buy nothing Archives - Page 2 of 2

Read the Entire Series: Day 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

I’ve just completed my third full day of living and breathing without spending a dime. After becoming fed up with my spending habits, I decided to try an experiment. I called it, “The 7-Day Buy Nothing Challenge.”

Tuesdays are always an early start, as I have to be into work at 8 AM. I’m not a morning person, and my 6:30 AM alarm is relentless. Between catching the bus, packing my lunch, and showering, there’s hardly enough time to eat. Thankfully, I resorted to a healthy, backup breakfast of mine, “Banana Nut Oatmeal.”

While today offered some new challenges due to my busier schedule, it was an incredible learning opportunity. If I were not abstaining from spend, I would be in serious trouble. I’m beginning to wonder if I should do this more often. The cleanse really does feel rejuvenating and enlightening.

Success On The Horizon

Over the last 24 hours I thought, “This is easy.” But then I wonder, “Why didn’t I do this sooner, earlier, before? Why did I have to wait until I was nearly $40,000 in debt to change my course?” Regret and confusion abound, as I question the decisions that led up to this breaking point. The stark reality is that it doesn’t matter how I got here. I’m here and in debt. Where do I go from here?

As I approach the half-way point for my little challenge, there’s a brewing feeling of success. After this 7 days, I look forward to feeling that. Similarly, I feel confident that I can make it. There’s an importance in setting small goals and recognizing the accomplishments that occur.

First The Fresh Food

Refraining from any and all spending quickly leads to a dearth in fresh foods. Salads, fruits, etc. – they all have a relatively short shelf life. Knowing this, I bought a few Mandarin Oranges because they might last longer. Stupidly, I only bought three.

I know, I’m a graduate student and supposedly capable human being; yet, I didn’t buy at least seven oranges. There’s only one apple left. While I still have some salad, I know that I’ll run out before the week is done.

With any serious spending cleanse or lower-income, fresh fruits and vegetables are always the first to go. Often the unhealthy, prepackaged, processed products take their place.

The Importance Of Time

Spending freezes necessitate strong organization and planning capabilities. The bus comes at 7:35 AM. There is no such thing as missing it. Later, I have a short break for lunch, and then I need to be at my other job at 1 PM. My watch holds a greater importance.

My breakfast was squeezed short this morning due to waking up a bit late. If I was any later, I might not make breakfast, and then I’d be starving – eager to find a meal wherever I could get it. This casual, lackadaisical approach is trouble. It’s where I’ve erred many times before.

Day 3: $0 Spent.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s report and follow along!

Read the Entire Series: Day 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

I woke up craving an everything bagel with cream cheese. For a fleeting moment I thought about walking over, on this lazy Sunday, to the local Bruegger’s. Then I smirked knowingly, “Ah yes, it begins.” Today is the first day of my Buy Nothing Challenge.

Critical Response

When I checked my site statistics, I saw that my adventure had been submitted to Reddit. The traffic was streaming in, as were the comments. The vast majority of which, were written on Reddit.

Here’s what some of the critics had to say about the challenge (grammar and spelling are theirs):

Buying nothing for a week as a money saving strategy is about as effective as all those chain-email protests encouraging people not to buy gas for a week to put the big oil companies out of business.

You need food to live, you need gas (or transit) to get to work. Whether you buy it last week or next week is neither here nor there when it comes to being frugal.

Maybe leaving your wallet at home will keep you from making a few impulse purchases, and if that’s what you gotta do to give yourself some self discipline…go for it.

Buying twice as much stuff last week so you don’t have to buy it this week is a 0 sum game.

A “no buy week” should exclude things you need to live, that portion of the rent that is due, etc.

The only exception might be being more food than usual to prove to yourself that you can eat from home more than you think you can.

After reading some of these harsh comments, I questioned my own decision to pursue this: Was it too small a time? Was it fruitless? Was I just delaying inevitable purchases until next week?

Purpose of the Challenge

The focus of the more vitriolic, opposed persons seemed to surround the buying of food. The argument was that I needed food either way; not buying it for a week would amount to little more than delaying the inevitable. Rather than purely counter this argument, I’ll say this: It’s possible that’s correct. But there is another point to this challenge.

I decided to take a week away – a holiday – from spending to write about my realizations, experiences, and possible struggles. It’s bigger than just purchasing groceries. My challenge and yours, is about everyday opportunities to buy. Whether it’s a car wash, gas, laundry, food, floss, or whatever you pay for on a regular basis, I wanted to see if I could even get to zero.

Secondarily, what some of these commenters failed to grasp was that the more exposure we have to touch, hold, or look at products, the more we buy. Remove the stimulus – remove the urge. By not going to a supermarket (or any store for that matter), I was reducing the chances for advertising and marketing opportunities. I wouldn’t feel the urge to buy a tangential – unnecessary – product.

My Emotions

Over the course of the day, I had these fleeting moments to buy or do something that cost money. The response has been quite interesting. I feel guilty and ashamed at the possibility that I might not make it.

Day 1: $0 Spent.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s report and follow along!

Read the Entire Series: Day 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7