Layout:
Home > No Spending For A Year. Could You?

No Spending For A Year. Could You?

August 30th, 2009 at 05:02 pm

Did you know people do this? They make a plan, a pact, a commitment for a year to not spend anything. For some of them it's for environmental reasons, for others it's for monetary ones.

Okay, they do spend money on food and health/safety items. For some of them it is okay to buy something as long as it is not 'new'. I suppose that has to do with turning against our consuming nature.

On some level, I like the idea. However, I have kids and I just don't think it is practical. I suppose I could do it just for myself. As I think about this a little more, I realize that I'm pretty close to no spending for myself. I rarely buy myself anything new. So maybe it wouldn't be so hard.

Who am I kidding? It WOULD be hard to not spend anything!! Congratulations to those who take this path or even attempt it. Do you think you could do it?

10 Responses to “No Spending For A Year. Could You?”

  1. sarah Says:
    1251652724

    I've actually done this for three months and I found the experience troubling. It wasn't the lack of spending that bothered me. It was the attitude of the movement. It was very elitist and pompous. I was quite disillusioned.

  2. Aleta Says:
    1251653545

    I've tried to see how long I can go without spending. It's an interesting way to see how much you can save by not spending. Some items can be impulsive just because it is on sale without the person actually needing the item.

    I've gone one solid week, two weeks and almost made it to three and noticed how much I actually did not spend by doing this.

  3. girltherapy Says:
    1251653881

    I think I could, my fantasy retirement has always been a cabin in the woods with 6 months worth of food and firewood, and my sewing machine!

  4. Patrick (Toyguy 1963) Says:
    1251654302

    I never really understand the rules for these sorts of things. I mean I could easily not spend for a year if you are talking about cloths, electronics and such items. But spending also includes paying bills and eating. In some way or another you have to spend on those things. So I like the general idea but the little details get me.

  5. whitestripe Says:
    1251658502

    to be honest i don't like the idea, and i know i couldn't do it. sure, consumerism is bad in some aspects, but i LIKE spending my money. I have worked for it, and when I'm working, I think about WHY I am working. We work to earn money to purchase the things that are important to us. I am for people not buying stupid crap that they don't need, and perhaps I am for people not spending money for a short while until they figure out what is really important to them, but a year is a very long time, and I think I would feel very deprived after a quarter of the time.
    And also, the whole idea of not spending money ... EXCEPT for groceries, and bills, and this, and that. I mean when you get down to it, people can grow their own vegetables, and where does the line stop for bills? is cable allowed? is a landline allowed? what about internet? and all those little bits of extra things that are put in the grocery trolley? these things aren't neccesary, they are a luxury, and that defeats the whole purpose of the exercise.

    anyway, i couldn't do it Big Grin

  6. dmontngrey Says:
    1251663630

    I don't think I could go that extreme. I like the changes I've made in my life financially, and I like knowing that if I want to spend - I CAN. I've drastically cut back and couponing has helped. I still don't usually buy into the spending society. I don't enjoy spending and I HATE the mall. I'm to the point I struggle to go to the store even if I really do need something.

  7. Broken Arrow Says:
    1251672740

    I commend anyone who can and have done this, but... I don't see the point of it.

  8. AKSaves Says:
    1251673393

    Not the BEST way to stimulate a down economy...

    Anyway, I don't like the idea that "spending is bad" across the board (or non-necessity spending is bad, whatever).

    As long as we can afford it, why not buy that culinary magazine subscription, that set of golf clubs, that jacket that pulls together our whole "look" this season? These are the things that help us cultivate an identity and bolster self-esteem.

    Key phrase was "as long as we can afford it", I guess.

  9. lizajane Says:
    1251689555

    Nope, plain & simple. I don't think I'm a wasteful spender, but to cut out EVERYTHING if bills and food were allowed would just be impossible to do. Things break or wear out, and life happens. So, while it might be a nice goal, I don't think it would be attainable for me.
    I just had to replace my sneakers since they were so worn out my feet were killing me when I wore them. This was not a want, but an absolute need. Then, yesterday, DH ripped out the crotch of a pair of jeans. He only has 2, so it's kind of important to replace those. Ok, maybe if I was really good at sewing we could patch & go on, since it's not just a ripped seam but the fabric stretched and tore too, but that just isn't the case. So, those are my life happens examples.

  10. FrugalFish Says:
    1251729298

    We did a 10 month stint of not buying anything we did not absolutely need- this was the first 10 months of 2008. I'm not really sure why we decided to do it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Actually, I think it was born from wanting to have a little more cash in the bank (I had an inkling we would need another car sooner than later).

    It was good at times because it made me look around the house for other alternatives before purchasing anything. That's a habit I use to have, but had gotten out of. OTOH, it got kind of old by October. The original plan was to aim for a year, but 10 months was more than enough.

    I have to agree with Sarah that there is a movement towards this that is a bit elitist and pompous. It's just something we did without mentioning to other people, but recently I was reading an article about this in a magazine and the people profiled did come off a little holier than thou. We saved a lot of money, but it didn't make me feel closer to my family, and it didn't change my core values- those things were in a good place before we didn't spend.

Leave a Reply

(Note: If you were logged in, we could automatically fill in these fields for you.)
*
Will not be published.
   

* Please spell out the number 4.  [ Why? ]

vB Code: You can use these tags: [b] [i] [u] [url] [email]