Week 2

Since the Faux Egg Salad was not finished from last week, I had that left over for a bit this week, I also had yogurt, strawberries, baby carrots, and granola bars. Last week I was out for dinner a movie with a friend of mine who asked me what I bring for lunch, because she was out of ideas. She mentioned that she was tired of bringing a bagel with hummus, cream cheese and veggies. I told her about some of my go-tos, and then stole hers!

Monday: Faux Egg Salad, yogurt, baby carrots

Tuesday: Whole wheat hummus cream cheese bagel, with spinach and cucumbers, yogurt, strawberries

Wednesday: Peanut Butter and Jelly, yogurt, baby carrots, granola bar

Thursday: Faux Egg Salad, yogurt, strawberries, baby carrots

Friday: Hummus Cream Cheese Bagel with veggies, baby carrots, granola bar

Week 2 was a success, and another $30 in my Ireland piggy bank. I think, for next week, I will take a photograph of my lunch each day - maybe that will spice things up!

My first fail

Sadly, my first fail occurred on March 1st, the proclaimed inaugural lunch day! I made my lunch in the morning - an egg salad sandwich, a yogurt, and an apple. I even put an ice pack in my lunch, I never put an ice pack in my lunch. But I did, just because this was an important lunch. And, I left for work with my lunch still on the counter.

When lunch time rolled around I realized it was missing. A co-worker roamed into my office and asked if I needed to get lunch, because she did. I reluctantly said "yes". So we went off, to Chipotle, where I spent $8 on a veggie burrito bowl. I'm not counting this as a fail for several reasons:

1. I did TRY and make my lunch
2. I ate my left-behind lunch for dinner
3. I only ate half of my Chipotle bowl for Thursday's lunch
4. I ate the other half on Saturday, when I was at work and hungry for lunch
5. Because I make the rules and don't want to fail in week 1

Hopefully the forgotten lunch won't happen often, but if it does maybe I need to make some provisions. Keep some things at work to make an emergency lunch?

Week 1

Although, technically not March 1st, I decided to start on Monday. This was particularly easy because we had a day long meeting at work that included lunch, and my boss was kind enough to order the most delicious mozzarella pesto sandwiches for me.

Over the weekend I made a batch of delicious Faux Egg Salad, to make sandwiches. I also had greek yogurts, apples, bananas, and some granola bars to add to my lunch.

Monday: Mozzarella and Pesto sandwich

Tuesday: Left over Mozzerella and Pesto sandwich

Wednesday: Egg Salad Sandwich, yogurt, apple

Thursday: *my first fail

Friday: Egg Salad Sandwich, yogurt, banana

That's $30 to my Ireland piggybank.

In the beginning...

For years, my old roommate and I have been discussing a trip to Ireland. We both are of Irish descent but have never been. In my own family, it was my paternal grandmother who is from Ireland. And I was raised believing in the luck of the Irish. At first this was going to be an easy summer trip. Then, it was going to be a present to myself once I graduated. Flash forward, I am a 31-year-old adult with Ph.D. in Psychology, and still talking about "that trip to Ireland we will take". Newsflash, money doesn't fall out of the sky ear-marked for a trip Ireland, hence...I've never even begun saving.

Maybe it's because I've recently been trying to set new goals for myself, or maybe it's just being back on the East Coast where Irish Pubs are plentiful. Whatever it is, I'm ready to follow through on this plan!

Starting in March 2012, I will begin setting aside money every week for a trip to Ireland. Where is this money going to come from, you ask? It's a fantastic question! I will stop buying lunch. From March 1st onward, I vow to bring my lunch, every single day, for one year. This means, planning ahead with grocery store trips. This means, getting back to cooking large meals on Sundays that can be saved and frozen. This means, eating a healthier lunch of salads, fruits, vegetables, and other non-processed items. This means pocketing lunch money, in the name of Ireland!

According to my rough calculations, if I were to spend $6 a day on lunch, 5 days a week, for 52 weeks a year, this comes to a grand total of $1,560. I'm considering that there may need to be more rules than there currently are, but I am also willing to change as I go. For now, it is simple:

1.) Bring a lunch from home every day.

2.) Deposit $6 a day (or $30 a week) into an Ireland Savings Account.

3.) Go to Ireland.

What I can promise you from this blog is an exciting tale of my 365 days of bag lunch ideas (there will be repeats, I promise for that. I predict PB&J on 300 days out of the year!). In addition, you will see my plans (and hopefully my friend, as she joins me on the quest) for a trip to Ireland unfold. Each Sunday will be Irish Sunday, wherein I will feature a locale, accommodation, custom, or other tidbit about Ireland that will be crucial to the trip.

How can you help, you might be asking (or not...but, please, help!)? By following along. By packing your own lunch along side me, to save money for your own pipedream. By sharing your tales of Ireland or dreams of traveling to some place you've never been. But most importantly, by encouraging me to stay strong and pack a lunch every day. Every. Day. For a year! That Guinness will taste so sweet at the end of this!

Stay tuned, this is just the beginning!

The Donegal Coast taken from www.donegalcoast.com