Zero Spending Experiment- Week 3

This is the 3rd installment chronicling my efforts towards eliminating frivolous spending.  Read the results of Week One, Week Two and A Month in Review.

Today marks the end of Week 3 of the Zero Spending Experiment.  My first couple of weeks I was having a tough time getting my spending under control but I have managed to improve in the areas which I knew needed work. 

Weekends seemed to be the time of the week when most of my money would slip through my fingers as it was then that I had idle time to burn.  I would end up shopping in order to fill my time, a very bad habit and one which can be a financial disaster if left unchecked. 

I spent much of the week purging my apartment of more Stuff as a way of eliminating clutter and as a way to earn some extra money.  By the time the weekend rolled around I had multiple boxes of things that needed to be sold or listed on eBay.  I took what I could to stores which buy back media and made a decent amount of money on my items, though not as much as I paid originally, of course.  We stuck to our schedule except to stop for lunch at a restaurant.  $16.72 for both of us to eat.  Strike one!

The rest of the weekend went by without any further spending and the week was off to a great start until I decided to go to Chicago with my girlfriend for a school trip.  I’m a sucker for the Art Institute.  Cost of the trip: $40.  Strike two!  We stopped at Water Tower Place, a 5 story shopping center.  I rode the escalator to the top floor, then took the elevator back down and I left.  Intentional shopping isn’t my problem, I have no interest.

I found myself on the streets of Chicago with a couple of hours to spare, so I explored.  I walked to an old church and went inside.  I love the architecture of churches, especially older ones.  We checked out the Water Tower and just explored the city.  When we regrouped it was decided that we should eat something so I found a restaurant which prepared fresh sushi and I ate sushi for the first time.

Our next stop was the Art Institute of Chicago.  I have spent quite a bit of time here so I was more interested in their exhibit “Becoming Edvard Munch: Influence, Anxiety, and Myth”.  We went to purchase tickets but because we had arrived with a group there was much confusion amongst the staff about how we should be charged.  Our general admission had been paid, but the exhibit was an extra charge.  Instead of charging us for the exhibit, it seemed as though we would need to pay for general admission as well as the exhibit.  I tried explaining our situation, but it was apparently too complex for the staff to comprehend and I finally became so disgusted by their ineptitude that I paid the full price, with a student discount of course, of  $17 per ticket.  Strike Three!

Wednesday brought with it more opportunity to spend money.  A friend called and asked if I wanted to grab a bite to eat.  I wasn’t doing anything so I decided to go.  I ordered a salad and a water, but by the time I left I had also decided to buy an ice cream sundae.  I struck out long ago, so there is no use in keeping track of my strikes.

When I started this experiment it was with the intention of eliminating dining out and other forms of entertainment which would cost money.  I was doing better before I started the experiment!  In the past 3 weeks it seems as though I’ve eaten out more frequently than I have in quite a long time and that I have spent more money than I was before.  Unfortunately I have not been tracking my spending dollar for dollar before or during this experiment, so maybe it only seems that way now that I am actually trying to be more aware of where my money is going.

Next week is my final week, and I have one more weekend to get through.  There are plans of doing a bike ride, so this time I’m packing sandwiches and water.  If there is a restaurant involved I will just have to politely excuse myself.  If I can’t go even one week without spending then I have some serious issues that I need to resolve.  I really never knew just how challenging this was going to be, but I’m learning a valuable lesson…one I am sure I will stay with me for a long time.