We’ve all heard stories about people who discover that if they saved the money they spent on Starbucks, they could put their kids through school or afford those killer Christian Louboutin pumps. Well, something about those stories must have stuck, because they got me thinking: just how much money do I spend every day?

On a typical day, I’ll buy at least one coffee, and typically a meal or snack somewhere along the way. This adds up to roughly $25 to $30 per week. That’s $100 to $120 per month. In an attempt to limit mindless spending, I decided to go an entire week without spending any money.

Considering how my other expenses shake out in comparison to what I earn per month, it would really be in my best interest to squirrel this money away as a future investment. After one week, I figured I would see where frivolous spending traps regularly pop up and could work harder to avoid them in the future, thereby saving enough money to buy things that really matter. Designer shoes, here I come!

Monday:

I picked the worst day to begin this experiment. I’d forgotten to stock up on groceries before beginning, which meant I only had freezer-burned chicken, half a bag of mini marshmallows, and about thirty packets of instant oatmeal in my pantry.

After two delayed flights coming home from a Thanksgiving break trip to California, I was jet-lagged and direly in need of a cup of coffee. As the McCafé sang its sweet siren song of lattes aplenty, I was forced to continue my cash-strapped march to class without even a drop of caffeine in my veins. Of course, this all could have been solved if I’d been able to grocery shop and then just make my own coffee. Curse you, American Airlines.

This is going to be a long week.

Tuesday:

I invented a new diet. It’s called, “I Eat Oatmeal At Least Twice a Day.” Watch out, it’s going to sweep the nation. But while oatmeal has some impressive merits (Lowered cholesterol? Check. Source of fiber and whole grain? Double check.), there’s something about a two straight mushy meals that makes you crave something you can sink your teeth into.

Fortunately, just when I was prepared to stare down another bowl of mush, my mom called and offered to buy me dinner. Tasty soup and sandwich from Panera? Don’t mind if I do.

Wednesday:

The weirdest thing about this experiment so far is the reaction I get when I tell people about it. Everyone seems to get a little defensive.

“Well, what if it was an emergency? Are you saying you wouldn’t spend money to go to the hospital?” “What if you needed gas for your car?” “What if you took medication that you had to by every three days or you would die?” Or, my personal favorite, “But if you needed to pay your rent like a real grown-up, you’d pay that, right?” (For the record, I AM a real grown-up who DOES pay her rent. Just not this week.)

This evening I got my roommate Katie to share some cookies and fudge her mom had sent home with her after Thanksgiving. As we noshed, I explained why I needed to get treats from my friends instead of buying them. “So,” she said slowly, “you’re just planning to survive the week by mooching?” Um, yeah.

Thursday:

The hardest thing about this week has been the lack of coffee and food. I mean, sure, I have enough oatmeal to last me through the week, but there’s something about a real meal that I miss.

Oh yeah, chewing.

In an effort to ditch my new reputation as a mooch, I traded a friend a ride to the grocery store (fortunately, I had filled my car with gas before embarking on that fateful trip to the West Coast) for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I, for one, do not understand why the barter system ever went out of vogue.

Friday:

This morning I remembered that I had filled up a McCafé punch card, earning me a free latte. Score!

For Friday lunch, I’ll usually buy something from my company’s cafeteria, but instead I nuked some leftovers from last night’s family dinner. Even though it was kind of embarrassing to eat out of Gladware in front of my colleagues (ok, fellow interns), I have to admit that my mom’s cooking will always beat out cafeteria food. Maybe I’ve just discovered the first hidden perk to saving money.

Saturday:

Bad news: I ate the last of the chicken today, and I realized I only have one packet of oatmeal left for tomorrow. I may have to end the experiment a few hours early.

The rest of my meals consisted of cookies from my roommate’s grandma. So much for that nation-sweeping diet.

Sunday:

I broke the streak at noon. My first purchase was two pairs of tights.. I know, I’m a freak.

Don’t worry, though, I followed it up quickly with a run to the grocery store with my other roommate, Emma. As we were checking out, she commented on the amount of food I was buying, but understood after I explained to her that the only thing I had at home was a fourth of a bag of marshmallows. (Yes, I’m aware I started out with twice that amount…get off my back.)

But now I’m back to normal. I could drink 80 lattes tomorrow if I wanted to. But just like anything else, now that I can have it, I’m not sure I want it. So today I added a can of ground coffee and some creamer to my shopping cart. Because the way I see it, $1,200 a year is a lot of money to blow on a caffeine fix.