no money for a week...voluntarily???

[Ima saver]

I was a funny eater as a child and still am. I don't like any fruits or vegetables, so i don't eat any. My health is great, never sick a day in my life, other than a few colds when I was younger!!

[Dido]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

I was a funny eater as a child and still am. I don't like any fruits or vegetables, so i don't eat any. My health is great, never sick a day in my life, other than a few colds when I was younger!!

Wow, I can't imagine. Glad the avoidance of fruits & veggies is by choice, though!

[veronak]

Day 2, and I still have not spent a coin I am so happy

[tgavin71]

By the end of day 3 I still haven't spent any money on 'wants'. The balance is $3. I am having lunch with friends on Thursday so I need to not spend money on extras so that I can afford to eat. As I'll only have a maximum of $6 my balance will be in the negative come friday.

Thanks to whoever it was that explained what "tags" were. Here they are know as registration stickers or rego stickers. Mine is due on the 8th of August. All up including pink slip ( where the mechanic checks over the car to make sure it is roadworthy); green slip (insurance to cover damage to other cars, people etc) and the registration it is going to cost me roughly $500 US.

As for the vegetable discussion. My son loves them but my daughter would rather go hungry than eat any vege. The only fruit she will eat are apples. I have tried dried, tinned and fresh produce with no success. She does drink fruit and veg juices that I buy in the juice asile at the supermarket. SHe is happy and healthy and has only been to the doctors once in 6 years and that was only because she got a popcorn kernel stuck up her nose. I find that the stress of trying to force her to eat (hubby's idea which I ignore)is more detrimental to her health than not eating fruit and veg.

I used to buy fresh fruit and veg but found that even with careful planning I often throw stuff out. Now apart from potatoes and a small bag of mixed salad greens I only buy frozen, dried or canned fruit and vegetables. Not exactly sure if it is more economical but it if definatley better waste wise.

[Broken Arrow]

Hello everyone, I'm back!

Ahem. Right, my report.... Well, okay, here's the thing. My mother and I went to a nearby park (her idea, not mine) to walk around. It was a hot day and, whil we were there, she wanted to buy us some drinks at the concession stand. I didn't want her to pay for it, so I paid for it instead. $2.

I know, I know! It's still no excuse. The "official" kickoff is Monday anyway right? I promise smooth sailing from here on out til Sunday. You'll see! *gulp* Yeah!

[jodi]

Broken arrow, I would have done the same! Whenever I hesitate for a minute to spend money with my parents, I get the line "What is it? Do you need money? How much do you need?". I love them so, but they don't get the concept of being frugal by CHOICE! To my family, frugality is something to resort to in times of desperation. So I would have paid for myself too just to avoid that conversation.
(Similarly, DH told my mother-in-law about the challenge and how I thought of it as a game. Her response? "Doesn't she know that games are supposed to be FUN?" Well, to me, it IS fun!)
I am so glad to be able to converse with like-minded people who don't think I'm nuts. Thanks, everyone!

[jodi]

Oh, about the lettuce (jaksilee, I think) - I honestly don't have a clue how I do it. I do nothing more than stick the seeds into well-fertilized soil (we live on a farm...plenty of cheap fertilizer, if you KWIM) and water them on really hot days, if I happen to think about it. When I want a salad, I cut the greens (I don't wait until they get a certain size, nor cut them if they are getting too big - I just cut them whenever I'm hungry!). DH and I are pretty "hands off" about the garden, so I really am amazed that we do as well as we do. Sorry I can't be more help. Good luck!

Now for the challenge: $.20 spent today at the garage sales. I went back to pick up my cell phone from the sale I had left it at yesterday and bought a brand-new Blues Clues coloring book for the boys. I spent about 30 minutes more there and didn't buy anything (I was going to buy some new lightbulbs at a sale where everything was 2/$1. Since I had one thing, I tried to pay the man $.50. He told me it was only 2/$1, so I either had to find something else - in his enormous pile of junk - or pay $1. It ticked me off, so I put the bulbs down and walked away! It doesn't make sense to me - isn't $.50 better than nothing? - which is what he ended up getting!). Sorry for the rant. Anyway, DH called me to tell me his grandfather was in the hospital, so I went home and he left for Binghamton. Long story short (I know, too late), Grandpa is gong to be fine, but DH went to a baseball game tonight with his sibs, so I'm sure money was spent. We'll call it extenuatiing circumstances. But no additional money was spent by me!
I really, really wanted to take advantage of a Snapfish promotion that ends tomorrow (free shipping, $5 off), but I didn't. Therefore I am adding $20 to my challenge, because that is about what it would have cost me. I also forgot to add on the cost of lunch yesterday, as I usually get a hot dog or chicken BBQ during the garage sales, but went home for lunch instead - adding another $4.
Total saved: $33.50

[Kris10Leigh]

End of day 2: No money spent. Not only that, but we were invited to a friend's house for a cookout, so dinner was free too! I took a watermelon, some lemonade and I made a cake, but everything else was on them. And everything I took was stuff we already had at the house.

I'm so glad DH is playing along. He's not nearly as enthusiastic as I am, but he is indeed playing along. I found $1 in his pocket this afternoon and asked him where it came from, hoping it was change given for $5.00 spent or something. He said he won a bet with his dad! I told him it was a good thing he won! His dad told him couldn't swim the length of the pool in one breath, so he had to prove him wrong.

[getforfree]

End if day 7.
No money spent so far except for milk, so I am doing ok.

[boefixepa]

Okay, back from the weekend, and I didn't spend any money!!!! Reading all the posts and even in my own view I'm seeing many of things in the book my year without spending. This women and her SO went a whole year without spending anything other than what they needed to survive. One thing I have noticed is all the things I need to buy! Now normally this isn't a big deal and often I'll tell myself to wait just a few days any how. So now nearly a week into this I've caved once and I must confess...I had to run the AC for a few hours on Saturday to cool the dogs down! I was fine, but my puppies (yes I know they are huge) got out because I left the gate open. They took themselves for a walk in the 100 and something degree weather. I went and fetched them from the park (burned my feet on the black top! really I have huge blisters on my feet!). After half an hour back in the 90 degree house they were still panting....worried about heat exhausting on my Alaskan (did you catch that) dogs I caved and turned the AC on to cool the house to 80 for them...for them..not me. Much less expensive than a trip to the vet for heat exhaustion. So they are fine, my blisters are still there, but not causing too many problems, and I didn't spend anything.....but I did use the last of my eggs to make brownies. Can I go until the end of Monday, a week from today, without fresh eggs....we shall see. I do have soy flour and powdered eggs, so theoretically I should be fine.....this had turned out to be more of a mental game for me than anything else.

[kashi]

jodi, my in-laws are the same way. Yesterday SO told his mother that we were trying not to spend any money for a week and her reaction was, "What?? Do you need money?" *sigh*

Doing well here...spent money to buy two newspapers yesterday for the coupons, and am mailing out the coupon train today. I felt horribly guilty throwing out all of the 7/31 coupons, but no one I know would use them. It was hard to toss out a couple of Morningstar Farms ones, but...I did it. Also used one free 2 liter coupon at the store when I picked up the paper. SO's parents drove us to the family gathering, so we saved some $$ there.

Otherwise, it was a great weekend! I found I was more relaxed, not having to think about a trip to Target or the grocery store.

We're almost out of dishwasher detergent, however....any homemade recipes for that?

[boefixepa]

No, but I tons in my storage...wish you were near by so I could give ya some to tide you over.

[Ima saver]

Use half the amount they tell you to use.

[kashi]

We don't have the powder or liquid...just those little Electrosol tabs, or whatever they're called.

[DivaJen]

This has been a fascinating thread. Very interesting to read everyone's updates and feelings along the way!

[Kris10Leigh]

The kids are killing me here! I wrote earlier that my little one popped his balloon and was crying for a new one. This morning my clever, frugal little four year old patched the hole with his finger and spent the next 10-15 minutes blowing up and deflating the balloon. The balloon finally gave up and popped beyond repair. I had tears all over again! Now, this afternoon, he gets to go to his first ever soccer practice. He is so excited that he wore a soccer uniform to bed and it was all we could do to get him to leave the cleats on the floor. This morning I noticed that the ball he is supposed to use is flat! Normally I'd just run out and buy a new one. But somehow I got roped into this crazy challenge with a bunch of people who decided it woud be fun to spend no money for a week! So I'm trying to find an air compressor! Found one! Too bad it's missing a part!

[34saving]

Kashi -- I don't know if you shop at Cub or not, but they take coupons 3 months expired by policy. Everyone -- I bet some stores around the nation do the same thing. It's probably worth asking about.

[veronak]

Day 3 and I am still not spending, how are you guys doing out there?

[Ima saver]

Kashi is going to have lots of dirty dishes!![Automated by GetSmile]

[Broken Arrow]

Poor Kris.

Monday. No spend. Mondays aren't too difficult though. I don't expect problems until towards the end of the week.