Sunday, September 4, 2016

Welcome! [Homeless How-To]


thanks for visiting my page! on this blog you will find a list of ideas and resources available to those who find themselves in a homeless situation, whether by choice or due to circumstance. for the sake of simplicity, i chose to keep this blog limited to helpful tips and info, and keep my own stories and experiences on a separate journal blog.

i've become slightly more interweb savvy since my journey began, and i'm doing my best to document my adventures in writing as well as photographically. Instagram has become my favourite way to portray, and it's the most current and up-to-date timeline of my last few years. check out the list of links below to find out where i'm at and what i'm up to. the journey continues!


to view different topics, check the links on the side bar ->

thanks again for stopping by. the comments and messages i receive have been very encouraging and heartwarming, knowing that by sharing my ideas and adventures i have been able to help others on their journeys. homelessness is a state of mind, and life is what you make it to be. don't ever be afraid, and don't forget to breathe.

bless!


Where I'm At [Journal Blog]

Intro:The Art of Homelessness
My Life Outside the Box
Why Homeless?
Gimme Shelter!
Homeless in Winter
Hygiene and Staying Clean
Jobs and Moneymaking
Diet and Nutrition
Communication
Gear and Gadgets
Storage and Stuff
The Pack System
On The Road
Don't Forget Your Towel
Life After Homelessness
The Transition
Back to the Rucksack

please keep in mind that i started this blog about a decade ago, and some of these products and procedures might be a little outdated. if there's something that you'd like to see a modern take on, leave a comment and i'll share what i've learned. thank you so much for reading!

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

a change of scenery.

after a month of tenting, gathering myself and getting rid of things, i finally made it west. the transition back in to a transient lifestyle is still a little rough, but i'm glad i decided to give it another go. i'm a little older now and face a few new challenges health wise, but i refuse to let anything stop me from enjoying my preferred way of life. my style has certainly changed a little as i prefer to spend more nights indoors than i once did, which means a whole new adventure of meeting new people and enjoying many home-spaces.


my last journey in this direction involved a lot of hitching, spending time in random places and slowly moseying in the direction of VanCity. this time around i chose the cheapest means of travel one-way straight through via Greyhound.. that was an adventure on it's own. there's always people to be met and stories to hear and tell. and at least one soul per journey becomes a life-long friend.

i didn't come with much of a plan besides my landing point, i am blessed to have a friend who is letting me utilise their space in exchange for chores and pet care until i get myself sorted out. there are opportunities for work and wwoofing everywhere, all i need to do is choose a direction. as i type this i'm awaiting messages back on potential things-to-do, but in the meantime i have a chance to enjoy the retired life in a new city surrounded by forests and immersed in culture.


follow my journal blog @The Sage Vagabond, like my facebook page, or find me on Instagram @siekwonsage. i'll be embracing the social media to share stories and photos of random adventures, and hopefully inspire others to embark on random adventures of their own. your situation is what you make if it.. thanks for reading, bless!


Monday, August 4, 2014

The Transition.

it's been a few years since i've spent a decent amount of time living out of my rucksack, so i made sure to give myself a month or so to transition back to mobile mode before i hit the road. i've been slowly emptying out my space in the house in case someone needs to use it while i'm gone. everything is being organized in my storage locker down the road, aka Sam's Garage.


it's taken me a few days to calm my mind and get out of 'work-50-weeks-a-year mode' and back into living/adventure/work when i gotta mode. over the years i had forgotten that it's alright to take an hour or two and just lay out on the grass in the shade. i pulled every piece of my gear out of the house, set up the tents, unpacked the sleep rolls and let everything air out and expand. i hate to admit that many of these things just spent too long stored inside compression sacks. luckily as far as i can tell no damage. it took a few days and a good rain to straighten out the little creases.

of all the modern conveniences of domesticated living, the one i'm most spoiled by these days is my bed. i hadn't actually owned one in years even when i was last housed, and i thought i'd deserved it after so long without. in fact, it was the very first bed i had purchased myself, brand new. from a bed store even! fancy that. anyways, i've been trying not to use it so much, rather sleep outside or on the crappy futon to get used to sleeping on a different surface each night. wherever i end up, doubts on the presence of pocket coils.


the backyard has been a good spot to practice sleeping outside. with all the tenants and their visitors coming and going at all and any hours, multiple dogs around and some local wildlife, i have the chance to become comfortable with random sounds.. and practice being conscious of potential threats in that mostly sleepish state. oh and the crickets at night.. the yard is so full of life especially with the garden flourishing as it has. it's a great place to do some urban camping.

another thing i am adjusting to is the finite supply of funds. working full-time of course i had come to expect the money to replenish in my account automatically every two weeks, so it didn't matter if i'd spend foolishly every once in a while. it seems as though living that way can make us forget the value of a dollar. i'm watching my spending closely. my purchases are more thoughtful. i'm not sure when the next time i'll have an income will be, so i have to leave myself some financial space to get by until then.

otherwise, the horrible eating habits i have developed the past few years certainly show in pounds, so i have taken on a challenge to help me achieve my health and fitness goals while i'm on the road. i'll share a little more about that later on, for now let's just say, my diet will certainly be different this time around. now that i pretty well have being a professional hobo down pat, i can afford the time to develop some supreme vegan hobo culinary skills.

for now, i gotta get back to organizing while i wait out the rain.
ahhh, hobo life.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Back to the Rucksack

it was a good run as a domesticated member of society, i learned a lot from being here.. but it's time again for me to hit the road. this whole wide country is my home, and i feel like i'm living in a corner closet in the basement of this big beautiful place.


i am a transient being. i simply can't stay put, i'm not programmed that way. this year i'm traveling west again, i haven't seen the mountains for six years. they're calling.. and this time i have to answer. i'll be leaving later in the summer, and staying in that direction into early spring. what exactly i'll be up to i'm not entirely sure, but it will be an adventure. there's more to do and learn.

i've decided it's about time i get connected with social media, and share photographs and stories along the way. technology has come a long way since the last time i lived out of a rucksack, and it will be a whole new experience. a lot different than having a roll of quarters and a calling card, and using guest access on library computers when moving from town to town. and not to mention cross country finds in my since favourite GPS treasure hunt game, Geocaching!

you can follow me on facebook at:
facebook.com/thesagevagabond

or here on my blog:
sadie-sea.blogspot.ca

thanks to everyone for being a part of the journey. moving along...


Sunday, December 1, 2013

Life After Homelessness

i think it's safe to say that once you live 'out there', a part of your heart and mind stays there forever. the habits one picks up from being homeless are long lasting and hard to break. i started this page a few years ago to serve as a sort of vague reference point for people who find themselves in this sort of situation. i used my own experiences as a guide.. but i made a point to never really write about those specific moments or situations  to keep the page simple and easy to navigate.

that and i simply wasn't ready to share the finer details about my 'secret' lifestyle with the rest of the world. now that it's been a few years since i've been 'out there', i feel like it's about time to write down what i remember. these memories serve as lessons, ones i hope never to forget. and ones i hope can maybe someday help someone who gets stuck in a similar situation. it's always comforting to know you're not alone.


since my days of wandering with a rucksack i have spent most of my housed time living communally, with anywhere from three to six people in a house. living alone inside four walls tends to make me anxious, so i prefer to have the company. living with others is another lifestyle of trial and error, and that's a whole other story that has just begun. besides that, i have been keeping busy learning about Permaculture, and trying my hand at some urban farming.

having steady access to the web has allowed me to share my journey, i'm finally getting used to this 'blogging' thing. it has inspired me to continue writing about those moments in my life i don't want to forget.. reflections [of a streetkid]. i'm also planning to post more gear reviews, and i'd like to expand this page with more helpful topics.

follow this link for more of my story:
reflections [of a streetkid].

and here for my adventures in urban food farming:
 Southern Ontario Urban Permaculture

also check back for more gear reviews!

thanks for reading, your feedback is greatly appreciated, as always.
please post in the comments below to suggest a topic.
stay warm!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

The Homeless How-To

welcome!

i created this blog as a how-to from my experiences of vagabonding in Canada.
any feedback is greatly appreciated, tell me what you would like to see here!

i have finally started to update my links, including my gear reviews.
checkit!

have a safe and warm 2012.. happy vagabonding!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Storage and Stuff

let's talk about our stuff and where to keep it. i've briefly mentioned storage in a couple of other posts, but it definitely deserves it's own heading.

closets, storage lockers, sheds etc.

i managed to make it most of the year without paying a cent for storage, i'm lucky to have understanding friends and family to lend up some space. free storage is good storage, as long as you can trust whoever is storing it for you. if you can find a space where you are allowed to apply your own lock and key, even better.

if you have a friend with a garage, you may be able to keep some rubbermaid totes stored there, and possibly get a key to the garage for easy access. totes are tough, cheap, and tidy. even extra space in a friend's shed could hold your sleeping gear while you're working or wandering. some jobs may have lockers, or even sheds that you could use if you're boss is cool with it [and you're not trying to hide the fact that you're homeless]. ask friends and family if you can use a hall closet or extra space in their storage closet.. some apartments have access to storage units elsewhere in the building, you could offer someone to pitch on storage or pay/trade to use theirs.


finding a place to lock is rarely free, but storage can be found for cheap. depending on how much space you need, you can find small lockers that are only 3x5 feet, or large ones that can fit an entire house worth of things. assuming that you have as little stuff as i, the smaller lockers are sufficient. i like the smallish 5x7 lockers, you can fit the equivalent of a small couch, a bicycle, and totes of gear with enough room to access it.

the smallest lockers in my local u-haul are 5x7 for $50 a month, but i have found other non-chain self storage places with slightly smaller lockers for as cheap as $30 a month. the no-name monthly storage in my town has 24hour access included in the price, but for places like u-haul the smaller lockers have an additional fee per month for an extra key to get in the gate after hours. you will likely need an 'address' to get a storage locker, for how to have an address see my Jobs and Moneymaking post.


traveling and schools


most storage places are on weekly or monthly rates, but if you are on the move and have less stuff you can take advantage of public lockers. most bus and train stations have lockers with 24 hour access for a few bucks a day.

most colleges don't have assigned lockers. you choose one that's convenient for you, and you put your lock on it to claim it as yours. if you're young enough or at least look it, you could get away with using college lockers to keep backpack worthy loads in. of course you don't want to be seen carrying huge packs or loads of gear into a school, so this option is more for the streamline vagabonds that don't make it apparent that they live outside.


outside


keeping stuff outside can be risky, but still possible. there's a chance that it will be found by people, or animals.. it's open to the elements of nature and any given weather.. and if you're not careful about where you store your stuff you could face a trespassing ticket.

one great idea that i borrowed from a friend is to bury a large cooler in the ground in the woods. this can be used to stash small gear, food and water for when you're camping out, if you have a somewhat permanent spot out there. dig a square hole big enough to set it in lid flush with the ground, cover with brush/leaves and a top with a rock to remember the spot and keep animals out.


some people in the city use things like shopping carts to carry around their stuff. i do have a small wheeled cart myself, but i couldn't imagine dragging it around everywhere. for the longest time i kept it stored in a friend's garage until i needed something from it.. the problem with using carts is where to keep them. there's a young man downtown that has two large overflowing shopping carts full. the police hassle him often, constantly making him move his carts. he was posted up behind a small church for a couple weeks, but i've lost track of him again.


speaking of stuff...


if you're about to be homeless for the first time, you may find it a good opportunity to go through all of your possessions and decide what of your things are 'needs'. it may be hard to let go of things, like your favourite love seat or a bookshelf you built in shop class, but once you try to find a place to keep it all, you will find your priorities change quickly.

in 2008, i had an apartment with my brother. i had all new furniture, a king-size pillow top water bed, a perfectly good couch that had been in my family for decades.. basically, a whole bunch of stuff. i made a decision that i was finished working hard long days just to pay for a place to keep all this stuff, so i sold it, gave it away, and took off on an epic backpacking journey across the country.

sometimes i miss some of that stuff, sometimes i think it's silly that i got rid of it all. but at the end of the day, it's just stuff. easy come, easy go. every time i settle i find what i need, usually for cheap or for free, and i pass it along when i'm finished with it.


i have just recently taken up residence with a friend for the winter. i pulled all of my things out of storage from a few different places so that i could go through it yet again.. to see what i have that i can make use of, and things i didn't miss that i could get rid of. i found clothes that haven't seen the light of day in a few years, good stuff i forgot i had. i kept the bulk of my things that didn't get everyday use in a storage closet that i could access weekly, and kept the most used gear in a different place closer by where it would be used, ex. tent and sleeping gear, a weeks worth of clothing, my laptop, a few books and and a couple changes of footwear.

often you will find that less is more. keep only what you need, and things you feel your heart cannot do without. as time passes, some things may become easier to let go of, and the value of others may grow significantly. things are just things.. keepsakes are nice to have, there's still a few that i carry. just remember, the essence of the person or place you are keeping it for live forever in your heart, no matter what things you carry.