Without realizing it, my tea and cocoa field trips became part of my daily regime.
I had a slight epiphany last semester, while in class. A twinge of guilt, embarrassment and remorse suddenly came over me as I picked up my DD cup. There I was sipping $2 Hot cocoa in my management class and realized the depressing irony.
"Who am I fooling? What am I learning here?" I thought. How dare I call myself a student of business majoring in management and I'm mismanaging my own funds. This $4 a day habit is costing me.
I quickly turned to an empty page in my notebook and jotted down the following:
$2 (tea a day) X 5 days a week (no tea on Sat & Sun) = $10
$2 (cocoa) X 2 nights a week (class) = $4
$14 a week X 4 weeks = $56
$56 x 12 months = $672
Yea, that's right $672 a year on tea and cocoa. I suddenly felt sick. I took one long loving look at the half-full lukewarm cup of cocoa and silently bid it farewell. I swore off tea and cocoa as if it were poison.
Okay...that lasted for a whole week. I was running early one morning and decided to drop into Target for a couple of items for the house...and there it was...a gleaming STARBUCKS sign in TARGET. Oh what a lovely sight it was. It was cold outside and I was wandering aimlessly around Target. What better way to start the day and fight off the cold then with a nice tall steaming cup of Tazo tea? ::SIGH:: (Someone cue "I Know" by Jay-Z). So I sauntered over and ordered myself some tea.
At work that day I realized that I didn't have to give up my love of peppermint tea and cocoa. I just had to find a suitable solution to my costly habit. I thought about just buying tea three times a week instead of five times. Nope. That won't work. Okay what about drinking tea at home before I get to work? Hmm. Nope. There was something stylish about having that cup with me every morning as I arrived at work. Could it be that the the coffee cup is the ultimate fashion accessory of 2008? Did it beat out the treo and blackberry of 2007? Or the Sidekick of 2006?
The coffee cup with the safety-sleeve is all over the place...Like leggings (spandex reincarnated!!) and Uggs...
I interrupt this blog for a special message:
Ladies can we NOT wear Uggs in the summer with short skirts? It's confusing and stinky (re: sweaty feet in the summer)...Go get a pedi and wear sandals. THANKS!
I digress..
Where was I? Oh yes my tea habit. There had to be some way that I could have my tea, preserve my precious dollars, and yet remain stylish. Then it came to me. Keep the tea...lose the cup! I could still have my Starbucks or DD or Celestial Seasonings (great mint tea) but I would buy it in bulk, make it at home and put it in an ultra sexy-sleek vacuum bottle (alias Thermos).
Now I know what you're thinking...a Thermos? Yuck!
Oh quite the contrary...my dears I am now the proud owner of an adorable vacuum flask/bottle. There are all different shapes, sizes, designs etc. Designer flasks (yes you read it right).
They range from retro flasks (see picture to the right) to sleek designs.
They cost anywhere from $4 to $30 depending on size and brand. I have a four dollar one that holds about 16 fl oz.
So how much am I saving you ask? Let's see:
$4 bottle (one time cost) + $120 ($10 a month-supply of tea and/or cocoa at one tea bag/cocoa pkt per day) = $124
$672-124= $548 a year!
That's some savings and I'm still drinking the same tea! Now, this does mean I have to make
my own tea and it does not account for the cost of sugar. However, one cannot ignore $548 of money saved.I must say that every once in a blue moon I do go to Starbucks and DD just for sheer convenience. I am not discouraging the patronage of such fine beverage producing institutions but there is a wise saying “Economy is a savings-bank, into which men drop pennies, and get dollars in return.” (Josh Billings)....Every little bit counts.
Til next time :- )
Oh yea!
Check out...
My Vintage Kitchen http://www.myvintagekitchen.blogspot.com/
http://www.thermos.com/
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4 comments:
LOLOL only you would find a way to save.. I need to do that for my own guilty pleasures. Great read sands!!!
love your reads soror!
i think for coffee you REALLY like and couldnt duplicate on your own, go for it, but in moderation. also, even if its just a few cents a day, i notice a lot of people dont even finish their coffee. if you order a grande, and tend to toss it 3/4th the way through because its lukewarm, go for a tall.
but $2 for hot chocolate? crank that swiss miss and save your money. and you can buy your own whip cream and cinnamon if its that serious.
im not anti-coffee, but hey if you can cut corners, do it. its not good for: the wallet, your teeth, your bladder... and a whole host of other things.
I'm not a big coffee fan, so I never got the the whole Starbucks, which I also call Crackbucks. It seems to have this addictive nature to it. Funny though because in a lot of blind tastes tests have shown that Mickey D's and Dunkin Donuts were favored more than Starbucks. So it must be the cup!
Ive learned so much in the last few days of being Starbucks free.....I plan on staying on track. Thanks S!
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