Ask Lemmy

It's probably best to evaluate your needs and base a plan on that. Everyone is different, but the basic needs are the same: food, shelter, security, and mental health. Secondary (but also important) is gonna be things like transporation, basic hygene, and bulding back your income. Eliminate all expenses that don't relate to these.

Food: many religious places offer food assistance. Protestant and Catholic churches sometimes have no questions asked donations, I also know Sikh temples do Langar and offer food to those in need. Worst case scenario is finding fast food joints that throw out whole food. Big box stores also get rid of a ton of fresh stuff. A homeless friend of mine says that Dunkin always throws out perfectly fine donuts every night, for example.

Shelter: if you have a car, try buying some window shades and stealth parking. Places that are out of sight like hotels and big apartment parking lots. Campgrounds are good too in remote areas. You may get "the knock" to leave but at least it is out of the elements. Always park somewhere differnet every night.

Security: always be aware of the area you're in. Too rich and they will drive you away, in some cities arrest you. Too shady and you'll be in danger. Find an area wih the right "vibe" and dont stay in any one place too long. Trust your gut.

Mental Health: there's no way to sugar coat it; it's gonna be rough. But it is never permanant. With enough time and effort, you can get back up after every knockdown. Most have a reason to be here, to work, and to love, and that reason is why they fight so hard to survive. And if you feel like there is no reason, purpose can be forged from nothing too. Today will not be the same as tomorrow, and sometimes you simply have to wait out the storm. Keep this in mind when things get hard, and don't put mental health on the backburner, or it will be just as lethal as starving.

Once you secure these however, you can focus on cleaning up, and finding work/income. Restaurants are usually good places to work, wih down to earth types and simple labor. You can also head to your local library to access job sites and look around. Anything to at least give you some stability will work, bonus points if you find passion in it.

I hope some of this works for you, I wish you the best

Other advice is great, but I also have some financial related advice on stuff you already have.

If you already own things like cookware, tools, collectibles, clothes, etc. downsizing to a manageable amount is a good idea because you might need to move it frequently. Sell what you don't need, and the things you should focus on keeping are sturdy clothes you wear frequently, basic toiletries, small and expensive to replace items, and a small amount of keepsakes. If you need to stay with friends a week or less at a time being able to move everything quickly is a huge benefit.

The library has great resources for people, for free, for all sorts of situations

Prepare some money for a fresh start.

Mainly to be more flexible for new jobs to gain income. You may need money to be flexible at the beginning. E.g. for traveling. In some countries, it could be important to further pay some insurance. I would check in advance what you need and what not.

I have been out of work for almost two years. Now granted I have been substitute teaching but to me that is out of work as its ad hoc and a pittance. I agree with a combination of some responses. You have to look into any assitance out there. If your in the us I know this can be daunting because nothing is really out there to even help you get started. Check at every level. Your town/city, township, county, state, federal. There is not much but anything at this point helps. It sucks but you will have to put in an inordinate amount of time both getting and micromanaging the thing because of how it works in the us and it will be worth less than minimum wage in most cases with the work you put in but it results in something as compared to resumes which may never result in anything. Next as another person said you have to only spend for necessities. rent, basic utilities, food. I often mention having zero disposable income because until I get a job that is the case. I mean there are a ton of stupid little purchases that im desperate to make but don't. Finally obviously you look for work both a real job that gets you back into the black and pickup work that will work for you. Unfotunately we have a situation, at least near me, where many people are looking for work. Then fight the crippling depersion as much as you can and look for help with things like that. So far though I have not been able to find any sources that actually do anything that might help. There is like phone numbers and such but ultimately you need the right insurance things or such.

If a new income source is not within reach, you can consider moving to a remote village. The few months of savings can last years.

There are always small, low stress jobs to survive. For example volunteering to teach at a school, help farmers etc for accommodation and food.

Why are you going broke though? Why can the solution not be "do not let yourself go broke"?

I dont understand how you are certain of thid outcome. Is it a situation where you are filing for bankruptcy or being seized because of a loan or a similar situation or is it losing a job kind of situation? Anyways, additionally to what others said to reduce your expenses and connecting more with your relatives, try finding any job you can do to have some income. Look outside of the box. Just guessing, like selling hotdogs and sandwiches, or cheap jewelry or anything.

I guess if you can build your small business in the next few months, maybe you will avoid getting broke or recover fast.

If there's government assistance where you are, and you qualify, get on it. If you don't qualify yet, you might later. At least look into it.

Where I am, there are benefits that can reduce overall spending that don't give the receiver the money outright. For example, I can get free eye care and dental (within reason) and I'm granted a significant discount on my local authority bill (which I'm pretty sure exists everywhere under various names.)

That said, such help might not exist where you are or you might not qualify, and for the money they do give directly, it's not really much to live on.

There may be similar help available for rent, or you can get any mortgage or car loan shifted to interest-only payments (that's where you only pay enough to keep the interest from increasing the amount you owe) assuming you expect to get back on your feet again later.

For other advice that might help: Take a look at what you spend every week on groceries, snacks and so on. See what you can do to get that down to a third or a quarter of your non-broke regular spend. Cook less unless that makes food unsafe where you are. Snack less altogether.

Downgrade your Internet and mobile plans to the bare minimum.

Speaking of which: Minimise. If you have some funds now, think about the best way you can use those to sell off things you have that you don't need. If you can turn a profit, do it.

What is your current living situation? Food availability? Physical and mental health stable? Skills you have? Labor you're willing/able to do? Need more info to give good advice.

Where?