Skip to main content

Full Time


So here we are 2017 done and dusted, 101 beer tokens taken, and how did I fare you ask?
Here's a few stats:
- Most tokens used in a month: December (12 tokens, $420) luckily I managed to hold enough tokens to finish strong through the silly season.
- Least tokens used in a month: August (6 tokens, $300) clearly I managed to snag a few free drinks in December!
- Most money spent on booze: July (10 tokens $470) the month of engagements and property purchases so plenty of celebrating!
- Least money spent on booze: October (7 tokens, $190) A purposefully quiet month so that I could have fun in December

Total tokens: 101
Total money spent: $3918

And how much money did I save do you ask? Well this is very rough maths at best but assuming at my old rate I drank 3-4 times a week at roughly $35 a pop (2 pints during the week at $20 plus anywhere from $50-$150 over a weekend) that would equate to roughly $6370.

Total savings: $2453.00 WOW, I know it's rough maths but that shocked me.

So how were tokens spent in the last 3 months of the year I hear you ask?
In October tokens were spent showing my mum and sister around Melbourne and celebrating her finding a wedding dress, celebrating a good mates wedding in country NSW and celebrating the birthday of another mate. Token days off were spent at yoga, summer hockey and also a few catch up with mates both out and at home. One of whom had quit drinking for 6 months! Hats off to her, what a legend.
In November tokens were used at not 1 but 2 hens parties, weekend catch ups with mates and a wine crawl around Fitzroy on a Sunday afternoon (note to self, take Monday off next time, you'll be a bit dusty). Token days off were at the movies, walking for brain cancer, dining with pals at their new place and yet more yoga and summer hockey.
Finally in December with 12 tokens to burn there was plenty to celebrate this silly season. Firstly my sisters wedding and the catch ups the week prior, this was followed up the following weekend with the Meredith music festival, always a good time, always a few days recovery from the fun, then there's Christmas eve, Christmas day, holidays, a birthday and NYE to round out the 101st token of the year. Token days off (lets be honest, there weren't many) were spent enjoying sobriety and not being hungover!

Have I enjoyed the process? You bet. It was hard at times, no doubt but I genuinely believe I've made a positive change to my attitude to drinking for the long term.
Was it worth it? Absolutely, so if any of you are thinking about joining for 2018, it's not too late, get on board!

What am I taking into 2018?
- Knowledge that I can have a night out not drinking and still have a good time
- Money in the bank
- A new mid week ritual of more exercise and less wine (but still some wine)
- More bike rides,walks and yoga
- My pre-European travel weight
- A mindful attitude towards alcohol and when a drink is 'worth it'

What do I still need to work on?
- Getting into a good routine with exercise and sticking to it
- Not getting too excited on a night out and having 1-2 more drinks than I needed
- Dancing like Beyonce or dancing full stop

Cheers to the 101 tokens crew for the year, it's been great, for anyone interested check it out here:
http://www.101tokens.com/




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Three Quarter Time

So I'm a touch late putting this one together, partly because the last few months have been crazy and also partly because I wasn't quite sure what to write. As the year has gone on the tokens have become normalised not just for my friends but for me as well so I've had to reflect a little longer to check if I had anything to report. Token use declined slightly over the last few months as I thought about what events the end of the year had in store that would warrant token use and to be honest it's been really nice cutting back some of my drinking a little further. To have a reason (outside of I don't feel like it) to only drink one night of the weekend has been great. Not because friends will hassle me, as they now understand the #tokenlyf but for myself to not have a drink for no real reason on a Friday or Saturday and wake up feeling worse for wear. Tokens were well spent in July and August with a few massive life events that called for a few tokens and glass...
Post a Comment
Read more

First Quarter

For those of you who have seen the odd #101tokens hashtag on the social medias and are wondering what the kids are up to these days or for those of you who have been out with me recently to find out that I'm not drinking and first wondered if I'm pregnant and secondly wondered what game I'm up to please let me explain. Or for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about do read on....... Inspired by the 2016 efforts of a guy I'd met in South America 6 years ago I decided to embark on his crazy new year challenge, 101 beer tokens. Rules are simple: 1. From 1st January – 31st December (365 days) we have 101 Beer Tokens. That's  just under two tokens per week. 2. One sip of anything alcoholic uses a token. 3. A whole night out with many drinks also ONLY uses one token. 4. If a night out goes through and past 7am - that is two tokens. 5. If we go over 101 we have pledged to donate a sum to our favourite charities. We do this via 101 tokens Promise o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Half Time

Half way through the 101 tokens trip yippee! A big F*ck yeah to anyone else tokening, we've made it 6 months! For me there's been a few ups and downs over 2017 but it does get easier as you go along. I started this blog as a way to increase my motivation and vent some of my frustration in March when the initial novelty of the Token idea had worn off and I was struggling with a few internal and external factors relating to more conscious drinking. Once again three months later it's a good time to reflect on the highlights and learning of the last few months. At the start of the year when I was explaining the Token rules to friends and family a lot of comments went along the line of "Don't worry if you blow out over summer because you'll make it up in winter." Clearly they did not know what my June would have in store! Tokens were used at not one but two hens (one of which resulted in an almighty spewy hangover and a delayed maccas breakfast), a large hou...
Post a Comment
Read more