A Good Start



At least I can pretend, right?

So far so good with the Spending Diet. I have managed to go a whole week (well, work week so far) without having Starbucks. Some of you may be thinking, Really? Is it that hard? Well, for me it is! Being from Seattle, I love a really good cup of coffee. It makes life just that much better. That warm caffeinated goodness is my favorite way to start the morning. But for a long time, I've been feeling guilty about my coffee buying habits. $4 a day on a fancy latte is usually justified in my mind. I work hard. I make money. I deserve this! It's only $4 a day. Well, let me break it down for you. That's $4/day, $20/week, $100/month, and $1,200/year! Just on coffee!  (And that's not counting weekends). I knew this was something I could easily cut out of my spending habits, but never really wanted to. Until now.

First, I tried making coffee at home. That didn't last long, because as my husband can vouch, I am always running late in the mornings. That or I forget to grab my coffee on the way out the door. Unless he makes it for me, it ain't happening (and he drinks decaf now... not a fan). Then I had an epiphany. What about drinking coffee from work? I never used to drink coffee from work, but now is a whole different story. I realized we have a Kuerig coffee machine at work. Perfect! Now, it's not the greatest coffee in the world, but it will do for now. It has to do for now. Must. Save. Money. My new favorite flavor is "Coffee People's Donut Shop Coffee." It tastes pretty good and it gets the job done. All in all, I've realized that not having Starbucks every single day is not that big of a deal. But this is only the first week. Talk to me at the end of February.