Talk to us in the comments!

The post People Who Used to Be Poor Talk About What They Considered Luxuries When They Had No Money appeared first on UberFacts.

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Former Homeless People Explain What Their First Night on the Streets Was Like

Over half a million people in the United States sleep without a home on any given night. They’re forced to rest in cars, parks, streets, abandoned buildings, or on friends’ couches. Any kind of person can wind up in this situation, but homelessness is especially common for  those who are living paycheck-to-paycheck without savings – the financial reality for millions of Americans this year. Making it back out of homelessness can be incredibly difficult.

People on Reddit who have experienced homelessness opened up about their stories, describing their first night without a home, and how they were able to adapt to their new circumstances.

1. My mom said we were going camping.

“I was about 9 years old, and my mom said we were going on a camping trip. I didn’t really suspect anything, as it was summertime and we went camping a lot when I was younger. Although I did wonder why we were packing so much stuff. After a few weeks of “camping,” I started to complain, but my mom kept insisting that it was good for us to get in touch with nature, etc. Then school started, and we were still camping. And we kept camping for another 6 months. When we finally got a house, my mom cried with joy. And we don’t camp anymore.”

2. “I remember being really hungry”

“I remember being really hungry and acting weird because of the low blood sugar, almost delirious. This was when I made a futile attempt to run away from an abusive home with no money. I ended up going back because of that.”

3. The police escorted me to the shelter.

“Sleeping in my car wasn’t that bad. It was summer, so it was pretty warm which was my biggest issue.

Showered in the gym, and spent most of my day at the library before going to work.

For the first few nights it wasn’t bad. However one night police found me sleeping in my car and escorted me to the local homeless shelter, which was one of the most terrifying nights of my life. Since I’m lying there in a top bunk, when a huge argument breaks out because one guy breaks out some meth, wouldn’t share it with a second, then a third got pissed and started screaming at them to be quite because he needed to sleep.”

4. The crippling loneliness.

“I was kicked out by my mother at 16 and spent 2 months homeless before the local authority placed me in foster care.

I think what hit me first was how my own mother could make one of her own children homeless. I felt like the least favourite of her children – it all came out of nowhere, I racked my brain for years after, trying to think of what I might have done in particular.

Also the crippling loneliness you feel when you are trying to get hold of people to ask for a place to sleep for the night. I could not feel more alone in the world when someone would either not answer my message or tell me they were busy.

I’m pretty sure I camped out in the park that night. Didn’t sleep at all.”

5. Didn’t sleep a wink.

“It was terrifying and cold and hungry. I didn’t sleep a wink. I adapted over time. Extremely steep learning curve to surviving homelessness. Nothing really prepares you for it.”

“It wasn’t awful until it sunk in that it wasn’t going to change anytime soon. At first it’s just shocking. Like, blank mind shocking. How did I get to this point? Then it’s scary and surreal. AND I had my kid with me…so I was busy keeping him safe and fed. Awful came about a month into it.”

6. Walking “home.”

“I kept waking up in the middle of the night and would start walking “home”. I’d get a few steps then stop and realize I had nowhere to go and turn and walk back over and lay on the ground. The ground is very cold and I felt a lot of shame.”

7. How cold concrete can be.

“I slept at a Catholic Church across from my high school so I could still make it to school and graduate early. I remember feeling really sad because I slept where they put peoples ashes, and I remember being so sad that those people could comfort me in death more than anybody alive. I used to talk to them, if there’s camera footage I look insane. I never realized how alone I was in the world until I was homeless. And I never realized how cold concrete can be, it chills you right to your bones and is painful.”

8. Starting to spiral.

“I started being homeless at 19, a previous foster parent put me out for coming home from college one night, and I had called up a friend last minute. When I started to realize I wouldn’t be able to crash or stay anywhere, I am fairly certain I started to dread, and spiral into a constant, underlying depressive state. All I could think about was “am I going to die like this? Do I matter? Will no one help me? I’m sad, I’m scared. I don’t want to feel like I have to beg. What if I’m stuck like this? Is this really my life right now?” 19-26 was a very challenging time…”

9. Hours upon hours of nothing to do.

“I was getting high, so it really didn’t truly sink in until I was broke and dope sick. Then the desperation started. Going to gas stations jumping car to car asking for money. Stealing what I had to. It was a miserable existence. There are so many things you don’t think about when your not homeless…taking a shower, washing your clothes, and the boredom. Hours upon hours of nothing to do. And the constant noise. There was nowhere to go where it was truly quiet.”

10. Mom was just crying.

“I didn’t really realize what was going on, I was about 6-7 at the time. Dad said we were going to go for a drive and to pack my backpack with all the clothes I could fit and one toy. Mom was just crying. Me and my brother sat in the backseat, he was a little older and was holding our Sega Genesis and looking scared.

We drove for a little while (it was already getting dark) and we parked in front of a Walmart and dad said he had to rest for a while. Was the first of many….many nights we slept in the car.

I remember one of my parents was always awake, with their hand in their coat pocket. Looking back it was obvious they had a gun for protection, sleeping in shifts.”

11. No one wants to let you use the bathroom.

“Its terrifying at first. You feel so unsafe. I was a teenager, and wasn’t willing to close my eyes and sleep on a park bench alone. So, I went to a local shelter and lied about my age. The forced me to shower and do a pee test. It turns out the women in that shelter were scarier than the street so the next night I didnt go back. I slept in a park but ultimately made squatter friends and stayed with them. It was very much a community and I felt safe and loved there.The biggest problem with being homeless in the city is no one wants to let you use the bathroom. Even park bathrooms are locked. Squat peeing in between cars can be done quickly and undercover, but when you get your period its a nightmare.”

12. The first night was miserable.

“I was homeless for a couple of months a year or two ago. I had a car and a low paying job so I lived in the woods in a tent for a bit. The first night was miserable. I ended up sleeping really uncomfortably in the passenger seat of my car and it was a really cold night. After that I got a tent and slept on an old climbing pad i had. The first night was hell but the next several weeks were actually not so bad. I had a spot in the woods where I was well hidden and would cook over a fire. I really didnt have it that bad but it gave me quite a bit of sympathy for people who really do end up on the streets in a much more desperate situation. Shit is not easy.”

13. We climbed up the slopes of a mountain.

“First night my wife and I landed up sleeping outside we slept in a local park that I knew. We had come down from the countryside with a few Rands (enough for 1 meal maybe) and had hoped to stay with a friend. He was unable to give us a place to stay, so we had to sleep outside.

After the insecurity of that 1st night I told my wife that we have to find a safer place to sleep, so we climbed up the slopes of Table Mountain (about a 1 hour walk) and found quite a obscured spot amongst some bushes and trees. We cleared it out of sticks and rocks, made it a bit habitable and then went make to the city looking for work. We’d spend the day going from one place to the next looking for work until it started growing dark. Then we’d head up the mountain to our little spot for the night.”

14. It really messes with your self-esteem.

“My mom used to lock me out of the house regularly for no reason and I never had a place to sleep either so I would walk two hours to the beach and just wait until sunrise when my mom went to work and would sneak in thru my window. Sometimes I would spend a few nights on the beach at a time. It’s terrible, lonely, and really messes with your self esteem especially when you’re young and have nobody to take you in (I didn’t really have friends she prevented that). I’ve been solicited for sex tons of times by grown men when I was 14/15 and was terrified the first few times but quickly leaned that being meek gets you in bad situations so I would bring a knife with me and tell at them. I’ve learned a lot from those times and I hate remembering the loneliness and the hopelessness. I felt like I could’ve died and nobody would’ve cared or even known who I was. It’s a sad feeling knowing that if you disappeared nobody would come looking for you or even care.”

15. Food or blankets.

“I don’t think it all really hit me until I had to choose one night between food and blankets because the temperature was expected to drop down to the mid 30s and I had only had one somewhat thin blanket at that point.”

The post Former Homeless People Explain What Their First Night on the Streets Was Like appeared first on UberFacts.