At my work there is this evil thing called “cake day”. It occurs every second Wednesday of every month. This month they are doing it tomorrow because the baker will be on vacation next week. The purpose is to celebrate everyone who is having a birthday in the company. They used to put all the names on the cakes, but now they just have a sign posted next to the cake with all the birthday names. They usually have chocolate, vanilla, and a wild card. Tomorrow it will be cherry. I haven’t tried that one yet >.>. I have a problem with wanting to try every single flavor to find my favorite, and then of course trying them again to make sure >.<. Can’t be too sure. Anyway, this post isn’t about that problem, but an entirely different problem: Free food. In the past, I have had a difficult time saying no to free food. Even if it’s not that good. The cake isn’t that good, not bad, but not super delicious either, but it’s free.
About two months ago I started noticing this pattern of weakness in myself after my boss brought in danishes and I ate five of them simply because they were free. I don’t even like danishes that much. At my work, people bring in free stuff all the time. Today there’s a bag of candy canes and a container of fried chickpeas. Evil, I tell you. I think the root of this bad habit comes from growing up in a relatively poor family. Free food was not very common and of course you don’t turn it down, not when people are starving in the world. Not when you can’t afford much yourself.
Well, now I do. I created the “Just say NO” challenge to help me through it. It’s simple: you earn one point every time you say no to something free and bad for you. Every time you say yes you lose two points. There’s a max of 5 points per day. I make Holidays (actual family parties) an exclusion. They are an opportunity to earn points, but I do not get penalized.
My boyfriend got on board and agreed to provide me with rewards when I hit a certain amount of points. He’s so supportive ^.^! Unfortunately, at the time, food was a heavy motivator so quite a few of my “rewards” are food related. Here’s some of mine.
Rewards
- 10 pts = free cookie of choice
- 25 pts = free movie with the works (popcorn, pop, and candy)
- 50 pts = massage
- 75 pts = Sourdough Day ( I love sourdough bread so much >.<!)
- 100 pts = Three course meal
- 150 pts = Servant Day ( I can make him do anything I want, silly dances and all ^.^)
- 200 pts = Hotel Stay
There’s a few more that I can’t remember, but I have them posted in my cube to motivate me. So far I’ve earned the cookie and movie. I may exchange the massage for half the price of a pair of new running shoes. That’s a bit more motivating to me. Running shoes are expensive >.<.
The weird thing was, after a couple weeks of this challenge, saying no just became automatic. It wasn’t even a conscious thought anymore. I wasn’t getting very many points because it wasn’t registering as a challenge anymore. So we expanded the challenge. Now I also get points for saying no to buying things that are unhealthy for me that I want. So when I stand in front of the vending machine drooling and then walk away, point! When it’s nacho day in the cafeteria and I get a salad, point! When we go to the movies and don’t get any snacks, point!
I got a simple tally counter app on my phone. It’s literally just a plus and minus sign and a number. I am currently at 39 points. The point is this method works for me. I have learned to say no, in most cases. Of course I’m weak at times, but I’m a hell of a lot better than I used to be. I do not feel deprived or rude when I say no anymore. Why? Because it was my choice. I chose to say no and I had a right to.
How to you resist free temptations?
Hopefully Bikiniskinni 