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L.A. Hall
Wardsboro, VT
United States

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If you had to live on a dollar a day, what would you spend it on?

"Nearly 50% of the world lives on less than a dollar a day." This is one of those statistics that is drilled into our heads. One of those statistics that goes hand-in-hand with any empathy invoking philanthropic speech or piece or writing. One of those statistics that, to me, lost a lot of it's shock value through repetition. Only when I put myself in those theoretical shoes and thought, "Ok, I have one dollar today. What am I going to spend it on?" did I get a sense of what it really means.

If you were part of this percentage, how would you allocate your one dollar?

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Topics: poverty poverty alleviation

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Shokrullah Amiri 10+
- 0
Jul 30 2011: Live on a dollar a day is not summed up with food; you have to manage the costs of accommodation, healthcare, and few more basic needs to stay alive.
Rafi Amin 20+
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Jul 28 2011: I would buy bread, a carrot & if something left I would save it for even more bad times.
Devan Perks
- +1
Jul 28 2011: as bad is this sounds, you couold save up for two days and then go to McDonalds and get something from the Dollar Menu. Taco Bell has even better deals with there $.89 burritos. This example shopuld only be useed as a last resort.
- Jennifer Helber
  - 0
  Jul 28 2011: you have a point though. look up "food desert", its very interesting.
- Krisztián Pintér 200+
  - 0
  TED Translator
  
  Jul 28 2011: it is not enough because you have to consume at least 1500 calories a day, but preferably 2000-3500 depending on your work.
  - Jennifer Helber
    
    0
    Jul 29 2011: Your right. I looked on the Mcdonalds web site and found that one 32 oz chocolate shake has only 1160 calories and 27g of fat but I think its two or three dollars, a person could load up on the free sauces though, some of them are more than 50 calories per serving. On another note, a person could possibly gain weight eating just one Super Sized McDonalds meal a day ( a 10.2 oz Bacon cheese burger, large french fries and a large chocolate shake) for about six dollars. unfortunately that also contains around 100g of fat and over 200mg of cholesterol and an insane amount of saturated fats, trans fats, sodium and god knows what else, and hardly any other nutrition. Thats why I commented on what they are calling "food deserts" here in america where food is available -but sometimes only fast food.
    - Krisztián Pintér 200+
      
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      TED Translator
      
      Jul 30 2011: that food desert thing is interesting. a feel a neglected market niche here. strange nobody tries to fill in.
Judge Pau 50+
- +1
Host TED Translator Associate

Jul 28 2011: Food and water.
Where there's life there's hope..
Harald Jezek 50+
- +2
Associate

Jul 28 2011: I guess it depends where you live.
Go and live with one of the view isolated tribes left in the Amazon and you can even save your daily buck. As far as I know they still don't use any money there.
Rk Shah
- 0
Jul 27 2011: spent it wisely and still try to save something from it. somebody truly said ' Penny saved is penny earned'. its hard to do it in present circumstances but we can still follow philosophy.
Chris Aldon 20+
- 0
Jul 27 2011: I'd give it away.
Krisztián Pintér 200+
- 0
TED Translator

Jul 27 2011: food. mostly raw grains, roots and vegetables. firewood. water. there really isn't much choice.
- Comment deleted
  - Krisztián Pintér 200+
    
    +1
    TED Translator
    
    Jul 27 2011: tesco supermarket: 1kg of rice is like one dollar (little less). potato usually below one. damn me if i remember carrot price. both carrot and potato can be found on markets a little cheaper. onion also cheap.
    
    it is legal here to collect small branches of trees in forests. so i can make fire. i have tap water, quite cheap. but it is because i have a house. if i don't, i will have to move near a little stream. probably infected, so i can only drink boiled water.
    
    so i can eat like 100g rice, 200g potato, 100g carrot and one onion a day. something along these lines.
    
    if i manage to save a dollar, i can buy the cheapest wine in tesco, 2L of it. it tastes like rat piss, but damn cheap.
    
    shelter is out of the question in hungary. you can't find anything for that price. so it is woods and on the ground. clothing also not possible from that money.
  - Krisztián Pintér 200+
    
    0
    TED Translator
    
    Jul 27 2011: wait, it is not enough. only about 600 calories. i need to add 100g fat as well. bye bye wine.
  - Krisztián Pintér 200+
    
    0
    TED Translator
    
    Jul 27 2011: no, 100g of meat would cost at least 0.40
    
    i actually meant raw pig fat. this is the cheapest form of fat you can buy in hungary. we use it for cooking, instead of oil. foreigners used to freak out if they hear about it :) kinda barbarian thing, i must admit.
Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
- 0
TED Translator

Jul 27 2011: Save it to buy what I need during the weekends.
Jennifer Helber
- 0
Jul 27 2011: hmm....
In America we throw away a lot of stuff. you could probably live in the city by scavenging, I don't mean begging, just finding things in the trash, on the ground, etc. put everything in a shopping cart. you can fashion tools, and shelter, find clothing and food. We throw away a lot of food. So clean water, a place to sleep or sit in the shade without being told to move and protection from predators might be the hardest things to obtain. I'd probably buy water. Of course this is assuming that not everybody or even most people here in America would be having to live on a dollar a day at the same time.
Muhammad Afif Idris
- 0
Jul 27 2011: I would rather go to the nearest local food bank and keep the one dollar. :)
Eun A Jo 10+
- 0
TED Translator

Jul 27 2011: I would probably save the dollar, and go to a big supermarket where you can taste different kinds of food for free. But I would have to figure something out for long-term survival.
Comment deleted
- Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
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  TED Translator
  
  Jul 27 2011: Unless you move to a place where the food is so much cheaper than at your place... ;)
  - Comment deleted
    - Muhammad Aizat Zainal Alam 30+
      
      0
      
      TED Translator
      
      Jul 28 2011: And return to the Isle of Innisfree!
    - Jennifer Helber
      
      0
      
      Jul 28 2011: or The Big Rock Candy Mountain
Devan Perks
- +1
Jul 27 2011: I would slowly buy the essentials to make a fishing pole.

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