Here we go.....

Let's start with some background information.  My family consists of my husband (a high school band director) and myself (a high school special education paraprofessional).  We have 3 sons, ages 16, 11 and 7.  We also have 2 dogs, a Dachshund/Beagle mix named Rascal and a Golden Retriever named Mollie.  All three of my sons are active in scouting as am I.  My oldest is a Life Scout (who promises he's finishing his Eagle Scout this school year), the middle son is a Tenderfoot (and wants to know what's the earliest he can earn his Eagle!), and my youngest is a Wolf Cub Scout.  I've volunteered with Cub Scouts since the oldest was a Webelos.  I am currently the Pack Committee Chair and am also a member of the Troop Committee.  My Oldest son attended the 2010 Jamboree and came back fired up to serve on staff in 2013. 

So here's the plan.  In 2013 the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) are hosting the National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.  My plan is to save enough money (mostly through couponing) to send my oldest son and myself to work staff at the Jamboree while my middle son attends as a participant.  As an added bonus, I also need to lose somewhere between 40 and 90 pounds in order to be allowed to attend the Jamboree (more on that later). 

As of right now I'm estimating we'll need at least $5000 to attend Jamboree.  That amount includes $2000-$2500 for my middle son's participation fee, $1275 for my oldest and I's fees (yes we have to pay to work at the Jamboree) and about $1200 for travel for my oldest and I and spending money for all three of us.  I would like to have that amount saved up by December 2012.  That works out to about $300 per month.  I'm hoping to save a big chunk of that money through couponing (with some extra help from tax refunds and gifts). 

On the weight side of things, BSA as mandated that to participate in the 2013 Jamboree you BMI must be 31.9 or lower.  Persons with a BMI of 32 - 39.9 may participate with the permission of their doctor.  Anyone with a BMI over 40 will not be allowed to participate.  Tico Perez, BSA's National Commissioner explains this in better detail here. While I don't like to tell people my weight, I will say that as of today, my BMI is 45.9.  (If you'd like to compute your BMI try this website.) Based on my December 2012 deadline, that means I also need to lose from 2 - 5 pounds each month.  Suddenly that sounds alot easier than saving $5000. 

That's all I've got for right now.  My plan is to update this with my coupon savings whenever I shop (which around here feels like everyday), and update the weight loss about once a week (unless there's no good news to report).  Thanks for reading!