Advice on how to reestablish credit after years of unemployment and years ago unpaid bills?

5 years ago my son didn’t pay debts his wife ran up. He has not declared bankruptcy. He has been unemployed for a couple years but has earned money without W-2’s, etc. He is a US citizen and veteran that wants to reestablish a credit history. It seems to be a “chicken and egg” thing, because to even finance a $400 TV you need a credit card history or other credit history. How do you start the first baby steps to get credit history under these type of conditions?