• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Woman goes 24 hours without spending any money. So proud she writes an article.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Zilch said:
Although I agree with the general sentiment of this thread, I find a lot of comments here totally bewildering.

Why would she take a taxi instead of the bus? Are you fucking kidding me?! Come to NYC, get on a bus, tell me if you see any middle-upper-class white female executives on it. Hell, get on a few buses and report back to me.

And food-wise, NYC just has this learned/ingrained take-out/eat-out mentality. Some people barely use their own kitchens. It's hard to step outside your apartment without spending money and for better or worse this attitude is encouraged.


I see plenty of executives on the train, pretty sure there's more than a few on the bus (but maybe not the morning)
 

NetMapel

Guilty White Male Mods Gave Me This Tag
evil solrac v3.0 said:
I think most of us wouldn't have written an article about how we didn't spend money, that's the bottom line. MALE or FEMALE.
You bet you'd write an article similar to this if you own a personal finance company. It's all about publicity and getting your name out there.

evil solrac v3.0 said:
I see plenty of executives on the train, pretty sure there's more than a few on the bus (but maybe not the morning)
How do you know they are CEOs, CFOs or an executive of similar position ?
 
NetMapel said:
You bet you'd write an article similar to this if you own a personal finance company. It's all about publicity and getting your name out there.


How do you know they are CEOs, CFOs or an executive of similar position ?

The article in question isn't getting attention because the writer was a woman or a CEO.

It's because of the level of obliviousness the writer has to their target audience and the every day routines of well, 90% of the country.

Spending >$50 a day on prepared food is not an assumed cost for most people in the United States. She makes it sound like going a day without television or internet.

If she'd written a similar article about using public transportation or walking to work, flying coach, or pumping her own gas, people would've been similarly perplexed about why it was such a big deal.
 

ronito

Member
I can't wait for her next article.

"Today I was surprised to find that there are actual seats behind the curtain in the airplane. And more that that people sit in them! I always thought that was just room for our luggage."
 
Sho_Nuff82 said:
The article in question isn't getting attention because the writer was a woman or a CEO.

It's because of the level of obliviousness the writer has to their target audience and the every day routines of well, 90% of the country.

Spending >$50 a day on prepared food is not an assumed cost for most people in the United States. She makes it sound like going a day without television or internet.

If she'd written a similar article about using public transportation or walking to work, flying coach, or pumping her own gas, people would've been similarly perplexed about why it was such a big deal.
x1000

"I just cut foie gras and trips to the masseusse out of my day for one week, what a sacrifice!" is a lot different than "I learned how to cut down on my spending by using a clothesline instead of a dryer and buying store brand mac and cheese instead of kraft"

has nothing to do with being a woman or being a CEO.
 

Zilch

Banned
Maybe the article should just have a disclaimer at the top stating "don't read this if you live in a fly-over state. it'll just confuse you!"
 
NetMapel said:
So many comments here borderlining sexist...
.

Sexist?

Im assuming you're referring to:

jamesinclair said:
Now I understand why Morgan Stanley and the such are major screw ups.

You hire a "Psychology, romance languages & literature" major as an analyst?

I mean no disrespect to psychology majors....but how exactly did harvard prepare her to be an analyst in the "Proprietary Trading Group". She either fucked some very important people, or her rich dad called in a very large favor.

Because if the author were a he, I would have written "He either sucked a lot of cock".


And if you say "well, that implies the bosses are morgan stanley are mostly male...."
Yeah, it does. That's a fact, morgan stanley is made up mostly of men. Take your sexist concerns to morgan stanley, not us.
 

Deku

Banned
ronito said:

This is what is wrong with rampant consumerism. it's not even capitalism anymore, we're just units of cash registers to be rung dry.

And some people buy into it.

Sho_Nuff82 said:
The article in question isn't getting attention because the writer was a woman or a CEO.

It's because of the level of obliviousness the writer has to their target audience and the every day routines of well, 90% of the country.

Spending >$50 a day on prepared food is not an assumed cost for most people in the United States. She makes it sound like going a day without television or internet.

If she'd written a similar article about using public transportation or walking to work, flying coach, or pumping her own gas, people would've been similarly perplexed about why it was such a big deal.


It's the New Yorker defense. Or rather, the rich ass downtown mentality.

And I've been to New York. 90% of the city doesn't live like that either.
I live downtown in a major city and see people like her every day.
 
I encourage everyone to try living a day without spending a single penny so you can enjoy the benefits of the challenge. Of course, there are some expenses, like the morning commute, that are unavoidable. If you live far away from the office and must travel by train, taxi or subway, you will have to spend some amount on travel. However, if you usually take a taxi to work, find the nearest subway and walk the extra 10 minutes to your destination. For those bicyclists out there, combine your morning workout with your morning commute and ride to work. The key is to be creative and be smart about your spending.

All in all, I was energized and motivated by my frugal living yesterday. I recognize that this experiment is unsustainable for a long period of time but I learned that if I just pay a little bit more attention to my daily expenses and put in a little effort, I could eliminate unnecessary, basic expenses from my daily routine. I woke up this morning feeling "cleansed," invigorated and ready to approach the day with an expense conscious mindset. This morning I opted for a cup of Holder's House coffee and I brought leftovers from last night's potluck for lunch; I foresee this quickly becoming part of my morning routine...

It's this part that really annoys me. She condescendingly tells us that we too can go A WHOLE DAY without spending money on frivolous, unnecessary shit as if she's made some great discovery when many people do that all the time. And not just people who live on the poverty line, you don't have to be poor to realize that getting a taxi instead of taking a 15 minute walk to work is wasteful or to make your own coffee/lunch in the morning.
 
NetMapel said:
You bet you'd write an article similar to this if you own a personal finance company. It's all about publicity and getting your name out there.


How do you know they are CEOs, CFOs or an executive of similar position ?

much better ways to get the word out than by alienating some of your base, and i like i said, EVERYONE in teh city rides the subway at least.
 

Lindsay

Dot Hacked
I don't think I could spend $80 on non-essential stuff each day even if I tried @_@; Especially not on food! A $4 meal at mcdonalds or $7 large pizza from a local place doesn't exactly add up to much! And I could never go without my morning cereal >.<
 
Lindsay said:
I don't think I could spend $80 on non-essential stuff each day even if I tried @_@; Especially not on food! A $4 meal at mcdonalds or $7 large pizza from a local place doesn't exactly add up to much! And I could never go without my morning cereal >.<
I can see how I would spend upwards of $80 bucks a day. But doing that would eat a part of my soul inside, no matter how rich I am. Its just frivolous. The fact that she portrays making her own roasted blend coffee at home is a gigantic accomplishment is tantamount to the fact that she has absolutely no idea on how to save money. I make tea every frickin day. Even when I go to school, I put some in the thermo and sip it during classes. Only when I'm late or real busy I spend $1.29 at Dunkin Donuts.
 
I love how some posters immediately assume that all people calling the author out, are surely jealous.

I don't know how much does this girl make, but I make enough dough so $30 a meal 3 times a day is no big deal for me...

Yet I still don't do it.

BECAUSE I AM NOT AN IDIOT

I would rather not spend that money, and buy me cool shit like a new PC, TV, home gym or whatever. Or just save it for later when so I don't even have the need to work.

Jesus Christ, get Quicken
 

Hartt951

Member
Lets see, she woke up, drank a cup of coffee, ate a bowl of cereal, packed a lunch, walked 20 minutes to work, worked, ate her lunch she packed, walked home, and cooked herself dinner.

If you replace walking with any form of commuting thats like a normal day for all of working America, God this lady is an idiot.
 
Uhh, isn't it a good thing that someone this rich sends a ton of money all the time? She's helping cab drivers keep their jobs by taking a cab everyday. She helping to keep resturants in business by having food delivered every day. All the "crazy" shit she spends money on keeps companies in business and gives people jobs. If anything she should be spending more money.
 
Trent Strong said:
Uhh, isn't it a good thing that someone this rich sends a ton of money all the time? She's helping cab drivers keep their jobs by taking a cab everyday. She helping to keep resturants in business by having food delivered every day. All the "crazy" shit she spends money on keeps companies in business and gives people jobs. If anything she should be spending more money.

No if you are spending money you don't have
 

lobdale

3 ft, coiled to the sky
"All in all, I was energized and motivated by my frugal living yesterday. I recognize that this experiment is unsustainable for a long period of time"


Uh... right.
 

faridmon

Member
Goya said:
some of you dudes are so obviously jealous it's hilarious
some people here are so rich that they don't need to be jealous.

Wait, are you her?
Zilch said:
Although I agree with the general sentiment of this thread, I find a lot of comments here totally bewildering.

Why would she take a taxi instead of the bus? Are you fucking kidding me?! Come to NYC, get on a bus, tell me if you see any middle-upper-class white female executives on it. Hell, get on a few buses and report back to me.

And food-wise, NYC just has this learned/ingrained take-out/eat-out mentality. Some people barely use their own kitchens. It's hard to step outside your apartment without spending money and for better or worse this attitude is encouraged.
Like i said, Prime Minster in my country rides a bloody bicycle. you don't have to go with bus or train, especially if you live like 20 min away from your work by walk.

this post is pathetic, In London important rich people sit beside me on the tube/bus, whats so special about her?
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Tarazet said:
It's amazing how out of touch some people are. The only thing that's remarkable about the article is how little she accomplished compared to what is possible. She needs to read this for some perspective.
Hmm. I have that. I need to read it.
 

exarkun

Member
She a Psych major who is now a CEO of a financial consulting company? Jesus, its like people never learn. Heres my thing: I graduated with an econ/english degree from a pretty nice school and know tons of people like her. People at major banks, small boutiques, firms, and consulting companies with degrees that had nothing to do with finance but thats what they do. People like her (god the pearls in her twitterpic takes me back) had a gifted life before school, went to school and did well, and continue to have a gifted life. They think their experiences relate to real life but it obviously doesn't.

The fact that this is even widely distributed is a shame, but then I see its Huffington and you can just shrug it off.

Also, its New York. People would think you would have to spend money on something eventually in a day in New York.
 

ixix

Exists in a perpetual state of Quantum Crotch Uncertainty.
I can't be the only one who thought that article read like it should have opened with the words "Dear Diary."

Her lack of understanding of the fact that people would actually be reading this doesn't end with her choice of subject matter.
 

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
For fuck's sake. She spent money, she just hasn't mastered the various properties of the space-time continuum.
 

shintoki

sparkle this bitch
jamesinclair said:
Forget a bus. On a bike, it would take 8-10 minutes.
If it takes her 20 minutes to walk. A bike would be 5 minutes. It takes me about 2hours to walk home from the movie theater, while 25minutes or so to ride a bike.

This is pretty much that rich girl who presumed everyone lives like her. That it is normal to spend 80$ a day on food. Then suddenly discovering that there is another way. I remembered how they combined the High School Summer courses with our sister school. The difference in Home values was like 100-200k+ against 800k-1million+. And the girls who I talked to where shocked that I had my license but didn't have my own car. While they had some 20k+ cars. They are completely deluded in what even a middle class citizen lives like. Who in America are already pretty spoiled compared to most others.

Also the same girls who I mentioned above, Coffee bit was also true. They always stopped at the one place that sells it prior to coming(5$+ shit). Teacher eventually got angry at them being late, and they proceed to argue about how they can't learn anything without their 5$ latte in the morning. :lol
 
Dorrin said:
Yep its amazing isn't it? I'd love to know more about her family connections. It is all about who you know. Checkout this article about her company:

http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/04/02/women-and-finance-a-hot-market-to-tap/

Also as a side note there are men and women who work miracles with budgets each and every day, not only for just themselves but for an entire family. This lady is proud of one day.. disgusting. I will say though she reminds me of some of the women I see out in the corporate world, got the morning latte, the designer clothes, the mandatory fake blonde highlights when you hit 30 etc. I bet this one day challenge would be hard for them as well so maybe she does have an audience, vomit inducing as it is.
It's not about who you know, it's about who you blow
 

DemiMatt

Member
bills and rent aside I dont spend any money between mon and friday (as my work pays for all my meals and I take home dinner if I dont stay late)

Lame as people in this world.
 

Biff

Member
SnowWolf said:
I find it hilarious that she edited the price of her dinner from $32 to $22 :lol
Thread Article Backfire.

She probably thought this was the greatest piece of literature she had ever composed. 'Surely America will sympthasize with me, right?'

15 minutes later she's scrambling to find the 'edit' button on a newspaper article post. :lol
 

nyong

Banned
It's mind-boggling how completely out of touch with other people's reality she is. She's obviously bright enough: Harvard-educated and a coherent writer. Hopefully this is a learning experience for her...
 

Dead Man

Member
Zilch said:
Although I agree with the general sentiment of this thread, I find a lot of comments here totally bewildering.

Why would she take a taxi instead of the bus? Are you fucking kidding me?! Come to NYC, get on a bus, tell me if you see any middle-upper-class white female executives on it. Hell, get on a few buses and report back to me.

And food-wise, NYC just has this learned/ingrained take-out/eat-out mentality. Some people barely use their own kitchens. It's hard to step outside your apartment without spending money and for better or worse this attitude is encouraged.
:lol So wealthy people shouldn't take the bus... because they are wealthy and it's not the done thing? Gotcha. As has been said, London's underground is full of business types.
 

Slavik81

Member
Taking a taxi seems like a bit of a waste, though given that its NYC it might actually be cheaper than driving (and parking) a car. She's clearly a bit out-of-touch, but she's probably wealthy enough that her behavior is still reasonably financially responsible.

You might as well just look at the article as directed at the wealthy, because clearly that's the only perspective she understands enough to comment on. Not realizing that is a huge gaffe on her part, but she certainly doesn't deserve any hate for it.
 

Korey

Member
SnowWolf said:
I find it hilarious that she edited the price of her dinner from $32 to $22 :lol
And they deleted 75% of the comments (there were 80+ last night) and closed it to new comments. :lol
 

Dead Man

Member
Slavik81 said:
Taking a taxi seems like a bit of a waste, though given that its NYC it might actually be cheaper than driving (and parking) a car. She's clearly a bit out-of-touch, but she's probably wealthy enough that her behavior is still reasonably financially responsible.

You might as well just look at the article as directed at the wealthy, because clearly that's the only perspective she understands enough to comment on. Not realizing that is a huge gaffe on her part, but she certainly doesn't deserve any hate for it.
She has a 20 minute walk to work...
 
Zilch said:
Maybe the article should just have a disclaimer at the top stating "don't read this if you live in a fly-over state. it'll just confuse you!"
"Don't read this if you have a family and work a normal job. Guidelines only apply to young upper-class people living in Large cities."

This sounds like someone completely out of touch with reality. It's like her saying I lived life like a middle class person for one day. Let me tell you how challenging it was. How she can advise working class people on their money is beyond me. So out of touch.
 

Ulairi

Banned
she isn't a CEO of a financial firm. Shes' a CEO of a blogging site for personal finance. She is living on venture capital and I am willing to get that her company goes tits up in 2 years.
 

Korey

Member
I am her age and not exactly poor, and have been known to open a box of cereal in my time (and even on regular days when im not doing investigative journalism)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom