Cost of Living

 

I remember when I was young that someone told me it was illegal to take pictures of US Currency and that is why money in old TV shows and movies looks fake. I hope that Togo does not have such a law, but I wanted to show you the money here. Only one denomination of bill is missing--500 francs, but I think this picture shows every possible bill and coin. 

I don't have a Togolese bank account. When I talked about getting one with Karen, she told me that she had tried to open one, but the bank wanted her to give them a map to her house, which neither she nor Hammer could do. She has managed without one, so I decided to do the same. Periodically I go to the ATM and withdraw cash. Of course, I usually end up getting a pile of 10,000 franc bills. In Vogan, especially, merchants would rather not get such large bills, so part of the challenge of shopping here is knowing where you can spend large bills, where you will be able to collect small bills, and where to spend the small bills and coins.

Some of you have asked about my expenses and the cost of living here. I couldn't really tell until I moved into my house, because Hammer and Dela were paying the bills while I was staying with them.

Here is a list of my January expenses:

DATE	ITEM	AMOUNT	USD (roughly)	NOTES
01/02/2021	Electricity	20,000	40
01/06/2022	Togocel-phone	3,000	6
01/06/2022	Togocel-data	5,000	10
01/08/2022	Internet	35,000	70
01/12/2022	Gas	30,100	60.2
01/25/2022	Groceries	30,386	60.5
01/27/2022	Electricity	40,000	80	Didn't need--still had 40 kwh, but decided to get because it's the end of the month.
02/01/2022	Water	9,529	20	Bill for Sept, OCt, Nov, Dec--paid because I wanted to be sure that I would get bills in the future
	Totals	173,015	314.5727273	USD total is based on an exchange rate of 550 CFA per dollar, the actual equivalent would vary.

As you can see from my notes, I paid for electricity before I needed to do so, just to establish a monthly bill-paying schedule. The same is true for the water bill. That bill is normally delivered by hand. At the same time, the water company employee reads the meter to prepare the next bill. I was not home when my water bill got delivered, so my meter did not get read. Since the house has been empty for a few months and since there is a tank on the roof that the former resident may have used rather than the water company water, I wanted them to make sure that the water company knew that I was there and would make sure to read the meter.

The gas I bought on January 12 is still going strong. I drive only a couple of miles a day, so it doesn't get used much. That 30,000 francs filled the tank--one of Karen's hints for getting small change. Rather than just ask for 10,000 or 20,000 worth of gas, ask for them to fill it so that you can get some small bills.

The grocery expenses are not very high, because I still take a lot of my meals at Hammer and Dela's house. So the groceries I buy are things that I can fix for myself in the evening when I don't want to be out after dark. There will be posts in the future explaining that.

If these figures hold true for the month of February, I will be spending roughly $300/month to live here. Rent is not a monthly expense, as you see. That was paid in advance when I signed the lease. Were I to be paying monthly, the total for the month would be 243,015, or $441.84. 

Some of you who asked about my expenses did so with the thought of helping support my work here. Should you wish to participate in the mission by donating to my support, you may send contributions to the financial person at my church at this address:

Ward Parker

c/o University Church of Christ

100 Crestline Boulevard

Greenville, NC 27834\

Make the check out to the church and put my name in the memo line.  Any donations are greatly appreciated.

As you can see from the list, some items cost about the same as they do in the US. Home internet, for example. I pay Suddenlink slightly less than what I am paying for that here. Gasoline is also roughly the same price. It cost 505 francs per liter, which is roughly $3.47 per gallon. Knowing that salaries are much lower here, I wonder sometimes how the Togolese manage to make a living. Only the wealthiest could afford to pay for Internet access in their homes. Most people have a data plan for their cell phones. They may visit one of the wifi hot spots around town if they want to work on a laptop, but they would still pay a fee for that. 

As for gas, one of the teachers at the school has been telling me what a hard time he has supporting his family. He makes 35,000 francs a month, but spends nearly 20,000 a month on gas, since he lives in one of the outlying villages. 

I am grateful that the Lord has bountifully provided for me. I don't live a life of luxury either here or in the US, but it has been a long time (since student days) since I have faced financial insecurity. What a blessing!