Indeed. Aside from the need for that extremely limited availability missing part which could only be paid for with plastic (seller required instant payment) I kept with the cash-only goal through Saturday. $2 on coffee, $10 at lunch, $2 for caffeine for commute to and from my gig. So yes, I feel I stuck with the spirit of the challenge through its close.
I will admit that having a little extra cash at the end of the week lent me a sense of entitlement to a nicer lunch than usual.
I had thought that perhaps living off cash only would show me some places where I could save money due to not wanting to let go of some dear bills. What I learned was that I do, in fact, have a very good sense of how much I need to get through a week, my only real mistake being misjudging when I'd need to pick up cigarettes.
Sure, I could shave a few bucks off by ditching soda and shave quite a bit off by cutting out smoking, but neither of those are lifestyle changes I'm willing to make at this point.
Another round of this comes April, so if you're up for it, I'm predisposed to think there's still something left to learn. No harm, no foul if you choose not to participate in round 2.
Glad you joined in. Made it easier for me knowing others were trying as well.
living paycheck to paycheck, and having a tight budget, even now when i have much more $ than i used to..i agree complete with the 'entitlement' feeling. and that feeling is much better than the guilt of having thrown money away without much thought and going, damn - what a waste..
At the moment, I'm game to play again come April. We'll see how things look when we get a little closer, though. I do have spring break coming up, which means a week without pay. That makes me feel much more cautious about playing financial games.
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Indeed. Aside from the need for that extremely limited availability missing part which could only be paid for with plastic (seller required instant payment) I kept with the cash-only goal through Saturday. $2 on coffee, $10 at lunch, $2 for caffeine for commute to and from my gig. So yes, I feel I stuck with the spirit of the challenge through its close.
I will admit that having a little extra cash at the end of the week lent me a sense of entitlement to a nicer lunch than usual.
I had thought that perhaps living off cash only would show me some places where I could save money due to not wanting to let go of some dear bills. What I learned was that I do, in fact, have a very good sense of how much I need to get through a week, my only real mistake being misjudging when I'd need to pick up cigarettes.
Sure, I could shave a few bucks off by ditching soda and shave quite a bit off by cutting out smoking, but neither of those are lifestyle changes I'm willing to make at this point.
Very cool, Thom, thanks for sticking with it.
Another round of this comes April, so if you're up for it, I'm predisposed to think there's still something left to learn. No harm, no foul if you choose not to participate in round 2.
Glad you joined in. Made it easier for me knowing others were trying as well.
living paycheck to paycheck, and having a tight budget, even now when i have much more $ than i used to..i agree complete with the 'entitlement' feeling. and that feeling is much better than the guilt of having thrown money away without much thought and going, damn - what a waste..
Thanks for the project, Erik.
At the moment, I'm game to play again come April. We'll see how things look when we get a little closer, though. I do have spring break coming up, which means a week without pay. That makes me feel much more cautious about playing financial games.
Gamefaced, I can certainly relate to that.
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