My drug, my love: Coffee

  Coffee. I remember the first time that I took a sip. My mom gave me her cup, I took a drink, and out of my mouth it came...all over the floor. That was when I was 8. Fast forward 15 years and I was working full-time, night shift at that, and going to school full-time. I needed something to keep me alive, but black coffee was not my first choice, and so I tried Starbucks, a White Chocolate Mocha. O.M.G.
  Have you tasted them?It is a cup of deliciousness, from start to finish, even when cold. Here's my dilemma though...they cost $4 a cup. Multiply that by about 4-5 a week, every week for a year. That adds up to an approximate amount of $1040 a year to keep me from falling asleep in front of my professors. So what to do?

Make your own, of course. My favorite of course are mochas. Make it white chocolate..even better. I asked for an espresso machine for Christmas. That's all I wanted. I wanted to be able to make yummy coffee on a budget. Santa brought me this:

Mr. Coffee espresso machine with foamer. ($70 retail)

I found some awesome recipes online for how to make white chocolate mocha mix. I decided though, that after making a mix of sweet and condensed milk with white chocolate morsels melted in...

Deliciousness

...that it was just too expensive (in both calories and money) that I decided to find a different way to make mochas....Half a packet of Swiss Miss and a double shot of espresso & I'm set for the day. Put it into a super cute travel mug (my favorite was a gift from my ex-boyfriend's sister. She made it super cute and you can even put personal pictures into it), and you're good to go.

• If you're looking for ways to cut on your coffee costs, my advice is to invest in a good coffee or espresso machine. Personally, I like the espresso better (I think it tastes better)

• Find different ways to make your favorite coffee

• Search for coffee mugs and travel mugs from Goodwill. Fun things will make you look forward to carrying your hand-crafted brews around and cutting your coffee costs. 

Happy Brewing :)

The Beginning.

 As of December 1st, 2010, I began paying down my credit card debt. All $4,867.33 worth of it. I started pooling every cent that I had and selling off things that I no longer used or needed. As of December 31st, 2010, I'd paid off one of my credit cards (a whopping $1,881.75)!

At the end of December 2010, I went on a trip to Colorado with my sister and her church and vowed then when I got home in the new year, I'd pay off ALL of my debt and create an emergency fund.

This is on my climb up Pike's Peak, which I climbed in silence from the other's I was with and thought up my financial plan.

January 1, 2011: I borrow Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace book from the library and then begin to cut back on the unnecessary.

February 4th, 2011: I have paid off ALL of my credit card debt ($4,867.33) and have saved a $1,000 emergency fund. In 2 months I have paid off that much debt and saved an emergency fund. If I can do that, I can do anything!


June 2011: I went on an amazing trip on my own (the best thing to ever happen to me thus far) and I went to Philadelphia, New York City, Connecticut, RI, and up to Boston/Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I vowed that for once, I would do what I wanted and money wasn't an object. I did just that. I had been putting money away for my trip for awhile and so to reward myself for doing so well financially, I did what I wanted, when I wanted on my trip (within reason). Then, back to strapping down and watching my finances.

Anyway, enough of the chatter. I need to pay off my debt and I am giving myself 2.5 years to do so. I need to do whatever it takes to get there and along the way, I know it's going to be hard. It's going to be grueling. It's going to be crappy. I may be considered cheap, but you know what? This is for me! I want to live simplistically for awhile and after that...I can travel, move, do whatever I want and not be tied down by money! I can't wait!

The Theory:

• I'm going to track my expenses. I need to see what I spend too much money in.



• Keep my 1,000 Emergency Fund stocked and out of reach



• I'm going to make, build, scrounge, save, and sell what I can and build the confidence and courage to ask others for favors and tips to spend as little money as I can.