To everyone who sent me money: thanks.
This has actually lifted my depression. Temporarily of course, but it’s been a while since I’ve actually wanted to clean my “box” as my friend calls it (this shack I keep almost self-immolating in); since I’ve actually wanted to write something, or whatever. I ACTUALLY STARTED PUTTING THINGS BACK IN MY POCKETS AFTER I USE THEM.
I know I sound like a vapid bitch but having money makes me happy. Having an actual incense holder instead of having to use an empty soda can or whatever makes me happy. Having a lighter that works instead of having to spark a fucked off lighter with another fucked off lighter, so I can maybe spark the torch lighter and get that goin’ for a couple seconds, makes me happy.
So yeah. Thanks.
Glad to hear that you’re doing better!
The saying “Money can’t buy you happiness” may have some truth to it but it completely misses the point because money can buy you out of all sorts of misery.
I’m guessing it’s cold where you are. Have you ever thought about insulating your shack so that it stays warmer?
You can do a lot, even on a shoestring budget. A can of spray foam would seal up any big gaps in your shack and you could even step it up a notch by getting foil-backed insulation. Hardware stores sell construction insulation boards but often that can be pricey. As an alternative, you can get what is essentially a roll of bubble wrap which has emergency blanket material bonded to it on one side.
It’s stuff that looks like this:
The material is extremely light, it’s cheap, and it’s easy to manage. You’d be able to glue it up or attach it to your shack using stuff like nails, thumbtacks, or staples (construction staples tend to be expensive but a regular stapler might be able to get through the walls in your shack if the wood is soft enough.) A layer of duct tape across any gaps or seams would improve the insulation even more.
I’ve found rolls of this insulation for next to nothing at my local dollar stores such as Daiso.
Obviously this sort of material is not going to play well with open fires but if your shack is nice and cosy because it’s insulated then you might suit you better.
Idk if your shack has a door but if it doesn’t then a piece of closed-cell insulation board cut to size would work well as a makeshift interior door - something to keep the worst of the cold out. You might be able to scavenge a discarded fridge or freezer door to use as an exterior door too, although you’d probably need some tools to remove a fridge door from the hinge. If you don’t have any fabric or rope, you could twist up some duct tape and affix it to the door with tape or nails so that you could position the door in the right place when you’re inside your shack to keep out draughts.
Anyway, just a thought. If it sounds like something that you would like to do but it’s out of your budget then maybe it’d be worth putting up another post on here.
Wherever you are I hope that you’re safe and warm and that things keep improving for you!
Whoa I’ll have to read all this later.
My shack is sort of slapped together. Right now I’m headed to the cool stuff store (hardware store) to grab a pair of actual gloves (the cool fingerless gloves were a stop-gap) and I forget what else; then I’m fixing my shack. The roof, consisting of a heavy folding table held up by a pallet and (by accident) another pallet, very precariously, and in a way that expands the floorplan in a really ugly looking way; my shack is built on a median, next to a boutique clothing store.
I expect to be posted (get a notice from the city telling me to get fucked) soon, because the weather has gotten better (lovely, actually) and I’ve been letting myself go lately. The city has this like street medic team to which it directs calls to the police/emergency services about homeless people and that sort of thing; the other day they paid me a visit because I woke up and started screaming like someone who’d be lobotomized a century ago (was that fucked up to say? I am quite mentally ill so I feel like I get a pass, kinda) because I couldn’t find my phone, which is probably the one of my possessions which I truly give a fuck about. They asked me if I was OK, I said Yeah, and they left.
Point being I don’t plan on making major improvements to this structure. When I get my fuck off notice I may return to my old nomadic lifestyle—sleeping on restaurant patios, in doorways, etc., packing up every morning. Having a space where I can hide and do whatever and store food/supplies is nice, but it always leads to me going feral—dirt on my hands that won’t go away after washing my hands a dozen times, just laying there all day, taking apart torch lighters, fucking off my basic self-care, being a hermit.
But what leads to that not giving a fuck is like, having to weigh my tarp down with bricks or, when I run out of those, a milk crate full of random shit; instead of being able to use actual paracord or something. Having a wall that’s a pallet leaning against another pallet. God, imagine if I could actually nail/whatever pallets together and make a real structure. Last year I almost did that when the friend who won’t talk to me anymore said I could borrow some of their power tools (which being a tweaker they have a lot of). Buuuut then the cops showed up and told me to leave.
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