I read all your messages in my DMs and comments. Thank you. To be honest, I feel very ashamed to show this, but many of you asked for details. This is how I live in 2026.
This is my stove. To cook food and get some heat, I have to chop wood and start a fire inside it every single day. No shower, no hot water — just this bucket under the sink. And the toilet is outside. I work two jobs, but it’s still a struggle. My biggest pain is that I want to start a family, but I can't bring a wife or kids into this mess. It’s a dead end.
I’m not here to beg, but thank you to everyone who asked how to help. Your support is the only thing keeping me going right now.
by Argyngazinov
8 Comments
Where are you living? I missed the original post!
You know what they say;: “no other way than up”.
This is how my grandmother lived back back in the day. Even with a modern kitchen, she still preserved the stove that she still used from time to time.
I wish you the best on your journey
For those curious, that last pic is buddy’s toilet. He squats over that hole. (Very common in lots of Asia and Indian subcontinent)
Hey friend – well done for sharing, it’s not easy to admit we’re not currently in the position in life we would hope. I’ve had to choose between buying food and having a roof over my head before, so I have a small idea of what that feels like.
I don’t have too much advice to offer, however I do have a tip that I picked up while doing humanitarian work in Haiti. It’s the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, and trust me when I say that there is always someone who has it much, much worse. After you’ve watched orphans collect drinking water from a muddy puddle, your perspective changes (we were there to build water filtration facilities).
Not having hot water sucks for sure, but not having a shower is something you can solve with a second bucket and a bit of ingenuity. How I saw it done in Haiti was two buckets sitting inside one another, hung up in an outhouse exactly like you have. Both have holes drilled in the same place, so when they are aligned water comes out, when they’re twisted and unaligned the water stops (or you just run it until it’s empty). You’ll need two of the exact same bucket so that they sit tightly enough against one another to stop most leaking, but other than a hook to hold the bucket you really don’t need anything else.
Make sure the holes are NOT aligned, fill the buckets, hang up, twist one bucket and the water drips out while you do a quick shower. Bonus points it helps give the outhouse a daily wash, and you’re not putting in enough water to worry about levels but keep an eye on wood staying damp. If you timed this with your morning fire, you could heat up some water to add in and at least get it lukewarm.
Hopefully this helps and doesn’t come across as someone trying to throw solutions when you just wanted an ear, but I do know how restoring even the most basic of showers can be – just the fact that you’re not stopped over a bucket in the kitchen can help make all the difference. Wishing you all the success in the world <3
Hey, you own things. That’s more than what many Americans can say.
Don’t be ashamed my dude, some people in places in the US have this reality as well. It’s not fancy and it’s inconvenient, but it is robust. If something works, it isn’t dumb.
Can you get on Patreon or that cup of coffee donation page? Some of us here would probably pay for you to write some articles about your experiences and how you have to structure your day, especially if you have any insights or tips or tricks.
They had those “toilets” when I was in the Republic of Georgia. Took some getting used to, to put it mildly…