Live on $50 For a Week- I Dare You.
Posted on 16 September 2008 by joy
Do I think I could live on $50 a week? I knew that it would be a serious challenge. I drop that kind of cash just treating myself to fruit smoothies and manicure/pedicures every week, not to mention weekly dinner and cocktails with friends.
With my rising credit card bills as inspiration, I decided to put myself of a financial diet. $50 was all I allowed myself to spend on both food and fun last week. I learned quite a lot. I gave myself some blisters and learned which heels are not meant for walking, and I was surprised by all the various meals I can make out of a bag of frozen peas.
Here are some invaluable tips to help you stick to your $50 diet. Who knows, you just might like it!
Skip fast food and get creative- While fast food is uber cheap, it’ll ruin your waistline. Stay away from fast food and become a “freegan”. Join the clusters of old ladies at Whole Foods and get in on some of those cooking demos. It’ll fill your belly for the right price. Free!
The Dollar Store is your new best friend- It turns out the dollar has things other than plastic toys and paper goods. Check out the dollar store for household needs like paper towels and dish soap. Stock up on personal items liek soap and razors. I even had to resort to buying a friend a birthday gift at the dollar store. With a little thought, I got her a few things that I knew would make her laugh, and she never suspected for a minute that the items were only a buck!
Office Party Goodies- I’ll admit it, I took a hearty slice of cake home after an office party. There’s no shame in that! Ok… I felt a little guilty, but I needed something to excite my pea and pasta dinner, and cake dessert was just the ticket.
Many Many Meals- I was surprised by how many meals I could make out of a can of crushed tomatoes, a bag of penne, three cans of black beans and a bag of frozen peas. It turns out, if you grate Parmasean cheese on anything, it’s delicious! Check out CheapCooking.com for some budget friendly recipes.
Skip the Cocktail- My $50 diet didn’t allow for any splurging. That means glasses of wine and fancy cocktails were out the window.
Clear Nail Polish- I skipped the luxury of manicures and pedicures and went for clear nail polish. Clip and file your nails and throw on a few coats of nail polish. Since it’s clear, no one will know if you’re not the most graceful polisher, and the clean look is super classy.
While living on $50 a week is a challange, it actually felt great, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was a great way to become conscious of my pocket book again. I can so easily spend $100 dollars on weekday lunches, and spur of the moment shopping trips. The $50 diet is something I might do once a month in an effort to keep my money planted firmly in my bank account rather than fluttering around on fruivilous purchases. If I can do it, you can too!
July 11th, 2009 at 5:38 am
I was thinking of trying to survive on fifty dollars a week, so I googled it to see if anyone else had tried, and found this post, now I am confident that I can achieve it too
thanks!