New Year's Resolution #1

It may seem a little premature to be thinking about New Year's resolutions since Christmas is still a few days away, but I can't help to shake that all too familiar urge to save money that hits me this time every year.
For a few years now I've had a growing love for Starbucks.

It all started when a good friend and I decided to meet for a latte. We enjoyed visiting over our hot drinks and banana bread so much we decided to try to meet every couple of weeks. We see each other every day picking our kids up from school, but there's something special about carving out time to meet for a latte. She usually gets an Earl Grey and I my beloved Chai tea latte.

Ahhhh...there's really nothing better than a hot, creamy, peppery sweet cup o' Chai. For the first couple of months of the past few years I've been able to enjoy this indulgence guilt free because my sweet mom always treats me with a gift card for Christmas; once the gift card runs out I have to justify my treat with an occasional "I earned this" note to self. Well, this time of year always puts me in money-saving mode, so...here I am thinking I need to limit my trips to Starbucks. 

 Enter my answer to resolution #1 ~ Starbucks uses this exact tea concentrate in their lattes and when shaken and stirred just right is a dead ringer for the $4 cup of heaven I indulge myself with all to often. Maybe it's the time of year or just the stress of the season, but I've found myself pulling up to the drive-thru and ordering a latte like I'm some spoiled rich lady with money to burn. You have to understand something ~ up until about two years ago I had never even been to Starbucks. I used to scoff at people waiting their turn at the drive-thru throwing their money away.

I'm determined to gain control of this monster I've created ~ I'm not saying my Starbuck going days are over entirely; I'm just saying the monster needs a leash.

~ Here's to ending 2011 with a little more money in my pocket ~