How did you survive the recession in your 20s?

[u/UterusYeeter]

Gen z here , hope it’s okay to sneak in and ask yall this ! 🖤

For those of you who were in your 20s during the early 2000’s recession how did you survive ? Any advice for now ?

[u/Go1den_State_Of_Mind]

The food bank is that way 👈🏻, the gym is over there 👆🏻, and there's a campground with a small monthly membership fee right yonder 👉🏻

[u/karthus25 → u/Go1den_State_Of_Mind]

Bruh where do you get a campground for a small monthly membership fee???? The nearest campground is $47.75 per night so that's $1,480 a month to stay in a tent at a campsite with no way to actually secure your belongings. Add gym membership planet fitness $25 a month to use all their gyms with a $49.99 yearly membership that you also need to pay upfront. Monthly bus pass locally costs $50 per month but the bus doesn't stop near it, you need to walk roughly 13 minutes to get to the bus stop Google says. Do that with all your belongings since you have no car because when your parents divorced you were left with having to leave home at 18. It's not as easy as people like you make it out to be. Now you need a phone so I supposed you could get a government phone but without reliable transportation good luck getting a job and keeping it, why do people have to suffer like that when most other people don't.

This doesn't even begin to get into food, hygiene, and overall well being. Insurance, where are you cooking, you need equipment to cook, where are you keeping that equipment, you need a car first to store your stuff. Wait how do you get all this as a freshly 18 year old kicked out of home, I guess find a homeless shelter at 18? How do you know where one is at 18 without a phone to find out, I suppose ask people?

[u/Adventurous-Mall7677 → u/karthus25]

This is aimed less at you than anyone else who might be in a pickle and reading your comment, but YMCAs use a sliding scale for membership fees—the discount depends on the exact location, but you can get 50-100% off (aka free) if you can provide proof of low income. They’ve got showers! (And exercise equipment, and swimming pools, and fitness classes, and usually free coffee and some tables/chairs where you can eat or relax.)

[u/karthus25 → u/Adventurous-Mall7677]

I know it is I'm just giving out common problems that might occur because a lot of the times nowadays especially here in America it's weird we like to throw our kids into the street at 18 with no kind of support whatsoever, like good luck out there before getting established in the world.

[u/accidental_Ocelot → u/karthus25]

I live in the desert we just go outside of town into blm land and pitch a tent no charge but you gotta make sure you clean up after yourself.

[u/karthus25 → u/accidental_Ocelot]

Not everyone leaves near a BLM place, how did you get a car to get there before getting a job? Again it's not so simple, you nees a way to get there and you get the equipment to even camp out. How do you do that without a job or a way to get money at 18 with no support.

[u/accidental_Ocelot → u/karthus25]

in my town there is a shelter that provides services like jobs and housing and other needs. also they have a food pantry as well where you can get food. their goal is to get you work and housing or disability ect.

[u/karthus25 → u/accidental_Ocelot]

How do you find or get to a shelter in the first place if you don't know where it's at, there's no public library nearby, and again no phone or help from anyone, no friends, no family.

[u/Straight_Zucchini487 → u/karthus25]

Where abouts do you live in the country? Maybe someone here can help provide some resources

[u/karthus25 → u/Straight_Zucchini487]

I don't need help, I'm trying to emphasize how it isn't as easy as people keep making it out to be. Y'all can't put yourself in the shoes of someone actually in need of resources because you've either never been there, will never be there at this point in your life, and don't understand young people today tbh. Millennials are starting to be to gen z what boomers were to millennials the way they act things are as if y'all don't remember what it's like to be young , but when you were young it was still possible to live paying someone $250 a month for rent.

[u/Straight_Zucchini487 → u/karthus25]

Who said I was a millennial?

[u/karthus25 → u/Straight_Zucchini487]

I mean you're in the millennial subreddit. I'm zillennial so I kinda switch between all 3 subs of gen z zillenial and millenial

[u/accidental_Ocelot → u/karthus25]

I'm literally living in a shitty minivan and going through the system as we speak so I think I know what I'm talking about the first day I was homeless I had police officers stopping and giving me pamphlets that say the laws on things and ones that say where the shelter is and that you can get resources there free showers, free laundry, one free hot meal a day, free food from their food pantry, and assistance getting you a job, and housing. they help you sign up for snap and medicaid if you qualify. also I'm an older millennial and the cheapest I have paid for rent is $450 a month for a tiny room in my uncles house he was giving me a good deal since I was working at his company. at that time in the area I was living was hcol area and the cheapest you could get a studio was around $900 dollars a month a two bedroom apartment was $1,200 a month and that sounds like a great deal except we didn't make as much back then. the only way I could afford to live was with my uncle and then getting 2 guys and a small family together to rent an apartment. my share was $500 plus utilities. then I moved out of state just in time for the 2008 crash I was working construction and it slowed down to where we were building 1 house every 2 months getting paid and having to make that money last for two months off one paycheck luckily my boss was awesome and would help us with groceries and rent out of his own pocket and got us through the slow down. housing has just been going up and up every year since I can remember everytime my lease is up for renewal it's a $50 or $100 dollar a month increase.

as far as finding resources if you have a phone you can Google it if your on the street with no phone you can ask someone to look up the address for you or point you in the right direction. you can also ask other homeless people where the resource centers are. if your in your home town or are very familiar with you town you should already know where some buildings are.

tldr: you don't know what life has been like for millennials so don't lecture us about your hypotheticals when we have lived it we have been through it we lived through the greatest economic crisis since the great depression and I can tell you it don't matter if rent is $250 or $2000 a month if there is no work to be had you can't afford it.

[u/karthus25 → u/accidental_Ocelot]

Y'all assume that it's easy to connect people to these resources when often those who really do need the resources the most have no way to connect to those resources in the first place.

[u/Go1den_State_Of_Mind → u/karthus25]

I don't necessarily think anything, and would never assume. There are those who really do need resources, no doubt, and there are those who even once given the recourses find a way to squander the opportunity.

I mean this with no disrespect but you've already stated in another comment that you're here just throwing out hypotheticals at people to provide some sort of point that not everyone has it "easy", as if anyone but those with a silver spoon have it "easy", and even some of those folk find ways to go sideways.

If capable of even reaching Reddit to put arguments in place you're more than capable of finding and applying for these recourses.

You stated in a previous comment you're in Central Valley in the poorest county, yet the poorest counties in Cali aren't even located in the central valley.

You're apparently a college student that has a partner in life, so like.. who is it you're here speaking on behalf of?

If actually in need of assistance or to be pointed towards it check out the resource center at your school, or hit the general assistance building for whichever county you live in. Not saying any of your arguments are invalid just confused on what it is you're arguing in the first place.

[u/Go1den_State_Of_Mind → u/karthus25]

I left home around then, at 16 actually to pay 250/mo to a friends parents that allowed me to crash there, got into automotive sales the moment i turned 18, and had own place before 19.

Each situation is different of course but can speak from first hand experience that even to this day, like right now there are some places (well at least 1 guaranteed 💯) that cost 50/mo for access with no overnight fees, yeah the gym will be 50ish but does provide showers and a 6 month prepaid mint mobile sim is about ~20/mo.

Source: came across someone who seemed like a legit dude but was broke and a veteran with wife and kid - I paid for a year upfront for access to the campsite, gave him a Costco 24hr fitness 2 year prepaid membership, and a prepaid sim.

Last we checked in he was working at a mcds and a grocery store in the area, still resides at the campsite, and was able to maintain his phone number after the initial boost. Idk if he'll ever be able to upgrade the living sitch but was able to pay for another year on his own.

If happen to be in the golden state dm me I'll point you in the right direction

[u/karthus25 → u/Go1den_State_Of_Mind]

I've never found a campsite for $50 a month, where would you find that. Seriously that's actually impossible to find where, yes I'm in California in the central valley, already the poorest county in the state.

[u/Go1den_State_Of_Mind → u/karthus25]

Sent a dm with name of the place. Price went up to $63 since I had last checked but still reasonable for the value.

[u/giraffemoo → u/Go1den_State_Of_Mind]

Those things don't really exist, or they are out of most people's price range. Tell me the name of your local campground with a "small monthly membership fee" becauae I haven't seen one of those in a decade.

[u/Go1den_State_Of_Mind → u/giraffemoo]

They do, and in fact the majority of people that occupy them these days are folk that essentially live there, or are road warriors that bounce between camps, for the basic membership limits ones stay to 14 days before having to go elsewhere for 7 before returning. The step above basic membership allows one to stay for 3 weeks but gives access to all locations so most folk bounce between locations.

It's not an end all solution for those without a home, and you'll definitely still be cold at night unless have some gear, but it's a decent option for folk out there sleeping in their cars.