Conniving

It is only November 2 and I already find myself feeling desperate. It's actually a little pathetic that only two days of not spending money can make me feel so disassociated with society. These urges keep surfacing within me telling me that I should beg people for things. Seriously? It's day two. I just got off the phone with Tony who went to Racy's to do homework. He managed to get someone to buy coffee for him but what would have happened if he hadn't gotten it payed for? Would he have bought coffee for himself or would he have left? Let's remember, it's day two and we are both putting ourselves in the "pathetic" category by conniving our way to the things we would normally have bought for ourselves. What is it about these things that we are so accostomed to that we cannot even live a month without them? Is No-Spend November revealing more about us than just our money habits? I think we are learning a lot about our lifestyles as well. Personally, this is more of a coffee-house abstention challenge than anything. Please don't tell me that I am so addicted to the substance that I need to swindle my way to a decent cup.

At first I was upset at Tony for going to Racy's. He could have easily studied in the library but he told himself there wasn't a spot that suited his studying needs. In my mind he convinced himself that Racy's was the only suitable place for homework; the library would have hindered his education experience. So, he put himself on a limb hoping that someone would give him a handout. This is why I was upset. It seemed pathetic to me. In reality, this is what No-Spend November is about. Had Tony not gone to Racy's tonight, I probably would have found myself in the same situation by the end of the week. I would have gone equipped with baby deer eyes and a helpless disposition hoping that someone would have covered my ticket. That just shows me to what lengths I will go to procure my arabica. Turns out coffee is the issue, and money is an unfortunate symptom.

Today has been a day of discovery for me. I am a bit pathetic. I would be interested in hearing other people's testimony so far. Is anyone else struggling with the con-artist complex or is it just me?

Day 2

Hey everybody! So today is day dos of this iniative and let me tell you, this is going to be a little rough. Thank goodness for meal plan, but it still doesn't give me the priviledges that the all access plan has so I am definately going to be budgeting money for food off campus. Sorry, Taco Bell just doesn't cut it all the time. Hopefully soon I can get a grasp of what is important in life and what I can live without. :)

Day 1

It is day 1. In fact it has only been day 1 for about an hour. My main purpose for writing this post is to hypothesize about how this experiment will go. I am guessing that my biggest struggle in the No-Spend November challenge is going to be not spending money on coffee. One tendency I have is associating coffee with special occasions and a heightened experience of life. I am not looking forward to drinking coffee from the cafeteria :'( I am also guessing that I will realize just how many impulse buys I usually make, because I am going to have to force myself to abstain. Hopefully, I will learn to be more frugal, and be happy with fewer things. My plan is to stick to the guidelines and hope for the best! In the end I would love to come away with a new sense of self that is not defined within a monetary boundary.

Good luck fellow No-Spenders!