the knowledge that this isn't going to end anytime soon. -- that is the most grinding part.

Currently, as part of a diet I've been on for three and a half years or so, I eat a lot of yogurt. If you build a diet around yogurt in the United States, living on seven dollars a day isn't so bad. Bland, perhaps, but I've lost about 85 lbs or so (170s from 260s).

But for most people ...

Honestly, why not harness all this energy with a more concrete outcome? Sympathy is completely intangible. Jesus, man, you've got an MBA from a top school. You of all people should know how to define goals and measure results.

I'm a diabetic. Do I want people to spend 5 days checking their blood sugar 6 times a day, avoiding sugary foods (or having to take an extra shot when they don't), and injecting themselves with saline to get a taste of what my life is like? No. If people were going to commit that much energy to diabetes, I'd want it focused on solutions, not a half-assed taste of the experience.

Results, not experiences.

More importantly, the issue is more complex than monthly budgets. As I'm sure you know, one of the biggest problems with hunger in America isn't one of calories, but rather nutrition. I spent part of my childhood in an environment where this challenge was very real in my home, fortunately my mother understood the importance of nutrition. Many of my friends in rural Upstate New York had even less means than us and little understanding of the importance of a balanced diet. Though they weren't hungry, as in an empty belly, they suffered a wide variety of serious physical ailments due to eating too much pasta and white bread and too few fruits and vegetables. Having people with more money work on the problem of figuring out how to create nutritious meals on a budget could yield some useful recipes and ideas.

In the end, I think more understanding, even if imperfect, is a good thing. It certainly seems better than doing nothing.