Cutting Expenses

With the new to our new apartment has come an extra expense, bus fare.

Don't think I'm complaining because I really am lucky, Brad drops me off at work in the mornings and he also picks me up 3 times a week, so taking the bus twice a week is no big deal. But it is going to average out to about $20 bucks a month, and then you need to add my recent Hazelnut Chocolate Starbucks addiction. I've had to take the bus twice now and both times I've stopped on my way for this yummy treat. Soon my $20 will be up to $30.

As an attempt to curb the habit, this afternoon when I started to crave the yummy drink I instead headed over to the kitchen and made myself a free hot chocolate from the machine.

Lesson Learned: There's a reason so many people choose Starbucks over the free coffee / hot chocolate option… that stuff was not very good, certainly not worth the calories.
L

Found

As previously mentioned, today had no where to go but up.

I found my Starbuck card!

As a thank you from a co-worker I was given a gift card and I still had a balance of about $15 when I misplaced it. I looked in the wallet twice and the purse twice. I checked at Starbucks and at the lost and found. Today I decided to check my wallet one more time as that’s the most logical place. I don’t know where I was looking the previous times but it was there! Glad I can once again feel guilt free about my yummy purchases.
L

Good Treat Gone Bad

So I'm starting to have misgivings about Starbucks… perhaps I should cut myself off.

I needed a little something to get myself through the morning. Something more than my usual steamed milk; I wanted something yummy, blended and with whipped cream on top.

After careful inspection of the menu board I made my selection, a Chocolaty-Chip Frappucchino listed in the Coffee-free section (they're really just cream and ice blended with flavoring).

It only took a sip or two before I suspected that it was not as coffee-free as advertised but I just couldn't be sure. I took a few more sips trying to ignore that after-taste and finally decided to just go ask the lady if she put coffee in my coffee-free beverage. She assured me she didn't so I headed back to my office, not totally convinced.

By the time I got back to my desk I was really unsure so I got a second opinion and had a co-worker taste it. We still couldn't decide so I took it to the website.

The "coffee-free" Chocolaty-Chip Frappucchino is made with mocha syrup.

It was sad to watch my $3.00 treat run down the drain but at least I only got half the calories.
L

Blech

I had my first drink of coffee today... I know, I'm so rebellious.

Seriously though, Starbucks made a mistake, it only took one drink to realize and then they corrected it. I was back to my non-coffee steamed milk.

Here's to living on the wild side
L