One and a half million adults and three million children each live on less than $2.00 per day in the U.S. How is this possible, what do people affected do to make ends meet, and why does it matter? This presentation provides students an opportunity to examine various explanations for extreme poverty as well as economic survival strategies through readings, discussion, and experiential learning. Topics include poverty measurements, social policy, the labor market, and the informal economy–and a diverse array of strategies used by those impacted such as off-the-books legal work, illegal work, trade and support through social networks, use of credit/borrowing, and others.