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Living this way for just one week made them realize how
hard it must be to do all the time and made them care more
about finding ways to help people who are struggling.

The Difference Between Wants and Needs. Most challen-
ge participants write about the small treats they found them-
selves skipping during the week: a dinner with friends, a dri-

ve-in movie with the kids, a cold beer after work, a cup of
coffee. Even at the grocery store, they found themselves
classifying certain items, from steaks to sports drinks, as lu-
xuries they couldn’t afford.

How to Depend on Others. Being able to turn to friends
and family for assistance makes a big difference when
you’re in a tight spot financially. Although the rules of the

challenge say not to accept free meals at friends’ houses,
several participants admit that they did just that, and it great-
ly eased the pressure on their budgets. One of my biggest

discoveries about this challenge was how much easier it is
to do as a couple, since there are so many costs you can re-
duce by sharing them, from food, to gas, to Internet service.
I concluded that a single person making minimum wage

would have a much easier time either living with adult family
members or having a roommate to share living expenses.

The Value of a Dollar. On a budget of just $77 a week, eve-
ry dollar is crucial. In her Department of Labor blog entry,
Schakowsky says the challenge taught her quite literal-

ly what a dollar can do: “It can buy a can of tuna or baked
beans or a box of pasta.” Other participants in the challenge
talk about stretching their dollars as far as possible by using
coupons, cutting back on driving, and relying on free enter-

tainment.

The Importance of Good Planning. Many participants dis-
covered that when money is this tight, planning is essential.

They learned to budget down to the penny, plan their meals,
keep track of everything they ate, and time their work hours
to coincide with bus schedules.