Just My Luck: The Poverty Simulation
A poverty simulation

Just My Luck

A real-time journey through choices no one should have to make.

For the next month, you will live one family's days. You will decide how to spend money you do not have, what to let go of, and who to ask for help. The aim is not to win. It is to understand.

What you are managing

Six things that hold a life together

Each is measured from 0 to 10. Four are resources you want to keep high. Two are pressures you want to keep low.

    The family you are

    Family Alpha

    You are a single parent with two children. One is in school, the other in daycare. Until recently, you were a stay at home parent, supported by your former partner. Now, you are on your own.

    You speak Spanish, and while some resources are available, you often feel isolated. Nearby relatives keep their distance. You have been honoring your ex's religious dietary choices for the kids, even though food is getting harder to find.

    You have two weeks to find work before assistance runs out. You are tired, uncertain, and starting from behind. But you are trying, for them, and for yourself.

    The month is over

    Where things stand

    Sit with these
    • Question oneWhich decision felt hardest?
    • Question twoWhat surprised you most?
    • Question threeWhat resource would have changed the month the most?
    • Question fourWhat do you want to remember from this experience?