Okay, so I thought maybe giving my "two cents" on some books I have read might help others on books to read for their ideas on saving money and even being frugal. While this book does not deal with hints, tips or suggestions for anything financial, it does give one lady's snap shot of being laid off and how she dealt with it.
This book is written by Brianna Karp who I think writes this book really well. I really do think it would have been hard for someone to help write this book for her. She starts off by giving you (the reader) some background on her family life which is a hard start (if you ask me). She deals with life with her mother, sister and I think a step-father from about the age of 10 on. She picks up odd jobs at a REALLY young age and just seems to be working ever since. I could not imagine having to work as a youngster to help support the family.
She finally lands a good job and things seem to go well. Until......(you had to know that there was some more drama here) she gets laid off from her job. She is able to get some temp work but I think that even is scarce or not at all. She then inherits her late father's truck and 30 foot trailer. At least it is a place to live? She ends up living in the trailer in a certain store's parking lot. She goes to Starbucks to be able to connect to the WiFi to look for jobs. I think she even joins a gym to have access to a shower.
She then starts a blog to start talking about how she is dealing with being homeless. That is where this book mostly comes from. Do not worry, the book is not written like different journal or blog entries. It flows really well. It is amazing to think of the things she does to keep from telling friends that she is homeless. I think she does her blog under a screen name so I think no one knows her real name. She even has a long-distance boyfriend. You will even have to keep reading to find out the problem she has with her trailer being taken and also visiting her boyfriend (at that time) who lives in a different country (how does a homeless girl travel outside the country?!).
This books definitely got me to thinking about if I ever should be laid off from my job. What would I do if a family member did not let me stay with them? How would I get mail? How would I look for jobs? Where would I shower? Where would I sleep? How do I keep local law enforcement from "picking me up" while being homeless? This book definitely is a reason for why people should have an emergency fund and live beneath your means. I am amazed how this young lady kept sane!
This book also gave me some thought about those who are homeless. I do not think people start off thinking that it will happen to them. But what do you do when you lose your job, have no money and no where to go? When and how do you ask for help?
This book is definitely a really great read about dealing with life and sometimes the bad hand you may be dealt from time to time. Yep, it may really be bad now but there has to be something better if I just keep working! The little "falls" from time to time are okay (as long as I learn something from them). She definitely shows strength, courage and someone who feels bad for herself for a moment but picks herself back up and keeps going. DEFINITELY worth the read!!
And if you want to visit her blog, you can do so by going here: http://girlsguidetohomelessness.com/. You can also read part of her book and keep up to date with what she is doing these days.
No comments:
Post a Comment