BUT I can only begin to imagine how much money I'd be spending if I weren't writing it. I've 3 days left in the week and $3 left in the budget. It took my husband and I a few good years to get our selves into this mess. A few years of buying pretty much whatever we wanted. A few years of going pretty much anywhere we felt like. A few years of training our brains to "have it your way right away!" I'm afraid it's going to take awhile to unlearn the horrible thinking patterns.
I saw an old lady ordering at a Starbucks today at one of my stores. She looked so confused, slightly overwhelmed, and honestly she looked like she was treating herself to something extra special. I'm generally overwhelmed by the constant sight of the Starbucks cup in hand that I see passing by all day long pretty much anywhere I go. In today's culture if you don't have a cup of Starbucks in one hand and a Cell phone in the other then you are OUT! Just seeing it ALL THE TIME (especially if you go to a bigger city) makes me feel like purchasing a $4 beverage is something normal. "Every bodies doing it." Even though I know that $4 is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a beverage it just seems normal. Seeing that old woman today looking at the menu board like a kid in a candy store helped me(at least a little bit) realize that it's NOT normal. I think a $4 beverage is ok once in a blue moon but on a daily or weekly basis it's just not ok. I think it should be a treat.
Yes... I am trying to brain wash myself into not wasting money on Starbucks.
I remember when I was just out of high school my friend and I drove across country to Seattle. We ordered beverages from Starbucks there as if we were meeting a celebrity. It was a treat. I think it still should be. A $4 beverage shouldn't be a habit. It shouldn't be routine. It shouldn't be something that I feel as though I deserve (on a regular basis). Maybe every bodies doing it but I think it's pretty safe to say that almost everybody is in debt. I just don't want to be like everybody anymore.
Hang in there! Perhaps if you have a coffee maker at home, you can get some starbucks roast as a gift.
ReplyDeleteThe longer you keep at this, the more creative you will become to save money, yet still enjoy the things you love. Starbucks is ok occasionally, maybe you can do surverys online or do Mypoints and cash out for a Starbucks card. That way you earn it.
We feel the same. When we visited the States in 2005 I was so excited to try Starbucks. (We didn't have it in Australia at the time). $4 for a drink is ridiculous, but it was a treat and that is exactly what it should be.
ReplyDeleteWhen my sister visited last we had it, they have one near me now, but I could never justify a daily or weekly $4 beverage!
You are doing so well. You should be so proud with how you are doing.
I agree, $4 is ridiculous! I only buy as a special treat once or twice a month. I like my coffee I make at home so when I do buy Starbucks it is only on a day trip or something...
ReplyDeleteyou're absolutely right. a $4 drink should be a treat and not an every day staple. i think i get starbucks twice a year but i don't drink coffee at all so i don't feel that i'm missing out, especially when i consider all the calories and sugar in thsoe drinks...
ReplyDeleteMaybe I was that little old lady. hehehe I've been given gift cards and I have a hard time thinking of what to order. (I'm not a coffee drinker.) I loved their hot chocolate this winter. I'm a new follower and want to congratulate you on your goals.
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