Living in a Hotel Room, Starting Over, Home Lost

July 15, 2010 Updated July 22, 2014

There is an ever growing population of Americans who are finding themselves owning less than ever before. Large and small families, even singles who once had homes are losing them. This is not a topic that you hear much about, unless you are the one sitting in the Welfare office, having to let pride go, to ask for help. Apply for Food Stamps, you need them. The program is called SNAP now. (link below).

"Never say never."

Having been homeless through no fault of my own, I easily recall the shame, and how society portrays the homeless. It is human nature to push away from something so distasteful, because really they know, it could happen to them. The trend is to find fault, blame the victim, and run off to the sweet smelling dinning room you will "never" lose. Not you.

Homelessness, happens to the best people.

Stuff happens...anyone can get sick and miss work. Many Americans are a bad-week away from homelessness.

No wonder the victims of such a huge loss are treated like infected leeches. Who wants to catch this? No one.

South Park can be considered obnoxious, loud and gross. South Park is offensive in many ways, but they do tell the truth. Their manner of presentation is feeding a big helping of tongue-in-cheek sarcasm and humor.

South Park addresses social situations, where the elephant in the room, has the spotlight put on. They have broached subjects that most prefer we keep hidden and secret. Secret is out.The Homeless are growing in numbers everyday. They are coming to your town...

Having survived homelessness, I can pass along some helps from that leg of my own journey traveled. I hope to make your life a little easier and give you courage to know; "this too shall pass." Life will not always be this way. You will once more be able to live in a home, and surround yourself with stuff again. For now, lets make your life a little better.

1). The best friend you have in the town, is your Librarian. Get a library card. Once you feel comfortable, let the librarian know your situation. They are a well-spring of information and resources. Most Librarians have obtained a Masters Degree, and research was a big chunk of that. They are filled with knowledge, and know how to find things. Most librarians I have ever known, may not seem personable up front (they are book people), but they are mostly public servants at heart, are kind, and will help you find resources.

a). Use the computer for networking, and find a social group that builds your esteem.

b). Make use of the multimedia resources; CDs, DVDs, and Videos. These are free to check out.

c). Take good care of the library items. These are shared resources. Keep your librarian as your friend.

Many hotels, and some apartments are set up for a transient population, and will rent a room, or a couple of rooms for a couple of hundred dollars a week. These usually include utilities, and furniture, and some maid service. This type of hotel often caters to the construction industry as well, so in slow times, they will include a small fridge and microwave. This is a start.

When your space is small, you have to make everything more compact. If you can afford acrock pot of your own. It is a wise investment and best if you can find a removable crock. Make sure to get a normal sink size tub that you can do your dishes in. The tub can also be used to store your own cleaning supplies. You will have to learn to buy groceries in much smaller bulk. Make the most of your trip to the store. Fruit will not stay good too long. You will have to prioritize your frigde space.

Keep in mind that hotel maids don't earn a lot of money, so if you do your own cleaning, ask to use the vacuum for your own room, you will get a good rep with the hotel staff. Other things that make a big difference is puting your trash all in one bag, or can outside of your door in the mornings when the maids are making their rounds. Do this with the towels and washrags too [gross side in]. You need all the friends you can get. You have learned that we all struggle, and you will get more empathy from them, than your 'used to be' friends and neighbors.