RE: Curbing junk food spending with: Charity

[Shieldmaiden]

I'm pretty new to this whole financial independence thing, and considering I don't have employment on top of that (I'm a college student in her last semester) I definitely can't afford to be spending money on things I don't need. One weakness of mine is junk food. I've also been trying to kick that habit for nearly six months, with little luck. So, I decided that starting today I was going to match every dollar I spent plus 10% interest by donating to https://www.flholocaustmuseum.org/support/the-seven-dollar-difference (I don't know how to use the code to fix the link).

Once I have income, I'll be giving a portion away anyway. But for right now, where I really don't need to buy much and junk food is a drain on both my wallet and my health, if I'm going to spend money I should at least do something productive with it.

[RFAAOATB]

I'm pretty new to this whole financial independence thing, and considering I don't have employment on top of that (I'm a college student in her last semester) I definitely can't afford to be spending money on things I don't need. One weakness of mine is junk food. I've also been trying to kick that habit for nearly six months, with little luck. So, I decided that starting today I was going to match every dollar I spent plus 10% interest by donating to https://www.flholocaustmuseum.org/support/the-seven-dollar-difference (I don't know how to use the code to fix the link).

Once I have income, I'll be giving a portion away anyway. But for right now, where I really don't need to buy much and junk food is a drain on both my wallet and my health, if I'm going to spend money I should at least do something productive with it.

Shouldn't you be saving money for yourself long before any charity?  Try buying stock at loyal3.com or putting money in a high yield savings account until you're ready for a ROTH IRA.

If you don't have an income how are you getting money for junk food anyways?

[Runrooster]

What I've heard is to spend the money on a group you don't want to support, like handing it to the National Rifle Association.  I do like the idea of putting it toward your IRA, since part of the appeal of junk food is how cheap it is.

I would find it pretty difficult to get by without a frig, most of the junk food alternatives either need refrigeration.  If you're still on the meal plan, can you grab an extra yogurt for a late-night snack?  Apples are fairly shelf-stable, and go well with peanut butter. That's assuming you have a grocery store nearby.

[Shieldmaiden]

RFAAOATB: Like I said, I'm new to this whole thing. Every penny I spend comes from my savings, meaning I shouldn't be spending it unless it's actually necessary. I only have a few hundred dollars to my name right now. "High yield savings" aren't really an option for me at this point- there aren't any local banks that I know of that have that as an option. Also, in my case I usually get junk food when I miss the cafeteria hours due to class or other reasons. The whole point of the charity thing is to increase the cost of what I'd be buying- it's a lot harder to justify a five dollar meal when it turns into ten dollars counting the donation. At least that's how it works in my head.

Runrooster: I am still on the meal plan- if you live on campus, you must have a meal plan. I'm on the cheapest plan, which is ten meals a week. That said, I'm going to start taking advantage of the take out option so I at least have food on hand. The take out option is the only way you're allowed/able to take food from the cafeteria- all the yogurt and peanut butter and etc. are served in large community tubs.

[Runrooster]

Ten meals a week does not sound like enough food.  Is there a campus grocery store where you can buy pb and bread?  I mean it's too late to get a dorm frig and do weekly grocery store runs for string cheese and  tuna to have with crackers.  A five dollar meal is probably worthwhile if it's not potato chips and candy bars.

[I'm a red panda]

Tuna and crackers doesn't need a fridge.  That's a good one to stock in a dorm room.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Fruit, canned soups and oatmeal (if you have a microwave)

These are easy things to keep in a dorm without a fridge.


But you might want to put out word on a buy nothing group and see if someone has one you can have or borrow. You have SO many more meal choices if you keep a small fridge and microwave.  (My dorm I had a 5 meal a week plan. That was plenty, as I mostly ate in my room. Dining hall meals were really expensive; it would have been cheaper to go out to eat, except the walk to the car was so freaking long.)