Home Healing on a Budget

• For headaches= Lavender 🪻 or Peppermint oil applied to the forehead, hot showers, or hot rag soaked in hot water applied to the forehead.

• For Nausea= Saltines plus a cup of hot water

• Cold symptoms & congestion = Hot Water & Menthol rub to make homemade Vicks (could also substitute the menthol rub with tiger balm) + Chili pouch from a Ramen pouch & put into hot water & make a soup of it. Drink the hot soup and breathe in the steam. Or alternatively ginseng tea with raw honey mixed in or hot onion water with a bit of lime 🍋‍🟩 🍯 🧅.

• Sore throat = Honey inside green tea or Turmeric Tea 🍵 or Gargle hot Salt water as many times as needed until you feel better.

• Muscle pain & Stiffness = Towel Soaked in Hot Water to make a compress or a basic hot shower with Dr. teals body wash (Specifically the ones with Epsom Salt)

• UTI’s (Temporary Relief and management of symptoms) = A little baking soda in Hot Water, Lemon with Hot Water, Pomegranate Juice, can of cranberry sauce, oranges 🍊, plastic container of cranberries (you can find at Walmart for 3-5$) Blueberries 🫐, Cranberry juice, Cinnamon, Oregano, Garlic, & Onion. ( In addition drink a lot of water to flush out bacteria 🦠, potentially take some Azo , wash towels twice per week, keep yourself dry & as clean as possible. )

• Toothache = Saltwater Rinse, Hydrogen Peroxide Rinse, Cold Compress, Peppermint Tea, Garlic, Clove Oil, & Vanilla Extract.

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I’ve always believed in showing up with heart when the chips are down, even when the odds are stacked. Right now, I’m navigating food insecurity and housing instability while building toward a new and brighter future for myself. If my work, my words, or my story have resonated with you, I’d be deeply grateful for any support you can offer. Every donation helps me stay fed, cover transportation fees, and buy much needed resources while I finish out my Army enlistment and stay focused on the path ahead. Even $1 makes a difference.

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How to extend the life of your washcloths & towels ⬇️

• Due to how easy it is for washcloths and towels to collect bacteria it's best to wash your body trowel at least twice a week with hot water & soap 🧼 ( by hand usually if you don't have a washer and dryer or any access to them )

• Let the towel dry either by placing it on a fan or outside to Sun dry ( drying the towel should take no more than 12-24 hours and should be ABSOLUTELY BONE DRY to prevent the spread of bacteria which are indicated by sour or mildew like odors coming from the fabric )

• In the event that you are living outdoors wash ur items in a gas station bathroom or a fast food restaurant bathroom and air dry on a tree limb or anywhere that's sturdy and clean enough for you to hang something up but keep watch over it until it's dried.

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How to Extend the Life of your Washcloths ⬇️

• If you ever find yourself in the position where all you can afford is a standard Washcloth for washing your body then it's important to note that the washcloth will only be usable for at maximum 2-3 bath sessions before you have to replace it.

• You can however extend the life of the washcloth for up to 2-3 more additional bath sessions by soaking it in a mixture of baking soda, white vinegar, and a bit antibacterial soap or detergent. ( If you don't have any of the extras just use water and regular soap )

• After washing and wringing out thoroughly dry it by fan or by the sun drying method.

• All of these methods help prevent the spread of natural bacteria and go a long way in protecting your health and skin from infections, irritations, breakouts, rashes, and potential sores.

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Why Urban Survival Tools Matter in a Crisis

In any city, things can shift quickly. One minute you’re managing your day, the next you’re dealing with a blackout, maybe an eviction, or a personal emergency or crisis that throws everything off balance. Having a few essential urban survival tools on hand isn’t baseless paranoia it’s about preparation.

A basic kit flashlight, multitool, power bank, water filter, and a few shelf-stable food items could be the glue that holds your life together, buys you time or an extension on your survival, keeps you safe during times of distress, and keeps you in the driver’s seat when resources are limited.

Whether you’re navigating homelessness, a temporary displacement, or just trying to stay ahead of the curve, a small loadout gives you options. It’s a way to protect your time, your energy, and your ability to still move with purpose and hope in this world when everything is upside down.

The Necessaries

• Printed out map of your area (laminated if possible)

• Compass

• Drone (In extreme circumstances only)

• A durable waterproof / element proof watch (solar powered if possible)

• Waterproof poncho to keep yourself dry if you don’t have an umbrella on hand

• Small portable umbrella

• Thermus or canteen to drink out of

• 1 plastic reusable bottle

• Swiss Army Knife

• Collapsable bolt cutters

• Stanley crowbar

• Medical scissors

• 1 Standard knife (for protection purposes)

• Flashlight

• One small battery powered lantern

• 1-2 plastic containers to eat from (Use the lids as makeshift cutting boards or plates)

• 1 Can opener

• 1 fork

• 1 spoon

• Wet wipes (Anti-Bacterial if possible)

• Pepper spray

• Byrna Pistol

• Taser

• Band-Aids (medium and large size)

• Safety Razor (With 1-2 boxes of disposable blades)

• Toothpaste (Small to Medium sized tube)

• Dental Floss

• Travel Sized Mouthwash

• Travel sized deodorant

• Travel sized hairbrush

• 1 Comb

• 1-2 choice hair products

• 1 tube of travel sized lotion (aloe, if possible, to soothe any skin irritations)

• 1 Travel sized can of shaving cream or shave soap

• 1-2 bars of soap

• 1 washcloth kept in a container (washcloth is to wash with)

• 1-2 rolls of toilet paper

• 1 medium sized pack of flushable wipes

• 1 exfoliation glove (For a better clean on bath days)

• Fingernail clippers

• Travel sized body powder (eucalyptus / mint)

• Travel sized medicated foot powder

• 1 bag of cough drops

• Witch hazel rubbing alcohol (to treat wounds)

• 1 tube of Neosporin

• 1 tube of rash cream

• Alcohol wipes

• Travel sized shampoo and conditioner

• Portable device battery bank

• 1 pair of waterproof steel toed boots

• insoles for boots (essential if walking around all day)

• 1 sturdy multi-compartment backpack

• 1 pull wagon to carry other essentials not kept on your back (Can find at places like Walmart or amazon)

• Milsurp IBA tactical vest (In extreme circumstances)

• Tactical Vest chest rig with pouches (In extreme circumstances)

• Vitamins

• Protein bars

• Drink mixes of choice

• Mint gum

• 1 Comfy hoodie

• Trail mix pack

• Beef jerky

• 2-3 Sardine cans

• 1 small portable umbrella

• Darl chocolate

• 1-2 fruits (the ones easy to store in your backpack)

• Device chargers

• 2-3 pairs of spare clothes '

• 3 pairs of underwear

• Headband flashlight or LED headlamp

• protective gloves

• Small heat pouches

• Copper infused socks (to fight bacteria and better protect feet)

• Wool socks

• 1 bottle of pain killers

• Fingernail clippers

• Packs of herbal tea

• 1 Chap stick

• 1 multi-tool

I’ve always believed in showing up with heart when the chips are down, even when the odds are stacked. Right now, I’m navigating food insecurity and housing instability while building toward a new and brighter future for myself. If my work, my words, or my story have resonated with you, I’d be deeply grateful for any support you can offer. Every donation helps me stay fed, cover transportation fees, and buy much needed resources while I finish out my Army enlistment and stay focused on the path ahead. Even $1 makes a difference.

You can donate via CashApp at $ChantlMcClary (the one with the creative profile pic) and if you can’t give, sharing this helps more than you know. Thank you for walking with me and reading my work.

My Cashapp link

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Why a Capsule Emergency Food Pantry Matters During Homelessness

Building a capsule emergency food pantry, even from odds and ends, is an act of defiance in the face of gruesome circumstance, perseverance, and self-respect.

A capsule pantry isn’t about booku abundance but more so it’s about intentionality. A few shelf-stable items, carefully chosen and rotated, can mean the difference between hunger and hope. Crackers, peanut butter, ramen, powdered drink mixes, and canned proteins form the backbone and can keep you emotionally grounded and put some distance between you and starvation.

Salvaging food items from shelters, donations, or dollar stores isn’t scavenging its strategic acquisition. Each item stored isa small win and Its proof that you’re still trucking, still building, still refusing to be erased despite the hardships you may be experiencing in your life.

Methods that you can use

• Rent a storage unit and store dried foods and canned goods in it temporarily but you may have to store these items in a bin if the storage unit won’t allow you to store food (Just be discrete about it and don’t say anything but ONLY store canned food, dried foods, and non-perishable items in there)

• If a storage unit is not an option then you can get a 5-10 gallon bucket, a small plastic bin, or a basic tote bag and fill it with a certain number of canned goods, non-perishable items, or dried foods and then store it in your car in the back or in the trunk of your vehicle ( Refill the bag, container tub, or bucket as needed )

• If you can store certain food items in the home of a trusted family member or a friend.

• buy things like cupped oatmeal, star kiss brand flavored tuna, instant rice, instant mashed potato cups, canned goods that are easy to open up, and non-perishable items. (Bonus: buy fruits and canned vegetables along with crackers, bread, mayo because they contain egg yolks, mustard because it contains turmeric which is an anti-inflammatory spice, and other food items that are made quickly and easy for you to put together every day)

• If need be, put a small number of items in a backpack or duffel bag to carry it along with you if you do not have a vehicle or the ability to rent a storage unit or store food with friends or a family member.

• If you have the ability also store water, sodas, instant drink packets, and other canned drinks in your car, storage unit, or 1-2 different drinks on person if you are on foot with just a backpack or duffel bag (ONE of these drinks should always be WATER)

• To get extra food seek out soup kitchens, local missions or food banks that feed daily or a few days a week, split one meal into two if absolutely necessary, and also, if necessary, only eat twice per day.

• Refill a bottle of water at local libraries, churches, the gym, gas stations, or fast-food joints each day.

I’ve always believed in showing up with heart when the chips are down, even when the odds are stacked. Right now, I’m navigating food insecurity and housing instability while building toward a new and brighter future for myself. If my work, my words, or my story have resonated with you, I’d be deeply grateful for any support you can offer. Every donation helps me stay fed, cover transportation fees, and buy much needed resources while I finish out my Army enlistment and stay focused on the path ahead. Even $1 makes a difference.

You can donate via CashApp at $ChantlMcClary (the one with the creative profile pic) and if you can’t give, sharing this helps more than you know. Thank you for walking with me and reading my work.

My Cashapp link

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In the event where you find yourself in a situation where there’s no running water. no funds to get it turned back on right away. and you find yourself only with the stench of yesterday’s sins clinging to your skin like a desperate ex-lover. The pipes are dry, there’s no mercy to be received, and your city’s too busy counting potholes to care. You’ll likely not just be dirty, you’ll be feral. And unless you want to smell like a rotting possum in a sauna, you’ll need a plan.

All that being said, this is your guide to staying clean when essential resources are scarce. Urban jungle or rural wasteland, these tactics work anywhere the tap runs dry and the neighbors start watching you like you’re the next episode of Cops.

Bathing Without Running Water: The Ritual of the Rag

1. The Sponge Bath

• Get a bucket, bowl, or pot or anything that holds water.

• Heat it if you can (You can heat up water in a coffee pot and while this takes time it still works). Cold water is for penitents and masochists.

• Use a washcloth, bandana, or old T-shirt. Dip, wring, wipe.

• Start with the face, pits, crotch, and feet (the holy quadrants)

• Use castile soap, bar soap, or dish soap if absolutely necessary. Rinse with a clean cloth.

2. The Jug Shower

• Fill a gallon jug or large bottle. Poke holes in the cap.

• Hang it from a tree, a shower rod, or your soul.

• Soap up, then let gravity baptize you.

• Bonus: Add a few drops of vinegar or rubbing alcohol for purification.

3. The Wet Wipe Resurrection

• Baby wipes, body wipes, or DIY cloths soaked in diluted vinegar. (if your skin isn’t too sensitive use Anti-Bacterial wipes for a better clean)

• Wipe down like you’re prepping for surgery.

• Not ideal, but better than smelling like a dead raccoon in July.

Shower Bags: The Tactical Rainmaker

When the gods of plumbing abandon you, summon your own storm. A solar shower bag, a Flex tail shower hose attachment (my personal favorite), a standard 5–15-gallon shower bag from amazon (there are many to choose from at every price range), a garden pump with a shower hose attachment placed onto it ( you can conserve more water and pump the water onto yourself when needed without having to worry about waste ), or simple gravity-fed shower rig is the closest thing to civilization you’ll feel all week.

How to use:

• Fill the bag with water tap, creek, rain, stolen from a gas station mop sink.

• Let it sit in the sun if it’s solar powered or Heat to boost morale.

• Hang it from a tree branch, shower rod, or car roof rack.

• Use the nozzle to control flow. Soap up, rinse off, and reclaim some dignity.

• If you’re in a rural zone, camouflage it with a tarp or hang it behind your car door for privacy.

DIY Hack:
No shower bag? Use a sturdy black trash bag filled with water, left in the sun. Poke a hole near the bottom and plug it with a cork or valve. Instant gravity shower.

Pro Tip:
Add a few drops of tea tree oil or vinegar to the water for antiseptic power and a scent that says, “I may be broke, but I’m not broken.”

Washing Clothes in no man’s land

1. The Bucket cleanse

• Fill a bucket with water (rain, creek, stolen from a gas station bathroom).

• Add soap or if you need to soap bar shavings, dish soap, or laundry powder. (for extra clean effect add some white vinegar or some baking soda)

• Agitate with your hands, a stick, or by shaking around.

• Let everything soak for 30 minutes. Scrub the filth like it owes you money.

• Rinse in clean water. Wring out. Hang on a fence, shower rod, clothesline, or on a hanger out on the front or back porch. (If you are able, I’d advise investing in a portable washer and dryer or using antibacterial fabric spray for denim. In the case of the Denim washing let your pieces sunbake outside for a few days to get rid of any additional germs because the sun is a natural purifier)

2. The Trash Bag

• Put clothes, water, and soap in a heavy-duty trash bag.

• Seal it. Shake it like you’re trying to summon a demon.

• Let sit. Rinse in a second bag or bucket.

• Hang dry. Pray for sun.

3. The Foot-Stomp Method

• Put the clothes in a tub or bin. Add water and soap.

• Stomp like you’re crushing grapes in Tuscany in the year 1907.

• Rinse. Wring. Hang.

• Bonus: Play music and just imagine that you're a character in the game Mafia Old Country.

Urban & Rural Tactics for Water Acquisition

• Rainwater: Set out pots, pans, or tarps. Filter with cloth.

• Public Restrooms: Fill jugs discreetly. Smile like you belong.

• Creeks & Rivers: Boil if possible. Use for laundry, not drinking.

• Neighbor’s Hose: Ask nicely because that never hurts when you're in a tricky situation.

• Churches, shelters, gas stations: Water is essential and so is survival, in these sort of desperate situations take advantage of any access you can get to resources.

I’ve always believed in showing up with heart when the chips are down, even when the odds are stacked. Right now, I’m navigating food insecurity and housing instability while building toward a new and brighter future for myself. If my work, my words, or my story have ever resonated with you, I’d be deeply grateful for any support you can offer. Every donation helps me stay fed, cover transportation fees, buy much needed resources while I finish out my Army enlistment and stay focused on the path ahead. Even $1 makes a difference.

You can donate via CashApp at $ChantlMcClary (the one with the creative profile pic) and if you can’t give, sharing this helps more than you know. Thank you for walking with me & reading my work.

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In the age of $8 toothpaste and $12 body wash, making your own soap isn’t just a hobby it’s a financial counterattack. Inflation’s a parasite, gnawing at your grocery list and laughing at your budget. But soap? Soap can serve as a form of rebellion in a crockpot.

You buy bulk soap base, cheap oils, maybe raid the pantry for oatmeal or charcoal. What costs $20 upfront can yield a dozen bars that would’ve drained at least $60 at the store. That’s not just savings but leverage you can use to your advantage. You’re no longer at the mercy of corporate scent labs or shrinkflation schemes.

And if you’ve got hustle in your blood, those bars will become barter. Sell them at flea markets, online, or to neighbors tired of paying luxury prices for basic hygiene items. It’s clean, it’s scalable, and with some patience and clever thinking it could become a side hustle that creates breathing room in your finance’s month to month.

Soap Recipe (Peppermint & Vanilla)

• Buy a block of melt and pour soap base and Soap Molds

• Cut the soap base into small chunks for even melting.

• Melt in microwave (30-second bursts) or double boiler until its fully liquid.

• Stir in some aloe gel slowly to avoid clumping. Then Mix until smooth.

• Add essential oils and extras (herbs, colorants, exfoliants). In this case add in 20 drops of peppermint oil preferably organic, add in some organic peppermint Leafs (small leaf’s), and Vanilla Essential oil 10-18 drops

• Pour into your soap molds and spritz top with rubbing alcohol to eliminate bubbles.

• Let cool and harden for 2–4 hours at room temp.

• Unmold and use.

I’ve always believed in showing up with heart when the chips are down, even when the odds are stacked. Right now, I’m navigating food insecurity and housing instability while building toward a new and brighter future for myself. If my work, my words, or my story have ever resonated with you, I’d be deeply grateful for any support you can offer. Every donation helps me stay fed, cover transportation fees, buy much needed resources while I finish out my Army enlistment and stay focused on the path ahead. Even $1 makes a difference.

You can donate via CashApp at $ChantlMcClary (the one with the creative profile pic) and if you can’t give, sharing this helps more than you know. Thank you for walking with me & reading my work

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