A Spendless Week in Vienna

Studying, living, and traveling abroad is one of the greatest experiences you can have. It is also a great expense, and one that adds up quickly. Amidst all my venturing, dining, experiencing, and tasting of Vienna, it became apparent just how frivolous I had become with my money. While I love café hopping, district and thrift shopping, and museum-going, I decided to challenge myself to a week of spending no money to keep myself in check, practice healthy habits, and explore beautiful Vienna in a new way. Here's what my week looked like, and some advice on living frugal in Vienna.

Friday 13.02 (Day 0)

One of the lovely traditions I've made for myself here is Friday dinner with my friends from back home, who are here studying in Vienna too! After this dinner marked the start of spending no money, and the next Friday dinner marked the end. I ordered Eiernockerl, a traditional Austrian dish of pasta-like dumplings made with eggs. We ate at the amazing Zwölf Apostelkeller (Twelve Apostles Cellar). The environment was lovely, the conversation was heart-filled, and the live music was lively! I paid 17 Euro with tip, and it was definitely a great start to my no spending week!

Saturday 14.02 (Day 1)

This Saturday was, of course, Valentine's Day. This year, I had no Valentine's, so I wasn't spending money on overpriced chocolates and teddy bears. Though it was a lonely Valentine's Day, I wasn't alone! My friends and I took a trip to the IKEA Westbahnhof, which is, surprisingly and unironically, a great area to study in. IKEA has great cheap food, sweet treats, coffee, tea, and amazing vegetarian and plant-based hot dogs. While I would have loved an IKEA treat while studying, the goal was to move through my groceries before buying anything out. What we did do was go to the rooftop and get a glorious view  of the city. On Valentine's Day, IKEA Westbahnhof also gave out heart-shaped balloons!

Throughout the day I was going through my bananas to save them from rotting, of course paired with smooth peanut butter. For lunch, I fried up some vegan nuggets, and for dinner I cooked up some easy red sauce pasta.

Sunday 15.02 (Day 2)

Sunday was slower. I indulged in some more bananas with peanut butter, some easy yet delicious toast (pro-tip: a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey go a long way), and some leftover pasta. For dinner, my apartment ordered from a local Indian restaurant, and my roommate and I split some butter tofu. Since my roommate owed me some money, he covered it and we considered ourselves even. Essentially, a no spend day!

While I got antsy today, instead of going out shopping, I walked around the fifth district during sunset to take in the air and warmth of the city. Still experiencing Vienna without a hit to my wallet!

Monday 16.02 (Day 3)

While I didn't have class this Monday, I kept busy. Monday was cold and snowy, but that didn't stop me from wandering my district and taking pictures of the beautiful findings along the way. I particularly loved watching the trams go by on the street! Lunch today was more pasta and a cheese sandwich, and dinner consisted of sweet and sour tofu stir-fry, complete with rice, mushrooms, spinach, peppers, and carrots!

To finish my day off, I attended IES Vienna's outing to Vienna's English Theater to see the wonderful two-man show, Switzerland! I highly recommend. While the English Theater outing could be considered an expense, I considered it a future expense, as I hadn't paid off the ticket yet and it was held through IES Vienna. Physically, 0 Euro were spent today.

Tuesday 17.02 (Day 4)

Today was Fasching, Austria's version of Fat Tuesday before Lent (and sort of like Halloween)! On behalf of IES Vienna, I ate three whole Krapfen expense-free! I also got a free Manner (Vienna's tried-and-true delicate wafers) for solving the puzzle in the IES Vienna Weekly Student Newsletter! Highly recommend. In-between my German class and my Music Research Internship, I went home to boil a quick pasta cup instead of wandering the (expensive) first district looking for a lunch. For dinner, I cooked up some cheesy, buttery spinach spätzle! Even though I didn't go out to eat, I still got many a taste of Austria today, and gratefully (and cheaply) so!

Wednesday 18.02 (Day 5)

Okay, today was an expense day. But it was a highly necessary expense, and one I wouldn't be able to get out of on any given week. Today, I had my violin lesson, so of course I had to pay my teacher for the lesson. So, yes, 100 Euro were spent today, but maybe it's one of the 100 that IES Vienna is able to reimburse for private lessons, so maybe I truly spent nothing at all...

After my morning Film Music class (to which breakfast of apple, peanut butter, and some cereal preceded), I went home to cook up a quick and easy vegan kebab sandwich. While I felt myself getting quite hungry in the 15-minute break in the middle of my morning class, I turned to a protein bar I had stashed away in my bag instead of going out to grab a quick meal or snack. For dinner, I made easy ramen.

Instead of going out shopping today, I again went out walking to enjoy the views of the city. I also started a new book that I borrowed from my housemate with the hopes to respark my once-lived love of reading! Vienna is the perfect place to try new things and remember old loves (and you don't always have to spend money to do so)!

Thursday 19.02 (Day 6)

Today was a slower work and class day. I had German this morning, followed soon after by my Composition class. I was sure to eat lunch beforehand so as to avoid buying food in the first district (which, while lovely and lively, is often quite expensive). The rest of today was spent on homework and some late-night practice in the IES Vienna Practice Facility. A slow-paced, lovely, easy to romanticize day, while keeping my bank account happy! At this point, my cupboards were becoming increasingly barren. However, I still had a good amount of groceries to use up, so I did not cave and walk to my favorite place on earth—the nearby Hofer (Austrian Aldi's)!

Friday 20.02 (Day 7, Day 0)

Friday marks the end of no-spend week, as I honored my loved tradition of Friday dinner with my wonderful friends! Today, we went to Pizza Randale, where two pizzas and two delicious desserts came to about 15 Euro per person! A good expense if I've ever known one. While I knew I would be breaking my no-spend streak today, I still did not go out for lunch, even after my Friday German. I decided to finish off the last easy pasta cup in my pantry instead.

Overall, a very fun week, without the stress of cost. Here's what I learned from my own personal no-spend challenge:

1.  It will always be easier to go out than to use what you have. (This is very important to understand, and not so easy to overcome!)
   While I was faced with many opportunities to grab some quick, easy meals and snacks (especially between and after classes), the goal of my no-spend week was not only to reduce my expenses, but also to use what I have before buying anything more. My pre-week Wednesday grocery trip did indeed last me the whole week, even if I had to get creative with some meals and snacks.
    
2. You can "eat your way" to know a country without always going out to eat.
   I wholeheartedly believe one of the best ways to get to know a country, a city, or a people is to experience the cuisine—to "eat your way through". While this often means going to restaurants, cafés, street food stands, and bars, one thing that is often overlooked is the humble grocery store. Absolutely, go out and enjoy local cuisine while you have the chance! This week, though, I was able to cook up some traditional Austrian flavors without that big bill (and I do highly recommend trying your hand at the local cuisine too)!
    
3. Not spending money doesn't mean not going out with others!
   This week, I tagged along with my friends to various cafés and outings without buying something for myself. While I absolutely do not recommend going out to a café alone, studying for hours, and not ordering anything (a highly disrespectful use of the space - at least order a coffee!), tagging along with others for medium periods of time is a great way to get some social time without spending money (though, the pastries in the counter will always be tempting—I recommend a seat facing the wall instead).
    
4. You can get to know the districts without shopping your way through them.
   I absolutely love going shopping in Vienna. Thrift shopping is on a whole other level here. However, I found myself enamored with the city when I started looking at it from outside the shop windows. Walking Vienna's districts is always a free, slow, leisurely way to spend an evening. Plus, you're likely to find some places that you want to try later!
    
5. Keep an eye out for local holidays and celebrations!
   Okay, while not many places will be giving out free Krapfen for Fasching, there's definitely some deals and steals you can hop on. Plus, you get to participate in the local festivities and integrate yourself that much more in your city!

Bonus: Don't worry, I got my groceries on Saturday!
And I was still price-conscious about them! Hofer is a great cheap option for groceries. Billa and Spar have more variety, but can definitely get more expensive much faster. At Hofer, I spent 21 Euro on multiple pastas, easy ramens, some rice, bread, müsli, mushrooms, spinach, and snacks. I spent 7 Euro at Billa to get some sauces, for easier pasta making.

In terms of drugstores, the dm Drogerie is the way to go. BIPA definitely has more options, but can also be much pricer. At dm, I spent a grand total of 2,45 Euro on spülmittel (dish soap), vitamin C, and Zahncreme (toothpaste)!

Saturday grocery total: 30,45 Euro! Not a bad way to stock up!