Shared Economics

Joyce Hollyday comments: “I have tried, in this stage of my life as in every other, to ask this one question: What does being faithful to Jesus and the demands of the Gospel require of me in this moment? Of all the aspects of life this question entails, none is more confusing than my relationship with money."

I asked the Dwellers to reflect on how money has played a role in the Dwell community. Our Dwell houses share a common grocery budget and many are on a very tight personal budget. Shared economics, especially when scarcity is a concern, brings challenges and opportunities to life in community. Below is a reflection by Sonia, one of our Capitol View community members.

~Jannan Thomas, DOOR Atlanta City Director

"Living in community this year has forced me to be aware of nearly every cent I spend and I am encouraged to save money via avenues I have never ventured on before living in this year's Dwell Community. I moved into the Capitol View Dwell Community to a house with all the fixings! I brought my bedding and clothes, but everything else here is for me to use during the year. Having the house furnished relieved me from the burden of finding and purchasing furniture and cookware.


Currently, the six of us each contribute a monthly amount of $80 into the “money pot” for our food budget. Before community living, I remember paying nearly $80 a week to feed myself when I lived alone in an apartment! We spend $120 dollars per week which mainly goes to prepare the dinners that we cook for each other. Sometimes we have gone over the $120 limit in a week of shopping, but this week, for instance, we were $30 below the limit giving us extra money to splurge on ice cream!


Funds toward house maintenance is another area we address in the community. Today, for instance, the HVAC maintenance came and noticed that our filters needed to be changed. So, at our Dwell night tonight, I will propose that we purchase new air filters. We, as a community, will then agree upon where the money will come from—either our food budget, our retreat money, or straight out of our pockets as an extra financial contribution to the house. So far, during this Dwell year, we have decided to use our food budget to purchase cleaning supplies and toilet paper.


We plan to go on three retreats during the Dwell year and there is a separate budget that is alloted to us for such expenses. However, by planning to be very cost efficient on the retreats, we have had enough money to get chickens—yes urban chickens! We are building a chicken coop in our back yard and will hopefully see fresh eggs by April. Planning to purchase chickens was a extensive process, but by the time we have eggs, we will not only be able to self-sustain ourselves, but also provide eggs to our friends and neighbors (and maybe even for a small fee, so that we can make some money for the Dwell Community).


When it comes to expenses, living in the community is sometimes no different than living in an apartment. Our utilities, trash pick-up, house alarm system, and extermination expenses are all taken care of by DOOR. We all pay monthly rent, but the sources and amounts of income do vary from community dweller to community dweller.


We always use the discount card at the grocery store. We tend to steer away from the brand name products and look for the discounted food items on the “manager's special”shelf—things I rarely did when I lived alone and bought food for myself. Within the community, I have not felt hindered to stay faithful to the gospel with the issue of money. And, when others in my community need financial assistance, we as a community agree to make sure that everyone is comfortable and not financially suffering. Personally, living in a community with a shared expenses has opened my eyes more fully to the understanding of hospitality and sharing. "

~Sonya, Dwell community member in Capitol View house