Help! I'm totally sucking at this challenge! I have spent $20 so far at the Barnes and Noble Cafe and at McDonalds! Geesh! I am blaming it on my kids because when we are out and about I keep wanting to get them little treats like a cookie or a drink. Don't worry, my kids are tiny little toothpicks so I'm not too worried about them having a little treat now and then but damn these things add up. Someone face punch me so I can finish this challenge with a little bit of dignity.
If you asked for some encouragement I'd give you some encouragement, but you asked for a face punch, so I presume that motivates you and I'll give you a face punch by describing what you are doing from another perspective. Sorry if my face punch is more than you wanted. I'm writing what would motivate me since I could have written what you wrote.
First, you are doing something you consider wrong or at least contrary to your goals.
Instead of taking responsibility, you blame someone else. Whom?
Your kids. (Though you did make yourself publicly accountable, which I respect and admire greatly).
By buying them this stuff as "treats" you're teaching them to value them, to consider them good. You rationalize that because they are healthy you can contribute to them becoming unhealthy? If they then become unhealthy, is there any mystery how or why that would have happened? As you said, "these things add up." To fat, to wasting money, to not sticking to goals, to blaming others for one's behavior...
But let's get to the bottom line issue, more important than what you ate, at least in my opinion. You said you would do something and you didn't. If you don't think other people can tell, they can. What you do makes you who you are. I wrote a short post about this issue --
http://joshuaspodek.com/belief-promote-integrity-authenticity -- integrity.
I don't know your personal goals, but personally, I've found the SMART mnemonic --
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria -- helpful, where the 'A' stands for attainable. If one month without junk is not attainable, you might succeed more by setting an attainable goal, achieving it, and build on that success next time. Or if you consider the one-month zero junk goal achievable, you might look inside yourself, figure out what you need to do to meet it, dig deep, and do what it takes to make it happen. Obviously you have the support of everyone here.
I suggest you don't want to finish this challenge with a mere "little bit of dignity" but with a great sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and eagerness to achieve your next, bigger goal.
Was that too much? It took me years to go from eating junk to preferring fresh fruits and vegetables. Now I'd rather eat the books in Barnes and Noble than the "food" in their cafe and McDonalds.