The 2009 SpouseBUZZ Challenge

It seems whether we're reading a book, knitting a project for charity or trying to get fit, we seem do it better as a group. When you're accountable to someone else, the motivation doesn't fade as fast. Plus, we learn great tips from one another in the process. That's why we're starting the 2009 SpouseBUZZ Challenge.

Each month, we'll tackle a new task (or series of tasks) that will focus on making our lives easier and more organized for the long-term. If we do it right, I'll bet we'll end up saving some money in the process, too. The task(s) will be posted at the beginning of the month, and at the end of the month, you'll report on your progress. By tackling small tasks once per month, getting organized and setting up a more efficient household is less overwhelming.

Here's the best part of the challenge – one lucky person will win a grand prize next January. And by "grand," I do mean GRAND, as in 12 separate prize packages that correspond with each month's task(s). No guessing involved, either. Posted along with the challenge will be a photo of that month's prize(s), so you'll know exactly what you'll be winning if you're chosen the winner. The prize(s) may not always seem grand when looked at individually, but when you add up the collective goodies, our winner will have a great prize package at the end of the year, as he/she will win all 12 monthly prizes.

Contest rules are posted after the jump.

• The winner must be a milspouse, or be engaged to a service member (we're going on the honor system here).

• The winner must participate in at least ten of the twelve challenges, but:

• Those who participate in all twelve challenges will be the first tier of eligible winners. If, at the end of 12 months, nobody participated in all 12 challenges, those who participated in 11 of the challenges will be considered next. If, at the end of 12 months, nobody participated in 11 of the challenges, those who participated in ten of the 12 challenges (or percentage equivalent) will be considered eligible to win. We understand that PCS moves, deployments, etc. can cause difficulties and it may be hard for some to participate in all 12 monthly challenges.If nobody participated in ten of the 12 challenges, I get to keep the goodies. Heh.

• There may be monthly challenges which have multiple tasks associated with the challenge. For a participant to be considered to have successfully completed the monthly challenge, he/she must have completed at least one of the multiple tasks associated with the entire challenge.

• The winner must report their progress in the comment section each month (add: or in the email with their photos), and send a photo(s) of their work by the stated deadline. Photos will be posted at SpouseBUZZ.

• In the event of a tie, the names of eligible participants will be placed in a hat and the winner will be selected by a drawing

• And finally, we reserve the right to make more rules up (within reason) or change rules, requirements, frequency, etc. as we go along. Just in case some funky situations pop up….

In January, 2010, the winner will guest blog at SpouseBUZZ about the experience of taking — and winning — the 2009 SpouseBUZZ Challenge.

If you're not interested in participating in all of the challenges, join us when you see something that interests you. It'll still be fun, and productive.

The first challenge will be posted later today, so get ready and stay tuned….

Who's in?

Update: Click here for the first challenge.

Related posts:

• 2009 SpouseBUZZ Challenge Update
• The Final Challenge
• The Challenge is Back: Is “E-Clutter” a Word?
• The March Challenge: Spring Cleaning, With a Twist
• April’s Challenge: Conquering the “Stashes”