JacquettaGarbage in, garbage out
Where I justify my obsession with good food...
https://livingthezeitgeist.wordpress.com/2025/08/03/garbage-in-garbage-out/
Having a decent cup of coffee when you’re homeless, a 🧵
It’s important to have a few guiltless pleasures when you’re homeless. Coffee is one of mine. And a nice cup of tea too, for that matter.
I prefer a long black or espresso coffee and I find brewing my own is also a guarantee I’ll enjoy it. And, it’s cost-effective. I prefer saving my pennies for a nice takeaway baked item to go with my lovingly prepared home brew.
I had an espresso maker when I was housed which I gifted to a friend. I’ve chewed through several systems since becoming homeless and I’ve finally settled on a system that suits. I’m going to talk you through all of them.
Brewing up when you’re houseless is a compromise. Find a system that is the best compromise for you.
To keep you entertained, here’s my favourite YouTuber, yagai_no_moriko, brewing up at a Japanese campground. You’ll be humming Akogare no kurashi when it’s super gorigori time…
https://youtu.be/q6lzg6Zl2Po?t=955
If you like the track, you can hear the demo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRy4d8mbEYI and the 2024 release here: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k5YXRskrhF5idh28mfGm-uFTbkRJPY4Pk
Let’s go!
1/8
Thread library. Every time I create a thread I will post a link here.
Essentials, follow #EatingMyRent
🚨 You’re about to become homeless, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113059272590337596
🚨 Your emergency survival kit, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113071235159419935
🚨 Staying safe if you’re a homeless female, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113149646182028458
🚨 Camping etiquette and leaving no trace when you’re homeless, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113160866425218865
🚨 How to pack out your 💩, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113200555878292204
Camping hacks, follow #JacquettasCamping
Kitchen tips and recipes, follow #JacquettasKitchen
🍴 Having a decent cup of coffee when you’re homeless, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113172804046291101
🍴 Spag bog https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113071666626700698
Jacquetta (@[email protected])
You’re about to become homeless, a 🧵 I’m going to methodically talk you through what to do if you are faced with leaving your current home and you have no idea where you’re going to sleep. I’m not including the obvious things like dealing with your possessions and finalising your current living arrangements. It’s an extremely stressful time and it’s difficult to think clearly. I kept thinking I had things under control and then I’d think of something important I should do and factoring that in on a tight schedule was horrendous. It’s a good idea to prioritise what needs to be done while you’re still housed versus what can be managed after you become homeless. Your finances are going to take a hit and you will have to prioritise what you can afford. I am going to offer some budget options in this thread as a stop gap measure and I’ll indicate where I believe you should be directing whatever cash you have (and why). But becoming homeless is unique to you. There are some things that everyone will need to think about and there are specifics which will depend on your ties to your current area, whether you are employed, whether you have children, whether you have a pet, and what skills you might have. If you have children, your circumstances are going to be extremely different to mine and your approach will be catered to their needs. Please cherry pick anything useful from this thread. I have seen women with children on the road and, where I can, I will post anything that might be of use. Facing homelessness with a pet is vastly different so I am going to provide two checklists: homeless humans and homeless pets. There is a lot to cover and this thread is enormous so I’ll be adding links everywhere to direct you. Let’s go! 1/34 #EatingMyRent #HouselessCats #Homelessness #Homeless
Spag bog
(long life pantry, no fresh/fridge, vegan-ish)
It's always nice to have something tasty on the road and it doesn't need to be complicated.
If I have fresh ingredients I will use things like fresh garlic, mushrooms, onions etc but it is possible to magic a tasty bolognese out of pantry staples.
If you have access to water, pasta is easy to prepare and it can be made on a single burner.
I use macaroni which cooks in eight minutes. Boil the water, add the pasta, then wrap the pot in something to keep it warm (anything will do: a towel, a jumper, a jacket etc) and it will continue to cook while you prepare the sauce.
Ingredients:
🍅 oil
🍅 garlic granules
🍅 tin of either whole tomatoes or whole cherry tomatoes (not diced)
🍅 Italian herbs (or any other pasta herb you have kicking around)
🍅 dried mushrooms
🍅 textured vegetable protein (TVP)
🍅 nutritional yeast (nooch)
🍅 balsamic vinegar or leftover red wine (optional, like leftover wine is even a thing)
🍅 black pepper
Gently fry the garlic granules in a little oil and add the tin of tomatoes. Whole tomatoes are a much better buy as I find that diced tomatoes contain a high percentage of the bits you never want to eat.
Squish the tomatoes as they cook and add whatever herbs you’ve got. Once your tomatoes are squishy and liquidy add your dried mushrooms and TVP. You’ll probably need to add some cooking water from the pasta at this point.
When it’s just about done splash in some balsamic or if you have a unicorn (some leftover wine) throw that in. Sprinkle liberally with nooch and black pepper.
I am a single childless cat lady in Australia living in a tent with two rescue cats. Deliberate government policies forced me into homelessness.
But I am also resilient, self-reliant and resourceful, and I have decades of outdoors and solo-travelling experience. I want to take my existing experience and my new skill set and share it here so that anyone on the cusp of homelessness can benefit.
My advice will be skewed towards older women who are the fastest growing cohort of homeless people in Australia and who may lack the skills for living an itinerant life but there will be something for everyone.
I have a thread library to assist anyone who may find themselves homeless. Bookmark this post to easily find it and favourite it to be notified of any edits:
https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113155747580097990
These threads may be useful if you’re camping or if you’re in an emergency weather situation. A lot intersects, and you’ll find posts within threads that may have a hashtag and/or link to another post/thread.
My hashtags:
#EatingMyRent Life as a homeless person
#HouselessCats Life on the road with homeless cats
#JacquettasKitchen Everything related to food and food preparation
#JacquettasCamping Gear reviews and hacks using stuff not usually associated with camping
Hashtags I use:
#Homelessness
#Camping
I rarely use content warnings. I want the ugly reality of my life on full display and content warning my own life doesn’t sit well with me. Homelessness shouldn’t be sanitised. I make full use of the ‘Australian vernacular’ as we are a nation that indulges in fruity language. This may bother you, but I hope not as much as being forced into homelessness does.
Please come along and enjoy the uncomfortable ride. Embrace being shocked. Start conversations about what it’s like to be homeless. Shut down the blame factory. We are all one awful life event or one bad decision away from homelessness.
Housing is a human right. It shouldn’t be a government-assisted Ponzi scheme.
Jacquetta (@[email protected])
Thread library. Every time I create a thread I will post a link here. Essentials, follow #EatingMyRent 🚨 You’re about to become homeless, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113059272590337596 🚨 Your emergency survival kit, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113071235159419935 🚨 Staying safe if you’re a homeless female, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113149646182028458 🚨 Camping etiquette and leaving no trace when you’re homeless, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113160866425218865 🚨 How to pack out your 💩, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113200555878292204 Camping hacks, follow #JacquettasCamping ⛺ Nifty bit of kit: Kmart Bamboo Couch Tray https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113177921328955113 Kitchen tips and recipes, follow #JacquettasKitchen 🍴 Having a decent cup of coffee when you’re homeless, a 🧵 https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113172804046291101 🍴 Spag bog https://mastodon.au/@Jacquetta/113071666626700698