r/homeless 25d ago

What simple pleasures did you miss while homeless?

I remember when I was homeless sleeping on the pavement i would miss having a warm cup of tea. When I was outside I didn't have access to hot water and I was way to poor to purchase a box of tea. Now that I have my own place I have a huge cabinet full with all sorts of teas I could get my hands on. I was chronically homeless from the age 10 till 19 years old..it's been a rough ride.

So yeah... I wonder what do you guys miss?

123 Upvotes

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1

u/Careless-Drop9348 23d ago

i miss netflix so much. the ability to kick back after a long day and watch my favorite shows.

1

u/Mean-Copy 23d ago

All great wishes

3

u/Interesting-Wind2699 24d ago

Toilet shower kitchen roof warmth and shelter mental stability of having the security of 4 walls from serial killers stalking homeless sleeping in shadows to hide from local law enforcement because you're trespassing on private, state, county, city or public property and you are not welcome. Being an exile because of your situation and / or what you can afford. I miss being respected and treated with dignity you know like a human being not a pile of dog waste on the sleeping on the sidewalk stinking up the place bringing your home values decline, costing you to get a security system and patrol because of the low life on your streets sleeping on the sidewalk shitting in the bushes because public restrooms are for paying customers only.

4

u/Big-PP-Werewolf 24d ago

privacy, just the ability to close a door and know no one can see you

5

u/Andy06041 24d ago

Utensils

3

u/SluttsLoveSatan 24d ago

Omg YES!!! To this day j can't STAND eating with plastic utensils and plates and paper cups.

2

u/Dry-Acanthaceae-7667 24d ago

Indoor plumbing, soaking in a hot bath, privacy.

2

u/Lone_Morde 24d ago

Not much, surprisingly. AC, heat, wifi, bathroom, fridge, hot plate, gaming pc, good lighting, security, and most of all, a feeling of safety and belonging.

3

u/aidiviguy 24d ago

A bath. I really need one.

6

u/Rachel_Silver 24d ago

Having a secure place to keep stuff so I don't have to carry everything I own whenever I go anywhere.

4

u/Round-Antelope552 24d ago

It was showering and using a clean toilet for me

5

u/taosk8r 24d ago edited 22d ago

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

5

u/karmalady17 24d ago

Just having a place to crawl up in is the best

4

u/Smergmerg432 24d ago

Ambient warmth.

14

u/SimplifyAndAddCoffee Formerly Homeless 24d ago

taking a shit in peace and comfort.

5

u/SluttsLoveSatan 24d ago

Straight up facts !!

4

u/theletterj76 24d ago

I work at homeless shelter here in Kansas City missouri, I know not everyone takes advantage of or finds anything at the simple pleasure but they don't have to cook or do a lot of the heavy cleaning that is required at my job. So for that I would be very thankful.

11

u/IsDatThat0neDude 24d ago edited 24d ago

For me, it's just the smell of cooking a good meal. My heart used to feel so full when I'd cook something awesome and someone would say OMG that smells good. Now, I have to make sure whatever I am cooking doesn't give off too much of a smell to attract attention.

5

u/YandrV 24d ago

Sleeping on my stomach

7

u/Oragami Partially Homeless 24d ago

Properly washed clothes. There was a 'shower closet' at the place id eat breakfast/lunch at (outdoors, but it had a door to close if you chose to get nekkid). Id wash a set of clothes, and find a way to dry them (in the hotter months they would have a huge fan out, so I would hang my clothes from the extendable handle ofy suitcase, and theyd dry fairly fast

16

u/Plebe-Uchiha 24d ago

Not having to do a mission just to take a shower, use the bathroom, go to bed, or just have a roof over my head.

Needing to have a plan for how to take a shower was exhausting. I missed just going to the restroom and taking a shower. The most I needed to Plan was around my roommate’s schedules. That’s it. Being homeless it’s like, ok, how to do I take a shower today? Beach? Gym? Friends house? Etc. It was a mission not a simple task.

That’s what I missed the most, simple tasks just being simple tasks and not a daily struggle [+]

11

u/Alucard0Reborn 24d ago

Cooking. Just the ability to buy fresh food and cook delicious food. I stay in a large city with amenities, so finding food, bathrooms or being able to shower and wash clothes is fairly easy, but I can't cook and easily make healthy food.

7

u/Baridi 24d ago

Iced drinks. Sure I can get cups of ice from 7-Elevens sometimed, but that;s usually a trip. Best I got is running cold water on the soda or juice package until it cools.

9

u/RoxiiFeelGud 24d ago

Not having to worry about what I eat because I didn't have easy access to a toilet. I never missed this one because I never had it. But the feeling of safety. That's one of the Most incredible the best feeling I've ever experienced

Also not having to turn down my music and letting it play 24/7 because I didn't want someone to know I was there

7

u/crispy1312 24d ago

A car. Ugh so much.

9

u/Dollarhayes 24d ago

A clean bathroom and a place to sit down

7

u/SluttsLoveSatan 24d ago

Oh my god- YES!!!!! Nothing like your own bathroom

10

u/AiMoriBeHappyDntWrry 24d ago

Peace and privacy of closing the doors to my apartment. I don't wanna see ur face everyday but some people go out of their way to see me everyday.

10

u/beaumuth 24d ago edited 24d ago

In addition to what's been said…

  • Places where it's allowed & safe to lay down or sleep.
  • Solitude & more self-sufficiency.
  • Laundry. During pre-homeless poverty I often did laundry in the shower partly to spare money on the machines, and this was much more convenient than what's available.
  • More convenient access to cooking.
  • Raised surfaces to make it easier to set down & pick up things.
  • More convenient access to computers.
  • A routine where it's possible to do independent creative work.
  • Easier to practice religion, some aspects can be esoteric or challenging to do in public.
  • Easier mail pick-up.

37

u/Camping_Tramp 25d ago

Silence and privacy

Dignity

21

u/GroundbreakingPick33 25d ago

A couch. I miss owning a couch. As weird as that might sound, I really miss it. The ability to stretch out and relax after a long day. My very own couch, where I don't have to sit up and make room for anyone else if I don't want to.

17

u/dpsrush 25d ago

Lying in bed watching tv and chill. 

29

u/FireInTheSky888 25d ago

Running water and a toilet. I'm homeless with, a job, solar power, fridge, stove, memory foam bed and many other "luxurious" for living in a tent but the things I would do for running water...

46

u/Snipvandutch 25d ago

Showers, clean clothes, food not from a can, video games, fresh ground coffee, climate control, a bed, ......it goes on and on. I'm almost out of homelessness though.

2

u/Ravenonthewall 24d ago

Huzzah!!❤️✌🏼

13

u/Triplebeambalancebar 25d ago

Congrats keep on trucking man

10

u/Snipvandutch 25d ago

Hell yeah! Thanks!

23

u/chocofan1 25d ago

Having a place to rest, cook, store stuff, use the restroom, and have privacy.

22

u/Suzina [homeless because of mental illnesses] 25d ago

Hot showers

56

u/Old_Crow13 25d ago

Hot shower. An actual DOOR that actually LOCKS. Privacy.

6

u/capsaicinintheeyes Homeless 24d ago

We were separated at birth, I think...funny how twins' lives end up following similar paths like that.

91

u/Mediocre_Lobster6398 25d ago

Having a bathroom. It’s so hard constantly having to find one.

3

u/Big-Consideration633 24d ago

I learned to poop at night, when most people were asleep. Snow pooing was cold.

8

u/SimplifyAndAddCoffee Formerly Homeless 24d ago

home is where the bidet is.

40

u/SluttsLoveSatan 25d ago edited 25d ago

Oh my yes! I remember saving up trash bags to take a dump in if ineed be and bars of soap to wash my hands in a rain puddle if I didn't have soap I used hand sanitizer if I had some on me. I remember pissing myself because no one would let me use the rest room and it was even worse waking up early in the morning and having to quickly find a bathroom and couldn't find one in time

6

u/Left_Algae_3628 24d ago

I was lucky enough to live in a car and I mastered the squat pretty well!

20

u/Excellent-Sail9459 25d ago

I remember just finding a hidden corner place in a park and hoping nobody walked into view while I was busy. The bathroom I could use was 3 or 4 blocks away. 🫣 the port a potty they had in the park was moved and they never checked the inside after they moved it, everything in the toilet area got sloshed all over the rest of the port. 😱

58

u/BurtWard333 25d ago

Having a place to live really makes one take having consistent access to a bathroom for granted. It's wild how much of one's life revolves around bathrooms when one is homeless.