Now this was my jar for the Princess 1/2 I ran in February. So when the trip finally came around, I was able to use the cash I had accumulated to purchase things/experiences during my trip. The "tip jar" money became my fun cash for the trip. When I finished counting the bills in the jar, I had over $230 dollars to spend. WHOA! This was great because I knew that the money had accounted for the mileage I had run in training, so seeing that as a physical manifestation of my training was really nice.
Plus this money gave me the ability to purchase items that I wouldn't have otherwise gotten. It paid for purchases at the expo (holy cow can you blow some serious cash there!), my attendance to Princess Tea Time at the Grand Floridian and various souvenirs and snacks throughout the weekend. It was awesome to have this so I wasn't breaking the bank or putting stuff on my credit card, I was able to enjoy splurges I otherwise might not have partaken in.
So why am I bringing this up? Well...there is another race that I'm training for, Dumbo Double Dare! It is the slimmed down version of the Goofy Challenge being held at the Disneyland Resort during the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend in late August/early September. It involves running a 10K on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday, totaling 19.3 miles for the challenge in two days. So this will require proper training to get my legs used to running fairly long distances in back-to-back days. I mean I ran the 5K the day before the half at PHM, though that wasn't very taxing because it wasn't timed and I was jogging through the course taking pictures. This however, will have a bit more pressure because it is timed and if I don't complete both courses in the allotted time, I don't get the Dumbo Double Dare challenge medal. That would be heartbreaking!
So what does that mean? A NEW RUNNING TIP JAR!! ::dun dun dun dah!!!:: Only now I need to come up with a new cover for my jar for the Dumbo theme. Any ideas? Maybe I should go into my scrapbooking paper stock and see if there is anything "circus-y" that I can put on the outside. Hhhmm...well, when I have it decorated, I will post it. I'm SO EXCITED! Training is well on its way and I can't wait for the race weekend to be here! Now I've got some monetary motivation to accumulate! Watch out...mama needs some runDisney merch!!!
Question for you: What do you do to help motivate you during training? Have you done a tip jar before? Would you consider it?
A tip jar is a good idea, but I'd probably break into it when I was low on cash, tell myself I'll go to the bank at another time, and never get around to it.
ReplyDeleteI actually have a marble jar going on this year. I keep track of mileage in a planner, and then at the end of the week put that number of marbles in the jar. Oddly enough, it has motivated me to add miles here or there. It's nothing more than a visual representation, but I'm finding it a fun thing to do.
I did break into in once to grab some cash, but just notated it on my schedule and put more in when I made my next "deposit".
DeleteThat's a good idea with the marbles! Whatever keeps you motivated is important to do!
I guess I started following your blog after you originally posted about this Running Tip Jar! I NEED ONE!!! Then I won't feel so guilty splurging for things during Dopey (because I felt really guilty about the teal Princess zip-up, but I love it and pushed those guilty thoughts aside).
ReplyDeleteI might be able to help with the new tip jar cover, I have a Circut and think I still have my friend's Disney font cartridge.
Indeed, this tip jar helped me from feeling guilty for spending (a lot) money at the expo. It was money I hadn't counted on, it was awesome.
DeleteI would love to see the idea you have for the jar! YAY!!
Genius idea! I need to implement this immediately :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's an awesome motivator!!
DeleteI am thinking about doing a tip jar, but not sure when to start it? Is right now considered training? I'm gonna have a LOT of money by February if I start now! LOL!
ReplyDeleteSure! Why not? There's nothing wrong with starting early. I started when I began the training schedule for PHM, it was a fantastic motivator!
DeleteThe best part was that I was making weekly deposits, so the amounts were so low I wasn't even missing that money in my bank when I did bills. Then I had what I collected to go a bit crazy at the expo!
Hey...starting early would give you more $$$ to spend at the expo, and believe me, at runDisney expos you're going to need the extra dough. SO. MUCH. GOOD. STUFF!!!
Love this idea! I hear ya about spending a lot at the expo! I was pretty shocked last year. I've been saving the proceeds from my etsy shop to fund my Tinker Bell half trip next year, but was thinking I'd have to dip into it for Dumbo's expo money. I'm going to make a tip jar instead! :)
ReplyDeleteYou have an etsy shop? What do you sell?
DeleteThe tip jar helped me to keep my spending money separate. I knew I would be spending money for the trip, but what I had in the jar was just extra to play with. Can't wait to hear about/see your tip jar!
I love to sew, so just little things I make to help pay for my hobby. Lately it's been a lot of checkbook covers. There's a page on my blog about sewing and then a link to my esty shop if you want to check it out. :)
DeleteI'll be sure to post a picture of my jar!