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When poverty figures were last tabulated in Canada, there were 4.2 million citizens living below the poverty line. In 2014, I was one of them. I lived an experiment to see just how little I could spend and still live a rewarding life, subsisting off of savings I had accumulated from odd jobs and poker winnings over the years. Every month, I wrote myself a fictional cheque of $1,000 from my savings account and I tracked my spending with an intuitive app called YNAB (You Need A Budget). Even with this meagre amount, I was able to save nearly $1,200 by year’s end and thrive.

My hope — then and now — is that this experiment can be taken as a proof-of-concept for basic income and community-centric life. Basic Income is an income given to all citizens unconditionally — so that they may each have the basic requirements necessary (food and shelter) to live. This program has been called “a natural extension of medicare” by Dr. Anna Reid, MD, Past President of the Canadian Medical Association (2013—2014) and a way to simplify a complicated (and sometimes degrading) system of social assistance and financial aid programs.

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How did I live so well so cheaply? What were my expenses? And what did I learn?

Rent — 51 per cent: $5,500 at an average of $550/month for 10 months. I live in an extraordinary cooperative with 13 roommates. We live in a prime location in the Plateau, which is ideal for proximity but less so for cost savings. A portion of our rent payment goes into the collective pot to pay for our electricity, Internet, telephone, renovations, events, group projects and food staples.