If I could advise myself back when I was on the cusp of losing everything, as many are about to do now, I would say this:

•Get humble. FAST.
•Apply for SNAP.
•Forget about your “credit rating.”
•Fuck your credit cards. Even if you try, they will cancel on you.
•Hoard cash.

Also:

•Prioritize utility bill payments. You can walk away from other bills, but don’t walk away from paying your utilities. Otherwise you won’t be able to get power when you move.
•Change your car insurance to the state minimal requirement. https://twitter.com/leahmcelrath/status/1246630744656695296

You’re thinking like a normal.

People are about to move from the normal world to the world of living poor.

Credit cards reduce limits downward as you pay them. And then they cancel you.

When you’re poor, you cease to be able to borrow. Period. https://twitter.com/mrs_right_a/status/1246632559922024450

Also:

When you start to sell off your possessions, start not by choosing what to sell, but by choosing what to keep.

Cherry pick: What MUST you have (basic furniture/clothes) and what brings your joy in excess of its material value.

You’ll find it’s not as much as you thought.

People who have lived in poverty understand what I’m saying.

Again: this is advice I wish I could go back and give myself. I’m just sharing my experience.

It’s NOT advice for you.

I lived in denial for too long and it cost me.

Impoverished life has different rules and logic.

This IS advice:

When you are accessing social services, be KIND to everyone with whom you interact.

Don’t be defensive and imagine this is beneath you.

You’re just another human who needs help.

Other folks in line have wisdom, and a clerk on your side can make a difference.