# Getting Free Shit...All...The...Time...



## Deleted member 16701 (Oct 4, 2018)

So maybe I'm talking to the wrong crowd here, but does anyone ever feel exhausted from being on the receiving end of free shit when traveling? On my way back to Wa this year I scored a Canon 40D and a pair of brand new combat boots that I later found out to be worth 200 buckaroos. That on top of spanging, free meals, free rides and places to stay, I felt like an undeserving leech. Actually the only reason I took the camera is cuz the lady who gave it to me said she felt the same way from getting free shit from her friends and wanted to pay it forward. She also had 2 way nicer cameras and said she planned on giving the 40d away, so I said fuck it yolo bitch haha.
Anyway how often do you guys say no to free shit, and do you ever feel that build up of "I wanna pay it forward when I can"?


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## Tude (Oct 4, 2018)

Interesting observation here - I know some of my friends have "complained" mostly about the big bags of dog food (and not near the brand they prefer) and stuff. Watched a kid I see a lot flying a sign at the expressway exit and I saw he had some bottles of water and a sandwich sitting next to his bag - then a car pulls over and hands him two big boxes of what looked like little debbie/hostess cookie/cupcakes - and he thanked her but I could see he really didn't know what to do with them atm.


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## roughdraft (Oct 4, 2018)

being as i have a car and i don't really keep a large quantity of stuff relative to the trunk space..i never have trouble passing along whatever it is i get kicked down or otherwise obtain...food, clothes, tools, books, etc. if i have somehting i don't use I'malways thinking 'who would want this...?" ..but i could imagine the guy in @Tude's anecdote feeling overwhelmed...when i backpack - i.e. sans car - I usually have 30 or 40 lbs of shit... wouldn't be up for hauling a box of little debbies pastries or what have you.


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## Matt Derrick (Oct 4, 2018)

i think it says something about your character that you at least question this kind of stuff and think about how you can at least pay it forward, which is a lot more than some folks do.

i do try to polietly decline things sometimes, but other times the most polite thing you can do is accept it graciously and maybe try to pass it on to someone else that could use it.


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## jimbo slice (Oct 4, 2018)

I like to help out the homeless when i can..especially the elderly or war vets...kinda cancels out the stupid stuff i do...which is reminding me of one of my favorite shows..My name is earl..But no man I dont think you should feel bad because you gotta take what you can get when you have limited funds!!


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## train in vain (Oct 4, 2018)

Ive turned down some stuff when out and about. Rides when I was on m


My phone is a POS to say the least. There was a post attached to that sentence fragment i promise


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## Vance Lee (Oct 4, 2018)

Living off my bicycle in this "Homebum" situation for almost a year, I get an over abundance of everything - not solicited, just given. At first I was wondering "wtf?". Then I remembered a scripture I read once, about providing me a hundred times more than I am willing to share. So I kinda take it as providing even more to my Brothers and Sisters in this journey called Life. The end result, I end up carrying on average 40lbs more than I can consume lol and give it away everyday.


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## Candice (Oct 4, 2018)

I believe there’s a god and he watches out for his children we are all unique and he provides not trying to be religious or ushimg my believe just sharing what I believe and a lot of us are Choosen and I believe my urge to travel is to not only seek what’s out there but to help others on the way


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## Candice (Oct 4, 2018)

I don’t claim to be a saint cause I have made my share of mistakes but I know there’s someone larger than this world watching over me


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## Deleted member 16701 (Oct 4, 2018)

Thanks guys glad im not the only one who thinks of these things. I've definitely had to give away food too, cuz it was more than I wanted to carry. This all reminds me of how I forgot to donate to stp this last time off the road . I'll get around to it though haha


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## Thor and Broomhilda (Oct 5, 2018)

The ancient gods of travel smile down apon tramps. I feel bad taking things but if I have to much I pay it forward, or if anyone's in need, so i usually end up down to what I'm wearing and nothing else. . . but people tell me to take shot even if i don't want it or need it because il come across someone who needs it. I get a lot of , oh been holding onto give this to the right person who won't sell it. But yeah I think the street gods smile down on us dirty kids. They smile on me frequently.


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## Candice (Oct 5, 2018)

Yep we are all unique I know I am in my own dorky way lol


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## Thor and Broomhilda (Oct 5, 2018)

Candice said:


> I believe there’s a god and he watches out for his children we are all unique and he provides not trying to be religious or ushimg my believe just sharing what I believe and a lot of us are Choosen and I believe my urge to travel is to not only seek what’s out there but to help others on the way


Im always feeding and helping homebums and those in need. If we look out for eachother and put forth good energys, we will become the change we want to see. I always had a stigma around the homeless, but once you become homeless its a real eye opener and if never been so humbled. When your blessed you have to bless others, because if you don't your a piece of shit.I leap ending up in the right place at the right time, receiving exactly what i need and when i need it. There's a synchronicity to life and when your in it its golden


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## Candice (Oct 5, 2018)

And if all people in this world would be that way and spread love this world would be so much better but I still see some love and glad you have it never change it’s a gift


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## MetalBryan (Oct 5, 2018)

Over the past three years I've been hosting Food Not Bombs. There is so much free stuff people give us... some useless some useful. I try to take care of the needs of my friends & I as well as keeping a stockpile. We give the rest away and if no one wants something, we discard. For example, we used to get this donation of school lunches... enough to feed 500 people every Friday. We could have gone to this distro center and gotten the same amount every other day of the week but we didn't have transportation. Even once a week we couldn't deal with that quantity. On our best days we gave out 10% and the rest went in the trash. It made me feel awful for months.

After about a year of this, the ambiguous notion that our economy is designed to create waste was made clear through real life examples. You seem thoughtful and generous about this, so as someone who throws away a lot of useful stuff I give you my blessing to do the same.


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## Thor and Broomhilda (Oct 5, 2018)

I would like to start a fnb when I get stable. Its kind of my life's mission to help any and all. I use to work for mentor Oregon, taking care of mentaly and physically disabled. when I get a steady place I plan on making those bedrooms out of shopping bags, and maybe jacket sleeping bags or something.


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## Candice (Oct 5, 2018)

That’s awesome


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## Anagor (Oct 6, 2018)

ToadStuff said:


> Anyway how often do you guys say no to free shit, and do you ever feel that build up of "I wanna pay it forward when I can"?



I almost always accept. Even if I don't want or need what is given to me. But I never waste it, just give it to someone who may need/want it later.

But there were circumstances I declined. For example a friend and me were sitting in a doorway next to a supermarket. A couple came to us asking if we would like them to buy some food for us. We said "no, thanks, honestly we already have so much", showing them the big bag of food next to where we sat. Well, instead they bought us a few beers and the lady gave us a tenner ... so we did accept that. 



Matt Derrick said:


> i do try to polietly decline things sometimes, but other times the most polite thing you can do is accept it graciously and maybe try to pass it on to someone else that could use it.



Very true, in my opinion.

I declined food and money a few times as I started travelling (because I had money on me and in my bank account those days, I really did not need it). Lead to some embarrassing moments for the people who came to me. I learned from that and from then on just accepted the donations thankfully. And gave the money or things to other people in need later.

What goes around comes around.


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## Deleted member 16701 (Oct 6, 2018)

> I learned from that and from then on just accepted the donations thankfully. And gave the money or things to other people in need later.
> What goes around comes around.



I like this and other peoples philosophies on here. I think thats the way to go just accept what you can and give what you can. Awesome dudes!


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## Ezra Fyre (Oct 6, 2018)

I turn things down constantly... Housed up, I typically don't need the kick downs - But, if offered something i know a friend needs, I'll accept for them & pass it on... Normally I suggest the offerer find someone more deserving... Like the kid in the doorway with the guitar and the dog... If I'm available, I'll even middle man that too.. (mostly liquors and food) .... Someone is always hungry or thirsty in new orleans 

... But, I can't just accept the things I won't use... That does make me feel guilty... & some folks are darned insistent! Lucky for my own sense of karmic balance, I know drop spots where hopefully items find useful homes, vs. landfills... Like size 12 shoes... I'm never going to wear them, but if they're in good shape, I'll drop them where someone needing shoes is likely to find them. Then I don't have to feel like a jackass because someone gave me "useless" shoes...


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## Anagor (Oct 6, 2018)

Also ... what I wanna add ...

It happened sometimes that I was sitting at my pitch late in the evening, playing my harmonica. Had eaten, not hungry. And people walked by and offered me the rest of their (now cold) pizza they were about to take home for later.

I could have said "no, thank you, I'm not hungry at the moment" and they would have taken it home.

But I always accepted, too a bite and said "thank you very much, have a good night!" ... even when I put it aside as they were out of sight and gave it to someone else later. (Or dumped it on rare occasions when the food was really not nice and nobody in need around anyway.)

Why?

I think accepting donations, busking or even plain begging can be a win/win situation. The donator has the good feeling he/she did a good deed and the receiver ... well ... gets the money/stuff ...

Not accepting stuff (especially food) can make the donator feel embarrassed (as said, mostly when someone is not obviously asking for something) or sad or even disgusted.

Like "oh, this guy only wants money ... most probably for drugs!!!!" ... and then perhaps next time they have some leftover food and someone else (being really hungry) is sitting there, they would not even offer.

In my opinion when you're on the streets, you are in one way on your own, can do what you want. But in some way you are also a "representative" of homeless people/travelers/nomads whatever you may call it. And everything bad you do can fall back on other people.

This is why I totally dislike unfriendly beggars, aggressive beggars, people sleeping in doorways leaving all their trash behind, people being totally wasted from drugs in public on a high street, etc.

So that's why I accept those offers and eat in front of the people who gave it to me, even while totally full. So that the next time they will hopefully do it again and offer to someone who really needs it.


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## Anagor (Oct 6, 2018)

Ezra Fyre said:


> Like size 12 shoes... I'm never going to wear them, but if they're in good shape, I'll drop them where someone needing shoes is likely to find them. Then I don't have to feel like a jackass because someone gave me "useless" shoes...



Once someone offered me some shoes in winter cause my shoes were obviously totally fucked. I accepted, even while I realized they would be too small for me. He went away, I put the shoes in my backpack and carried them with me until I went to a food run (were they also give out clothes) and donated those shoes there.

Another time, same situation. Someone just coming out of a church offered to buy some shoes for me from a charity shop nearby. He was with his little daughter and she seemed so excited that her Dad would help me, I could not turn down the offer.

Would have been a bit weired to reply "no, thanks, I'm totally fine" wearing shoes I had problems walking in, falling off my feet basically.

So we went to the next charity shop and this guy bought me the only shoes they had in my size: totally ugly boots. I put them on, thanked him very much. He was happy, his daughter was happy ... I was ... hmmm ... those boots were soo uncomfortable, gave me blisters within half an hour walking (and were ugly) I changed back into my falling apart shoes later and left the boots somewhere I knew people would find them. (No space in my backpack for those.)

Seriously, if this guy would have been alone, most likely I would have declined, but I looked in the eyes of his little daughter and I just couldn't say "no".


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## Ezra Fyre (Oct 6, 2018)

Anagor said:


> Once someone offered me some shoes in winter cause my shoes were obviously totally fucked. I accepted, even while I realized they would be too small for me. He went away, I put the shoes in my backpack and carried them with me until I went to a food run (were they also give out clothes) and donated those shoes there.
> 
> Another time, same situation. Someone just coming out of a church offered to buy some shoes for me from a charity shop nearby. He was with his little daughter and she seemed so excited that her Dad would help me, I could not turn down the offer.
> 
> ...



I go basically everywhere barefoot... I could run a shoe store if I said Yes to every pair of shoes people offer me... Ladies driving about cause accidents to pull their own flip flops off and offer them to me... 

Shoes, Cats, and Clothes... 3 things i basically don't need more of... But man, people sure seem to think i do.  

& Most the traveler kids i know, don't need clothes either... Except the kind avg Joe isn't trying to give away... Bras & Undies... Socks, eh, 50/50. Those are more of a ran out too soon. Lol


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## Anagor (Oct 6, 2018)

Ezra Fyre said:


> I go basically everywhere barefoot...



That's cool! 

I'm barefoot (or on socks) most of the time recently. Not yet a 100% barefooter but anyway, I like it.



Ezra Fyre said:


> I could run a shoe store if I said Yes to every pair of shoes people offer me... Ladies driving about cause accidents to pull their own flip flops off and offer them to me...



Haha. Yeah, can understand.

I'm quite picky about my shoes. If someone would offer me a brand new pair of Doc Martens, I would take them ... and donate them later. Don't get me wrong, I like the look of Doc Martens, I just can't wear them. Too heavy and stiff.

I like canvas shoes like Chucks or Vans. Once a friend of mine and me went to a place (organized by nuns) where you could get canned food, ingredients for cooking, vegetables and so on for free and also clothes. I got some shoes and my friend asked me why the fuck I took the only shoes that were super worn out ... she couldn't understand that. But for me the only choice ... they were Chucks. 



Ezra Fyre said:


> Shoes, Cats, and Clothes... 3 things i basically don't need more of... But man, people sure seem to think i do.



Haha ... well, nobody offered cats to me yet, but yeah. I gave away lots of clothes people gave to me (especially in winter). I like my clothes to be more or less ragged. 



Ezra Fyre said:


> & Most the traveler kids i know, don't need clothes either... Except the kind avg Joe isn't trying to give away... Bras & Undies... Socks, eh, 50/50. Those are more of a ran out too soon. Lol



*So true.* Those were the only clothes I was always really grateful for. Socks and undies. I don't mind wearing a shirt, jacket or jeans for a month or more without washing, but underwear and socks you should change on a regular basis. And since I rarely had the opportunity to wash something ... yep, was always really grateful for those.


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