Sunday 13 September 2009

The 100RMB Challenge

In these economically challenging times, saving money is more important than ever. There has even been a movement started by a local Chinese office worker, challenging people to live on just 100RMB (US$14.60) per week for food and transportation.


When you consider that the national average income for those working in urban areas is 2435RMB/month* (US$357), only spending 100RMB/week is not that out of the ordinary, taking into account that they still need to pay for housing, utilities, and daily necessities with the remainder. So I wanted to see if I could actually do this, and hopefully gain a better understanding of what typical Chinese life is like for a lot of people.


The Rules:

1. 100RMB to last from Monday morning to Sunday night.

2. Money to be spent on transportation and 3 meals a day.

3. I will not include the cost of rice or basic condiments/sauces/seasonings if I cook at home, as the cost is nominal.

4. Other people cannot pay for my meals.


I'll keep a daily record of my progress, starting tomorrow.


*China National Bureau of Statistics, 2008.

2 comments:

SpicyKungFu said...

Yeah right, you liar. There's no way you can do this. You spend 100$ in 5 minutes at Xin Tian Di. Don't tell me you're going to eat those nasty chinese lunchboxes filled with grease and lard?

Ames*One said...

Hey, if a BILLION other people can do it, I'm at least gonna give it my best shot! You just wait and see!