Luke Parrott

$30 to $50 a day

Yesterday I lived off $1.25.  I ate ramen noodles and beans for a good meal.  I didn't access internet, cell phone, or use my car for the day.

I walked up the road with a buddy to the nearest church one mile away.  I walked over to my meeting in the afternoon.  I read a little, had a few conversations with my housemates.  Connected with the Lord.

Did I cut corners?  Of course.  It isn't easy to stay true to $1.25 if you live in the suburbs and have a schedule to keep.  But the point wasn't about staying completely true to the task.  It was about taking a day to personally reflect on poverty in it's most extreme forms.

It seems that an average American uses somewhere between $30-50 a day.  A buck twenty-five is nothing but pocket change to us.  But it is what 1 out of 5 people live off of each day. 

Here are some lingering thoughts I had throughout my Dollar25 Day:

-I had more meaningful conversations and pursued people face to face more than ever.

-I had a lot more time for people and a lot less time for 'stuff'.

-I could only accomplish 1/2 of what I wanted to do for the day.  Life was a lot more simple.  My schedule could not be demanding.

-I savored the one real meal that i ate.  I was very grateful for it.

-While we will always have poor people, they should not be living in extreme poverty. 

-Poverty is a very relative term. 

-I am living an incredibly wealthy lifestyle.

-I don't ever need to trust God for my daily bread.  In some ways this is very debilitating to my faith.

-In Proverbs 30, Solomon prays for "neither poverty nor riches".  Many of us should pray for less, and 20% of this world is praying for more.

-I need to see extreme poverty.  I imagine it to flip my world upside down.

-There is emptiness in just offering someone physical alleviation.  There must be a remedy for the heart as well.  May our passion for social justice not overshadow the need to bring Christ to feed the soul.  We must do BOTH well.

A Day to Reflect on Poverty

I'm excited for Sunday.  It's the day I will live off $1.25 in response to the 1.4 billion people who currently live on this daily income or less. 

It will definitely be a simpler life on this day.  Nothing close to what extreme poverty is like.  Not even remotely.  But at least a humbling experience to reflect on the wealth that surrounds me.  The passions that I have.  And how I can move forward to concern myself with the least of these. 

I am going to 'donate my difference' to World Vision.  I've been impressed with their international awareness and how they are making strides to help regular Americans stay connected to the poorest of the poor.  There are a million other great organizations out there. 

If you want to join me on "Dollar25 Donate the Difference Day", check out this video below.  I've posted it several times to get the idea going.  I hope to do this every year in some capacity.  So you will be the first of the first if you join this year. 

A day to reflect on the world's poorest.  1.25.09.  Dollar25 Day.  Send a comment my way if you plan to join.  I know several friends who are already joining me.  Make it something for you and your friends.   

2 Weeks Till Dollar25 Day

In preparation for living off $1.25 for a day, I am starting to figure out how much I spend in one day. 
I'm going to reset the counter on my car today to figure out how many miles I drive per week.  Then, I will divide that by 7 and see how much I spend each day on gas.

Still have to figure out water and heat expenses.  Gonna have to dig up old bills to find a daily average there.  Charity Water says the average American uses 25 gallons of water a day.

I need to find a 'normal' day this week to tally up my food consumption.  Everything from meals to snacks to eating out to eating my groceries.

I'm guessing the overall total is going to come out somewhere around $30 to $50 a day.

Donating the Difference will be a good $28.75 --$48.75 one time contribution to an organization of my choice.

The next big question will be what I'm going to do with my "luxury" items on this day.  Internet, cell phone, personal vehicle, television...All these things are what my 1.4 billion neighbors living in "extreme poverty" do not possess.  Should I use those items on Dollar25 Day? 

My roommate, Nate, and I were joking about how it looks like January 25th could quickly become a day where I eat once, and just sit around a room talking with my roommates.  Nothing else really to do.  Or nothing else to distract us all from each other.  It might be a good lesson in building community and being actively involved in each others lives. 

How much do you think you spend on the average day? 

See the link to the right of this post for a promo video on "Dollar25 Donate the Difference" Day.

How Can I Possibly Live On $1.25 For Even One Day?

That's the question that I'm trying to figure out.  The good think is that January 25th is a Sunday.  But I travel 10 miles just to drive to church.  Then I usually eat out after lunch.  That's already almost $10!

The nice thing about this "Dollar25 Donate the Difference" Day is that you can be as laid back or as hard core as you want to.  I could get out that Excel spreadsheet and start breaking down how much every mile of gas costs me.  Tally up how much it costs me to use running water to flush my toilet, use the sink to wash my hands and brush my teeth, use the shower to rinse off...all luxuries that those living on $1.25 do not have.  They also don't have internet or cell phones or dish network.  Or cars for that matter.  Wow...this is getting a little crazy.  (that's the point)

I'm doing this to raise personal awareness...and then act on my experience by donating a one-time gift to an organization that is the hands and feet to those in extreme poverty.

Hmmm, maybe I could just focus on what I do and how much it costs me just to eat 3 meals a day?  Then again, those in extreme poverty don't eat 3x's a day.  Maybe I should walk to church?  No way!  But, I could ride my bike...

These are the thoughts I'm working through.  What are you thinking?  I'd love to use this blog as the place to "house" our experience together.  I don't want to do this thing alone.

One thing:  I encourage you not to just "fast" on this day but to honestly try to LIVE on $1.25.  So you have to eat!

dollar 25 donate the difference day

I live in suburban America.  I am among some of the most wealthy people in the world.  I live in a prosperous nation.  A nation that does not know "extreme" poverty.

So this is my first feeble attempt to do something about where I stand.  Maybe you find yourself in the same position.  This might be a good place to start.  Click below.

Join me January 25th, 2009

An Idea is Itching

The idea is personal.  It's about your passions.  It's about a long term commitment.  A long term journey.  A global perspective.

It's about personal awareness.  It's a search for personal passions.  It's a call to global issues.  It's not just a one day deal.  It forces you to consider your future.

The idea starts on 1/25/09.  It's a Sunday.

1/25 because that is what 1.4 billion people live off of each day...$1.25.

On that day, you and I commit to live off of $1.25 as well.  It means you change your lifestyle on this day so that you do not spend more than this.

Before this day, you choose a day to live your normal life and find out how much money you spend on a given day.  How much you really live off of each day.  You count everything from gas money to food to snacks to television to electricity to internet use to access to fresh water.

After Jan. 25th, you do something cool.  You DONATE THE DIFFERENCE.

You take the $1.25 you lived off of and subtract it from how much you spend on average on a daily basis.

Then you DONATE that amount to an organization.

But not just ANY organization.  It has to be an organization that aligns with your PASSIONS. 

Not only your passions but your giftedness.  You see, you are choosing to donate the difference to a cause that you know you can eventually contribute more than just a little cash to.  Maybe it will be your time, your future profession.  Maybe a place you want to soon visit.  An agency you want to eventually adopt from.  A child you want to start sponsoring.  A country you soon want to move to.

If you are in finance you might be looking for a microfinance program because someday you want to start one.

If you love politics you might look at UN programs and see what interests you most.

If you are in medicine maybe you look into organizations fighting malaria or AIDS in Africa.

If you love science you might turn your focus towards issues of energy or global warming.

Whatever your passion/interest is, you DONATE THE DIFFERENCE to that cause.  It's a small contribution to a long term commitment.

This isn't a typical hyped up awareness activity.  It's personal.  It's not advertised (other than what I blog about as I reflect on the experience).  It is a personal commitment that friends join each other in.  If you want others to join, you call them or write them personally.  It's not an "Invite Everyone in your Address List" activity.  Not a "Join my Facebook group" kind of thing.  Not even a "Get up in front of the whole group and make an announcement" deal.

It's personal.  It causes you to live in poverty on $1.25 for just one day.

It's personal.  It makes you look at your finances and see how much you live off of each day. 

It's personal.  It makes you think about what passions you have...what breaks your heart.

It's personal.  it makes you donate to causes that are trying to make the world what it needs to be.

It's personal.  It makes you think about how your DONATION can be a small reflection of what you hope to contribute in time, energy, talent in the future.

It's personal because it's what you are passionate about.  It's the avenue you can use to change the world in your little way.

It's the way you can help us defeat the greatest tragedy of our time.  Poverty.

It's called $1.25 DONATE THE DIFFERENCE DAY.  It's on Sunday January 25, 2009.  1/25/09.

It's your day to start tackling the world's greatest problems with your greatest passions.

    ...because that can't be accomplished in a day.  But it can in a lifetime.

I'm going to start sharing this idea with my friends.  Before today, I haven't told anyone.