How To Save at Starbucks

It is no secret that I go to Starbucks (a.k.a STBX) kind of a lot.  It is something I enjoy.  It is something I need most days.  I can understand how the casual observer of my life may think I have a problem, and that I am spending a fortune of money (and calories) at Starbucks, but I'm not!

Like most things in life, you can have what you want and not get out of control with it, as long as you have a system.

1.  Get a Starbucks Gold Card
The next time someone gives you a gift card to Starbucks (or just buy yourself one!) go to starbucks.com and register it.  When your gift card balance runs out, add more value to it, and use this card every time you go to Starbucks.  Before you know it, you will earn "gold" status, and Starbucks will send you your Gold Card with your name on it in the mail.  Every time you buy a drink with your Gold Card, they track it, and your 16th drink is always free.

Here's how I save money with this: Every time I go to Starbucks, I get just a regular little tall coffee (I always get bold because I prefer my coffee STRONG), which costs about $2.00.  Every drink you buy, you earn a star. After you earn 15 stars, you will get a postcard in the mail for your free 16th drink.  I always use this postcard to buy a Venti Latte or something else that if I bought it, it would cost $4.00 plus.  I almost never order something like that out of pocket.

2.  Take Your Own Travel Mug
On Earth Day, you can get a free cup of coffee if you bring in your own tumbler, which is awesome.  But, get used to bringing it yourself, and you will save an extra 10 cents every time.  That may not sound like a lot, but if you go often, it pays off.  For me, I think of it as every 20th visit to Starbucks, I'm getting  a free cup of coffee.

3.  Take Your Empty Bag of Starbucks Coffee in to the Store
Look at the bag of Starbucks Coffee that you bought at the grocery store closely, most bags will say somewhere that they are good for one free tall coffee.  That's true! All you have to do is hand the empty bag to the cashier, and you will get a free cup of coffee.  A little tip: If you are doing tip number 2 and bringing in your own mug and it just so happens to be bigger than a "tall," chances are your Barista will fill it up, thus hooking you up.

4.  Be Very Open About Your Love of Starbucks
I do this without even trying, and people notice.  Last Christmas, I think I got a grand total of $60.00 in Starbucks gift cards from friends and family, because they know I love it, so it's always the perfect gift for me.  Make sure, if and when you do get a new gift card that you register that card online, then transfer it to the balance of your original card, so you can use that balance toward earning your gold card.  If you have a gold card, transfer the balance of the gift card to your gold card so you an use it to reap rewards.

5.  Don't Buy Food at Starbucks
I'm not going to lie, this is hard because they design the line to form right in front of that dreaded baked goods case.  But, if you buy a muffin every time you get coffee you will not only be poor, you will be huge and poor.  Same principle applies if you get a Venti Mocha every time you go to Starbucks.  Once you have a gold card, every now and then you will get a coupon for a free food item, those are a nice little treat.

Homemade iPad Cases

We got iPads! I'm really excited to use mine to get a lot of "work" done. It was so funny to see Dana get determined to get them then go pick them up first chance she got.

Now that we have them we have to protect them. The cases at Target seemed overpriced. Amazon Prime has us spoiled. Since it's the weekend there is no overnight shipping.

My crafty buddy Jason was over yesterday and my mind started racing to homemade iPad cases. It turned out great.

Mine is a long-term fix. I saw folio style iPad cases online. He and I scavenged through the cabinets for our materials. We used:
An old 3-ring binder
Athletic tape
Elastic band
Lock-tite
Paper cutter

Jason cut the plastic around the cardboard in the binder. He sized the iPad to the pieces and scored them on the paper cutter. He scored and cut one piece to height. He then scored the side to wrap around the iPad. He cut and scored the other piece the same. He then cut the extra off the end. He used athletic tape to bind the edges and folds on the sides. He glued elastic bands to hold the iPad in place and across the front to hold the flap.

We made another case from bubble wrap for Dana's until she gets a long-term case. It was really simple. He cut the wrap to the height of the iPad and a little more than enough to go around the iPad. He taped the side and bottom with bubbles out then turned it inside out like a pillow case and taped the edges too. The bubbles were on the inside now. He taped a seam in the middle that was perforated. It actually made a nice style element.

We're looking forward to using our new homemade iPad cases.

Last Post for Today, I Promise

One more post, and I think I'll be caught up.
I'm getting kind of hungry.
Which is a shame because I had that toaster strudel earlier, remember.
And then I had a biscuit, some grits with cheese, and two links of sausage.
But, it has been a few hours.
And clearly, in my current position, I'm burning a lot of calories.

I'm being intentionally lazy today.
It's nice.
Believe it or not, it's hard.

I know you're probably thinking... how hard can it be to sit on your butt and watch TV?
Actually, pretty hard!
I'm surrounded.
There is dust on the table beside me. Two loads of laundry just beyond that that need to be folded (even though that's not my department, it still lingers)
There's my phone, tugging on me to check my email and check the headlines.
It can be hard to unwind.

But, with some good food, Mr. Puggle Snuggles and a good WWII documentary Mr. Ritter put on for me to watch/sleep to, I'm doing just fine!
Yay me.
Sabbath: check!

Now, two very random photos to share with you...
1. Elmo

I saw Elmo half under the chair the other day, looking like he was screaming for the jaws of life to come save him! Elmo is Brokaw's best friend. Best friends as in, he loves to chew on poor Elmo, and drag him all over the floor. Probably why Elmo is stuck with that look on his face!

2. Coupons from my Granny.

My Granny Nora moved to California about a year and a half ago. I haven't seen her since, but we talk on the phone each week. Granny has always spoiled me. To the point that it makes me feel guilty. I must have mentioned in one of our conversations that I've started clipping coupons. Because now, she's mailing me coupons! She has sent me some good ones, too.
However... this week, I got a couple for pregnancy tests... then diapers and wipes!!?!?!?!
Um, Granny? No thanks on the hints, hahaha!!

Always nice to get something in the mail that's not a bill, isn't it?
Okay, for real.
That's all I have for you.
You are now up to date.
I'll just be here, watching WWII for the next few hours.

In An Effort To Keep This Blog Up To Date...

As you know by now, the Steelers are going to the Super Bowl. Yay.
As you also know, I tied a Terrible Towel around Brokaw yesterday. He cried all afternoon, begging for me to take it off. Wandered into the office to beg Michael to take it off.
No one did.
So, he finally settled down.

And, before kickoff, he was doing this number.

My puggle loves to snuggle on Sundays.
Always has.
I don't know why. But I'm not arguing because I happen to love me a Puggle Snuggle.
It's so sad when I leave for work on Mondays, because B cries. It breaks my heart! I will never be ready to be a mother.
I don't know, do you think he just gets re-attached every weekend?
So sweet.

New topic.
Here's the deal.
I want to be better about blogging.
So, here's the deal that comes with that.
It's just going to be kind of random.
Are y'all good with that?
My old blog used to be quite random.
Okay, good. We're all on the same page.

Now, on to said new topic.
Goals.
Remember, a few weeks ago, I shared with you the goals that Michael and I have for 2011?
Well, there were a few other things that were kind of unspoken, but also goals for the year.
I have some good news to report!

It's 3:34pm on Monday (my day is almost over at work) and unless there's some sort of tragedy (Michael, if you're reading this, please don't fall out of your chair and break any bones) or major unforseen expense, I'm going to be able to scratch a goal off my list!
An emotional goal.
I want to go at least a week between crying.
Sounds lame, I know.
Last week I made it to 5 days and I was so proud!
Now, I'm at a WHOLE WEEK, and I'm actually PMSing, so I think I deserve extra points for that!
Seriously, after going through such a SAD time last year, I'm thankful for days without tears.
A whole week people! I think we have the beginning stages of JOY back here!

Another goal I had was to travel for work. I went on one work-related trip last year, but it was just a short drive to Richmond, and I actually brought Michael with me. That was crazy stressful, trying to balance work on the road, and worrying about him and taking care of him. "You don't have to worry about me," he says.
Yeah, right.
Not an option.
I'm sorry, but if you're there, I'm worried that you get up and down the hills and through the doors and that you have your strap for your spoon for lunch.
I just do.
Call it a maternal instinct.
Call me crazy.
Whatever.
I love you, but you stress me out! :)
I didn't travel because it seemed like such a hassle to be gone because we would have to arrange for help for Michael to get up, down, etc. And that can be VERY expensive!
Ladies and Gentlemen... I'm happy to report to you, as of today, I have a plane ticket for my first real work trip! Yeah!

We're also doing pretty good on other goals, too. I don't think we're going to make the budget for this month, but we're pretty close. And that's a good start, in my humble opinion.
I did dig a stainless steel trash can out of the dumpster (not really, it was outside the dumpster, and already clean!) that is broken. I've been wanting a stainles steel trash can, but they're stinking expensive! We're going to try to fix this one, we'll see! And, I got a new slipcover for our couch that usually sells for like $159 on Craigslist this month for $50. So, yeah, I'd say we're being pretty frugal.

And, of course, I'm still rocking the coupons out.

Maybe sometime I'll do a post about coupons. I'm not a coupon nut (really), but I'm learning how to use them and I can say they are making a difference in how much we spend on groceries and toiletries.

Like most things in life, a good system is KEY.

While I'm on the subject of goals, let me brag on myself a little bit.
I went to the gym this morning! I haven't been in months.
I didn't really have time to go, but I did it anyway.
Maybe I'll go back on Wednesday.
Hopefully.

Because we had this for dessert last night and for part of breakfast this morning and I've been thinking about it all day.

Blueberry Pie. Yum.

And, I also made mint/dark chocolate chip cookies Friday night and they were amazing but I definitely ate like 10 myself.
I'm like that with cookies.
I cannot have them in the house, because I will seriously scarf down like a BOX of cookies.
Favorite. Food. Check.

So, yeah... I've pretty much been obsessed with scratching things off of lists, reaching to achieve goals, and trying not to cry.
So far, so good.

Our Goals for 2011

We spent part of New Year's Day planning for 2011, together. Intentionally getting on the same page with our goals, our calendar (well, we still need to look at that) and our money. It was a little bit hard, at times. But, I'm glad we did it.

Now, I'm putting this out there for the world to read in hopes that transparency will lead to a higher likelihood of success! Also, if you have experience in any of these goals and have tips for us, bring 'em on!

Personal Goals

Michael:

-Exercise brain: increase vocabulary and memory

--daily journaling

--listening to podcasts

-Get out of the house

--weekly prayer meeting with guys

-Earn income

--on top of SS

-Stop worrying about the dogs

Dana:

-Get body back to thinking it’s 30(ish)

--fruit and veggies (1 fruit @breakfast, 2 veggies @dinner at least)

--exercise 2x a week

--get stress level down

--get blood pressure down

-Personal prayer life

--consistent quiet time with God in the morning

--prayer in the shower

-Flex creative muscles

--take a photography class

--learn to sew

--learn to can foods

=======

Mutual Goals

-Equality

--mutual appreciation

--working TOGETHER (even through frustration, when necessary)

--communicating so we both see both sides/points of view

--Michael being present, even when not contributing physically

-Intimacy

--develop opportunities for romance

--try new things

--separate caregiving and sexing

--watch less TV/go to bed earlier

-Reading

--go through couples books a couple times a week

--continue daily Bible reading at breakfast

--get back to Bible promises reading right before bed

-Building relationships with other couples

--host a couple for dinner at least once a month

--look for opportunities to double date

--pray for other marriages

--spend time with the girls/guys separately

=======

Financialation (we enjoy making up words around here!)

-Budget

--create a monthly budget and stick to it

-Money night

--last Friday of each month, order takeout/get alcohol and view spending/receipts from that month, and look at upcoming expenses/goals for the next month

Pics of our Place

Guess what? I FINALLY remembered to take pictures of our place the other day! We moved in August, and I just got around to taking pictures with the camera and not just my iPhone. That iPhone camera makes me lazy, I tell you! Oh well. Here you go.

Let me first say that this place is HOME. It is a joy to live here because this place feels 100% ours. Our old place had a couple of problems. #1: concrete floors. They were dark and dirty and it always felt like we lived in garage or something. I won't horrify you with details of the dirt embedded in my heels. Or, maybe I just did. Sorry about that. #2: Our old place was a hodge podge (I have no idea how to spell that) of my stuff and Michael's stuff and it just didn't go together. #3: There was a hospital bed in our "office," and I hated that, too.

But this place, this place is OURS, fully. We planned and bought stuff on Craigslist and decorated and picked colors together. We both love summer and the beach and I think our place very accurately reflects US. We're proud of it, and love to spend time at home.

Here's the tour...
This is the living room, taken from the entry hallway.
This is taken from the dining area. Dog beds are just a part of life... because these guys... have to have somewhere to lounge.
Not that this guy really ever does that...
But, whatever.
Dining area.
Kitchen. I realized when I was uploading these pictures to Facebook that when I took this the burners and the coffeepot were in the dishwasher. Ooops.
Here is our bedroom. This is hands down, my favorite room. It is beautiful and peaceful and I love it so much!
And... our office. This room feels quite cluttered to me, but I guess that's okay.
I'm trying to decide if we really need books. I mean, I know we don't ever really look at them. But, when I think about getting rid of them, I don't really want to. I have gotten rid of A LOT of books, believe it or not!
We have matching desks, one on each side of the bookcase in the middle. This was one of the best decisions I made. It keeps my creative, free spirited husband's "area" contained! :)
We want this place to be a good home base for us, but also a place to host friends and family all the time, too. We have nice air mattresses! Please let us know if you're coming in town, or if you want to come to dinner or come hang out any time! We would really LOVE to have you at our place!

The Craigslist Home Makeover, Complete!

When I'm feeling better, I have to get some pictures of our new place with the good camera so you can see how cute it really is. I love it so much!

Before we moved, we sold almost everything we owned, as far as furniture goes, on Craigslist. We bought all new (used) stuff, also on Craigslist.

We were only missing ONE thing that I still wanted, and earlier this week, thanks to my frequent Craigslist stalking, I finally got it.

Yay. My life is now complete! Well, almost. We still have two things we need to SELL.

First, this really cool antique steamer trunk. It has hangers and drawers and everything. It's really cool, but it's got to go because it's too crowded in here.
And then there's this Hoyer Lift. This is a Class A, Five Star offender of my "I don't want it looking like a hospital/nursing home up in here" rule. I pray this sucker is gone VERY soon. I hope the day never comes that we need another one, but if it does, we'll deal with that then. Right now, the space, sanity, and cash will better benefit us. If you ever pray for me, please just pray that I will always have a strong back. Thanks.

Quest for the best Grocery Store

The best thing about living in Fairfax was that we lived less than a mile from Wegmans. That means we lived less than a mile from Heaven on Earth. Wegmans is awesome! I could go on and on forever. Fresh, local produce. Quality meats. All of their store brand items are great. Good prices. Never long lines!! Incredible prepared foods. You can eat dinner there and have Asian Bar, Sushi, Pizza, a Sub Sandwich, Soup. Wine. Blah-bah-da-dee-da-da. That is my song. I LOVE me some Wegmans.

Well... now, Wegs is 1/2 an hour away. The first weekend we lived here, I tried to shop at Safeway. One of my friends warned me, "It's like shopping in Russia." She was so right! Not good quality, long lines, not many choices, high prices. I was not impressed!

For the past month, I've just done the drive back and forth to Wegmans so I could still shop there, even though it burns like an hour and a half of my weekend. I've also added Aldi to the mix because I'd heard you can save a TON of money shopping there (especially on produce) and I will tell you, that is definitely the case! I couldn't believe what I was able to walk out of there with for $60! But, Aldi isn't convenient either.

Well.... this past Friday, I had another Groupon to spend ($20 for $40 worth of meat at the Springfield Butcher, AMAZING!) and since there was a Trader Joe's in the same shopping center, I decided I would try it out.

I liked it! They don't have everything but they had a lot of fresh, local, whole foods, and I'm wanting to move as much as we can in that direction. I told the guy at the checkout that it was my first time at Trader Joe's and he gave me these!
So, I think it's save to say... I think it's getting pretty serious! :) I will definitely be back!

Grocery Store Cheater

I have been a FAITHFUL Wegmans girl since moving out here to Fairfax. Before, I was semi-faithful at Harris Teeter when I lived in Arlington (they're just so expensive!) But.... HT sent me some $10 off coupons for a $50 grocery purchase... so I am game for cheating for the couple of weeks that these coupons run. The key to shopping at Harris Teeter is watching the sales! I only buy what is Buy One, Get One Free. You can't do much better than that when it comes to a sale, right? Yesterday, even though I was out of sale grocery store practice (I still use coupons at Wegmans, but they don't have "sales" per se) I managed to spend only $50 and rack up $35 in coupon savings! I am awesome.

And... for the second week in a row I actually remembered the reusable grocery bags! This is the only two times in my life I have ever remembered to actually take them inside and everything. This is progress, people! I'm pretty sure I deserve some sort of environmental award or something!

Note: I'm not a horrible plastic bag polluter. I promise I don't go and throw them in the river or anything. We use them in the bathroom trash cans and occasionally to pick up doggy waste.

Creativity and Frugality

One of Dana's favorite bloggers is the Frugal Girl. She has been inspired to cut back and be creative. As regular followers know, Dana cooks a lot. What started as a way to save has become Dana's creative outlet. She bakes like a monk and cooks wonderful meals. Most of them are from Wegman's or Every Day w/ Rachael Ray. And I LOVE it!

So, this morning, we had leftover skillet-grilled peppers and mushrooms from our pizza (note, that was fresh, from scratch, homemade pizza, including the crust) in the fridge. Dana decided she'd throw together breakfast burritos since she had that sitting around. How great!

So, Dana has her creative outlet because she started being more frugal. It reminds me of that saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention." I think of soul food (you know we loves us some soul food), quilting, and so many excellent traditions the same way. Just having leftovers sitting around that need to be used leads to something so very gratifying.

Free Tastes Better

I know I preached about this on my personal blog, but this is a new place, so let me tell it on this mountain top.

IF YOU HAVE A STARBUCKS GIFT CARD... GO ONLINE AND REGISTER IT!!

Yes, I screamed that at you. Because it's that important. You will get free stuff. What could possibly taste better than a freshly brewed tall cup of Christmas Blend and a Perfect Oatmeal from Starbucks? A free coffee and oatmeal, that's what.

Last week, I had breakfast totally on the house! I had a coupon for a free oatmeal that I got in my email (because my card is registered) and a free coffee because we finished a pound of Morning Joe blend and I took my empty bag in for my free tall coffee.