June Challenge

I love it when the new month starts on a Monday. There's just something so...new about it. A new month, new start to the week- and in this case, a new season too (May to me is spring; whereas June is definitely summer). I think that the stars have aligned just right for a challenge! This is not a group challenge- but rather an opportunity for you to challenge yourself alongside with me (if you'd like)- or, if my challenge doesn't fit the bill for your life, consider challenging yourself with something that does.

In any case, here's my June challenge:

• In the month of June, I challenge myself to pack my lunch (vs. eating out) while at work (Monday through Friday) 85% of "eligible" packed lunch days (more on that below).
• Each day that I pack my lunch (and therefore do not purchase any sort of lunch or snack item) I will award myself a star (sticker) on my calendar that sits above my desk. At the end of the month if I have 85% of the eligible days starred, I'll take 1/2 of the money saved by packing my lunch and I'll buy something that I otherwise wouldn't buy myself.

Here are the details of my calculations: There are 19 "eligible" days (I'll be out of town for a Thursday/Friday one week, so those days don't count against my % goal). Eligible days are simply Monday through Friday days in the month of June that I plan to be in town. 85% of the 19 eligible days is 16.15 (rounded down to 16) so if I have 16 stickers at the end of June on my calendar I'm getting something great for myself!

Here's how I'm calculating the $: I figure the average lunch out that I would buy during the work day is in the $6-$10 range (I wouldn't be eating at a fancy sit down restaurant). I am going to go with an average of $8/lunch if I were to eat out. So, if I were to eat out for all of the 19 eligible days I would have spent $152 on lunches out. However, considering that if that were the case I also wouldn't have the cost of lunch groceries, that's not a fair "savings". So, to complicate things further, I am going to guess (and this is really a pretty wild guess- no real way of calculating an average for this that I can think of) that my packed lunch costs me an average of $3.50 in grocery costs- hence I've got a savings of $4.50 each day that I pack my lunch vs. eat out at work. So, if I pack vs. eat out all eligible days, I'll save $85.50 for the month (that was the estimated savings amount of $4.50 multiplied by the # of days- 19). Now, 1/2 of that savings will just be- well, saved. But, if I'm successful with my June challenge, then I'll get to spend $42.75 on something for myself (I'm thinking fun earrings or something along those lines).

A few additional caveats. If I take a day off from work (i.e. a sick day) that isn't an eligible day- so the #19 may change (but the goal of 85% will stay the same). Likewise, if work obligations (not opportunities, but true obligations) require that I eat out, that day also comes out of the eligible days vs. counting against my 85% goal. Note that I rarely have work obligations that would require a meal out- but it does happen from time to time, so that's the fine print for ya!

Now what would setting a goal be without having a plan for how I am going to meet that goal!?!?

Here's my plan for hitting that 85%:

• Grocery shopping/planning will be key. I typically shop on the weekend. I will have a plan for what I will pack each week- delicious and varied lunches-and I will buy the items from my list.
• Actual packing of my lunch will need to happen the night before. It does not happen in the morning- no matter how early I set my alarm, no matter how easy I think that it will be to throw something together, it doesn't happen. So, every night before I go to bed I'll commit to having a lunch in the fridge, ready to grab in the am.
• Ongoing motivation will be needed to resist the urge to eat out (at times). No matter how delicious I think my packed lunches can be (note that I'm not a sandwich girl- my lunches are usually pretty darn good if I do say so myself...), the temptation to run out to Chipotle, Whole Foods, Noodles & Co., even Subway, can be pretty intense. So, I have my calendar at work showing my progress (I'm like a little kid with that stuff- I'll do it for the star sticker!), and I have all of you (anyone out there?) to report to come July 1. You know that I want to blog about my "prize" on July 1! I also plan to blog about my progress/ideas/recipes this month.

Lastly, I'll share why I've picked this sort of challenge. This is timely, because this week's meeting topic is on ways to cut costs while cutting points too. This is also timely for my life- as I'm getting married in July, so the budget issue is particularly salient for me this summer (as I know that it is for many people, for many reasons), and... well... I want to feel as good as I possibly can on my wedding day (and my dress is fitted)! So, just some additional motivation for me to remind me that I save money when I pack my lunch, and I am more satisfied with my Weight Watchers program and myself when I pack my lunch.

Yikes- it is almost 10pm as I write this- I've got to go pack my lunch before I head to bed!