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Below is my detailed SPENT game experience covering a 30-day period:
Among the three job options, I chose temporary office worker which has an estimated weekly pay of $306.
I chose the bronze plan health insurance that costs $232+ $45-co pay per month.
I chose the cheapest yet the farthest place to live at $760 per month.
I chose to have a yard sale and made $150 in order to save space in my small apartment.
I applied for food stamp.
I paid $45 for a check up after feeling some sharp pain in the chest.
I asked a friend to be my running buddy instead of paying for the gym.
I decided to pay for $30 for the Laundromat.
I sent my kid to a birthday party without a present.
After getting paid from work, I got a total of $563. I decided that my kid will continue to benefit from the free lunch instead of paying for $3 a day to buy for lunch.
I said yes to a friend’s friend when he needed to camp out at my living room for $200.
I missed my kids play in order to earn $50 dollars from helping a neighbour move.
I bought some food items for a total of $40.
Instead of hiring a tutor, I decided to personally help my child as she struggled with Math.
I contributed $20 for a sick co-worker.
I paid the minimum $219 for credit card fees.
Pay day came but I paid $250 for car insurance. This left me with only $532.
I decided to put up with my housemate, despite some problems and differences, in order to save for the rental fee.
I gave back the $10 fee that was dropped by someone else.
I paid $175 for the bills.
Something went wrong with the car, but I decided to ask a friend instead of paying $300 to get it fixed.
I paid $100 for a shattered window caused by a kid within the block. Also, I donated plasma to get an additional $25.
The cop insisted that I was over speeding. Instead of contesting in court, I paid $250.
I received another pay. Someone invited me to be part of a union to push for a better pay but I ignored them.
I passed up for a $200 computer science online course.
Someone siphoned the gas from the car, so I decided to take the bus instead. I got to work late which cost me a couple of hours pay.
I paid $15 for my child’s field trip.
I decided to pass up a free concert and take care of my child instead.
I skipped the memorial of my grandfather to save money.
I decided to give $100 to my mother for her crucial medication. I made it through the month with $157 left.
Overall, the game aroused my interest to understand more about handling personal finances. It also challenged me to think critically in order to make crucial decisions in life that are important for survival. Moreover, it’s a good eye-opener regarding the unfortunate situations of many Americans who needed to get by with only a minimum wage.
Although the situations that are presented are realistic, the given options or solutions for most of the situations are quite restrictive. For instance, when I was asked if I would go the free concert, I could only choose between going and paying a nanny fee or stay at home and take care of my child. In reality, many people have friends or relatives they can ask once in a while in order to have some “me time.” Life doesn’t always have to be that hard after all.
I believe that if ever I’ll be in that situation where I have to make ends meet, I will be able to go through each month pretty well despite the financial scarcity. In order to have more money left each month, I believe I can take extra jobs or be more resourceful.
