Live Below the Line

A year or so ago I read about a challenge where some people in the UK tried to live on £1 a day for five days. This is the level the World Bank sets as the level of extreme poverty. Nearly 1.2 billion people around the world live in conditions of extreme poverty. In the US it equates to about $1.50. I found out about the challenge too late to participate last year, but this year I’m going to give it a go.

Coincidentally, this morning I read that Gwenyth Paltrow will be taking the Food Stamp Challenge. The Food Stamp Challenge is similar, but it sets the bar at about $30 for seven days, which is what a family in the US would have to live on if they relied on food stamps. Both challenges are meant to draw attention of people living in poverty, though Live Below the Line is an organized attempt to raise money for charities fighting conditions of poverty.

While I’ve never lived in conditions of extreme poverty, I remember we used to be on food stamps when I was a kid, and as an adult, there have been times when I was unemployed and wondered where my next meal was coming from. This gives me reason enough to try and help. The challenge takes place from April 27th to May 1st.

It’s not going to be a true challenge. People who live in extreme poverty have to use that money to pay for food, shelter, clothes, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and so on. For me, the challenge will just pay for food. I already have clothes and health insurance. I don’t have a car, so I don’t have to worry about that cost. My rent, which isn’t exorbitant, runs about $18.50 a day. Since I don’t plan on living on the streets those five days, it’s not a real challenge, in my opinion. However, I plan on blogging and showing what $1.50 a day buys in the US. The answer is not much.

A year or so ago I read about a challenge where some people in the UK tried to live on £1 a day for five days. This is the level the World Bank sets as the level of extreme poverty. Nearly 1.2 billion people around the world live in conditions of extreme poverty. In the…

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