How do you survive for a weekend with only $20?

I’ve been following this series of posts by Sudhir Venkatesh on the Freakonomics Blog for a little while now. Venkatesh is an economist who did his PhD in the economics of a drug running gang in Chicago, as featured in Freakonomics. He has been studying how people at the poorest end of American society survive, and he has also been consulting for various young and inordinately rich kids who are interested in philanthropy, but has no idea where to start. In this installment, Venkatesh brings Michael, a multi-millionaire, and Curtis, a squatter who lives on $5000 per year, together so Michael can get an idea of what it is like for the poor to live.

Meanwhile, Michael drove his rental car around the neighborhood. When he returned to meet us he was exasperated. “The food here is awful! No fruit, vegetables are moldy. Only meat, canned food, and soda. What do kids eat? The guy at the store told me no one would eat fruit unless it’s in a can. Is that true?”

Curtis shook his head. I told Michael, “When we get back to New York, I will talk with you about diet and quality of food availability in poor neighborhoods.”

I am not a multi-millionaire, but I have never been lacking for anything that I needed, nor most things that I wanted. It was an eye opener to read about how people can live with such little money, and how creative they were in managing what little they have. It’s a great read.