☕ Just Get the Coffee ☕

 

Just get the coffee or WHATEVER keeps you sane through the day! 

[EVEN more so when you’re working a stressful job … cue up Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” here …]

Is this a “new” blog?

 

No, it’s one of several I started back in 2013. I had the idea for the follow blogs: 

 

🏁 NASCAR

🧶 Crocheting

🍽️ Food and Kitchen

❓ General Thoughts

💻 Writing

📸 Photography

 

That said … 

 

Somewhere along the way, my writing took over my life – and I am not complaining. Even as of this blog, I’ve been writing every day since late September. 

 

In early 2019, launch teams and the like did distract and ultimately derail the blogging. But, I’m definitely happy about that – not sure my home is with the mountains of books though 🤣

 As a result, I really didn’t have time to keep up the blogs unless something REALLY struck my fancy … or I felt a need to address it in something longer than a social media post.

 

I saw something on a public personality’s Facebook page and, for some reason, it resonated with me …

 

 

 

Before I continue … 

 

Those who know me know that my housing situation is sketchy. I’m not sure what is going on, and my mom has been in and out of hospitals and physical rehab (mostly skilled nursing/rehabs) since September. 

 

As a result, my life has been super stressful. I have cried a lot of days – between December and even today, there hasn’t been a day without tears, even if it is a brief 5-15 minutes. 

 

My mom is on a fixed income, and can’t earn any more money. I can’t work as I have to take care of her – which is now the insurance company’s goal. Get her surgical wound healed, skilled nursing with some rehab to get her to do some things, send her home to me to care for. 

 

And, it would be easier with a one-level home, which we cannot afford to buy. And, last year – we were looking at living in our car. This year? I don’t want to think about it … yet. 

 

And, I’ve also had to clarify that my mom is NOT AT END-OF-LIFE stage, far from it. I’ve talked with numerous doctors and her therapists. 

 

Also, she doesn’t make enough to afford a place like that to live in; she makes too much for Medicaid so they won’t help. 

 

That said, and out of the way … 

 

This blog isn’t about that particularly, it is more or less about those “thoughts” like:

 

➡️ You could afford a NEWER car if …

➡️ You could buy a home if 

➡️ You COULD get your glasses if …

➡️ You COULD get your car fixed if …

 

The meme dealt with Starbucks and a weekly purchase of a drink. 

 

Look, I’ll defend them when there is something good; and, I’ll ROAST them when something is bad …

 

But, in the example shown – the person is right! $252 a year can’t even get me a pair of eyeglasses. I know. I’ve bought glasses. Been wearing them over 35 years. I actually need three pairs – distance, computer, sunnies (doctor ordered due to my eye color and the EXTREME RISK of “burning” my eyes from the sun). 

 

I also need thinner frames due to the prescription (some y’all might remember the Coke bottle bottom joke).

 

I need polarized for night driving (y’all some of your LED lights look like a blob and are painful; also try seeing out of two sets of glass(es) – windshield and your glasses – with blinding streetlamps and oncoming headlights), and I need scratch resistant coatings. Those alone will run about $252 for ONE pair, and we haven’t touched durable frames! ONE PAIR. Add in computer glasses and the sunnies ... it gets expensive FAST.

 

Some people will say “go to Walmart” – if they fit your vision needs, fine. They don’t fit mine. I’ve had three bad examples, and like baseball – three strikes, you’re out. 

 

Let me put it this way: My Walmart glasses lasted only ONE year. My Lenscrafters? The pairs I got in 2009 lasted until 2015. I still have the sunnies! 

 

My 2015 Lenscrafters glasses? I’m still wearing my computer glasses, and they’re holding up; my sunnies? Need an adjustment, but, holding up. My distance pairs? 

 

My main pair officially died last year. I did sort of abuse them over the time I had them, and after one final toss when I was stressed – they’re gone. I’m working on my favorite backup pair (Vogue) – they’re solid, but of course I won’t throw them.

 

Three out of four pairs have lasted over 7½ years. So, yeah … I’m going with quality. I also get them sooner than a week, and the lenses are measured where I wear them, not according to someone who pushed them right to my forehead. That caused issues with focusing and they overall did not work well for me. Tried taking them back and Walmart refused to help.

 

Also, my vision is ESSENTIAL. It’s not a luxury. 

 

That said … 

 

$252 wouldn’t get much in the way of:

 

🦷 Dental Work (I need extractions, root canals, replacements/implants)

🚗🧰 Car Repairs

🚚 Moving Expenses

 

Here’s the deal … 

 

Even a $7 a day Starbucks at 31 days is $217. That’s less than my car insurance, wouldn’t cover a car payment (average is about $400, and my insurance would increase by $75), and … depending on how much you earn … not much in the way of the grande scheme (see what I did there).

 

Over 365 days a year, that is $2555 not even a month’s wages in some places. That’d barely get my car fixed and a rental to use. Cheapest tires for my car – tires, protection certificates (you need them where I live due to the road hazards), balancing, disposal fee, TPMS rebuild – run $700 a set. Add in other needed work, a rental ($200 deposit is given back AFTER vehicle is returned) … gas … etc … and, that $2555 wouldn’t cover it at all. 

 

And, that’s saying I HAVE the $7/day. I don’t.

 

But, let’s talk about the “you could buy a house if you weren’t buying Starbucks” fallacy … 

 

For my mother and I to get financing, we have to lower the debt to income ratio. So, higher down payment = a lower monthly payment, less financing. 

 

A $300K house would actually require us to have at the lowest, an 80% down payment ($240K). At $7 a day, that’d take 93.9 years to save for a $300K home 😬 I’m going to be dead in 94 years! Not being morbid, but even if I were 35 … plus 94 … I’d be 129. I won’t need my own home; I’d need a grave! 

 

Let’s go with … “you could buy a car if you weren’t buying Starbucks”.

 

To avoid a car payment and the interest (as I am not working so no income to qualify for financing), I’m going to pay the entire “sticker” price at the time of signing. 

 

Average NEW car is $48,000. Okay, let’s save that $7 per day. 

 

Taking $48,000 and dividing by $7, that’s about 6858 days. Roughly, 18.8 years.

 

It’ll take me close to 19 years to buy that car … but, wait … the price MIGHT go up between today and those 19 years. I’ll probably be needing a more accessible SUV given that I’ll be over 60. 

 

Now, that is also saying I BUY a $7 Starbucks every single day. 

 

Again, I don’t. Never have bought a DAILY Starbucks. Close, but no latte. 

 

From 1995 when they introduced the Mocha Frappucino to roughly February 2005 (when I started work at a soon to be stressful place) – it was a RARE treat. VERY rare. 

 

When I was working at this “place” between February 2005 and December 2006, I would work 4-5 days. There would be days I’d get one – other days, not so much. I really got them regularly between November 2005 and February 2006 – without that, I wasn’t likeable or I was really not tolerant to 🐎💩 

 

Most of the time, one tip would cover the drink so it was like a customer handing me a drink. My budgeted paycheck NEVER went for it. That went straight for a car payment on my mom’s car (wasn’t mine as I didn’t have my license yet, I was helping her with the payment), leftover went for bills or my lunch expenses. My tips were for me to use ANY way I wanted. I’m sorry, but I am taking SOME money for ME and my MENTAL health! 

 

[Watching my mom currently battle depression and severe anxiety, my heart goes out to her, and I want to take care of me as much as possible]

 

I didn’t go on my days off, so it wasn’t “daily”.

Between 2008-2009 I would get it as a bi-weekly treat when I got my nails done. That was my mom’s gift to me for helping out around the house.

 

In 2009, I went to work at another stressful place, but still didn’t do a daily Starbucks. It was usually when I’d go weekly shopping as either the Albertsons or Smith’s I went to had a Starbucks. I’m there, I have some money – why not? That’s what the meme is saying! 

 

I’d definitely get my birthday treat and freebies though.

 

FYI: just because someone is there once, doesn’t mean they go every day or every week either. 

 

Between mid 2013- early 2014, I usually went 1-3x per week when my mom was working (she worked 3x a week; 12 hours). Most of the time I’d hit the gym, and Starbucks was a reward and my “writing” treat, also a healthy lunch. 

 

But, to save up for a trip, I stopped going. 

 

At one point, just before my 2014 trip, my cousin sent me a Starbucks card to thank me for my help with a project (this would become a regular thing up until February 2015). I posted a picture with the caption – “thanks to my cousin for the gift card, I haven’t been here in a few months”. 

 

Thought that was PRETTY clear when I wrote it.

 

Let’s view that again – 

 

“thanks to my cousin for the gift card, I haven’t been here in a few months”

 

Someone (who was a friend at the time) ACTUALLY sent me the message “that’s why you don’t have money, quit going there every day”. I was stunned! I had to RE-EXPLAIN that I’d helped my cousin with a project and she sent the gift card to me. Their defense? “I didn’t know … you didn’t say that”. 

 

Um … I did. I don’t get how “thanks to my cousin for the gift card, I haven’t been here in a few months” was unclear in anyway, or not said at all.

 

The problem was, this person was FAR too wrapped up in their anti-Starbucks agenda, and spouted off BEFORE their brain could comprehend what I’d written. They saw the picture, got triggered, and sent the message. They then got upset with me for pointing out the caption. Yes, the person actually did get upset with me for pointing it out – “well, the caption wasn’t really clear what you meant”. So glad we’re not friends anymore. 

 

As of early 2015, the stops were rare. When my mom retired in March 2016, they pretty much had to meet a criteria:

 

🥳 Birthday Freebie

🎁 Win/Prize

💳 Gift Card (usually from surveys)

 

And, since about 2018, I’ve been making my own coffee drinks. Perfected in 2020. So, yes … unless it meets one of the three criteria, I don’t go. I don’t spend it from our budget. 

 

In either 2020 or 2021, I won $10 (two $5 egift cards) and a bakery item through their Starbucks for Life program. I used the “alternate entry” option every day, got a lot of plays. I never made ONE purchase to play. 

 

So, of course I went to Starbucks. Only place you can use a Starbucks gift card, and only place I could redeem my free bakery item. Like recently – I had a bakery item loaded to my account. Only place I can use it was Starbucks since it was from Starbucks.

One place on Instagram ended up emailing me two $10 cards. One for being one of the first few followers, one for being one of the first 25 for liking and commenting on a post. I used that in early 2022 when I took my mom to a doctor’s appointment. I had enough (with a few pennies) to get a drink, and three treats. I had a great time doing some book reviews and treating myself. Last time I was able to do that though. 

I did get a Starbucks gift card from JustRead Publicity Tours as a host prize a few times as I wanted a “treat”. Used it through the drive-thru. 

 

That’s the thing – if I want it – I do something extra:

 

❓ Survey

💻 Social Media Activity

🎉 Enter a Giveaway

 

But, that brings me to the final point here …

 

When I’m in the drive-thru, paying with gift card (or points), I’ll bet someone’s “judging” me not knowing I was sent the gift card or won the points for the items. I can almost hear: 

 

“Hey lady! You … if you’d skip the line, you could get that car washed. When I can see the layers of dust and dirt … it’s dirty you need to wash it.”

 

You’re right. But, I don’t think a car wash place will accept my Starbucks card or points as payment though. And, with the kind of wash my car needs, I SERIOUSLY reevaluate that $20 car spa. After all, I can get more Starbucks with the $20! ☕🤣

 

No, I’d end up getting something to eat and buying a book on Amazon! 

 

As of note – within the past month, I’ve done Facebook Viewpoints (1000 points/$5 per time) and gotten a total of $40 via PayPal (waiting on one $5 payment I redeemed today – 1/22/2023). So, even if I spent it at Starbucks – I took the time to do the tasks and earned it. It was NOT out of our budgeted income. It was unexpected, much appreciated money. 

 

To be honest, I actually spent it on other food. No Starbucks, no books. Food only. 

 

The point?

 

Those who have the expensive cars are the ones more likely to frequent Starbucks daily. Someone has a Tesla; a $7/day Starbucks habit is nothing to them. They’re not phased at all. 

 

If you’re talking about the lady in the banged up, dirty Chevy (that’d be me 🙋🏻‍♀️) – you might want to rethink your thinkings. Cause chances are – this was a freebie. Or, I took that survey money and am paying with that.

Some want other things in life. That’s fine. Whatever treat we want to practice a little self-care is good as long as it doesn’t impact our lives. Honestly, if it’s between a book and Starbucks, I’ll get the book.  

The point is ... 

If it is a big deal, then don’t get it (ie: between gas for the car and the treat). If it is a rare treat, don’t let anyone dull your sunshine or day. Also, if there isn’t a location close ... then, no ... don’t go out of your way. 

I have one three miles down the road. And, depending on where I am going for the day ... I could pass by at least FIVE (5) locations, one is not far from the hospital where my mom worked at (the one she’s been in since December 18th. There are some people that don’t have one for literally 30 miles one way. That’d be close to the speedway for me, so only for freebies. 

My hope is someone reads this and readjusts their thinking. Really think before you say something. Is it: 

 

Thoughful

Helpful

Inspiring

Necessary

Kind

 

Lift people up, don’t drag them down. We don’t know why someone might choose a treat like that (daily or otherwise) –

 

😣 Bad workday ahead (trust me, you know it, you just know it, you feel it)

🥺 Bad home life (kinda my situation in a way with the unpredictability)

🙏🏻 Abusive situation (don’t explain, you don’t have to; you do you to take care of you)

💔 Death of a loved one (the drink is in their honor/memory; this hits more than I can explain) 

 

A small item like that isn’t going to make a dent in covering the expenses for what someone needs: 

 

🩺 Healthcare

👓 Vision care

🦷 Dental care

🚗 Safe and adequate transportation

🏡 Safe, accessible, adequate, affordable home

 

The point is – be kind, understanding, and let’s all have a good day 😊