Millions of American families survive on a salary of less than $10.00 an hour. Many people are able to thrive. Some do not, and face challenges and crises along the way. The life of someone living at poverty level can mean everything from poor heating habits, unsafe living conditions to a lower life span. Most cannot afford health insurance. Some end up with mental health issues due to the lack of available funds. In very serious cases, some parents lose custody of their children due to poverty.
Recently on a message board, I came across a post entitled, “Can you live on just 9 bucks an hour?” Of course, nearly all of the responses were “No!” The poster suggested checking on the online game www.playspent.org.
As a former social worker, this enthralled me. I decided to play. The result? I was able to make it through the month on just $9.00 an hour. However, this meant many missed opportunities such as seeing my child star in a school play (I had to work), a family member’s funeral and more. Also, I had to eat very unhealthily, on a diet of mostly Ramen noodles, peanut butter, and bread. Well, I did eat beans and eggs as well. I had to opt out of health insurance. I also had a yard sale. My cell phone also got disconnected.
I think this game is an excellent opportunity to provide food for thought if you do not live in poverty. However, it is not very realistic. For example, it assumed that I already had a car that was paid for. Also, you could not choose your rent and to have a roommate to cut costs, etc. It also assumed that I had a friend to help me out in a crisis situation. You could not choose to not have your electricity on. But it is definitely an interesting game to play.
At the end, it does ask for a donation for a ministry. You could of course do this, but don’t forget there are local food pantries that need help in your area. Read “Should I Donate Food to a Food Pantry or Food Bank?” for details.
I highly recommend playing the Play Spent game today. Check it out here.
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