Frugal Latte

A Grande Caffe Mocha at Starbucks is $4.45.

That's four dollars and fifteen cents for one cup of coffee that doesn't even have bourbon in it.
It's 370 calories of bad math.

At Costco, a three pound can of Kirkland Signature 100% Columbian Dark Roast is $13.00 when it's not on sale, but it's often on sale (and it's good!). I don't how many cups three pounds of ground coffee can make but I'm pretty sure it's more than 2.9 - which is roughly how many Grande Caffe Mochas $13.00 would buy.

I brew a full 12-cup pot of coffee every morning and only about half of it is drank while it's hot.

What to do with the rest?

Don't dump it out, take the carafe and put it in the fridge.

When the late afternoon slump comes around, pour the leftover coffee over ice and mix with milk and  chocolate syrup.

There ya go. One Grande Iced Frugal Mocha Latte for pennies on the dollar. To save some calories, leave out the chocolate syrup.

And now there is money left for something more memorable (or at least longer lasting) than one cup of coffee.

Don't Throw That Bottle Away!

It's no secret that we are literally drowning in our own trash so here's a quick tip to both save money and keep some plastic out of the landfill.

Instead of spending somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 - $20 on a "reusable" drinking bottle, spend about $2 at the gas station on a 24oz "electrolyte beverage" with a sport lid.

This bottle cost $2 and I've been using it for a month.

While Americans are disposing of an estimated 50 million plastic water bottles every day, there's no reason why this bottle can't be reused for a long time. It won't get swampy because the sport lid keeps mouth germs out of the inside of the bottle and it fits in a car's cupholder. Incidentally, many fancy name brand reusable bottles don't fit in cupholders and, unless they have a sport lid they will most certainly get swampy - a problem that eventually cannot be fixed no matter how thoroughly the bottle is washed.

Other relevant info: McDonald's serves 95 million single use plastic straws every day.

Save money, save calories by drinking water, do the Earth a favor by producing less trash.

Win/win.

The Price Tag Of Time

A lesson from retail.

Is it better to:

A. Spend all day servicing dozens of customers who are spending less than $1.00 each, even if it means not having time to provide service for customers with big orders?

Or

B: Spend all day servicing a handful of customers who are spending $500.00 each, even it means not having time to provide service for customers who are spending less than $1.00?

Either way, it's time spent that is gone forever, but the end result is not the same.

If you only made $20 today, you may have to work twice as hard tomorrow. If you made $2000 today, you could take tomorrow off.

There will never be enough time for a meaningful life when trivial activities are prioritized.

And, of course, the definition of "trivial" depends on your priorities. It's not always about money, but it is always about making valuable use of time.

Clutter

Clutter is not differentiating between what is needed and not needed, wanted and unwanted, necessary and unnecessary.

Clutter is choosing not to decide.

Clutter becomes an unwanted guest, a hobo claiming squatter's rights in your mind and in your home.

Clutter takes up the space where abundance and prosperity should be.

When there's no clear space to sit down and write a letter, it's time to clean the proverbial house.