A coffee on the way to work, a takeout order because nobody feels like cooking, and a $22 online purchase can seem harmless on their own. Add enough of those decisions together, however, and they can quietly consume money you intended to save or use somewhere else. A no-spend week offers a simple experiment: for seven days, buy only what you planned for in advance and avoid unplanned discretionary purchases.
The point is not to stop paying bills, buying groceries, filling the gas tank, or handling genuine emergencies. Instead, it is to discover how much of your spending happens without much thought.
