Like many of you, we've been keeping a tighter grip on our purse strings, from cutting back on ordering takeout to limiting our time on eBay. Last week, a friend of ours challenged us to do "Survivor Week": For one week, we aren't allowed to spend a dime. This means eating everything in our fridge instead of going out for meals, no impulse purchases online or otherwise, and definitely no stopping to get a coffee on our way to work. Here's what we've learned so far...
The rules of Survivor Week are simple: No spending during the week, and you are allowed one trip to the grocery store and/or convenience store before the start day. Also, persuading someone to buy you something is, in fact, considered cheating. This past Sunday afternoon, we dutifully hit the grocery store with a long list, detailing everything from meals to stress snacks to dental floss. One of our biggest financial pitfalls is that after a long day of work, it's hard to motivate ourselves to cook dinner: we'll either run out to Whole Foods for a healthy (but pricey) meal or we'll order takeout. However, everyone knows that it's never a good idea to go grocery shopping when you're hungry...which is exactly the state we're usually in when we're scrambling for food. As a result, there have been many, MANY times when we've stopped by Whole Foods or Trader Joe's with the intent to pick up one or two items, and then walk out with around $40 worth of snack food. But this week? Our meticulous meal planning yielded more leftovers than we anticipated, meaning that we could have done without a few things. Additionally, we've been discovering quick and easy meals to use up said leftovers (so far: quesadillas and stir fry are good dishes to use up lingering vegetables). Even though our grocery bill on Sunday was definitely a bit higher than usual (by about $30), that's still a heck of a lot better than a pricey mid-week snack pickup.
Another byproduct of planning ahead is waking up early: Since we can't spend money on our usual morning coffee run, lunch dates, or even picking up a Gatorade after a strenuous workout; we've been waking up a little bit earlier to have coffee at home, pack a lunch, and remember to throw a reusable water bottle in our gym bag.
In terms of entertainment, we've already discovered a few ways to save: Opting to go for a hike at Eaton Canyon instead of going to see a movie; inviting friends over instead of meeting them for happy hour, checking out books at the nearby library, and even trading plant cuttings with neighbors instead of buying them at the nursery. We have to admit, we were a little worried that we'd be feeling cabin fever--but we're pleasantly surprised. If anything, we're appreciating our home more, making an effort to beautify the outside and being more vigilant about picking up after ourselves.
So here's our challenge, should you choose to accept it: Try Survivor Week, and share your experience with us! If anything, you'll put your planning skills to the test--and see how it pays off...
(Image: MereBearLandon's Flickr )
100 DIY Ideas for the 3-Day Weekend
Danielle's Charming, Classic Walk-Up
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Flatwa...
Party Recipe: Creamy Crawfish Dip
Perfect Summer Cocktail Recipe: Honey Bourbon Lemonade
By default, every last week of the month is Survivor Week for me. Try as I may to budget, I always end up short!
I tried it last week infact before i read this article, it's truly very refreshing to see how much stuff you can use before heading to the store. Whenever i'd call friends i'd first hit the grocery store and buy this buy that. now, i hit my pantry, think of ways to creatively make a snack, finish what i have a thome.
What i've seen really work for me is...meal planning. I firs tthought how boring is that, so predictable. But once i started doing that for the past 2 weeks, i've been to the grocery store once instead of almost every 3rd or 4th day.
Meal planning works..try it.
I love it! I've gone a month without spending, and did it when I lived in NYC so it was VERY challenging to figure out the meal (and transpo) situation. I ended up needing to buy a Metrocard during that month but I saved over $800 and really didn't miss most everything that I went without.
(Of course, at a certain point I was scarfing Q-Tips from my gym!)
The hardest challenge I find to doing this is either unexpected guests (there's always someone just popping into NYC with little notice) or invitations to birthday parties, housewarmings, etc. It's a rare weekend when there's not one thing (or four) going on.
I pack my lunch for work 5 days a week. This saves me about $50 a week -$200 a week. I put an extra $200 a month in my savings account!
I'm all for finding ways to cut spending if your money is tight, but one reason economists say the economy isn't bouncing back as quickly is because those who have money to spend aren't spending it.
Do your local businesses a favor and put some money into the economy if you have it to spend. Your local business owners have to feed their families too.
I almost never eat out; I love cooking! I completely agree about meal-planning, and it becomes second-nature pretty easily. Plus, when you generally limit yourself to whatever you already have in your kitchen, there's an incentive to find new ways of cooking with the same staples. I'm gotten into the having of eating out when there's something specific that I can't or won't make myself, like sushi or Ethiopian cuisine. I save money and eat much healthier that way.
I'm in college. Every week is survivor week. VERY hard to do in New York...but necessary when you don't have a job. It's not so bad actually.
I have a eco-friendly water bottle that I fill with tap water, I bring sandwiches in my purse to class, and I make sure I NEVER have cash because those hot dog/bagel/kebab carts are soooo tempting. Here's another clever trick for all those cafe laptop worker out there. Go to a Starbucks and ask for a venti cup of water with ice. Then go find a comfy chair to do your work in. Refill as often as you like. I find that whenever I'm working in a cafe I need to be drinking something...and water is always free so it settles the craving! Haha.
I did this recently and was amazed at how much I saved. It also made me realise how many DVDs and art supplies and stuff I'd bought previously and never watched or used. I think I'm going to have another non-spending week next week.
As an aside, I absolutely love those dishes in the fridge in the photo :)
"Only in America people have this addiction to eating out, using vending machines, buying coffee... it's a scary phenomenon. "
Quite Untrue
You've obviously never been to Japan where nearly everything is sold from vending machines (including hot and cold canned coffees and teas, sake, beer, rice, porn, underwear...) in addition to convenience stores and small local shops.
Folks there don't have huge kitchens and refrigerators - so on their way home from the train station they purchase what they need to prepare dinner - veggies, cooked fish, prepared entrees, noodles, bags of rice, etc. - and go out to local restaurants to socialize as their homes are far too small to do so. Even the local entertainment districts have Ramen carts in the streets year-round where you can pull up a stool and sit with neigbours and enjoy a huge steaming bowl of noodles, teriyaki stands where you can get cooked meats on a stick, or fruit stands where you can get chunks of fresh pineapple on a stick.
IMO - Living like this makes much more sense than going to Safeway or Costco every couple weeks. Since you're only purchasing what you need for that day and maybe the next there's little waste, there's no need for powering a large refrigerator or even a large oven - you also aren't paying to own a large kitchen to hold the inventory and all the equipment needed to outfit it. You don't need a car since you can carry your groceries home in a single bag, and you get to know your neighbors and merchants well since you see them on a frequent basis.
I'm all for being conscious of our spending and cutting back on non-essentials like the daily non-fat Latte's...
...but I don't get the "Don't buy anything this week" ordeal when you're stocking up the day/week before. You're not really spending less, you're just shifting your spending around.
Aside from the coffee rule, that's my usual m.o. I didn't realize it was such an unusual thing. Shop on Sunday, cook two Sunday dinners, eat leftovers for the week (my work hours are so unpredictable, there's simply no way to plan to cook on a regular weeknight, though I sometimes do).
But since I make crap coffee, the $2.50 I spend on it each day is not worth saving by giving it up. STEP AWAY from my coffee habit!
I also LOVE the dishes - so reminds my of my parents' & grandparents' fridges!
Survivor weeks are common fare in my household; as to making sure you remember your water bottle...
If you take five minutes before bed every night to pack your bag while you're thinking about it, you can just shower, dress, brush, pick up the bag and go, without worrying that you forgot something in the haze and rush of the morning.
I tried to get my husband and my best friend to commit to a no spending week and i swear they were punks about it. Im going to put my foot down, well on my husband at least.
When Suze Orman was on Oprah in January, she suggested doing this one day per week. I've been doing it pretty succesfully ever since. Having it be only one day rather than a whole week is obviously a lot easier -- not too much meal planning, easier to cheat by just moving purchases one day earlier or later -- but having it as a recurring thing every Wednesday keeps me more constantly mindful about the dollars that otherwise just seem to disappear out of my wallet the rest of the week.
I've always been a frugal person who saves most of her paycheck. It's all about planning ahead and not buying stuff you really don't need or can live without. We're in vogue now, or the enemy of the economy depending on who you ask.
@bepfs: I think the point of survivor week is to cut out impulse purchases by planning ahead. It does save money since buying a sandwich from the deli (or wherever) is always more expensive than having the materials at home and bringing lunch to work. Or packing a water bottle or thermos of coffee, etc.
It can also be healthier and tastier since you have more control over what's going into your meals.
I don't have the time or energy to play these games with myself. I know how much money I have and can spend, and I live within my means, making my priority choices day to day. Sure, I could save money by not eating out. Is it enough money to offset the amount of work and time spent in shopping, cooking, cleanup, etc. and the increase in physical exhaustion I would have doing that, AND the logistical issues that come with getting home from work at 9 pm twice a week? I have decided not. That could change. I have lived through hard times and good ones, and I know what I can do, when I need to, so taking a challenge like this would not prove anything new to me. Younger people might have less history and find it more revealing.
I second LilyC's comment. Everyone is afraid to spend, even the people who arn't hurting. it's just media hype that got into our heads. Cutting back spending is a lifestyle change, instead of cutting back for some survivor challenge...only do this if you really do intend on keeping the habits, otherwise, it's the same thing as a pointless diet.
"It does save money since buying a sandwich from the deli (or wherever) is always more expensive than having the materials at home and bringing lunch to work."
Not always.
You have to buy your bread by the loaf, your lettuce by the head, the tomatoes come whole and your meat & cheese by the half-pound (and you need Ziploc bags to take sandwiches to work in...)
Sure all this stuff is fresh on Sunday when you buy it and it's yummy on Monday, but on Tuesday the half a tomato that looked so good Monday has gone yucky so you throw it out and cut another one...
...by Wednesday, you're tired of the same old Turkey and Swiss that you've had for the past 3 days...
...and by Thursday you're out of tomatoes, the lettuce has wilted, the bread is stale, the cheese is getting mouldy, the turkey has turned that weird shade of shiny-blue - So before Friday you end up having to throw out half of what you purchased.
Meanwhile, the ziploc bags are future landfill - At least the paper sandwich wrappers from the deli can be recycled.
Sigh... I'm with Studio Starter... we always seem to end up with an unintended Survivor Week despite budgeting. Thus these suggestions are not super exciting! But at least we have a good time (and lots of tasty deli sandwiches) the rest of the month... ;)
After a Survivor Week, try an All Cash Week. It can be shocking (for some) to part with actual greenbacks rather than debit, credit, paper checks, etc.
Four words: Peanut Butter and Jelly.
bepsf - not sure where you are purchasing your groceries but mine certainly last longer than 5 days (except perhaps the tomato)
Every single poster has made an excellent point for what they do or don't do.
My system works best by doing meal planning. I shop every other week, unless there is something stupendously on sale during the off week - such at $1.99/pound asparagus. Unless the milk sours, I stay out of grocery stores until it is time for the regularly scheduled shopping trip.
That keeps incredibly yummy looking pastry impulse purchases down to a minimum.
Why do things always have to be so drastic? In between "consume, consume, consume" and "don't spend a cent" resides a happy medium- for buyer & seller. What ever happened to good, old-fashioned moderation?
I live across the street from Whole Foods. Dinner time is most important to me as my partner and I have been away from each other the entire day. I'll pick up groceries, or we go together, and I'll prepare the meal. We eat our dinner together and we talk. There is a no electronics rule at the table.
Since it's the most important meal of the day to us, I don't really bother budgeting it. I don't eat out for lunch, though, bringing oatmeal from home, and snacking on fruits throughout the day. I have a French press at work with an electric kettle and one of those thermos cups that keeps my coffee warm up to four hours. My coffee stays warmer longer and I waste less.
The other thing I do is never to carry cash around. When I have it, I spend it. I use my debit card and monitor my spending online.
bepsf: If that happens, then I think you need to check your fridge. Veggies usually stay good in mine for at least two weeks. Meat stays good for about a week. Cheese for a week or two or more, depending on what it is. I also store bread in the fridge (and freezer if I have a lot) and it stays good for weeks.
And it's not like you're only going to be eating one type of sandwich (or one thing) the whole time. I just used the deli sandwich thing as an example. You are allowed to figure out other things to make and eat for lunch (The Kitchn had some suggestions last week).
That aside, I think part of the problem is not just sheer laziness or decadence or time constaints, but that many of us were never taught how to really cook and aren't able to improvise simple, fast meals with basic pantry staples.
I have always meal planned but I'm a little extreme. I have a sheet in Word that is divided into tables and then the ingredients I need are arranged in order at the store to avoid buying things I don't need.
Something that works really well for us (just 2) is whenever I make something that is freezeable (lasagna, chili, cannelloni, some soups) I always make way more than what we can eat in one sitting. The rest, (minimum 2 servings) goes into the freezer if it won't be taken for lunches that week. Then, if you're stuck for a meal, take one out of the freezer and voila, dinner.
I also do this with breads/muffins.
I only take out $60 a week play money and I rarely spend it. So often that's the case that some weeks, I don't take out any money and others, I put money back in.
maggieann, I second that opinion! Everything in moderation...spending, eating, etc...
I use a website called mint.com to keep track of all my spending. It's linked to all my accounts--checking, savings, 401K, credit card, etc. to help me have a better idea of where my money is going. It's a safe site, endorsed by Forbes and Money magazine. It really helps me budget my spending and lets me know how to make better use of my money.
The other thing I do is make my grocery shopping list (always use a list!) by perusing the weekly sales ad.
Well, for some who suggested "spending" for economy sake, I would say, it is a very-very sick economy that is based on spending, in fact 70% of GDP in US is from spending. It is time to cut back.
As for "Survivor week", we tried to "stretch" what we have in the fridge and it actually worked. I just cooked with whatever ingredients I have around. But I usually do not use recipes, I just find it boring :).
I'm with bepsf. If you're feeding a family, investing your money at Costco makes sense, but for a single person to stock up on stuff is sort of silly.
Why cut back if you're not in debt and not saving for something, other than an out-of-work fund or trip or mortgage? The US is a consumer economy, which means people who run stores and/or make things depend on someone buying those things. Don't buy useless crap, but if a latte a day makes you happy, what's the BFD?
I'd rather have people employed and businesses humming along.
Have you been to Europe, or, heck, even South Korea? People around the world are crazy for their coffee houses and their snack shops and their street food and their restaurants. It's not a U.S.-centric thing at all.
And, let's face it, it's not the daily latte that got us into this mess.
My survivor week has now lasted three months.
Oh, I would love to just stop off somewhere and buy a damned sandwich...
bepsf: If you're concerned about the ziplocks, may I suggest a wrap-n-mat:
http://www.wrap-n-mat.com/
or perhaps a reusable bag from this etsy seller: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24279249
I go to the grocery store once every two weeks for my major stock-up, and only pop in, with a list, if I need things in between the bi-weekly trips, like coffee, yogurt, bread, and milk. It's saved me a lot of money! Also, I always brew my own coffee and take it with me-- if you get a coffee maker with a timer, it's easy to set it the night before, while you're cleaning up after dinner.
Thank you for crediting me on my photo.
I agree with LilyC... supporting local businesses when you can swing it helps all those "cool" places in your neighborhood be able to stay open. We don't spend money every day on coffee or lunches, but we do like to go out to local restaurants two or three times a week for drinks or dinner - our neighborhood restaurants/bars are a great community and it is something we really enjoy.
As someone who experienced a serious "survival" phase for quite a while - it's not such a fun game when you've lived it in reality.
slowdown- I agree- too many people these days don't have basic cooking skills. Sure they can go to Williams Sonoma and Whole Foods and buy a whole bunch of expensive, fancy ingredients & equipment then spend a week preparing a fancy meal or holiday meal (and probably wasting a a whole lot besides), but when it comes to putting a meal on the table every night, skills are seriously lacking.
Re the spending/economy issue, I thought this was an interesting idea:
http://www.the350project.net/home.html
I would LOVE to do this because I find trying to be frugal a game of sorts, but doubt the family would go for it. Also, since we are financially doing fine, I do feel some obligation to support the economy.
I guess I just don't get the big deal here. My husband and I make $51,000.00 per year. That seems like a lot for 2 people and a dog until you factor in that we live in San Francisco!
But we own our home, pay extra on the mortgage every year, have a nice vacation every other year and have extra in the bank. And we've only been together for 4 years!
We also share one 11 year old car, don't eat out more than once a week, entertain in most of the time and I work a crappy low paying job that offers great medical/dental plans at little cost to us. It's all about the trade-offs you're willing to make. Most people pick easy now over better future.
Since we are a consumer economy, try looking at your spending like this: Will this purchase enhance my life 3 weeks/months/years from now? A college course, yeah. A new TV? It did for us, since we cuddle on the couch rather than hanging out on seperate computers. A latte? With the girls Friday night, yes. Alone running to work, not really.
Use your money to enhance your life, and it will cease to run it.
I think I like my moderation in moderation... I don't really mind the ups and downs of Survivor Week(s) vs Decadence Week(s). During one I finally use up the bag of black beans in the cabinet and the tortillas from the back of the refrigerator... during the other I have shrimp and avocado salads. =)