Project No Spending Money (30 Days)

[ken nubo]

WHY DO THIS?

Because being cheap is the new cool. Let's see how low can I go to save money.

INTRODUCITON

This is going to be interesting project — and I’m going to give it a 30 days test run.
Basically for the next 30 days I’m going to be as frugal as I can be. This means spending little to no money, thinking twice about traveling around town, and doing interesting things to make money (such as taking pennies and dimes from people who throw it in fountains at the mall)

It’s not a hard task for me, because I don’t:

- Buy $5 coffee daily at Starbucks
- Go to the bars or clubbing on the weekends
- Have expensive hobbies or schooling
- Have kids, mortgage or car payment

With that said, I’m not going to leave you without some couple of good tips that will save you tons of money in the long run if you follow it (Think $5,000 to $10,000)

- Next time you’re at the mall, steal tiolet paper.
- Bring a jar to the mall and “borrow” some of their liquid soap in the washroom
- If you see dimes or quarters in the fountains at the mall, be sure to pick it up

Live simple and be happy. Because you’re born naked into this world, and when you die you bring nothing. As for the saying “Those who die with the most toys win”, it was just a clever marketing slogan to trick dumb people into buying things. Don’t be one of them. :-)


Note: I'm going to post the next 6 days, because I started this on Oct 7 2009

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 2

Today is the second day into this project, and I was tempted to play some poker at the casino.

My cheap instinct kicked in: NO! Poker is a fad and it cost money. Don’t do it.

I’ve made thousands of dollars in poker — and lose thousands, so looking back, it sure looks like a waste of time.

With that being said, I’m just staying home, relaxing, doing some work, chilling.

Of course this post is nothing without some cheapskate tips:

- Steal wifi internet from people. I’m doing it right now in the washroom as I type.

- Very rarely buy clothes (we’re talking about once every 2 years here). If you do shop, buy at the thrift store. $7 for jeans, $5 for t-shirts, $7 for dress shirts, $8 for running shoes … you can’t go wrong. When I shop at Good Will/Value Village, I’m a damn proud shopper.

- Don’t buy gadgets. People have GPS in their car now … uh … whatever happened to using a map? I was tempted to buy a keyboard ($50 or so dollars) and a high end mouse ($70) but then I realize my $6 mouse I bought 2 years ago serves me just fine.

All in all, today I spent $0. Now I’m going to go for a 45 minutes walk instead of going to the gym

- Ken

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 3

Yesterday I was walking to the bank, and I saw a soda pop machine. They charge 75 cents for a pop but I resisted the urge to buy any.

Probably the best tip is just to stay at home. Don’t go anywhere. Free entertainment on the Internet (right now I’m mooching off some wifi off my Indian nighbour)

It’s Friday night, and people usually head to the bar/clubs for some “destressing” after slaving away 5 days a week on their job.

As for me? I’m going to stay home and learn Japanese, do some work (slinging those diet pills on the internet) and chat with my friends and building my cash flow before retiring to Asia when I hit 25. (or any other place ex-pat like to go, for that matter)

On another note, so called “frugal tips” are very softcore. I want it HARDCORE, which includes:

- No drinking coffee, juice or soda pop. Only tap water.

- No dropping money at the bars/clubs/sports game

- Very rarely buying clothes, and only at thrift stores

- Living in a car or van with tinted windows

Don’t berate the super cheap, they retire early ;-)

Total spent today: $0

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 4

Today I spent 50 cents, because I needed to make a phone call using the pay phone. I do own a pre-paid cell phone but there are no minutes in it. However, I can use the SOS feature and call the cops in case I’m stranded

Back to my point — past 3 days, I spent very little money. So far it’s 50 cents.

Doing this project made me realize that you don’t need to spend money. Notice I said SPEND, and not LIVE on. Of course we all got bills to pay, but it doesn’t mean we have to spend money everyday.

ZERO COST LIVING

I imagine if you want to live without spend much money, all you have to do is buy a van to live in. Park it somewhere downtown or near your work place.

Since it’s park, you don’t need to spend money on gas. In fact, forgot about paying for insurance so it’s parked there.

For showers, go the gym, cook your food at the park, and all that shebang. This isn’t for everyone but it maybe useful when you find yourself almost homeless.

INTERESTING THINGS TO DO WITHOUT SPENDING MONEY

I came over to my friend’s house today to eat some thanks giving food, then we went to the university campus to “borrow” some paper towels from the washroom.

We walked around for a good 2 hours and explored the place, it was interesting.

We looked at every nook and cranky and try to figure if we can get any free stuff (we found a sweet basement on campus that we can sleep under the stairs)

All in all, today was a very enlightening day.

Money spent in the past 4 days: 50 cents*

*Money that I spend out of my pocket. My internet bill doesn’t count even ought I’m stealing wifi right now, ha ha.

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 5

The past couple of days I learned that you can do fun and interesting things without spending a penny. Obvious stuff.

But the question is — can you be a cheapskate, yet still be a gambler?

And I say yes. With the money that I win with poker, I won’t spend it on useless crap. I let my bankroll grow, and treat poker as a job itself.

You know how people say do what you’re passionate about? Last night I dreamed of playing poker at the casino. So poker IS my passion. Need to hustle, need to play — even ought I absolutely hate some aspects of playing poker — such as working hard, making $200 in a couple of hours, only to lost it back in 1 hand.

To be patient like the poker when playing poker, easier said then done. Last time I tilt I lost close to $1500 in two sessions in 5/5 No Limit, and 1/1 No Limit.

I can see poker as a good game if I just for 6 hours a day. 6 hours day is good enough.

I also HAD massive urge to buy a pair of sun glasses, so I can wear it at the poker table. I’m talking about $300 pair of sun glasses, then I realize that it’s just some bull crap consumer fantasy.

Total Money Spent Today:
$0*

Spent time with girlfriend and she paid for my bus money

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 6

I spent $30 on online poker. This is sad. I just broke my streak, but — I also saved myself a bit of money. Instead of taking the bus, and traveling 1.5hr to the casino, tipping the dealers, tipping the waitress, I just sit in my underwear and play some poker at home.

Not to mention I don’t have to walk in the cold.

Other then that, I didn’t spend any money on myself. Haven’t been working on my internet business the past couple of days but I still made money today, thanks to the business model which is automated for the most part.

A little bit of exercise, doing what you’re passionate about, socializing = happy life.

Total money spent today: $30 (on online poker, instead of the usual $200 buyin at the casino)

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 7

I spent all night grinding at $10 MAX online poker, it’s not about the money but more for fun. I played around 2000 hands online before passing out. Phew, I love those pass out sessions. Did I make any money? No, I lost my precious $30. LOL. (Could’ve bought a precious Whiskey with that …)

Always — back to the cheap skate life style. I think it isn’t more of a “goal” of spending less but more of a life style. Some people life style is going out to the bars and clubs every weekend and dropping $50-$100. Not me, I stay home during the weekend, or I’m at the casino grinding some poker.

So last night I’m thinking of putting full time poker for a while, and working on my business. Why? Because playing poker full time is stressful during the downswings.

I’m going to work on my Internet business, watch the passive income roll in and then play poker whenever the hell I want. Living the life of my dream

Money saving tip of the day:

- Cut your cable TV
- Switch to the cheapest cell phone plan you can find if you have no land line. If you do have a land line, forget the cell phone.

WHY YOU DON’T NEED A BUDGET

What’s this crap with budgeting. Budgeting is for over spending. Be a cheapskate, make it your life style, and you never need to keep track of your spending because you hardly spend money to begin with

Total Money Spent today: $0

Life is only worth living if you do what you’re passionate about. Feels good man.

[Alfonso Crawford]

Ain't this the right thread at the right time for me! Hey, what would you recommend besides poker, eh? I've been interested in gambling, but I'm wary of poker in particular.

Oh! And volunteer at religious joints when they have food-based goings-on! I hang at a church and a Buddhist-center, m'self. Money-free grub, mate!

Libraries have been starting to give free Wi-Fi. You gotta try, to spend money at a library.

[ken nubo]

Originally Posted by Alfonso Crawford

Ain't this the right thread at the right time for me! Hey, what would you recommend besides poker, eh? I've been interested in gambling, but I'm wary of poker in particular.

Oh! And volunteer at religious joints when they have food-based goings-on! I hang at a church and a Buddhist-center, m'self. Money-free grub, mate!

Libraries have been starting to give free Wi-Fi. You gotta try, to spend money at a library.

I don't play any casino game besides poker. Poker is skills with a sprinkle of luck in it. Mhmm ... how about roulette? It's fun, bet on Red or Black for a slightly 50/50 chance of doubling your money. If you bet on a number I think you get 36 to 1!

I saw a Chinese guy, maybe 21, who won $8000 or so playing Roulette. It was funny.

[Scipio]

Are you eating food during this experiment? Do you try to eat a lot of nutrient dense foods like fruits and vegetables?

[Daffy Duck]

Stealing toiler paper... stealing soap... live in a van. Hmm.

Honestly, that sounds like hard work, and I'm a lazy guy. I'm just going to create money instead. Besides, I'm very picky about my toilet paper...

Speaking of living homeless, Jay Pavlina has an interesting article about it.

Good luck with your 30 day trial. It's definitely a unique one! When I was younger, my family was homeless for a month or two. We lived in a tent and eventually upgraded to a small trailer! I had my bike, a playground, and a basketball. For my birthday, I remember getting a speedometer for my bike. I was able to hit 22mph going down a hill. I think my record was around 25mph. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Ken. As I recall, I was a happy kid. Oh hell, I still am.

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 8

Today I was about to buy some alcohol but then I was like — NO! NO SPENDING MONEY!

Of course, I practice what I preach, so the other day my friends and I were at the mall … and my friend spotted a 2 DOLLAR coin in the fountain at the mall.

So using our team work, I went to the washroom to get him tiolet paper while he takes off his socks, shoes, then hops into the middle of the fountain to retrieve the the coin. There were gawkers but we didn’t give a damn! Can’t say no to free money.

Then we went to taco bell and … instead of ordering a combo, we order JUST 1 TACO, and split it in half. We laughed heartily while eating it

I think I’m going to buy some alcohol tommorow, I need cheap $8 wine and cheese.

Total Money Spent Today: $0

[alekseykravtsun]

Ken,

I was laughing while reading your 30 days trial, I am agree that saved money are earned one, but this became your main goal. If I would do things like this in Moscow I would be in jail already Any way, my tip is never pick up wallet with you, normally I just "forget it at home", that really saves money. Good luck and keep posting I really enjoy your style of experssion.

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 9

Today I went around town and deposit some more USD checks. Man, the money keep coming in

Protip: Making money on isn't hard. Just sign up as an affiliate for diet pills, then advertise it on youtube for some easy money.

I was tempted to buy some wine and cheese, which is $10 but the Miyamoto Musashi's voice (a famous dead samurai) enters my head: "Follow the way of the samurai" so instead I spent money on gift bag ($1), birthday card ($1) and a chocolate bar ($0.69)

Musashi's famous passage, Dokkodo which roughly translate as "The way to be followed alone".

It is ...

1. Do not stubbornly rebel against the ways of the world.
2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
3. Do not rely upon any half-hearted feelings.
4. Think lightly of yourself and think deeply of the world.
5. Remain detached from desire.
6. Do not regret what you have done.
7. Never be jealous of others.
8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.
9. Abandon resentment and complaint.
10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of love.
11. Disregard your personal preferences.
12. Accept your dwelling and living conditions.
13. Do not pursue the taste of good food.
14. Do not hoard ancient treasures intended for future generations.
15. Do not mindlessly follow the ways of the world.
16. Do not become obsessed with weapons or fighting.
17. Do not run from death.
18. Do not accumulate goods and riches for your old age.
19. Respect the gods, without relying on their help.
20. You can abandon your own body, but never let go of your honor.
21. Never depart from the way of strategy.

I think I'm going to go to the casino tommorow to play poker against the drunks, the hot strippers playing after work, and the clueless house wives.

Total money spent today: $7.50 (bus money and birthday stuff)

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 10

Today was the first streak of not being frugal. I spent $7 on coconut rum, then $3.25 on a pizza. Then I spent another $10 for transportation to the casino. Then I blew $260 playing poker, 1/2 No Limit. For the total of ... $280.25

Oh lord. But I did manage to hustle a free $5 comp and bought myself some food fro the casino.

HOW TO LIVE WITHOUT SPENDING $1 ON RENT

Call me crazy but I don't see nothing wrong with living in a car. Perhaps I was a Zen Monk in my past life, which is why I'm a minimalist. Give me a place to sleep -- even a car will do, and a laptop and I'm set.

I see nothing wrong with taking a dump in a public washroom and brushing your teeth at Mcdonalds.

I see nothing wrong with living in a car and taking a shower at the gym. I know -- it's wonderful to be in you 20s and doing whatever the heck you want.

THIS IS YOUR LIFE, AND IT'S ENDING ONE MINUTE AT A TIME

I remember reading the newspaper, about a guy ... 19 years old, about to join the army. He went to a party, then his dead body ended up in the lake. How about some Teenage girl crossing the street then getting killed by an SUV? Or ... that kid who got killed by a stray bullet while he's watching TV at home? (All the examples are true stories I've read in the newspaper)

Oh right -- where was I getting at? Right. So this is your life, might as well be free and doing things you love (even if it means sleeping in a van) rather then working at some office job with a jerk boss

Total money spent today: $280.25

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 11

I went to my girlfriend’s birthday, and instead of driving there I got a free friend off my friend. Gifts don’t have to be expensive … I gave her $30 doll off ebay, which was made in China and had the retail value of $2. (It says so the custom declaration when my Hong Kong friend sent it to me)

We spent Birthday eating pizza, drinking “sprinkle wine” and just relaxing. Today I actually didn’t spend any money, so I’m proud of that

THE AUTOMATED BUSINESS ON A SHOE STRING

If you’re looking for beer money — search no further. Making money on the Internet is my favourite. For example, so far I made $300 for 3 hours of work. How so? I upload vids of poker on youtube, and when peope visit my websites I get around $75 everytime a new player signs up

Making money on the Internet is basically like … free moeny. You just need to put some time into it, even if you got no capital.

Total money spent: $0

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 12

Today my girlfriend and I just the day at home, doing stuff in the bed room, more sleeping, and just chit chat.

HOW TO TRIM YOUR BILLS LIKE WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY

I was thinking — what’s the best way to trim your bills to the absolute minimum?

Look no further, I got this down to an art.

- Cut off your cable TV (I done this)
- No more cell phone bills (I got a prepaid phone but no minutes in it)
- Live without a car (Currently doing this)
- No magazine, or any unnecessary subscription services.
- STOP DRINKING STARBUCKS!
- Do the “park workout” instead of paying for the gym

Today I spend some money to get home but I offset this by browsing the bookstore, and borrowing some of their books — which I don’t intend to give back. That’s how I roll.

Total money spent: $10 (bus money)

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 13

Today I was tempted to buy a computer mouse for my netbook but I RESISTED ... but I'm going to get one tomorrow. (This is work related)

AFFORDABLE COMPUTERS FOR ALL

I'm surprise some homes don't have computers -- I thought they're ubiquitous like cell phones. If you have grandparents who don't have one, buy then a netbook (small laptops) for around $300 so they can squander time on Youtube

AM I CHEAP WHEN IT COMES TO BUSINESS? HELL YES.

I was about to buy this automated software that cost $127 a month to automate tedious parts when it comes to Internet Marketing.

Am I going to buy it? HECK NO! I'm cheap. Also, I also hired people to work for me before -- college students mostly. They're affordable, they're plentiful, and fast learners.

I was thinking of renting an office with 5 laptops, and hiring college students to work under me, then I realize it's not worth the stress -- better to hire MBA Indian friends from India.

Total Money Spent Today: $0

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 14

Yesterday I was tempted to buy a ethernet cable, new sleek $50 wireless mouse, headphones and all that cool stuff ...

Then my cheapskate sense kicked in: NO, DON'T BUY USELESS STUFF! Only food, shelter and business needs, everything else is a luxury.

So I went to the grocery store and bought cheap (but good stuff):

Apples
3 Cans of dog food at 75 cents each
Cheap wine at $13 for 1.5 litres
Captain Morgan Rum at $24
No name pepsi at $1.35 for 2 litres (to go with the Rum)

MINIMALISM IS THE NEW COOL AND THE DECLINE OF AMERICA

Remember when Russia was a superpower before it collapsed? I sense that the USA is going on the same direction (in fact, some pundits say it already begun a couple years ago when the USA and CAN exchange rate were on PAR)

Americans are going to sell their 2,000 square feet Mc-Mansions and downsize to small little homes -- like back in the 1960s.

They're going to stop eating out less, and stop buying overpriced Apple computers, DVDs that go obsolete when Blue-Ray CDs hit, and other useless stuff.

But that's not all! They're going to stop being little consumer sheep, so big screen LCD TV sales are going to decline, and white people are going to become the minority in the future (because of their low birth rates)

And today I exchanged $300 USD and got $304.25 CAN. Oh yes, $4 profit baby!

Total money spent today: $42 or so.

Today was my biggest spending day for buying stuff. The other time spending $260 or so doesn't count because it was for the casino, which is my vice. Booo.

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 15

WE'RE HALF WAY THROUGH!

Today I spent $0. I'm a professional non-spender.

The past 15 days was interesting. I didn't go eat out at a restaurant -- not even fast food joint!

My girlfriend asked me what I wanted for my birthday ... I said "Nothing but your company, baby!"

I'm absolutely happy and content without buying new stuff. Who isn't anyways? Sure, it would be nice to fill up my desk with 3 LCD screens, buy some nice suits, and drive a fancy car -- but most of the time that's just a syndrome of discontentment.

BUY NOTHING FOR BOXING DAY/BLACK FRIDAY

People like to go ape **** over Boxing Day (in Canada) or Black Friday (in USA) where they get to buy stuff at a discount at the end of the year.

Last year I bought nothing at Boxing Day, this year I'm going to do the same. BUY ... NOTHING! Do I feel higher then thou and smug because I'm buying nothing? Of course not. It's just I don't really need anything.

HOW TO BUY A FANCY SUIT FOR $25 OR LESS

So you want a fancy suit for interview, or because it's someone's wedding. Recently I aquire a suit for $25 or less. Yup, $25 whole dollars -- and I look so good.

How so?

By buying the blazer, dress pants, ties and shirt at GoodWill/Salvation Army. The trick is to go to the rich/fancy part of town where they have Good Will. In Canada they got "Value Village", a private company that sells second hand stuff.

This is a matter of principle -- I don't believe in paying for something that the company got for FREE, so I "borrowed" a thing or two from their store. That's how you do it, gotta hustle.

Total money spent today: $0

[Scipio]

Originally Posted by ken nubo

This is a matter of principle -- I don't believe in paying for something that the company got for FREE, so I "borrowed" a thing or two from their store. That's how you do it, gotta hustle.

Yeah, awesome man! You know they buy those clothes from non-profit agencies, like the diabetes association, that use that money for care and research? You sound like a swell fella.

[ken nubo]

Originally Posted by Scipio

Yeah, awesome man! You know they buy those clothes from non-profit agencies, like the diabetes association, that use that money for care and research? You sound like a swell fella.

So like, they buy those clothes from people who died from diabetes? Damn heartless corporations!

[ar81]

For the economy it is better if you spend on goods than if you spend on speculative business like a casino. When I read about your project I thought it may include not spending money at the casino.

[ken nubo]

Originally Posted by ar81

For the economy it is better if you spend on goods than if you spend on speculative business like a casino. When I read about your project I thought it may include not spending money at the casino.

I don't care about the economy. But you do bring up a good point.

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 16

Today I spent $30 on online poker. Damn my vice. I'm cheap but not poor. Mhmmm, I should stop gambling.

TO TIP OR NOT TO TIP?

I always been an extravagant tipper. $1 for drinks at the casino multiple times a night, tipping the dealer. I tipped $5 on a $18 meal when I was play poker. I tipped $8 on a $12 drink because I won so much money that night. I tip my hair dresser, the random taxi cab driver, and the chick at Starbucks.

Then it hit me ...

I'm not going to tip anymore. I'm not here to stick it up to the man, or try to game the system.

I'm just cheap. Next time I'm going to eat at a restaurant, I'm going to ask for my change back. Then walk out. Also, I would be going to the same restaurant twice. If I do, it's different times so the same waitress isn't working.

Not tipping is fair game. It isn't a RULE, it's a custom. I question it!

Exceptions: If it's a 55 years old lady who is a waitress, I'll tip her good. $5 or so. This will even out the times I won't tip.

Total money spend today: $30 (I'm going to stop playing online poker...)

[Scipio]

Originally Posted by ken nubo

So like, they buy those clothes from people who died from diabetes? Damn heartless corporations!

Savers/Value Village buys clothes from non-profit societies that receive the clothes as donations. Savers/Value Village provides these non-profit societies with money when they buy the clothes, that helps the individuals who are suffering with those diseases or problems. When you steal from Savers/Value village, you are stealing from their suppliers which are non-profit groups like the Canadian Diabetes Association. You're the only heartless one, you scumbag thief. What's even worse is that you're stealing indirectly from CHARITIES for SICK PEOPLE.

[Beuford]

Originally Posted by ken nubo

So I went to the grocery store and bought cheap (but good stuff):

Apples
3 Cans of dog food at 75 cents each
Cheap wine at $13 for 1.5 litres
Captain Morgan Rum at $24
No name pepsi at $1.35 for 2 litres (to go with the Rum)

Pretty sure you don't need those drinks. If you really want to live cheaply, just drink water or fruit juice. $13 for 1.5 litres? Do you know what 1.5 litres of tap water costs?

[ken nubo]

Originally Posted by Scipio

Savers/Value Village buys clothes from non-profit societies that receive the clothes as donations. Savers/Value Village provides these non-profit societies with money when they buy the clothes, that helps the individuals who are suffering with those diseases or problems. When you steal from Savers/Value village, you are stealing from their suppliers which are non-profit groups like the Canadian Diabetes Association. You're the only heartless one, you scumbag thief. What's even worse is that you're stealing indirectly from CHARITIES for SICK PEOPLE.

Interesting. Do I feel bad? Nope, it's just clothes at the end of the day. Do I donate to charity? Sure, $2 when I buy my alcohol.

You give some, you take some. It's all good

On the side note, Read "A Game As Old As Empire" by Steven Hiatt, or "The Economic Hitman". It will make your blood boil

[ken nubo]

Originally Posted by Beuford

Pretty sure you don't need those drinks. If you really want to live cheaply, just drink water or fruit juice. $13 for 1.5 litres? Do you know what 1.5 litres of tap water costs?

I know, vices are expensive eh. Gotta cut down on the poker and alcohol. I'll try not to buy any other alcohol for the next 15 days (until this project is over)

[ken nubo]

Project No Spending Money: Day 17

Today is a Saturday, and I usually head out to the casino to hustle but lately I've been tired of playing poker. I think I'm going to semi-retire for now. In December my friend and I are going to move into a major tourist resort to play poker part-time. (6 hours a day)

Today I didn't spend any money, just working at home in my underwear.

LIVE IN A CAR FOR A YEAR FOR NO APPARENT REASON

I'm thinking of living in a car -- not a van -- for a year. I would travel all over Canada/USA running my provinced approved business while playing poker at the casinos.

During the day I would visit my friends, go the casino, library, exercise at the park, read books, then at night I Would hit the bars, night clubs, live theatres and other cool events.

I would visit the major national parts, tourist destinations, take interesting courses (forest survival, urban escape, target shooting) and possible write a book that I'll distribute for free on the Internet.

What do you guys think?

I'm definately following this plan. Since I don't mind living in a car, think of the rent monies I would save in 10 years.

$600 for rent x 12 months x 10 years = $72,000.00

Total money spent today: $0