Living on $2 a Day @ UMW

Day Two (4.15.08)... Still Going Strong

2008-07-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

Last night I slept in the shanty-town and woke up with a bruise on my hip and a sore neck. The bruise is from the cardboard we are lying on and the sore neck is from sleeping on my jacket. I thought I would try it one night without a pillow, big mistake. So, I got out of the shanty-town and headed to my apartment to drop off some stuff and have some apple sauce and crackers before I went to my 8am class at Hyperion.

Dr. Humphrey is the teacher for my class at Hyperion and the only people in that class who are living on $2 a Day are Leslie and myself. Thankfully we were able to get a cookie and some water.

Still in good spirits, I walked back to my apartment and proceeded to take a “shower”. Technically, I used the sink but, it’s the closest thing I will get to a shower until Friday at 4pm. Like I said in the last post, the items I purchased first were hygiene products. I figure that you can always find ways to get food but being clean is harder to come by. So, I filled up the sink with water and proceeded to take my “shower” for the day.

I then went to First Peoples Worldwide for our service learning portion of the Advanced Comparative Economics class and I had to drive there. I felt kind of bad using my machine that my parents bought for me to go the approximately 10 miles to First Peoples but, I had to get there somehow and it would have taken me forever to use alternate transportation.

After I returned from First Peoples I headed out to the shanty town to grab some bagels leftover from yesterday to eat before I had work at 2pm at the library. I made it through the rest of the day and I was actually able to stay awake through my 3 hour shift at the library from 6 to 9pm.

I am still in high spirits and I will continue to “shower” throughout the week… I need to be clean; it’s one thing I can’t give up. Tonight, I believe I will be sleeping inside of Monroe because it is supposed to get pretty cold. Besides the fact that I can then say that I slept in the building that has practically become my second home before I graduate.

And so it begins... Again...

2008-04-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

So today was the first full day of the $2 a Day Challenge 2008. I was rather hopeful last night while I bought some food and hygiene products. I then went out to dinner. Took a shower. Then ate some snacks and had a couple beers... Today, all I could think about was how badly I wanted it to be last night again.

This morning, I did not want to wake up, especially knowing that my breakfast would consist of tea cakes. Never the less, I got up, put on my first $2 a Day outfit and ate my tea cakes. I then proceeded to boil water that I put in a water bottle and stuck in the fridge to cool down for later in the day.

Things were not too bad during my first class except for the fact that I was sitting next to someone eating a pop tart and the smell alone made me hungry. By the time my 11am class rolled around, I was famished. I ate more tea cakes but it was not very satisfying. For the duration of the class, that seemed to last an eternity, all I could think about was how tired I already was and how I had no idea how I was going to make it through the rest of the week.

Thankfully, I made it through the rest of my classes and then met up with people to go collect cardboard to build the shanty-town. Our mission was not only successful, it was amazing. We scored a ton of cardboard and made it to Einsteins in time to get the leftover bagels from that day. This was exciting in and of itself but even better, I got a chocolate chip bagel when I reached into the bag! You may be thinking, "wow she must be a chocoholic," in actuality, I usually do not like chocolate so much, but today, it was amazing!

After having 3 bagels, and finally feeling full and satisfied, I could enjoy the rest of the day. My food needs had been met and I had already bought the hygiene products I needed to get me through the week. I was full and clean and all that was left was to build the shanty-town.

With the amount of boxes we acquired we were able to build not only a wonderful shanty-town but, a pretty great fort. Last year, I was not very excited about living in the shanty-town. However, this time, I am very excited about the "fort". It reminds me of when you're a kid, and you build a fort to sleep under, and you basically think that it is pretty much the best thing ever, yeah, that's how I feel about it. Well, I will end this day with a very different sentiment than this morning, I am excited and believe that this week will be great.

Challenge 2008 - One Week Away

2008-04-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

So the 2008 Two Dollar Challenge is only one week away and I'm starting to think about how I am going to get through it. Unfortunately, I have some pretty important things due that week. So, I'm going to try to do as much as I can this week with the hope that it will make things easier on myself. The worst part may be that I have a chemistry test and a presentation in Italian on the 18th -- the last day of the challenge. I am worried about those two things mostly because by the last day of the challenge last year I was really out of it and all I could think about was when I could take a shower. Hopefully, my preparation in advance will make that day go a little better than I anticipate. Other than that, I'm just excited to see how things go this year and how many people actually participate.

UMW Today and $2 A Day

2007-12-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

The most recent edition of UMW Today included an article about the $2 a Day project. The author, Edie Gross, did a great job and it really gives people an idea of what Living on $2 a Day was like and what we all got out of it.

Class Project Leaves Lasting Impression

My Life After $2 a Day

2007-04-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

I think that this challenge has changed my perspective on a lot of things, including basic necessities. I realized it gave me a reason to avoid doing things that I never really liked doing to begin with but, had gotten used to concerning myself with, such as putting on make-up, picking out matching clothes, jewelry, etc… This past week I always knew what I was going to wear and I didn’t have enough money to worry about things like more than one change of clothes or make-up. It is sad to say but I think that as I’ve gotten older I’ve become more concerned with how I look. I know this is bound to happen, and it is important when presenting oneself to people in a formal way but, on a day to day basis I think that appearance plays too strong of a role in society.

I have basically returned to the way I used to feel about material possessions when I was younger, which is, that they don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. What does matter is having a roof over your head, having enough to eat, being clean and warm when necessary and being healthy. I believe that individuals in developed countries have a few ways in which they can help those individuals that struggle on a daily basis. One way to make an impact is to work toward getting the highest level of education possible. With education comes a demand for high quality institutions and government structures within societies. This means that people in developed countries will be able to identify poor and good institutions and will be knowledgeable about the possible solutions to eradicate poverty worldwide. Individuals within those developing countries also have an opportunity, because of organizations like Kiva (www.kiva.org), to actively attempt to increase their society’s economic growth. Kiva is able to give individuals the incentive to become entrepreneurs and in turn increase economic development by creating a larger market for their products. Microfinance organizations like Kiva are one way to help developing countries gain economic prosperity and, even though it is not the only way, it may be the easiest way to aid those individuals in developing countries that are living on $2 a day or less.

The End Is Near

2007-04-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 6, 2007

It is the last day of living on $2 a day and all I can think about is when I get to take a shower. I had to work at the library on campus this morning and at 10:30am my first thought was, “only 5 ½ hours until I get to feel clean again!” I was not starving, and did not even care that I had been wearing the same clothes for the past three days and had no make-up on (I’ve never really liked make-up anyway). So, I went to work and my two classes and finally got to use my meal plan again. Unfortunately, my body still couldn’t handle big portions and I ended up only having a banana, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and coffee, the coffee was a must. After eating I returned to my room and did not wait 5 minutes before jumping in the shower. I don’t think I have ever been so happy to take a shower, that’s probably why it lasted about an hour. Afterward, I did not really care which clothes I wore and if I blow-dried my hair or not. I was clean, and that was all I cared about. I put on warm clothes, went to get dinner, and drove up to DC with my roommate for the weekend. Even though I know that living on $2 a day has changed the way I look at things, I still like having my computer and iPod whenever I want, my usual expensive shampoo and conditioner, eating out a restaurants on a regular basis, and I will still continue to pay $50 for my haircuts. However, I feel like this project has opened up my eyes to the daily struggles of people in developing countries like no other experience ever could and it has made me want to focus my education toward increasing economic growth in developing countries even more than prior to the challenge. I will take my experience of the past 5 days with me for the rest of my life.

Second to Last Day

2007-04-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

So, last night I actually spent the entire night in the shantytown. It honestly wasn’t that bad. It was very windy and cold but we were able to block out most of the wind by putting cardboard boxes up against the tarp. I wasn’t cold until I woke up around 5:30am but, I was able to fall back asleep. Also, we were able to get a bunch of free food last night, including fruit. I missed fruit so much. I honestly think that I would have tried to buy some fruit with my $10 if I could go back to the beginning of the week. I have started to consider what I want to eat after this is over and I honestly just want a big salad. I cannot believe that tomorrow is the last day of the project. Today was probably the most difficult day of the week. I was very tired mostly because my Tuesdays and Thursdays are so busy I really have no time to relax. It was the first day that I really wanted to be able to buy something caffeinated and it was extremely frustrating that I couldn’t. I think I would do this challenge again but I would probably try to buy a bigger variety of food. I think tomorrow will be interesting since I will be counting down the hours until I can jump into the shower. I know that I have learned a lot from this experience and it will impact the way I look at things in the future and hopefully I will be able to use this experience later on in my life.

Necessities of Life

2007-04-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty much the same as the past two days. I washed my hair and everything and made one box of macaroni and cheese for breakfast. I even had enough to make two meals out of it. I actually have more food than I anticipated having at this point. I still have a lot of oatmeal and have 5 hot dogs left. It is good that food is not the issue and it makes me feel like I made my $10 go a long way. Using the sink to bathe isn’t that bad either, it is simply a longer process than taking a shower. I honestly believe that I can finish out the week without too much trouble and I think that this whole experience has really changed the way I look at a lot of things. I think that the challenge forces you to go back to your basic necessities. There are a lot of luxuries that we are used to having in a developed country that are not really imperative in order for people live.

One thing I really enjoy is not worrying about what I am going to wear. I know that by Friday my clothes will be pretty dirty but, it makes getting ready a lot easier. Also, getting dressed this week has nothing to do with trying to look as good as you can, it’s all about being warm if it is cold outside and being cool if it is hot. Even though there are some conveniences, other things are not so handy. For example, what happens if you get sick during the week? It is almost impossible to have enough money left over to buy any type of medicine after you take care of buying food and hygiene products. Thankfully, there is a self care cart on campus that is free so, if you ever have a headache or anything else, medicine is available. However, these things would not be available to people in a developing country. Another consideration for girls is what happens if you get your period. It is also pretty impossible to afford any feminine products on $2 a day so I would assume that women in developing countries simply have to be creative about things. Other than that, unless you get injured, there really are not any major difficulties. I believe that this week forces us to live without many comforts we take for granted on a daily basis and in turn, I think that we learn to appreciate having those luxuries a lot more.

"Won't you take me to 'Shanty'town"

2007-04-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

Last night was the first night of the shantytown in Ball Circle. I was sitting outside with everyone who was sleeping in the shantytown for a while and then went back to my dorm, convinced I was not going to sleep outside. After a while though I put on stretch pants and sweatpants over my shorts, put on a tank top, t-shirt, long-sleeved shirt, and a sweatshirt and grabbed two blankets and a pillow to make my way back to the shantytown. At 1am I laid one blanket down, pulled the other one over me and put my head on my pillow to look up at the full moon. It was actually a really beautiful night at first. For a while I just enjoyed staring up at the sky and wished that there were fewer lights around Ball Circle. I then attempted to fall asleep and, needless to say, it didn’t go so well. I tried to position myself so that my blanket was basically over my head blocking out the lights on campus walk but that didn’t work too well. I just couldn’t get comfortable and by the time 3am rolled around, it started to get cold. At that point (having gotten no sleep) I decided that the marginal cost of staying outside far outweighed the marginal benefit and walked back to my warm room.

When I woke up this morning I had my first experience washing my hair in the sink. Aside from the sink being pretty small it wasn’t that bad. It took some interesting maneuvering to get my whole head wet at first but washing off the shampoo and conditioner was a lot easier. I simply plugged the drain and let the water run until the sink was basically filled and then dunked my hair in it (almost like a bath for just my hair). It seemed to work out well and I plan on washing my hair the same way tomorrow. Surprisingly I have yet to get sick of oatmeal, but I assume that will change by the end of the week. Even though I have other things to eat, the oatmeal is the most convenient. I don’t have to boil water if I don’t want to and I don’t even need to use a spoon. I know to most people eating dry oatmeal sounds disgusting but for some reason I have always liked it ever since I was a kid (my parents can vouch for me). Other than that, I am happy that it is supposed to cool down by tomorrow. I don’t think I will mind wearing the same thing for the next three days if it is not too hot outside. I am probably going to stay with the people living in the shantytown for a while before going to sleep and if they are going to sleep inside Monroe tonight, I think I can deal with that.

And So It Begins

2007-04-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

For most people, in order for them to really feel awake in the morning they need their coffee or tea, I need my shower. This may be one of the hardest parts of the whole week. I took a shower last night and tried to make it last as long as possible. This morning it was a struggle to wake up. Lucky for me I don’t have class until 1pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so I was able to lie in bed for a while. I secretly wanted it to be last night again. Since I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of things for the next 5 days I went out to dinner last night (Japanese food) and then ate a combination of food I had around my room. I also watched a bunch of movies, listened to my iPod and spent the entire evening on my computer. I don’t think that not being able to use my computer after sunset will bother me (considering I was able to live through almost 4 months of it being broken) but what will bother me is not being able to listen to my iPod at night. I love music and I pretty much rely on it to help me fall asleep at night. It is just one of those conveniences I have become attached to. So this morning when I finally got out of bed, I turned on my computer and started listening to music. Even though I was reluctant to get up, I was happy I went to get everything I need yesterday.

I was able to convince my roommate to tag along yesterday when I went to go get stuff. I decided to go straight to Target considering Giant did not seem to have anything cheap enough. I went right to the travel size section and picked out my hygiene products; I then proceeded to move onto food. I knew I was getting the oatmeal (I figured I could go for the maple and brown sugar) and picked up a couple of boxes of macaroni and cheese. I then opted to get hot dogs instead of going for the Ramen at Giant. With everything I needed in my basket I went to the checkout line. I watched the cashier scan all of the items: the oatmeal, macaroni and cheese, soap, hot dogs, shampoo and conditioner, toothbrush and toothpaste, and deodorant. When everything was rung up I looked at my roommate with fear, $9.14 without tax. The cashier asked me if something was wrong, I said no and watched as the price stopped at $9.49. I made it by $0.51. I then realized that if I hadn’t been a college student and had paid for the Fred, I would have only $0.01 left. Talk about cutting it close, well at least no matter what I am able to brush my teeth and wash my hair. I just hope that I can make the food last the 5 days. Thankfully, today there is an Economic Alumni Career Forum and they are serving FREE catered food. I plan on telling people about the project and enjoying not having to worry about dinner tonight.

Food For Thought

2007-04-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I went with my roommate and suitemate to check out prices. First we went to Target. I figured my main priority would be food. I was able to find macaroni and cheese for only $0.34 and even though it says to add milk I figured that water would be a fine substitute, it might not taste as good but I don’t think it’ll be that bad. I was also able to find oatmeal for $0.99 and my favorite flavor, maple and brown sugar, for only $1.52. I figured that I could be able to buy the maple and brown sugar if I could find other necessities for not that much money. I did not find any other food that was cheap enough and had enough quantity to be able to last me the 5 days, so I figured that Giant would be able to finish the food part of my budget.

I then looked for general hygiene products. I was able to find a toothbrush and toothpaste for $0.99. They also have certain brands of shampoo and conditioner for $0.99 and some soap and deodorant for the same price. Thankfully I won’t have to worry about not being able to feel semi-clean, well as clean as you can feel when you can’t shower. After I found everything I felt I could at Target we went to Giant, which wasn't that helpful. They pretty much have no sales on any hygiene products and the deals they do have are usually not as good as the deals at Target. The only thing that is cheaper is Ramen Noodles. You can get 5 packages for $1 which I think is amazing. Yes they are very high in sodium however; if you only eat the noodles it's not that bad. I still haven’t decided if I am actually going to get them or not.

While we were shopping it wasn’t that odd for me to be overly concerned about the price of food. Being a college student, I usually don’t have that much money to begin with so I have to watch what I pay for food. However, it was odd to not be able to simply walk over to the hygiene products and pick out my regular shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, and body wash and be on my way. It made me consider what my parents, and especially grandparents, must have had to deal with growing up. I’m sure that they know all too well what it is like to constantly be worried that you will go over the amount of money you have and will not be able to buy enough of what you need. Not to mention, I’m sure my grandparents had to deal with even worse circumstances growing up during the Great Depression. There are a lot of things that we take for granted that, not even two generations ago, our relatives had to struggle to get when necessary. Most of us assume that we will always be able to get enough food, buy the medicine we need, get the clothes we want, and have a place to live. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. It is a shame that most of the time the concerns of people that are not able to get the food, the medicine, the clothes or the house are drowned out by the people that want the extra yacht or the second or third house they could live without. I end with a quote from F.D.R. that addresses these concerns.

“It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

The Week Before

2007-03-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

It is the week before "Living on $2 a Day @ UMW" and I have been trying to work out how to divide up the $10 for the 5 days in order to make it through. I've decided that I am probably going to buy ramen and oatmeal for food and get travel size portions of soap, shampoo, conditioner etc... I still have to figure out the exact prices for everything and I also have to factor in taxes. Hopefully Giant will be cheap enough so that I can walk there without having to take the Fred or use any gas. I am really excited about this project and I think that we can raise a lot of money. To date I have raised $45.