[gasping]

> The 4 months of “hell” were really not that bad looking back at it now. All of this taught me a great lesson in humility and resourcefulness. It also taught me to be kind and loving to your fellow man all the while making sure to “pay it forward”.

But it didn't teach them to save a year's living expenses so they'd never get into this situation again? I wonder what is protecting them from becoming homeless if they fall on hard time again -- probably nothing. With that said, this was a really engrossing read and should reinforce the idea that responsible spending is absolutely key to a comfortable life for those of us who perhaps don't appreciate our nest egg of savings quite as much as we should.

[shakycode]

Quite the contrary. The whole homeless experience has taught me to save every penny I can in an "oh shit" or "emergency" fund. These days I'm well protected and typically have 5-6 months worth of expenses in case the bottom drops out again.

[aces-]

If you had advanced warning that you would go through the same financial hardship, what would you do differently?

Have you considered driving an offroad vehicle out to BLM or USFS lands and subsisting there for free? You can live indefinitely without paying rent in some places.

[gasping]

Glad to hear it. I wish you all the best.