
Ask HN: Broke, no money for rent or food? What should I do? - tevlon
This is the first time this is happening to me and it is really scary. I have 200$ on my bank account and 0 income. The rent is due in 2 days. Either i will pay it and starve or i won&#x27;t pay it and get kicked out. I have no idea what to do. I am a student in Germany.
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jlg23
Rent:

In Germany it is pretty hard to kick out a tenant for a single unpaid rent. If
you have a proper rental contract, you're safe for a few weeks at least. Bonus
points for talking to your landlord openly about your situation; s/he might be
more helpful than you'd think...

Food:

You don't mention in which city you are in, but you can go to "Tafel". They
are in all major cities and hand out free meals to those in need. Bonus points
for not only taking, but for giving back (e.g. by helping or by keeping track
how often you use their services and then paying them back when you can).

Last but not least: food prices in Germany are ridiculously low. 200 USD can
_easily_ feed 2 people for a whole month. If necessary, one can survive on
50USD/month.

Edit: Since you are a student - have you thought about asking your fellow
students for help? 10 people lending you 20 each won't hurt them even if it
takes you months to pay back the loans. Also, in most universities you find
student groups that help fellow students or even programs run by the
universities themselves.

~~~
tevlon
I live in Tübingen and yes, there is a Tafel here ! Thanks, this helps a lot.

~~~
jlg23
The "Studentenwerk" in your region offers zero-interest short term loans to
students: [http://www.my-stuwe.de/geld/studienkredite-
darlehen/kurzfris...](http://www.my-stuwe.de/geld/studienkredite-
darlehen/kurzfristiges-darlehen/)

And maybe contact them for local, more personalized advice:
[http://www.studit.uni-tuebingen.de/english/about-
us.php](http://www.studit.uni-tuebingen.de/english/about-us.php)

Good luck and don't give up! ("Studentjahre sind keine Herrenjahre" ;)

~~~
tevlon
Wow. Thank YOU ! I guess this is a "start" :)

------
dalke
I am not German so any advice I give may be faulty.

Germany has social services. Quoting from
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment_benefits#Germany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment_benefits#Germany)
:

> If a worker is not eligible for the full unemployment benefits or after
> receiving the full unemployment benefit for the maximum of 12 months, he is
> able to apply for benefits from the so-called Arbeitslosengeld II (Hartz IV)
> programme, an open-ended welfare programme which, unlike the US system,
> ensures people do not fall into penury. A person receiving Hartz IV benefits
> is paid 399 EUR (2015) a month for living expenses plus the cost of adequate
> housing (including heating) and health care.

More about it at
[http://arbeitslos.wikia.com/wiki/Arbeitslosengeld_II](http://arbeitslos.wikia.com/wiki/Arbeitslosengeld_II)
. [http://i5l.kreis-soest.kdvz.de/integration/downloads/SGB-
II-...](http://i5l.kreis-soest.kdvz.de/integration/downloads/SGB-II-Merkblatt-
Alg-II-englisch.pdf) says that in general students are not eligible.

You need to find if such services are available for students. But it's the
weekend and they are likely closed.

There are also volunteer food services, typically called a 'food pantry'. See
[http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-food-
bank...](http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-food-banks-and-
soup-kitchens-struggle-with-demand-a-941661.html) :

> Vongehr, 70, a pioneer of the German food-pantry movement, fears that the
> situation will get even worse in the coming years. One reason, she explains,
> is that more students are using food banks in Düsseldorf and other
> university cities. Turning them away would be unfair. On average, university
> students in Germany have a monthly income of only €864, which, according to
> the criteria of the German Federal Statistical Office, makes them just as
> "vulnerable to poverty" as Hartz IV recipients and many retirees.

You should find if such thing exists where you live, go there, and in addition
to food, ask for advice. Churches are often connected to social support
networks, so even if you are not religious, you might go to one and ask for a
pointer.

------
osivertsson
What do you study? How far along?

Any work experience?

EU citizen?

I've been lucky to have family that could loan me a bit of money for a while
before I got a job when I was broke. But I really didn't want to do that. In
this individualistic society being broke makes you feel like a real failure,
no matter how bright you are.

If friends or family is not an option I guess any job is better than being
broke. Something close to your studies? Like teaching assistant or flipping
burgers / cleaning at some place targeting students? I did work as a cleaner
and also did inventory checks at retail stores as a student. Pay was lousy but
both were quite social jobs...

Some universities and/or student organizations here in Sweden can help out
their broke students with a one-time loan of 200€ + ideas on how to get some
income. Is something like this available for you in Germany?

Best of luck!

~~~
tevlon
Yeah, i think there is something like that at my university. I'll go there on
monday : [http://en.my-stuwe.de/geld/studienkredite-
darlehen/kurzfrist...](http://en.my-stuwe.de/geld/studienkredite-
darlehen/kurzfristiges-darlehen/)

------
zuckerei
I find the shortness of this message a bit strange.

How did you make a living so far? What was your plan and why did it go wrong?

What are your plans now?

What is your skillset?

~~~
dalke
"A bit strange" means many things. Do you think it's a suspect plea for help
or do you not understand how this can happen to someone?

Let's assume it's a valid request for help. In which case there is only 2 days
for tevlon to figure out what to do, and is currently feeling scared. This is
not the right time to ask for an explanation of what lead to this point,
because doing so doesn't help the immediate issue of food and housing.

Nor is it useful to ask "What are your plans now?", given that tevlon wrote "I
have no idea what to do". There are no plans.

Nor does asking "What is your skillset?" help, because there's almost no
answer which would resolve the immediate issue of food or housing.

People get into this sort of situation for many reasons. It could be bad
planning, or being kicked out of the family which had supported you, or a
consequence of depression, or a drug or gambling addition, to name only a few.
Even good planning can't avoid all problems, because unlikely events also
happen; a roommate who was paying part of the rent who then left or died, or a
fire which required spending all the cash reserves to recover.

But someone who faces a crisis situation doesn't really have the focus or
desire to educate others on the historical reasons which lead to the current
crisis. If I hear someone cry out "Help, I've fallen down the side of the
cliff!" my response isn't "Why didn't you bring a rope? Do you know how to
make a ladder? What were your plans to keep from falling?"

~~~
tevlon
Thanks for understanding. I had a (rich) girlfriend and she supported me, i am
doing my master thesis and had no time for her, so she left for someone else
and here i am :(

~~~
narwally
Is there anyone in your masters program that you can ask for help until you
get back on your feet. I've been in a similar situation in the past, and never
asked my colleagues for help because I didn't feel we were close enough. After
the fact I found out that many of them were appalled that I hadn't asked them
for help, and would have gladly done it. This was in the southern U.S. though,
and I'm not very familiar with German culture; The culture difference may or
may not make this as feasible.

------
jackgavigan
Do you have friends who will let you crash on their couch/floor while you get
back on your feet?

~~~
tevlon
My hometown is 400miles away and i recently moved here. So : no :(

------
zelcon5
I've bought crappy but running cars before for $200 (outright, no loan). If I
were you, I would spend all day today on craigslist for a little junk car that
you can sleep in. Shoplift food from supermarkets that will fit in your
pocket. Beg on the street for spare change. Clean your body in public
restrooms. Try to find drunk women at night who will let you sleep over in
exchange for sex (and conversely, if you're a woman, this whole homelessness
problem is much easier).

That would be the American way. The Western European way is probably going to
the welfare office and getting a 1000€ check.

~~~
dalke
Jack Kerouac, is that you?

Insurance, gas money, possible smog check requirements, city restrictions on
sleeping in one's car, and registration transfer fees make your proposal
impossible for pretty much all of 21st century America.

(Also, Germans don’t use personal checks. They use the postal giro model, not
the banking model.)

~~~
willholloway
Walking in to a Southeastern CT convenience store off I-95, there was a hairy
young man playing the guitar. You never see buskers at a place like this.

I dug it, and told the guy he made my day. We got to talking, he told me he
had grown up in CT, and just got back from his trip discovering America.

The owner of the store was trying to chase him out. "I'm a regular customer
here, this man is bringing culture to this rest stop, let him stay" I said.

He had gone west on I-80, stopped in Colorado for a couple years, then headed
down to New Orleans, living in his hatchback and playing the guitar.

"I've been all over the country" He said. "But this is the place to be!"

I knew how he felt, because I had made a very similar trip in my car upon
college graduation, and felt the same way. I had gone to Austin, TX after
Colorado.

I however had to pay high rents, and obsessively scale online dating campaigns
taking big risk to keep the money monster constantly fed.

This guy claimed to love living in the car. He said he slept very comfortably
in the front seat. He seemed really happy.

I thought I was pretty free, working for myself. But this guy was _free_ in a
way I will probably never know.

You just have to be comfortable sleeping in the reclined front seat of a 1995
hatchback and be pretty good at the guitar I guess, or have a trust fund.

------
fuck__dang
Source: me

When someone first become homeless, the first few days are absolutely the
roughest part, everything in your whole life basically changes for the worse
and you have to rethink every logistical element of your day-to-day routine.

OP says that this is the first time something like this has happened, so I'm
assuming he lost his job or something like that. Times are freakin' tough.

Luckily Germany does appear to have some social services. I think OP should
look into them, and obtain a case worker or someone similar who can advise
him. I wonder also if his landlord can evict him with a 0-hour notice in the
event that he doesn't pay. Perhaps he could get some $ from social services
and pay it late this month and figure something out for next month?

OP, whatever you do, don't get homeless. It is worth every bit of effort and
inconvenience right now to not have to be homeless later. If that means
sleeping at a friend's house, parents house, in a friends dorm on the floor,
literally anything BUT homeless.

On top of that, soup kitchens and food banks should be prevalent, but perhaps
churches and such might help also?

You can do it, mate. I don't know if you'll even read this but I've been
homeless since October 2015, and it's been a whirlwind. Been all across the
US, currently in NYC about to become a stockbroker and make some $$$, but it's
taken since October to do it. When you are homeless, everything is 10x harder.
The shelter I'm at has a curfew, designated meal times, and no way to receive
mail. With no income, my phone was turned off. Imagine how difficult it is to
schedule interviews with these bankers with no phone number, no house, and
I've gotta find a place to hop the turnstile and catch the subway every day
and get back before 10pm. It's a real challenge every single day. On top of
that, people judge you. Most people don't really give a shit about the plight
of the homeless. I'll even admit that before I experienced it firsthand, I
really didn't either. But it's not easy to just 'get a job' and fix all of
this. At least in the US, anyways.

Please do everything you can to avoid homelessness. It's in your best
interests. It's a slippery slope, and a lot of people never make it back up.

Best of luck, mate

