One Week Without Spending…

Here’s an interesting ARTICLE I read.  What do you think? Could you do it?

13 responses to “One Week Without Spending…”

  1. Amanda says:

    The only way I could go a whole week without spending, is if I was locked in my house and anchored to the bed with a flu bug. Even the author couldn’t do it. All he did was “deferred purchasing,” and had his family and friends picked up the expenses. I have frequently gone without buying fun stuff (clothes, make-up, going out to eat) for several weeks, but I could not go without groceries, gas, and unexpected necessities (medicine, bills). I wonder if anyone in our society could go without spending a penny for entire week. I think it would be next to impossible.

  2. Alyssa Skiba says:

    While I am pretty good with money, there are some things I simply cannot bring myself to not give money to. The child asking for donations I would not be able to turn away, no matter what kind of experiment I decided to go through. Since coming to college, there are many things that I no longer have to pay for on a daily or weekly basis (gas, groceries). However, there are things I do have to pay for in full (tuition, room and board) that I have to save up for during the times when I might be able to get away with mishandling my money. Sure the economy is down and we all have to manage, but you cannot avoid spending money on at least a weekly basis.

  3. Katie Gottschalk says:

    I read the two other responses and I agree that there are things that you cannot go without buying which may arise on a weekly basis. One of them being gas, food and any other expenses including bills that need to be paid within that week. If I had enough food and gas to last me for a while then maybe I could go without spending for a week, but I would not enjoy it. I work so that I am able to spend a little extra on things that I want and so that I don’t go completely crazy trying to save every penny. It was a nice thought that he had to try the experiment and I think it probably changed his outlook on spending but I would have never thought of doing that and probably never would.

  4. Ashley Von Eschen says:

    I could not go a full week without sending any money. There are things that people need to survive, such as food, gas, etc. I think that the author cheated when he made other people buy things for him. I do not think that anyone could complete this challenge without cheating. Since I have been in college it seems like I am doing it,because I don’t go out and buy clothes or other things like that every week and I have already paid for my tuition,food, and room and board in the beginning of the semester. However, there is many other bills such as cell phone to take into account. In order to not pay for that that week theperson would not be able to use their phone for that week. I think that people can be wise with their money but not spend any of it for a week since our society is based off of money.

  5. Jimmy Lee says:

    I would not be able to go on for a week without spending money. When I get up every mourning for class, sometimes I don’t have time to cook a hearty breakfast. I just go to the vending machines on campus and purchase a couple of snacks. Other than buying snacks I pay rent, utilitities, groceries, these things are neccesary if it is in the same week. This experiment would not work for me, I need to spend a couple of dollars every week.

  6. Karen Drydyk says:

    Consumerism is out of control in this world… but it is in regard to quantity and what is purchased. Buying food from local restaurants is a good thing as it shares the wealth with others and provides work. Purchasing things that have been created without fair wages and that are harmful to our environment are what is of true concern in consumerism… where people buy many things that are made poorly in a “not-so-moral” way…

    Basically, it is good to spend money in order to share one’s work with others (as we specialize in specific areas)… it is not good to buy without thought and to buy anything and everything.

    This was interesting. I have written down a budget of what I spend and what I spend it on over a large time period and it is a bit frightening.

  7. Ashley says:

    i feel horrible saying this but i do not think there is any way that i could go a week without spending a penny. At first i thought to myself that maybe it could be done, but then after reading the article, i really realized all the things that require money that you dont think about like the 1.75 he had to pay while driving. Last semester i took a class where we had to live off of $3 a day, and i could not even pull that off….

  8. E. Henry says:

    While reading this I couldnt help but think about my husbands father who just purchased a pillow top bed from some warehouse because it was so cheap…he got it home and it was very stiff…the next day he heard on the news how some warehouses are refurbishing mattress from hotels, or random places like that and marking them as new…he quickly took it back and threatened a lawsuit of some sort and got his money back….but was it really worth all of the hassle to go to them in the first place just to save a buck on something that is not reliable?
    If I tried to go a whole week without spending I would fail miserably. Everyday a new bill is due, and there is always something we have to send $$ to school with our kids for…like today I need to send $$ for a donation towards toys for needy kids and purchase 2 cans of peach pie filling for a class party…yes its a good cause…but small things always add up. Every other day I seem to make a trip to the store for something…and what should be a $5-10 purchase always adds up to $50 somehow…I can never walk out of there with just one item!

  9. Jessy Schultz says:

    I doubt I could make it through a week without spending any $. I dont see how the author really felt that he went a week because he still did what he normally does just didnt pay for it until later. Sure there were a few things that he resisted on doing like going out to eat but in the long run I dont think he made it a week without spending a penny. I know I have tried to arrange it so I dont spend $ and every oppertunity. I dont take cash on to campus with me that way I dont spend $ and with the job I have I put my $ right away in the bank. It’s keeping it there that is the problem. People are always going to have bills and $ is the only way to pay for them. Society makes life unlivable without $. It sucks but its the truth and every human needs necessitties so its unavoidable.

  10. Abbey Davis says:

    I really think that I could do it. I know that it would probably be very difficult, but I think that anyone is able to not spend money for a week. Of course you would need to stock up on things you’ll use on a daily basis, food, gas, ect. My grandma always told me to ask myself how many hours I worked to afford some of the things I’d buy. Mainly clothing. Honestly that has worked. In a couple instances I’ve asked myself that question and realized that its totally not worth it, having to work ten or eleven hours to be able to buy a pair of jeans? That really put a stop to a lot of my needless spending. I think that some people just say that they wouldn’t be able to do it because they maybe don’t really want to, or haven’t set their mind to it. I’m sure not spending money for a whole week would definitely take some will-power.

  11. Cathy Lucarz says:

    I think going an entire week without spending would be extremely difficult. I, personally, do not think I would be able to not spend any money. I do believe I would cut down on my spending drastically but that would be as good as it would get. I question whether doing something and paying for it later (after the week) should really be considered not spending any money? There are everyday costs that sometimes just cannot be avoided.

  12. Elisabeth Callahan says:

    Like Abbey said i not only think i could do but i have done. I had lost my credit/debit card while i was dorming in Milwaukee and i never can carry cash for more then a day without needing to run to an ATM again. So there i was cardless and coinless in Milwaukee for a week until i returned to my hometown an hour away to get my new credit card. Luckily my roommate and i were stocked up on roman noodles and i had a full 20 pack of bottled waters. I also was working Monday through Thursday at our school’s coffee shop where i received free bakery and drinks. Between school and work there was really no time for me to even think about spending money…that is until the weekend rolled around. Thursday night meant bar time and all my friends were going out and the social and thirsty part of me couldn’t stand another night of pajamas and TV so i put on a skimpier outfit then usually in hopes that i could flirt my way into receiving free drinks. It worked but luckily for me i am a girl. I want to also mention i had a bus pass so transportation was not an issue. When my friends and i all went out the next day I worked on the philosophy that most girl’s eyes are bigger then their stomach. I sipped on my free water while chatting about last nights events until my mouth became a garbage disposal. Sunday meant workout day which being a UWM student required no money and the rest of the day was spent watching movies a downloaded for free.

  13. Loy Vang says:

    I seriously think that I won’t last a day without spending any money. Since my daily routine is built around eating and purchasing items, I have a tendency to use money. It comes naturally to me to reach behind my back pocket for my wallet. It’s just something that is built in once you have done so much.

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