I Tried Spending Less Money For a Week
By Emily Betts
January 29, 2020
I try my hardest to save as much money as possible, which is kind of hard for me because I'm a big spender. If there's something I like, I tend to think and think about it until I decide to buy it. Especially food, which is the biggest reason to why I spend lots of money. It's like you eat, and then the money is just gone. So I decided to try and go without spending as much money for a week, especially on unnecessary things.
My week started off pretty easy, other than the fact that I need my morning iced coffee. I spend about $3 on an iced coffee from McDonalds almost every morning. Instead of buying one each day, I decided to only get 3 that week. Other than that I managed to spend a small amount in the beginning of the week.
During the second part of my week, I went to the movies with my boyfriend, and he paid for my ticket. The next day I really wanted Ihop so I spent $15 , which was the most I'd spent the whole week. Usually I spend at around $40 each week, but I kept it at approximately $25, which is really good considering it's $25 less than the usual.
I would suggest trying to spend less money, it is a good way to have more for what's necessary. If you're saving for a car, a phone, etc. it is good to be thinking about what you are spending, and how much you can save each week.
January 29, 2020
I try my hardest to save as much money as possible, which is kind of hard for me because I'm a big spender. If there's something I like, I tend to think and think about it until I decide to buy it. Especially food, which is the biggest reason to why I spend lots of money. It's like you eat, and then the money is just gone. So I decided to try and go without spending as much money for a week, especially on unnecessary things.
My week started off pretty easy, other than the fact that I need my morning iced coffee. I spend about $3 on an iced coffee from McDonalds almost every morning. Instead of buying one each day, I decided to only get 3 that week. Other than that I managed to spend a small amount in the beginning of the week.
During the second part of my week, I went to the movies with my boyfriend, and he paid for my ticket. The next day I really wanted Ihop so I spent $15 , which was the most I'd spent the whole week. Usually I spend at around $40 each week, but I kept it at approximately $25, which is really good considering it's $25 less than the usual.
I would suggest trying to spend less money, it is a good way to have more for what's necessary. If you're saving for a car, a phone, etc. it is good to be thinking about what you are spending, and how much you can save each week.
2018-19 School Year
I Tried Working Out At 5 a.m.
By Hannah Robinson
April 19, 2019
5 a.m. is an early time for anything, especially exercise. Knowing this, I decided to challenge myself for a week and work out first thing in the morning. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but little did I know that it’d actually be one of the longest weeks of my 16 years of existing.
I am not a morning person, so lifting weights for breakfast didn’t seem ideal at first. I can barely roll out of bed at 7 a.m. for school, which is something I have to do, so waking up was probably the most difficult part of this seven day process. Every morning my blaring alarm came on, I contemplated throwing my phone out of the window.
Recently a Planet Fitness opened in Oakley, so I became a member of their gym. I’m too young to go alone, so my gym-rat uncle decided he would make this week even more strenuous than I had planned. The workouts he created were so difficult that I don’t even think bodybuilders could complete them, so how he expected my cinnamon-stick self to accomplish these, I had no idea.
The first morning I woke up with an overabundance of exhaustion, but I knew I had to kick it in gear. We approached the front doors of the gym and the butterflies in my stomach withered away as I realized no one else works out that early in the morning, so I didn’t have to worry about people watching me attempt to lift a 20-pound weight. Surprisingly, half-way through the workout I felt a rush of energy that I never feel on Mondays, so this gave me a good feeling about the rest of the week.
The conflict I was most worried about was being so tired in class I couldn’t focus, but working out in the morning actually helped. Throughout the whole day I felt motivated and ready to go. Instead of my day dragging how it usually does, it zipped by, and after only the first day I saw the benefits that could come out of this.
Tuesday and Wednesday I was still pretty sore from my workout on Monday but I’d never felt so vigorous. It was almost as if waking up at the crack of dawn made my workouts way easier. On top of feeling physically great, I was much happier and more ready to socialize with people at 7 a.m. By Thursday I could feel myself getting into a routine, and by Friday I woke myself up with no alarm clock.
Then, the weekend approached. Saturday and Sunday are supposed to be my sleep-in days and I knew I was gonna be one Cranky Cathy, so I decided to go at 8 a.m. instead. I know this is cheating, but I had to give myself at least a day or two break.
Monday finally made its way back, and though my body could barely handle walking down the stairs, I had to finish the week out. I changed the workout routine I’d been doing for a week straight just to cut the muscles I’d been non-stop working out some slack.
Finishing the last set felt like the biggest accomplishment of my life. My muscles were crying, but I was very happy with myself as I anticipated the week to be horrific, but I made the best of it. Such a simple change of my routine has benefited me greatly, and I will continue on with this working out at 5 a.m. thing, just, maybe not every day.
April 19, 2019
5 a.m. is an early time for anything, especially exercise. Knowing this, I decided to challenge myself for a week and work out first thing in the morning. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but little did I know that it’d actually be one of the longest weeks of my 16 years of existing.
I am not a morning person, so lifting weights for breakfast didn’t seem ideal at first. I can barely roll out of bed at 7 a.m. for school, which is something I have to do, so waking up was probably the most difficult part of this seven day process. Every morning my blaring alarm came on, I contemplated throwing my phone out of the window.
Recently a Planet Fitness opened in Oakley, so I became a member of their gym. I’m too young to go alone, so my gym-rat uncle decided he would make this week even more strenuous than I had planned. The workouts he created were so difficult that I don’t even think bodybuilders could complete them, so how he expected my cinnamon-stick self to accomplish these, I had no idea.
The first morning I woke up with an overabundance of exhaustion, but I knew I had to kick it in gear. We approached the front doors of the gym and the butterflies in my stomach withered away as I realized no one else works out that early in the morning, so I didn’t have to worry about people watching me attempt to lift a 20-pound weight. Surprisingly, half-way through the workout I felt a rush of energy that I never feel on Mondays, so this gave me a good feeling about the rest of the week.
The conflict I was most worried about was being so tired in class I couldn’t focus, but working out in the morning actually helped. Throughout the whole day I felt motivated and ready to go. Instead of my day dragging how it usually does, it zipped by, and after only the first day I saw the benefits that could come out of this.
Tuesday and Wednesday I was still pretty sore from my workout on Monday but I’d never felt so vigorous. It was almost as if waking up at the crack of dawn made my workouts way easier. On top of feeling physically great, I was much happier and more ready to socialize with people at 7 a.m. By Thursday I could feel myself getting into a routine, and by Friday I woke myself up with no alarm clock.
Then, the weekend approached. Saturday and Sunday are supposed to be my sleep-in days and I knew I was gonna be one Cranky Cathy, so I decided to go at 8 a.m. instead. I know this is cheating, but I had to give myself at least a day or two break.
Monday finally made its way back, and though my body could barely handle walking down the stairs, I had to finish the week out. I changed the workout routine I’d been doing for a week straight just to cut the muscles I’d been non-stop working out some slack.
Finishing the last set felt like the biggest accomplishment of my life. My muscles were crying, but I was very happy with myself as I anticipated the week to be horrific, but I made the best of it. Such a simple change of my routine has benefited me greatly, and I will continue on with this working out at 5 a.m. thing, just, maybe not every day.
Waste Free Living
By Savanah Howard
February 11, 2019
Have you ever thought about how much you throw away in a single day? Including everything you only use once, then immediately put in the trash. After thinking about this, I decided to take on a major challenge: going 100 percent waste free, for a whole week.
The average American throws away 30 pounds of trash each week, and I was determined to dwindle that number all the way down to zero.
My first task was to figure out what I was throwing away the most. My items were: gum wrappers, straws, shampoo and conditioner bottles, and my lunch trays at school. Then I needed to find alternatives for my everyday products that I wouldn’t need to throw away.
To reduce my waste on shampoo and conditioner, I purchased hair care bars from Lush. These bars are completely waste free. They’re made of glycerin, sodium lauryl sulfate and natural oils. Not only do they last longer than your typical products, they also promote hair growth and contain soothing and calming ingredients for your scalp.
Reducing my waste from my school lunches was my hardest struggle. From the plastic cups and utensils to the styrofoam tray, everything was going in the trash. This meant I needed to pack my lunch everyday for school in reusable containers. This was hard because almost anything you purchase form the grocery store comes in some kind of container, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be recycled.
Going waste free means never throwing anything away, however, you can still recycle and compost. With that in mind, I went to the grocery store and only purchased food that came with minimal and recyclable packaging. I also purchased plenty of fruits and vegetables seeing as they have little to no waste, and the peels and cores could be composted for soil.
While shopping, I also purchased a stainless steel straw. This straw comes in a portable container and includes a thin, long bristled brush to clean your straw. This purchase was severely important because, according to Laura Parker at National Geographic, over 500 million straws are thrown away by Americans every single day.
The article goes on to say that plastic straws are projected to outweigh the number of fish in our oceans by 2050, a year not too far away. Plastic straws are just one of many plastic products being added to a list of items either being banned or boycotted in order to manage this crisis.
At the end of the day, it’s important to understand that going waste free doesn’t happen overnight. Taking on this challenge was a process, and everyone should do their part to contribute. As your next product runs out, try purchasing a waste free alternative instead, and begin your journey to a life with less waste.