I’m not starbux, but I’ve been thinking about all those ‘homeless’ questions that he or she asked and the kinds of information they generated. I was actually thinking I might use some of that information for one of the characters in my NaNoWriMo novel.

But to do that I would need to have a little more practical street knowledge—some authentic specifics. So my question is this: if you were homeless or on the verge of homelessness, in danger of exhausting your resources and about to be in dire straits (or already there), what kinds of things could you do to eke out what you have in order to hang on as long as possible?

I’m not looking for speculative guesswork from the comfort of your warm den. I want to know what real people on the street know.

Example: You can collect and return recyclable bottles that have a deposit on them.
Example: Newspaper is good insulation.
Example: A charitable organization serves hot food in the city park at 3:00 on Sunday afternoons.

I’ve known people who had a repertoire of techniques and skills for getting things free, stretching what they have, and making something out of nothing, and I don’t mean just good frugal homemaker habits and tips but real life-on-the-edge (or over the edge) survival knowledge. But I don’t know these things myself. Do you? What are they?

Topics: homelessness, survival, destitution, street lore, street skills