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I wrote a new book.
If you’ve read my articles or books before, you know that I like to take a personable approach to the advice that I give. Reviews often say that reading my books is like sitting down for a chat with a friend.
Lifestyles of the Flat Broke and Resilient is NOT that kind of book.
Well, not unless you’re looking for a friend who will provide you with sometimes-unpleasant advice based on personal experiences. If you’re looking for a no-holds-barred guide to surviving poverty, this is it. If you are interested in my personal story – the underbelly of it that I don’t normally write about – you may want to read this book.
When I set out to write about this new situation of widespread poverty that many are experiencing for the first time, a friend of mine suggested that I tap into the emotions of my experiences and not just share the facts. He suggested that I share the ugly, dark truth because there are so many people living in that darkness right now. It’s a change for me, because I tend to err on the side of optimism when I write.
But the topic of surviving poverty is different.
Anyway, I took his advice.
I wrote about my own dirty little secrets, about the desperation and the shame that goes hand in hand with losing everything.
I wrote about some dark, difficult times I experienced over the years during which I had to make terrible decisions. I’m going to share some memories that are not ones I treasure. In fact, they’re things I pushed to the back of my mind because they were humiliating or painful.
I hope that it helps you realize you aren’t alone. I hope that it demonstrates that this time you may be going through, as hard as it is, will not last forever and that things will one day get better.
This book isn’t for everyone.
This isn’t advice for folks who are just down a few hundred bucks a month. It’s for people who are truly desperate. It’s for those who are trying their best to keep the lights on, some food in their bellies, and a roof over their heads.
This advice is not neatly packaged in a cheerful format.
It’s not a gentle entry into frugal living. It’s about what to do when you are afraid you and your family will be homeless within a short period of time. It’s about what to do when you literally have no food – not just no food that you like – no food.
It’s pure survival.
Some people will read this book and disapprove. They’ll say my suggestions are unethical or immoral. I submit to you that those people have never been at the level of poverty that the people who need this advice are experiencing. I’m not suggesting anything that is illegal. You are the only one who can determine what is necessary in your situation.
Here’s what you’ll find in Lifestyles of the Flat Broke and Resilient.
Please keep in mind that I’m neither a lawyer nor financial advisor. This book is about my personal experiences and should not be used in place of professional advice.
- Part One of the book focuses on the painful stuff: taking responsibility for your situation, figuring out where you’re at, talking with your family about your situation, and handling your emotions.
- Part Two is about what to do. Consider it a tool box. Each job does not require every tool in the box. Pick and choose the tools you need.
- Part Three is about the details – specific information about specific financial categories with which you must deal.
- Part Four is about putting all this information together. I wanted to share my story and tell you where I’ve been and where it took me.
This wasn’t the easiest book to write. I revisited some dark places. I told you the ugly, embarrassing truth some terrible times. I relived that despair.
But I did it for a reason.
I want you to hold out hope. I want you to know that I really, truly, understand what you are going through. I want you to know that I had these dreadful experiences, but I got through it. I got through it by doing what I needed to do. I got through it, and you can too.
Let’s do this.
You can learn more about it and get your copy of the PDF here. I’m not sure yet if there will be a hard copy of this book – it really depends whether or not it seems to resonate with people. I’m offering it for $6.49 as an introductory price which will go up after the weekend.
1 thought on “Lifestyles of the Flat Broke and Resilient: A Personal Story”
Back in the ’80s, when our children were small, my husband lost his job when the company he worked for shut down. We both took whatever work we could get: substitute teaching, washing windows, cleaning houses, babysitting, etc., until he could get a job in his field, which took 2 1/2 years. We got almost 3 months behind on our mobile home payments and almost lost it. It was a dark time. I broke my foot on a cleaning job – which I never got paid for – and had to go to the county hospital because we only had $5 and nothing coming in. I tried to make an appointment to apply for food stamps, but the woman on the phone said I had to bring in proof of income. When I tried to explain that we had no income, she said they couldn’t help us. We did get a few groceries from a local food bank run by the churches, my parents gave us what they could, but they were living on social security and didn’t have much, and some friends gave us enough for a trailer payment to keep the bank from foreclosing. One of the things I learned is that people who haven’t gone through this sort of thing don’t understand. Not all, but a lot of them. Some awful things were said to us, but we survived and we found out who our friends were.