Finally Over

Today at 8pm the experiment was finally over. I made it through the day with ease considering I went to school and then straight to work from 4:30 to 8:30. Through out the week, I always imagined that the last day I would  run out to the store and buy everything I see. I couldn't wait for this day to come. Surprisingly as the experiment was coming to an end, I no longer had that urge to do so.

From this experiment I have learned self control to not buy anything unless I really need it. I have put myself in the shoes of those in poverty, who aren't able to buy anything besides the materials to survive. I learned how hard it is to live this way and I now have sympathy for them. Even though they may have gotten themselves in the situation, everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance. This experiment has changed my views and I am considering going to the soup kitchen this weekend to help out those in need. I can tell them my story of my experiment and hopefully make a difference in their lives.

After this experiment I became more appreciative with everything I have. Even though I have the money to spend, I have decided to put it towards something more meaningful than another sweater in a different color. I am glad to have gone through this process of breaking my habit of spending money. Not only did I save a lot of money this week, but it created a healthier me. I no longer have the urge to eat out all the time and have grown a small passion of creating a meal with the food I have at home already.

 I am proud of myself that I made it through this week successfully. I will continue to perform my new habit of not spending as much money and I encourage all of you to do the same. Instead of throwing your change in the cup holder of your car, give it to a homeless person sitting on the side of the street. Think about how much you just impacted their life from the few quarters you were never going to spend. This is my challenge to you. Spend a week in the life of those in poverty, step into their shoes, see what it is like, maybe next time you wont look the opposite direction as you pass by the little old man shivering in the cold.

Temptation

I woke up this morning feeling better than normal. I knew it was going to be a good day. I went to my spanish class and then received an email from my professor that my next class was cancelled. I was so excited, but I now had the whole afternoon left free. Before we left campus, I decided to eat my lunch in the Oakland Center so I wouldn't waste the food. After we were finished eating, we brainstormed on what we wanted to do. With the Village Mall being right around the corner, I brought up going to the mall to get ideas for Christmas shopping. We finally arrived at the mall and we went into several stores. Even though I saw plenty of items that I would love to have, I didn't have the same desire to buy it as I did before this experiment. This is progress right? Leaving the mall I felt successful with my new self control to not buy everything I want. I really hope I will gain this habit throughout my entire future. Later on in the day I had to work and then straight to practice. Nothing much happened except for a great nights sleep from a successful day. Tomorrow is day seven of this experiment. I can't wait to experience it!

Made it Through the Weekend

The weekend is finally over! Even though I made it through without buying anything, it was just as hard as I thought. The weekends are usually when I go out shopping, to the movies, out to dinner, etc. It felt like I had to turn down every option I could think of. I wasn't even able to see the last Twilight yet! My whole family has seen it already and I had to beg them not to tell me how it was. Going to see the Twilight is another thing I will be doing after this challenge. Another thing to add to my bad luck.... I ran out of deodorant. Luckily my mom is letting me borrow hers for the rest of this week. Hygiene is always one of my top priorities. Even though I wish I could spend money for my weekend activities, I really have learned that there are so many options that don't involve money, I just never took the time to think about them. This weekend I realized I spent more time outside and also with my family. This weekend I stayed in and cooked my own meals instead of going out to buy them. I actually even learned how to make my own coffee instead of going to McDonalds! I was really happy about that.  Hopefully from now on I will participate in more activities that do not involve money. So far, this challenge has opened my mind up to a different variety and actually how hard it is to not be able to spend money on every day things.

The Struggle

Yesterday I didn't get the chance to post, but it was the hardest day so far. For several weeks I had planned to go up to Grand Valley to visit a few friends. The morning started out good. I went to work and came home to pack my things. I knew I couldn't buy any food, so I packed mac n cheese and a few snacks. Once I got up there, my friends wanted to go out to dinner. Of course I went with them, but I couldn't get anything to eat. I had to wait until we got back to her apartment. Not being able to eat was the easy part. Before we went back to the apartment, my friends wanted to run to the mall. This was a challenge. I have a shopping problem that if I see something I like, I will buy it. Of course every store we went to I saw something cute. At one point I had to walk out of the store. Even though this was really hard, it will benefit me in the future. I will be able to just walk away from something and save money.

Day One

       I made successfully through day one of my challenge. Today wasn't as hard as I imagined it to be. I woke up, made some coffee, made a lunch, and left for school. I thought I was all prepared for the day, but when I went to eat my lunch, it was not there. I thought really hard and realized I left it on my bed. This was an issue. Normally, I would just go in the OC and buy some food. Today, I couldn't do that. My friend Sereen offered me some of her lunch, but because of this challenge, I had to deny it. I was at the school until 2:47 pm without any lunch. I was starving. On top of having class on an empty stomach, I also had to go to workouts. That was rough. Once I finally got home, I made myself some mac n' cheese that we had in our pantry. After eating my very late lunch, I had to hurry up and go to work. Usually I would get a coffee before work, but today i had to pass. Getting through work was simple, but practice I was tired. Today wasn't as challenging a I intended it to be, only because I was really busy. The weekends are what I am afraid of. For the next couple days I will be sure to place my lunch inside my bag so I don't have to starve half the day. I now know what it feels like to not have a meal every time you are hungry. This opened my eyes and I will definitely help those in need of food. Hopefully these next few days will be good. Wish me luck!

My Challenge

  My name is Ashley Moskal. I am 18 years old and a full time student at Oakland University. I work five days a week and am a part of the Oakland Cheer team. For our writing class we were given a challenge to alter something in our every day life for a week. After thinking for awhile about what I wanted to do, I decided to go a week without consuming any materials.

       Ever since I was 16 and got my own car, I have a bad habit of spending my money on unnecessary things. I will find myself driving to go get food when I have plenty of food in my cabinet at home, or buying clothes when I already have something similar to it in my closet.Going a week without buying anything will be really hard for me. I don't want to have any loop holes in this experiment so along with myself not consuming, I will also not accept anything from my friends.
     
       In this blog I will post about  my struggles, experiences, and thoughts throughout this experiment. In this experiment I will go through seven straight days of using the materials I already own. I chose to do this because I want to put myself in the shoes of those who can only spend money on necessary items. I want to be able to understand how hard it is to live in poverty and in hope that after this week goes by to limit my spending.

       Hopefully after this experiment I will stop and think to what I will use my extra money on. Maybe i will decide to use the extra money I have to donate to those in poverty instead of spending it for myself. Or maybe I will put it in the bank and save up for something in the future. Even if I don't have much money to donate, I would like to finally reach out and volunteer in a soup kitchen. I am hoping that this project will open my eyes to how half of our country is living in poverty and to not take what I have for granted. I expect to learn how to manage my money and how to save it instead of spend it.
   
       From being a large consumer, I might have possible difficulties throughout this experiment. I eat in the Oakland Center every day between classes. Some mornings I wake up late and forget to pack a lunch. Normally I wouldn't worry about it and buy something here at Oakland. If I do this during the next week, I will have to wait until after school to have anything to eat. Another difficulty is if my family brings home dinner that they bought and didn't cook. I will have to pass up that food and cook something on my own. Driving and using gas may be another difficulty. I will have to fill up my tank before I start this challenge so I can get to and from school.