This isn’t my usual cheerful advice. It’s not pretty, warm, or friendly. It’s an ugly topic that nobody wants to talk about but that more people than ever are facing.
Poverty.
For the first time, I’ve written about my own dirty little secrets, about the desperation and the shame that goes hand in hand with losing everything.
I wrote about some dark, difficult times I experienced over the years during which I had to make terrible decisions. I’m going to share some memories that are not ones I treasure. In fact, they’re things I pushed to the back of my mind because they were humiliating or painful.
I hope that it helps you realize you aren’t alone. I hope that it demonstrates that this time you may be going through, as hard as it is, will not last forever and that things will one day get better.
This isn’t advice for folks who are just down a few hundred bucks a month. It’s for people who are truly desperate. It’s for those who are trying their best to keep the lights on, some food in their bellies, and a roof over their heads.
This advice is not neatly packaged in a cheerful format.
It’s not a gentle entry into frugal living. It’s about what to do when you are afraid you and your family will be homeless within a short period of time. It’s about what to do when you literally have no food – not just no food that you like – no food.
I want you
to know that I really, truly, understand what you are going through. I want you
to know that I had these dreadful experiences, but I got through it. I got
through it by doing what I needed to do. I got through it, and you can too.