Treehugger - Latest Comments in Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

anymouse — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:47:08 -0000

Yeah it would have to be a month to count. Let's try and see him "barter" with his landlord.

I've gone weeks without spending money. But in my current situation its difficult.

I could still go a week here and there without spending, but like someone else said, it'd come out before the end of the month.

moderate FAIL.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Draq Wraith — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 15:40:51 -0000

Hum the IRS in the US would have something to say about that barter and Yes they try to tax bartering too.

But it is a good call for the barter.

D~W

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

funny t shirts — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:33:58 -0000

While the title got my full attention and the guy did go a week without spending any money, it seems a little less exciting to know that he begged friends to pay for him and said he would pay back the next week. Nobody likes that guy who sponges off others everywhere he goes and that is basically what he did.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

funkyderek — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:54:31 -0000

This guy didn't really do anything. He didn't live off the land for a week or beg for food. He continued to use all the things he had paid for in previous weeks, and whenever he was inconvenienced in any way, simply got someone else to pay for him. I mean, he even got a haircut with the promise to pay the following week. At the very least the sort of frugality he's preaching would require that he go without a haircut or cut it himself.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Bombera — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:42:51 -0000

There is no real way for a person who has a job and a home and transportation to just go out for a week and understand the woes of the homeless. However, I believe that the point of this article was supposed to show that ordinary people could go a lot longer than they think on a lot less than they normally spend. The lesson should be learned in frugality, not in abject poverty since I am assuming that most of us are not in that situation since we have the time to comment on the internet about how he should have done his experiment.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Courtney — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:29:18 -0000

I thought this was pretty unimpressive, especially when he offered to pay the guy back the next week - it definitely counts as a delayed purchase, just like if he used a credit card. And then I read frazzledglispa's great comment about doing this all the time, being broke before payday, and this guy's efforts seemed even less inspriing.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

JohnK — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:28:31 -0000

Did he shoplift anything? He should have lived in a tent and stole everything he needed. I'd much rather read an article about someone committing petty theft to survive. Man vs Wild/Survivorman style. Those guys don't spend any money for a week, where's their article? FAIL

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Jeremiah — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:36:06 -0000

"If you you're not first, you're last."

WTF all? This guy tried something and it wasn't perfect so you think its crap?

Wrong attitude if you want to see change.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

gjd — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:50:10 -0000

I agree with Andrew. If you don't count accruals, this is rather easy. I checked my accounting this year and I achieved this "feat" several times to date.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Doug — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:58:17 -0000

According to the article the guy still had a home. I wonder how he got out of having to pay for property tax, mortgage, rent, utilities, whatever for an entire week. I suppose if he had his wife paying for everything then but that's rather weak.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Wuz — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:23:31 -0000

Why?

What's the point of not spending a dime if you can't feed yourself?

A truer task would be to go a week without spending except on food/water/housing.

As long as you're not buying an iphone every week, you're good in my book.

You may have to work to pay for your car, but if you give up your car you don't need to work.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Craig — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:27:59 -0000

Andrew hit it on the nail: While he may not have spent money physically, it was still spent from a monthly bill view. I've gone 2 weeks without spending cash, but I still paid for my car registration, insurance, the food I ate was bought previously, cell phone, etc. Prepare to be a luddite if you don't want to spend money for a month.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Courtney — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:57:15 -0000

I've done that before, plenty of times. I had plenty of money in the bank but thought really carefully whether or not I needed a certain item or not or if I could eat at home versus spending money eating out.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Mike@EasyGreensy — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:47:28 -0000

I'm sorry, but I too don't think this is much a big deal. I stock up enough food, and grow enough in my garden that I sometimes don't leave the hill I live on for two or three weeks at a time.

If I look back to the spring there was probably a month I went without spending money, and that was only to pay my bills.

My goal is to be able to live off my land one day, generate my own power, and essentially my only bill will be for internet access (someday maybe that'll be free). Personally I think that's an accomplishment. Not bartering and getting others to pay for your things.

If anything, all this guy proved is that he's cheap, but not afraid to let his frugalness negatively affect those around him.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Andrew — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:04:29 -0000

also i think it depends on how you define spending. I would assume he didn't cancel his internet, water or electricity for the week, or tell the insurance company he was only going to pay for 3/4 of the month that month.

he's still spending money even if he doesn't drop some cash on it. by his logic he could also drive his car around all week as long as his tank of gas can last 8 days.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

david — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:51:00 -0000

What!? I have a good paying job, I can go a week without spending a cent. Of course I, dont like to spend my money. Is purchasing stocks spending?

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

WailerWoman — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:48:01 -0000

im doing this months at a time...and so are other homeless people.

free meals at churches, begging, mooching-it sucks but maybe karma appeases people, having a partner, you gotta do what you gotta do

i dont choose to live this way. its just what i have to do. no one has any money. i have many friends that are "mentally challenged" and get social security. im well educated and have gotten "sufficiant to excellent" grades my entire life, my dads a highschool principal, and i still cant afford to have a place to live or go to college. without proper financing knowledge kids are screwed

so that guy aint got shit, and knows that next week hell be rolling in monies...or just have family to fall back on.

nice try for an emic perspective.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

frazzledglispa — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:36:29 -0000

Big deal. I do that all the time. It is called being broke a week before payday.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Willy Bio — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:33:16 -0000

Epic FAIL.

What an utterly useless waste of a week. Try a month, then we'll talk. Anything less, get lost, nobody's falling for it.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

MarlboroTestMonkey7 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:03:31 -0000

Lesson learned: This was a half baked bun of a project.

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

Brian — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:01:08 -0000

Am I allowed to stock up food before (not crazy, but enough to last for the next two weeks)?

If not no. Otherwise, probably. It would be nice to keep the car parked for a week (which I've actually done thus far without even trying).

Re: Man Goes a Week Without Spending a Cent

chris tackett — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:57:08 -0000

straight up barter, yo!