A Year From Homelessness, to Renting and Building Financial Independence
Six years ago, the pandemic of 2019 changed a lot of peoples lives. For myself it became the catapult to my rock bottom.
No one ever wants to talk about these extreme lows in their life, or the unsavory and I would say humiliating.
But, I want to say you can always take action to change your life, and believe in yourself that your current situation will get better.
Over a year and a half ago, circumstances in my life kept getting worse. I was struggling to find a way to support myself as the abuse and harassment I was enduring crossed into my work, while also enduring a toxic living situation with my family and stress, like we all have.
The major reasons that catapulted my life into homelessness. I’ve found their isn’t anything at this point I can do about it, and I'm refusing to let it get in the way of being alive.
In either I March or April of 2024 I started living out of my car. I left my living situation and tried to find work, sleeping in parking lots, staying in a hotel if I could afford it or a forest preserve park. For just over a year I lived like this until I found and got hired working a steady full time job, creating a semblance of stability and income again in my life.
Im also aware, life today is mixed in how people choose to live their life, and I'm essentially describing the vagabond life, living on the road. This is a choice for some people and one I don’t disagree with.
My experience however was abrupt, rushed, unplanned and not in any way secured. I had almost no money or an income, but if this is what you need to do, then do it. I hope though that this is a step you don’t have to take.
After a year and a few months, now April 2025 I was able to save up enough money to rent a studio apartment, enjoy hobbies again and begin to build a steady growing savings. This isn’t a transition from rock bottom to the holly grail of turning a bad situation into a story book life, its a struggle of an every day person trying to get through a tough situation. I hope to give some encouragement to someone who needs it, and that life can and will get better.
Here is my crash course in how you can begin to secure a financial future and regain control of your mental health, security and well being. As a prelude, I didn’t decide that I just didn’t want to be where I was anymore and got up and left my life. I took many steps before I choose homelessness as my only option. Seeking professional help had not been what was needed for me, and my mental health was declining and harassment was continuing. Please seek help if you need it, but I support that individuals know themselves the best.
Financially - Have a back up.
I’ve always had a savings since I became a working independent person of society, and unfortunately did not at the time to fall back on.
While looking for a place to work, I went to the library and looked into filing for bankruptcy. After the course of a few months I decided to file. This allowed me to lessen the burden of paying down my credit card debt while having no income to pay for anything.
My debt was less than $30,000, having the ability to now keep the money I eventually was able to make and buy food, gas and a place to shower was a huge weight lifted.
Another step I took, was filling out the application for food stamps, an extremely humbling experience. After a few months I drove across the country and took a job that was paying more than the waitress job I was working at the time.
The Chapter 7 bankruptcy I filed, after the interview with a judge, had gone through and could now have income coming in instead of going straight to a credit card.
If you are going to choose the route of bankruptcy, make the determination of which chapter to file. I did not have a mortgage, loans or a business, so filing mine was not as complicated as it could have been. Student loans are still your responsibility, unless you can partake in the forgiveness program. They allow you to put your repayment on hold under dire circumstances, which is what I had to do.
Since the start, its now just over a year and I had enough to rent a small studio apartment. The upside I suppose was being able to gather and save money, not having the cost of bills to worry about. But lets not go with the mindset of this being the way to build financial freedom, is to have nothing.
Since my credit is now impacted after the chapter 7, I had a few months till I could secure a small credit line and begin to build a savings. Having a savings is a smart financial and security decision, this experience has only solidified the belief and opening a savings is one of the first you should do.
I believe you and I have full control of our life, but we are not the only people here, and preparing for unfortunate circumstances - like a savings - is a way to lessen the impact of major disruptions.
I suggest to put a percentage of the money you make into a high yield savings account.
20% of the income you make if you can budget that into a separate account.
For example: If you contribute the 20% of income into an average high yield savings
Monthly income of: $2,500 Monthly savings: $500 In a year: $7,139
Monthly income of: $3,000 Monthly savings: $600 In a year: $8,360
Monthly income of: $5,000 Monthly savings: $1,000 In a year: $13,243
Another money move that can be a rewarding tool is a credit card when you use it for the right reasons.
Understanding why you want a credit card makes the use of one more rewarding. It becomes an instrument for freedom instead of a burden.
You are essentially building another bank for yourself, a bank of points, miles, money back or gift cards etc.
Credit cards only become a burden if you use it like another paycheck. Find a card that aligns with your interest with rewarding benefits and use it like a debit card. As consistently as you can. Over time financial goals change, and your needs will change but I personally don’t enjoy accruing a lot of debt.
High Yield Savings
A few choices currently available as of November 2025
SoFi - 6 months of 4.3% APY $500/month - 1 Year $7,174 savings
$300 bonus for opening.
Valley Bank - 4.03% APY $500/month - 1 Year $7,160 savings
Western Alliance - 3.95% APY $500/month - 1 Year $7,156 savings
Capital 1/Discover - 3.4% APY $500/month - 1 Year $7,135 savings
Credit Cards
A few choices with rewards as of November 2025
Travel Rewards
Platinum Card American Express - $95 / year
5X on flights/hotels
first 6 months, spend $6,000 for 100,000 points.
Capital One Venture Rewards - $95 / year
2X on all purchases
first 3 months, spend $4,000 for 75,000 miles.
Cash Back Rewards
Chase Freedom - 0$ / year
5% on travel
3% restaurants/stores
1.5% everything else.
Wells Fargo Active Cash - $0 / year
2% on all purchases
Best Everyday Rewards
American Express Gold Card - $250 / year
4X on restaurants/grocery store
3X on flight purchases
Wells Fargo Autograph Card - 0$ / year
3X restaurants, travel, gas, transportation, streaming, phone
If you don’t have a credit card that rewards you, consider another option. A high yield savings or separate account that also earns interest, if you don’t know yours or don’t have one, consider a new account as banks do sometimes change their APY%. Bankruptcy is used for many reasons and different circumstances, so consider this carefully if it becomes a last resort. A professional is highly recommended as it can be a complicated process.
Sometimes a quick scan and serious budgeting is what you need to lower debt or regain control of growing a steady financial portfolio. These are fundamental financial lessons and ones that I use to build a healthy relationship with money.
Planning and taking your well being seriously so you don’t have to be in situations you don’t want to be in.
Aligning your work and relationships will help grow your ideal future and shape your spiritual identity. Not being where you’d like to be is frustrating, but if you start to actively move your decisions and plans, make small changes every day toward this ideal future, it does help mentally refocus your energy into an enjoyable path of a life you choose.
