Alright, life has not been going very well for me lately. I see myself waking up one day, and just walking, with about $500 in my pocket. I live in Kansas, I would hitch-hike to San Fransicsco, then basically be a bum there. How could I make money? Any tips, advice, warnings? I want to basically be a hobo. Tell me what you think of this, or if you live there.

I know plenty of hobo and bum kids and adults alike around here. If you come to SF you definitely won't be alone. Come to Berkeley too. Plenty of piece of shit bum kids there. Some things the people I know do:

Bring a weapon. Knives, chains with padlocks on them, whatever works.
Pan-handling or "spanging."
Since you're coming to SF you'll have access to BART. They take the elevator for handicaps and don't have to pay for a ticket.
Get free meals that are handed out in SF and come to Berkeley and do the same.
Use change to buy boxes of wine known as "space bags."
Network with other homeless kids.
Go to other bum's friend's places to crash. I know people that live at this computer programmer's house because he's a bum at heart. He even pays for cellphones.
Bring sleeping bag/camp gear to sleep in the hills or on the street when you don't have a place to stay.
Identify the 24 hour cafes in SF and stay there.
Get some girlfriends and crash at there place.
Wait outside restaurants to get food they throw out. SF/Berkeley are very bum friendly so they won't mix the food with inedible shit.
Ask people eating if they're going to finish their meal. Most will look at your filthy ass and hand it right over.
Don't piss off the older, very insane bums.
Don't bother collecting cans here. The fifty million other bums already did it. You could probably get a job at the recycling plant though.
Get a library card and spend time there.
Attempt to go to anyone of the JC's either in SF or the Peralta district and sign up for EOPS and financial aid. Even if you don't want to go to school after they send you the checks you can just take off.
Most importantly: DON'T ASK ME FOR FUCKING CHANGE. Get a job you bum.

The streets of SF aren't fucking Kansas so watch the fuck out.

Didn't they make money in easy rider by smuggling cocaine?

Bring a weapon. Knives, chains with padlocks on them, whatever works.


do not do this unless you are willing to use it. with out hesitation. in my experience the only thing a weapon does is make a bad situation worse.

as far as ways to make a living. look into working on a organic farm. usually you can be given board an food in exchange for long hard hours of work. plus you get to smoke lots of pot.

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

i did something with these folks about four years back when i got out of high school. it was hard work but good times

do not do this unless you are willing to use it. with out hesitation. in my experience the only thing a weapon does is make a bad situation worse.


Stop telling them not to bring weapons! Come on man both threads? EVERY hitchhiker and bum kid carries one for protection. There's just some situations where you really wouldn't want to be caught without one. Although the unless you're willing to use it advice is a solid.

different strokes for different folks i guess, if you feel the need to bring a weapon for protection i would suggest something non lethal. like a tazer or mace.