Rules & Guidelines

Parameters/Rules & Guidelines:

1. Each working day, only a maximum amount of RM5 is allowed to be spent on creating a balanced lunch meal. Any amount of money saved from the previous day shall not be brought forward to the next day. Instead, it will be calculated as total savings at the end of the 20 days period.

2. The meals must consist of a main meal, snack, and dessert. Their definitions, are not limited, as the following:

Main meal - sandwiches, wraps, instant meals, bread, rice, etc

Snack - fresh or canned fruits, muffins, buns, nuts, etc

Dessert - chocolate, candy, drinks, ice cream, fruits etc

3. It is allowed to purchase several ingredients in advance e.g. a loaf of bread. However, the cost of these ingredients will be divided by the number of servings and deducted on the days that these ingredients are used.

4. The objective is to create as many combinations of balanced meals, and ultimately decided which is the best combo from the 20 days. It is only allowed to use the same combination once a week, but it is preferable that any repetitions should be avoided. The same item cannot be used in successive days but can be repeated within the same week as long as it will not contribute in creating a repeated combination.

5. These food should be sourced from the restaurants, coffee shops, food stalls, convenience stores and mini markets in the building that I'm working in, as well as the building adjacent to it. In other words, any building or shops within walking distance. 

6. Any invitations for meals, functions or public holidays within this 20 days period should be turned down, if possible. Otherwise, days where there are such events, that day will have to be replaced with an extra working day.

7. The items bought along with their receipts will be recorded using photographs. In cases where receipts are unavailable, display prices will be photographed and used as visual evidence instead. Daily records will be uploaded daily as a blog post or as a social media post.

8. In the case where there has been an accidental over spending due to un-calculated tax or mistake in display price, the excessive amount will be deducted from the total savings of the 20 days period.

Note: At the moment, the guidelines are still loose and I hope to be able to continually update and clarify the guidelines throughout the experiment period. These changes would also act as part of the conclusion after the 20 day challenge period.