I bought pretty much nothing except for living essentials from March 17-April 17, 2011. It was not too difficult to spend less, but I am not sure how helpful such exercise would be for others. Most people should know that they do not need much to survive and that the necessities of life are really nothing too much.
I did make three exceptionally symbolic (on hindsight) purchases which were non-essentials. They are: an outdoor thermometer, a lunch at a cafetaria, and cola to go with my home-made pizza. I bought the thermometer because I was near the home improvement store and one of my parents asked me to buy it for them. Second, I bough a lunch at a cafetaria because I was a meeting with a friend for lunch and it would have been socially inappropriate to bring one’s own lunch to such situations. Lastly, I bought some pop out of that sense of “little things in life that you enjoy” for imbibing something fizzy with pizzas.
I guess it bring me to conclude there are three moments in which it is appropriate to spend money on the non-essentials: 1) gifts for others, 2) social appropriateness, and 3) little moments of enjoyment in life. I cannot think of anyways to argue these, and I do not want to become an ascetic. I will enjoy my ability to consume materialistically again while keeping my sense of awareness for the essentials versus the frivolous. 10 months ago
The purpose of this goal is to find the essential requirements of life through a month of conscious spending. As well, it is also a month-long practice of resisting mindless consumerism.
It is important to note that this goal is not about spending no money in a self-punishing manner. It is also not about trying to find ways to save money on the essentials that one must anyways spend (although such budget setting and price comparisons would be good practices in and of themselves). The point of this exercise is to define the essentials of life (as I see it) and having enough discipline to spend on ONLY those essentially and nothing else…for a month.
The first thing in accomplishing this goal is to set the parameters that define “living essentials”.
1) Food: This is self-explanatory. We need it to survive.
2) Shelter: Whether a box in a street corner or a half-suite in a suburban basement, shelter is something we necessarily must possess as long as we live.
The above essentials should be of no controversy. They are what any practical person would consider to be the essentials of staying alive and healthy.
The essential below mark a different category of self-defined essentials.
3) Transportation: It is not possible to walk everywhere where I live and still lead a functional and punctual life. Getting to places may thus require some monetary investment, but it is something I can and must live with.
4) Communication: At this point of my life, I am not ready to be a recluse. I need to communicate with my friends and family and employers domestically and abroad.
Furthermore, these essentials must be kept to the bare level of extravagance in accordance to the practicalities of my current life. For example, it is the difference between eating a corn beef sandwich at home versus a rib-eye at a steakhouse. You have to eat if you have to eat, but do you really need it is the question.
My list of essentials. If not on this list, I probably shouldn’t buy it:
1) Food
2) Shelter
3) Transportation
4) Communication 11 months ago
Well I have had a big slip-up on this goal by arranging a short trip to Portugal and I have just bought the flights for middle of October. I could spend less money if I wanted to but damn I don’t want to! Live while you can, I hope to have a great experience on my visit to Lisbon, and as long as I keep within my means then why not. 3 years ago
Starting from now I will not make any impulse or unneccessary purchases for the next 30 days. That includes bringing luches to work, not buying snacks and drinks when I could make my own, no more clothes or shoe shopping, no amazon or web store purchases, and minimising spending when socialising. I’m going to allow myself a limited amount of money for socialising as this is a living essential for me. I need to keep in touch with my family and friends just as much as I need to pay the bills, eat, and keep clean. I will really try to stick to the goal this time as I am on a strict budget this month! 3 years ago
I’ve officially started this goal as of two days ago. I will be putting aside the money I hope to save and changing it into €euros so I’ll have some spending money on my trip to Germany in the summer. 3 years ago
This is really hard, I have been thinking about it a lot and will impose a shopping-ban very soon but it seems I am more greedy than I realised. This is going to be an eye-opener, I hope I will take fewer things for granted after this experience. 3 years ago
This goal involves lots of personal discipline. In the world we live today, this is actually a tough one. Good luck! 4 years ago
I can’t believe how fast this month went. On Saturday and Sunday I spent money. I bought some groceries (produce, to which I buy every week) about $47 worth. Then I bought a pair of boots, which I justified since winter is here…and the boots were on sale. Then I met friends to watch Game 4 and ordered dinner and a beer (approx $13).
Soo…I think I might have to start over on this goal. I am definitely more mindful of what I spend, but really, the boots were not essential. Nor was dinner and drinks. 4 years ago
I think I better start over again. 4 years ago
Friday – I bought a Starbucks coffee. Its served in the cafe at my job, so a small Verona costs $1.10 – a good deal I think. Not sure I’m going to scout out that World Series ticket. The price is just too steep. Lots of other things I could do with that cash…maybe I’ll just buy an NL Champ T-shirt and call it done.
PS – still have not washed the Jeep but I did sponge off the birdshit. 4 years ago
So Tuesday, I didnt go to the store. Felt tired and figured I’d run over to the market during my lunch hours on Wed. But GF ended up rescheduling so I didnt spend any money on Tues or Weds and today, Thurs, I’m headed home to do homework.
But…Im in the market for a World Series ticket this weekend. That’s big money…but how often does one get to go to the World Series?? 4 years ago
I didnt spend any money Monday. I did pick up my drycleaning (an expense I forgot about on Saturday), but I consider it essential because I have to dress up for work sometimes. So at least my suits and stuff are at the ready.
Tuesday – I will need to stop at the grocery tonite. My GF is coming over tomorrow nite (whom Ive not seen in Forever!) and I don’t have anything suitable for guests – so I might make a light crudite platter and get somthing nice to drink. I love being a good hostess… 4 years ago
Sat – I did do some shopping. I bought a bathrobe and slippers (about $30 for both) as the weather forecast predicted cold and snow. I tossed my bathrobe of 15 years earlier this summer. Dang that thing was ratty! I tossed the slippers too, those were about 7 years old. Its easy to do that in the heat of the summer.
Sun – glad I had my robe and slippers – it snowed today! I didnt spend any money because I didnt leave the house. 4 years ago
The car was $160 to fix and Then I had it cleaned for $20. I think I got other stuff and don’t remember it… 4 years ago
Sa – I caved and bought a nice bottle of wine, $13.99
Su – I HAD to watch the game so I met friends and spent about $30 on dinner and beers. DAH!!
Mo – $2.62 bought soup for lunch
Tu – $89 – bought groceries
We – $0
Th – $2.62 bought soup to go with my sandwich from home.
Fri – I don’t know…I keep buying soup to supplement my bring -from-home-lunch. Maybe cuz its cold out, and I want something hot. I spent a lot this week. I need to re-adjust. Amazing when I go back to my reciepts…absent spending.
Bummer 4 years ago
I still have not washed the Jeep. I did pay bills. I will be getting some groceries today and laundry soap. Dishsoap does NOT work in the washing machine or dishwasher for that matter….bubbles, bubbles, more and more BUBBLES!!!! I lost an hour of my life cleaning up that mess. 4 years ago
My car is in the shop right now and I’m scared! I wonder how much it will be…And I filled the tank on the way to the shop it was $22.00. And I got coolant it was $10. I should have skipped it but my car was freaking me out by breaking. 4 years ago
day 30 – nothing
i don’t consider this goal a success entirely for me,
because i did mess up and buy some non-essential items.
so i will continue to do this goal on my own,
but mark it as complete.
i will still be regularly viewing the progress of the other people doing this goal.
and cheer any one else that has the balls to attempt this goal.
from this goal, i have learned that there are a LOT of things people consider necessities that some people manage to live fine without every day (cars, tvs, fast food, haircare, etc).
also, there are a lot of things you can trade your services for instead of money.
and free things (meals, entertainment, found items) always make you feel so much better than paying for them when you are on this kind of budget. 4 years ago
Well I had to buy some things for my son for his trip to Europe, but first I asked him if he would look and see it he already had the things he asked for. And surprise surprise,most of them he did have (voltage adaptor, pre-paid credit card,notebook)and some were in my magic bathroom cupboard which contains all things ( mouthwash, little shampoos, etc.) How can a kid have a prepaid credit card in his wallet and not even remember it exists? Oh and I’m sorry to admit I pestered my son to buy me coffee 3 times. I have a real coffee problem. Anyway I got gas a few times also. I spent $20 on the other 3 kid’s Eid gift which is a very small ammount, kind of amazing really and they are happy with the gift, so I think I did good. It is a moterised marble maze and each a bag of marbles. Sadly, I think I need an engineering degree to put the toy together, I have been working on it for 2 days now!! I also had to spend $7 on parking at the airport and 9$ on bridge tolls when I brought my son to his plane. And $16.00 on some airport food which is the least I can do after he got me all those coffees. I think I could have skipped that. It’s a tough call. I can’t skip the Eid gift and make my kids the only ones who don’t get one thats for sure. I even didn’t buy them new clothes for the Eid, that shows how hard I am working on this goal. But it is very funny, they looked fine in their best not-new clothes and I realise that almost everything I think I need to buy is just a waste of time and money. Oh and now my bank statement has started to reflect the things I bought while on this goal. So the next statement will be just essentials inshallah. Oh ya and my husband drug me out shopping for food and I spent $45 dollars. And then I went the next day for more food and toilet paper and it was $70.00 including the Eid toy. Now I will try to stay away from any food shopping for at least a few weeks. 4 years ago
day 29 – 4.19 breakfast bought at work (yogurt, luna bar, banana and nos) could have lived without the nos…
it’s the first energy drink i’ve had in over a month…
and it really made my mind race all day and
it was not a good feeling. 4 years ago
The birds must have been reading our blog because I pull in and there are 100s (yes..HUNDREDS) of crows or whatever they were in the trees. And they were focused on saturation bombing. Im washing the Jeep. Its now an essential matter. 4 years ago
day 28 – $4.55 sour cream, bananas, and shredded cheese.
i could have sworn tomorrow was going to be my last day for this goal, but i guess sunday is instead.
i can’t wait to buy some stuff that i have wanted for the past month, but couldn’t buy. 4 years ago
I spent $2.62 today on soup from the cafeteria. I got pulled into a meeting that I thought got cancelled (it didnt) and missed the free lunch that was served. Bummer. I couldnt leave the meeting to go get my lunch out of the fridge, so an admin went to the caf to get me something. Bless her.
I did have fried chicken for dinner…it was yummy. 4 years ago
day 27 – $1.19 gum
i rode my bike to work and i like to chew gum while i cycle.
it helps me not to lose breath.
i might buy some cheese later in the day today….
according to mint.com,
this is my pie chart of my spendings for the last 31 days:
it’s not totally accurate as far as my goal on here goes because some things that are accounted for on the chart, i did before i started my goal. mostly the shopping and food purchases and some auto stuff. 4 years ago
I had to pay a speeding ticket-$275.55. OUCH! If only there was a way to avoid having a car it would save me alot. Of course, no one made me speed. Actually the officer really let me off easy because I was going 25 miles over the speed limit and ran a red light with him right behind me, and didn’t have my licence with me or my insurance in the car. But I cried and he let me off with just the speeding part, but he put 10 miles over. I really really am trying my best to not speed ever again. This is my third ticket this year. ) : 4 years ago
So I bought the gas ($48.21) but between telecommuting and the bus and train, the tank will last the rest of the month. I bought chicken…I looked at raw versus the yummy fried stuff at the deli and opted for the fried. The cost difference is about 2 bucks so not feeling guilty. And I have lunch for the rest of the week.
Still no car wash, but I did scrape the chunks of birdshit off of my vehicle. Rain in the forecast for Saturday…note to self…dont park in the carport. 4 years ago
day 26 – $13 shipping stuff for half.com and paperbackswap.com
i got to the clerk at the post office and she had just started placing postage on one of my packages when i realized that i didn’t have my wallet.
i accidently left it at home all day long.
for a few minutes i was scared that it may have been stolen while at work.
so this just proves to me that i can go all day without my wallet if i wanted to.
i also set up an account on mint.com to help me keep track of my finances.
it actually collects transaction history from your bank and credit card accounts that you set up and tells you where your money is going and even gives you suggestions on how to save more money.
i don’t intend on keeping the account for more than 5 or 6 months.
because my personal info is on there and there is always that possiblity that it could be hacked.
plus i would like to think that after 6 months,
i’ll have a pretty good idea of what i am doing right and wrong. 4 years ago
Did not spend any money. The fridge is getting empty and meals are getting weirder as I use up the things from the back of the cupboards. One great thing… I called to check on my account and there is so much more money than usual in there. I can’t believe only seven days I saved so much. I’m glad I’m doing this. Oh and the rain is cleaning my car right now for free! 4 years ago
Didnt spend money today – only because I didnt leave the office and by the time I did was more interested in a meal than errands. 4 years ago
day 25 – 11.00 shipping out packages of items sold on half.com and paperbackswap.com 4 years ago
