Follow Up, and a New Plan of Attack

Hey everyone! Look who's actually back when she said she'd be! I know, shocking.

As promised, I'm checking in on my progress with the Penny Jar Experiment. Well, in all honesty it could have gone better. The good news is that I figured out the problem. Problems really. See, I started using the penny jar in January. It went great! Every day I was dumping in shiny pennies. Why didn't it work so well in February?

Problem 1: I moved the jar. Previously I've kept it on a shelf above the cups in my kitchen. So, every time I got a drink, I would remember to do my daily tasks and get my pennies. When I moved it, I didn't think it would be a big deal, I could still see it most of the time. The results should still be the same right? Wrong. I forgot about the penny jar completely some days. The new spot wasn't nearly as convenient as I'd thought it was.

Problem 2: I ran out of shiny pennies. I still have some, but their old and gross looking. I didn't think that it would make that big of a difference. A penny is just a penny after all. But it really took down how many pennies I put in the jar. It almost felt wrong to put such gross pennies in my shiny jar. Strange how the mind works isn't it?

Problem 3: I lost momentum. Because of previous problems including a couple of other problems including a suddenly busy life, I lost interest in the game I was playing. Even now that I've moved the jar back, I forget about my goals. Well, I think I have a solution for that problem too. I call it, my "30 Day Power Hike!" I'll tell you a bit more about this in my next blog post.

Anyway, I haven't given up on the penny jar, but I do think I'll have to alter things a little bit or find a different place for it that doesn't drive my family nuts. It's all about establishing the habit. Well, I'll see you tomorrow for more information about the hike!