The Numbers

It is said that numbers don't lie, so I'm going to give a close accounting of the numbers over this month.

My SS check is $1170. I have $1398.72 in savings. That's it, my whole financial world. The goal is to live off the $1170 exclusively. The savings are for bumps like car insurance and inspections

$1170 per month = $39 per day. However, there are also fixed expenses that must be paid, which lower the daily amount.

Rent: $233. Electric: $150. Internet: $55. Phone: $50. Gym: $10 This comes to $498 which reduces my daily allotment to $22.40 per day. Food, fuel and everything else must come out of that number.

There are possibilities for cuts. I could lose my Internet and just go to cafes when I needed to. I have done that before. It works, but as I use my wireless kindle for entertainment, I'll hold off for now.

Can one man live on $22.40 per day in America? We will see by closely monitoring each amount spent daily. For example, yesterday I spent a total of $13.98. I will keep a daily count and report it in my posts.

Attitude is a big part of this. If I find that I am feeling deprived that counts against the experience.

For now,

Mike