The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Throw Down the Gauntlet => Topic started by: Pat on September 10, 2014, 06:24:24 AM
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Aside from your regularly scheduled (essential) monthly bills (utilities/rent/mortgage/etc), try to play a game to see how long you can go without spending a dollar. I have started this game with myself only this year (for June I made it nearly a month), and 're-start' after each spenditure. It helps prevent me from buying snacks from the 'snack fund' at work or buying toys, coffee, etc.
*Forgive me if this has been posted before, I did a very quick scroll through, but did not see another thread on this.
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Ooh, fun! I'll be curious to see how long I can go.
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I'm out! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwH__x6jV6A)
Fun challenge though. :)
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I like it. Does buying groceries count?
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I like it. Does buying groceries count?
Came here to ask this. If groceries don't count, I'm in for the challenge.
My only hobbies at present are PC gaming (got 150 games backlogged on Steam and I don't even play much any more), reading (got plenty of books to go on with and a library card on the way), and reading MMM and the forum, so I can't see any spending on the cards in the near future!
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I'm out! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwH__x6jV6A)
Snort!
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We all need to eat to stay alive and healthy, so I would classify most groceries as essential regular 'bills,' and thus they do not count. Buying a snack from a vending machine, getting a latte, or eating out for lunch would count, though.
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I like it. Does buying groceries count?
But what kind of groceries. Buying groceries counts but does buying say a half gallon of Ice Cream on the grocery trip count?
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I gave money to a beggar (a lovely sad woman) yesterday, but otherwise spent no money (except for using my bus pass). Felt good. I'm not counting the money I gave.
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We were challenged once through our church to go on a 'financial fast' where you spend nothing except for consumables (eg gas, groceries), to raise many for some disaster relief find (Haiti?). We found it pretty easy but you do have to define groceries as the basics. A lot of people though couldn't handle going two weeks let alone a month without a restaurant meal!
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Groceries make sense but you have to be careful. On the one hand, having sufficient groceries at home might prevent you from being tempted by snacks when you're out. But on the other hand, people can go crazy buying all sorts of convenience foods at the grocery store with the excuse that it's cheaper than a vending machine.
On the third hand, I like to not count groceries when I'm doing no-spend days/weeks/etc. because it will seem dire, that I need groceries like whoa, but then if I don't buy groceries somehow I manage to survive another week. I take advantage of free food events, I eat some leftovers, then I move on to the tremendous amount of pasta and canned stuff and freezer stuff stashed away.
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I'm totally in on this as long as we agree groceries don't count. We're pretty good about not buying packaged convenience foods at the grocery store, so our food shopping is necessities only. Although we do count coffee beans as a necessity :)
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we do count coffee beans as a necessity :)
Well that goes without saying.
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we do count coffee beans as a necessity :)
Well that goes without saying.
OK, fabulous. Just had to make sure we had our priorities straight here.