Imagine going 2 weeks
without spending a single penny on anything at all! That's the goal blogger Katy Wheelock and her husband set for themselves late last year.
Katy told Clark about the experience and what she learned from it in an exclusive interview today. First, though, let's lay down Katy's ground rules: She and her hubby continued paying all their regularly scheduled bills (mortgage, cable, Internet, etc.) during the 2-week period, but they cut out extras like gas money, food money and any discretionary funds.
Their food needs were already met before the experiment began; the family (which also includes 2 children, ages 5 and 7) had a pre-paid membership to a local farm coop. That means they received a bag of vegetables every week, along with milk and eggs.
They held off buying gas for as long as possible until her husband needed it to go to work one day. Likewise, Katy does admit that one night she broke down and spent $6 on some special snacks she needed for her medically necessary eating regimen.
But that was it. So in the end, they spent $6 plus the cost of a tank of gas during an entire 2 weeks.
By Katy's estimate, her family saved $1,300 by cutting out unnecessary spending. The experiment ended shortly before Thanksgiving, and the Wheelocks found they didn't even have a desire to shop on Black Friday!
In fact, they're much more conscious about their spending now. Previously they might, for example, go and grab a coffee
without even thinking about it if they had a lag in their day between appointments. No more.
For more info on Katy, be sure to check out her blog --
PlanetPerspectives.blogspot.com.
