{"id":794770,"date":"2026-05-14T02:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T02:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/794770\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T02:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T02:02:14","slug":"inflation-guru-who-was-a-thrifty-homeless-woman-shares-extreme-tips-for-saving-cash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/794770\/","title":{"rendered":"Inflation guru who was a thrifty homeless woman shares extreme tips for saving cash"},"content":{"rendered":"

California\u2019s sky-high prices<\/a> are forcing some into desperate measures \u2014 including living in parking lots, Buddhist communes and relying on gym memberships just to shower.<\/p>\n

Soaring housing costs<\/a> and stubborn inflation are squeezing Americans harder than ever, and one San Diego woman says she had to get creative simply to survive.<\/p>\n

Michelle Finlon became homeless after moving from New York to San Diego. ABC<\/p>\n

She said surviving California\u2019s costs required unconventional solutions and support from unlikely places. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The latest Consumer Price Index report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found rent and lodging costs jumped 0.6% in April, the biggest spike in three years.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Californians are also getting hammered at the pump<\/a>, with regular unleaded averaging a jaw-dropping $6.15 a gallon<\/a>, the highest price in the nation.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

After relocating from New York to San Diego, Michelle Finlon said she wound up homeless for three years as the crushing cost of living swallowed her finances whole.<\/p>\n

She said surviving California\u2019s costs required unconventional solutions and support from unlikely places.<\/p>\n

For Finlon, even something as simple as a gym membership became essential for survival on the streets.
\n Jason Henry<\/p>\n

One arrangement that helped stabilize her regain stability was living with a Buddhist community at the Sweetwater Zen Center. ABC<\/p>\n

Finlon also sought help through religious organizations during some of her hardest moments. ABC<\/p>\n

Today, she works with HEAL, Homeless-Experienced Advocacy and Leadership, a program operated through the San Diego Housing Federation, Finlon says climbing out of homelessness took far more than just landing a paycheck.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need a home,\u201d Finlon told ABC 10<\/a>. \u201cYou need somewhere to go to at the end of the day where you feel safe, where you can feel secure.\u201d<\/p>\n

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One arrangement that helped stabilize her regain stability was living with a Buddhist community at the Sweetwater Zen Center.<\/p>\n

Finlon also sought help through religious organizations during some of her hardest moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found a Jewish program where I could do safe parking,\u201d Finlon said.<\/p>\n

As California\u2019s inflation rate surged to a brutal 3.8% in April, many residents are finding the pressure of paying for basic necessities colliding with mounting mental health struggles.<\/p>\n

Finlon says climbing out of homelessness took far more than just landing a paycheck. David G. McIntyre<\/p>\n

For Finlon, even something as simple as a gym membership became essential for survival on the streets.<\/p>\n

\u201cGym memberships are huge for showers, for stability, for parking. That\u2019s huge for your health,\u201d Finlon said.<\/p>\n

In September, she launched her LLC, Sacrosanct Solutions, offering astrological readings, tarot readings, yoga, craniosacral therapy, meditation, massages, spell work and reiki.<\/p>\n

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