Day 31: three days in a row

Yesterday was fine; but last night I hardly slept at all. Today, failure is likely.

Days 29 and 30: no free lattes, so I'm latte-free

I can't say I haven't been tempted. Today I drank four cups of tea and I'm still tired.

Days 27 and 28: don't want to let a good latte go to waste

So, my father-in-law brought me another latte on Sunday, then again this morning before they left....what could I do? I drank them. They were from Caribou which is seriously better than Starbucks. Even my husband who has become a Starbucks vanilla latte addict seemed impressed when he tried Caribou's version. I have always maintained that Caribou is better and not just because the people are ridiculously cheerful and friendly and their stores have drive up windows and are conveniently located.
The in-laws are gone again, for now. We'll see if I can remain latte-free until their next visit. (Incidentally, I have neglected to mention to them that I am trying to quit drinking overpriced coffee drinks.)

Day 26: one day latte-free

So, I'm off to a fresh start. We'll just see how long this lasts.

Day 25: who'da thunk it?

No, the latte truck didn't cruise my neighborhood, but the next closest thing happened: shortly after I wrote yesterday, my in-laws arrived with a few groceries and a Starbucks vanilla latte for me! I've been sick with a pretty bad cold, so my father-in-law said, "We thought you might be in a crappy mood, so we brought you this." I wasn't in a crappy mood, since I had just finished off two cups of strong tea...but I thoroughly enjoyed the latte anyway. Regardless of what happens, I will never turn down a gift of latte.

Days 12-24: every day, twice a day, who's counting?

Starbucks is harder to resist than I realized. Ever noticed they are EVERYWHERE? After repeated exposure I even tried the honey latte they were promoting relentlessly...YUCK.
I'm back to the old excuses, I'm on vacation, I'm hanging out with a friend, I need to stay awake to drive, I need energy to clean the house, etc. etc.
Like a total addict, it seems I can't regulate myself to a once-a-week treat. If it's okay on Tuesday, then why not Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, too? I admit it's harder when I'm traveling. After five hours on I-80, I feel like a latte will bring me some small amount of joy and mix things up a bit. Today I'm back home, and happily enjoyed my two cups of Tazo Awake tea (YUM), and lattes aren't even on the radar. Still think the money would be better spent saving for a more secure financial future or bringing life-changing water and sanitation to the people of Malawi. So, I'm going to keep trying to quit. And so, I start over. I'm not planning to leave the house today, so I should be able to keep myself from buying a latte. (If they ever made a Latte Truck, like the Ice Cream truck, that came around the neighborhood, how much trouble would I be in.) (Speaking of which, wow! What a great idea! I could get rich off the Latte Truck! Nobody steal my idea, OK?)

Day 11: back on track

If someone would have handed me a latte today, I would have taken it gratefully, but I was determined not to buy one. Surprisingly, nobody ever did come up and offer me a latte.
Starting over--one day clean

Day Ten: the slippery slope

First, I bought the unsatisfying coffee. The next day, I bought $1.50 milks for my kids while shopping at Target. I resisted ordering something for myself. Then, we had just a little too much time before we needed to pick up the other kid...and I was really really tired...and Caribou was right on the way...well, pretty much.
It was a good vanilla latte. $3.79 well spent, I must say. I like Caribou. The people are always so cheerful.
I slid down the slippery slope, now I must claw my way back up again.

Day Nine: failed, sort of

Today was truly ONE OF THOSE DAYS. I decided if I was going to get through it, and also finally get motivated to clean my house, and also stay up late writing, then I would be needing some serious caffeine. However, I decided to go with a more thrifty drink rather than a latte. I got a vanilla Misto, which is supposed to be half coffee, half milk. I forgot to pick a size, so they charged me for a grande and gave me a tall. I'm not sure they made it right either, tasted like just a coffee.
Not very satisfying. This cost me about $2.65...next time I feel like I need coffee, I'll just get straight up coffee, and it will probably be from someplace less expensive.

Day Eight: that was a close one

Monday, I went to SuperTarget with my younger two kids while my oldest was at school. I was really dragging, and was strongly considering stopping by the in-store Starbucks or driving through another nearby Starbucks after our shopping trip. (There are so many Starbucks options.)
Fortunately, my kids didn't feel like shopping, my youngest refused to sit in the cart, and I gave up after picking up just two items. So, we went home. I made chai. (Even though the mix seems a bit expensive, it is still much cheaper to make Tazo chai lattes at home than to buy them at Starbucks.)

Day Seven: one week latte free

It's been a week. I figure I've saved somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 to 30 bucks. It really has not been a sacrifice. I feel good about it. Sometime here I might start a caffeine reduction plan, but that would require getting adequate sleep, something I've never mastered.

Day Six: not as easy

Saturday I was very tired. Ordinarily I DEFINITELY would have made a Starbucks run. Instead, I stayed home and made tea. Lots of tea.