You need to spend money to save money (or something like that)

Last week I spotted some extremely cute lunch bags that I couldn't justify buying, no matter what technique I used. Even my trusty trick of dividing the price of the product by the number of expected uses failed me. My friend didn't hesitate to remind me that this was because I never actually packed lunches and I couldn't pull off trying to carry it as a purse.

Thankfully, my mind always finds a way to get what it wants. Not that this project was created solely to justify the purchase of a $15 lunch bag or anything, but I've now divided the hell out of the price of the lunch bag. To the point where I've decided that I'm pretty much making money off of it. Pretty much.

So here it is, my brand new money-maker, otherwise known as an insulated lunch bag. The brand is Koko from Winners.

Isn't it so pretty? It even comes with little reusable utensils! Which I will never use because they're too ridiculous.

I'm actually starting to get really excited for this lunch-packing business. Anyone interested in joining my challenge?

The Project Pack a Lunch Challenge (featuring me vs myself)

After tallying up my monthly bills the other day, I realized that I spend a whole lotta money on one thing: food. Most of that spending, almost $300 worth, is done on my lunch breaks. Every day I tell myself that I'll pack a lunch tomorrow, and for one glorious week I actually did! But the temptation to go to sleep early or just sleep in or really just not do anything at all started to win me over and I went back to spending an average of $10-$15 per lunchtime meal, five times a week. Let's get mathematical here: $12.5 x 5 = $62.50. $62.50 x 4 = $250. Do you know how many pairs of shoes I could buy with all that money?*

I could just tell myself to start packing a lunch every day and have this be done and over with. But I am me and being me means that I have no willpower to do anything unless it's in the form of a competition, and if it is a competition then I will stop at no end to win until I've really lost. (see: the time I tried to stuff 40 gum balls in my mouth because my friend said I couldn't. It was messy. And stupid.)

That's the long and boring story of why I've decided to challenge myself to pack a lunch every day for the next year. I figure if I'm documenting it, I can't give up. I'm exempt from this torture on vacations and one day per month. If I don't use my cheat day that month, I can carry it over to the next. 

It all starts September 1! 

*The answer is 3.