by kathilipp | Dec 29, 2013 | Home |
The 2014 Things Challenge – Are You Ready to Live Lighter?
Robin commented: “We’ll start purging again in Jan. The goal is for 2014 items to leave the house next year!” Oh Robin doesn’t have any idea how she’s messed up my life…
The above was a comment that she left on my Facebook Page after I posted this picture of twelve bags we were donating of good usable clothes and household items. But I was getting tired of the “things” merry-go-round. Every year we accumulate all these “things” and every Christmas season, we spend days getting rid of stuff.
So, once I read Robin’s comment, that’s when the insanity took over.
I let myself imagine a home where we only had things that fit, were used, and were loved. Yes!
To be able to give good and valuable things away to those who not only need them, but would appreciate them? Yes!
Being free from needless possessions so that if God decides we need to live in Seattle or Denver, we aren’t tied down to our stuff? Yes!
And I broached the subject carefully with Roger (Being the “Project” in The Husband Project, my husband is used to being subjected to my crazy ideas.) He had his concerns, “Do you really think we can get rid of over 2000 things?”
Um – have you seen our garage? Yes, yes I do.
5.5 things a day.
38 things a week.
168 things a month.
Are you on the THINGS merry-go-round? Constantly fighting the influx of things coming in, and then dealing with having to get THINGS out of your house? Are you tired of talking about living simply and want to really feel lighter as the year goes on? Do you want to be able to close your closet and not be afraid the door is going to pop open and attack the next person walking by? Do you want to be able to park a car in your garage. Come – live the dream with us…
2014 Items less by December 31st than we started with January 1st. That is our challenge.
Here are the rules that we’ve set up for ourselves for the coming year:
• 2014 items less by the end of the year means that every new item we bring in, an additional one goes out. (So if we buy 100 things over the year, we will be donating/getting rid of 2114 things.) That means we need to be very careful what we buy for the next year.
• Consumables are not counted. (Doggy waste bags don’t count – the plastic doggy waste bag holder does.)
• If a piece of a set can be used on its own, it’s counted. (In other words, each piece of silverware counts, but a 1000 piece puzzle counts as one “thing”.)
• We will donate or get rid of things in the most responsible way possible.
Each week, I will post pictures of what we are getting rid of and who (if anyone) it’s going to.
Is it going to be hard? Yes (especially since I just did a big purge.) Is it going to be marriage testing – Roger and I think so… But we are looking forward to the trade-offs.
If you are interested in joining us, there are a few ways you can do it:
1. All In You are going to follow all the rules above. (Share that in the comments below and I’ll be happy to send you a badge for your Facebook/website/blog.)
2. 2014 Things Only Just concentrating on getting rid of 2014 (without worrying about what you will be bringing into the house,) will significantly lighten your load.
3. Win One of My Cast Offs Each week, I will ask you to post some of the items you are giving away. Post, and you will be eligible to win one of my books that I’m giving away from my challenge. (New, used titles every week!)
4. Take the Team Approach Get together with a buddy and between the two or three of you get rid of 2014 things in 2014.
by kathilipp | Dec 11, 2013 | Home |
When It Needs to be a Simple Christmas – When You Have No Time
There could be a million reasons you are time crunched this Christmas – family obligation, a huge project at work, etc. One of the things I would ask you to consider – do you feel a time crunch every Christmas? If so, I would strongly recommend that you not only make some accommodations this year, but really take a hard look at your own expectations for the holiday season.
Fellow author Jill Davis, was forced to look at every area of her holiday celebration after her life took a decidedly different direction:
“When I got divorced 8 years ago and had to make huge changes in life with my four children, I asked them what was most important to them. We chose two traditions – the advent calendar and sugar cookies, plus their favorite gifts of pajamas and a book on Christmas eve. Since then each year I make the same offer, so far it remains the same traditions. So much easier than all the shopping, baking, cleaning, decorating I used to do. Instead of having a beautifully decorated home, fabulous things to eat and lots of Christmas presents and a frantic mom, they now have an easy going, low key, lightly decorated Christmas with a very present mom. Life is better. Christmas is easier. We are all happier.”
Sometimes we are so afraid of making changes because we’re sure that everyone is going to be so disappointed by what we’re not doing. The reality probably is that we’re doing a lot of things that are only important to us, and possibly only for tradition’s sake.
I did an advent calendar every year. It was big and cute and had 24 pockets at the bottom, each holding a wrapped ornament for my kids to take turns placing on the big felt tree.
One year I brought it out, hung it up, and announced to my 11year old, Justen, that it was his turn to unwrap the advent surprise. His response? “Is there money in there?” Um, no… “OK, then just let Kimmy do it.” I was crushed.
Truth was – Justen didn’t care about the advent calendar, and after a couple of years, neither did Kimberly. Yes, we still celebrated advent, at church. But they were past the age of wanting to unwrap knickknacks every morning for a month.
I wrapped up the advent tree and put it away, a little sad, but also realizing that it still had a future: seven years later my brother had a daughter, Elsa, who now does the advent tree, and someday Elsa will outgrow it, probably about the time that my kids will start having kids and the tradition can continue.
Here is what I’ve learned about Time and Christmas:
- You need to ask your family what is important. Immediately stop doing anything that your family doesn’t find important to their own holiday celebration.
- 2. You are the one putting the most pressure on you.
- 3. Everyone gets a pass. Give the rest of the people in your life a pass as well. Have the conversation. I told my extended family that we were happy to host this year, but I would be buying the entire meal. My mom wasn’t in a position to host this year, but was happy to shop and cook for us at my house. Everyone is contributing, but no one is being stretched.
- The phrase, “It just won’t be Christmas without…” must be banned from your vocabulary. The only thing you need to celebrate Christmas is a relationship with your savior. Not trying to get all Pharisee-ish up in here, but we must remember the rest is the fudge on the ice cream that is our true reason for celebrating. Don’t make yourself crazy with ideas like “It just won’t be Christmas if I don’t put all the ornaments on the tree.” Or “It just won’t be Christmas if we don’t see the Nutcracker this year.” Yes – it will still be Christmas – it will just be a Christmas where you aren’t stretching yourself too thin.
- Changing traditions gives you freedom. So you only put up a tree with lights, no ornaments (like we are doing this year.) Think how much fun it’s going to be to see those ornaments next year! Tradition can be a merciless slave driver.
What are your time tips for when you just don’t have time at Christmas – how do you still make it the kind of holiday you want to celebrate?
by kathilipp | Dec 9, 2013 | Home |
When it Needs to be a Simple Christmas
This year we are doing “Simple Christmas” not because we want to create some more space in our lives, or we are intentionally making room to give more to the needy. This year it’s out of total necessity.
As most of you know, two weeks ago I had surgery, but it turns out it was a double-whammy: both a gastric sleeve (elective) and a hiatal hernia (not so elective). We knew the sleeve surgery was a big deal, but it turns out that what we thought was a simple procedure for the hernia, turned out to be just as big of a deal as the sleeve.
And then one week after my surgery, Roger went to the same surgeon and found out that he needed a hernia surgery. This being his third surgery this year with this doctor, if he had it done before the end of the year, we would have almost no out of pocket costs. (Yes, it’s just like buy three yogurts and get the forth one free.)
Since Roger’s surgery would be completely covered by insurance, and it comes just two days before he has a mandatory shutdown at work, we would have been crazy not to do it.
But there is a lot of crazy in the decision to go ahead as well:
- I’m just coming off surgery, and will probably just be fully recovered as Roger goes in for surgery.
- I have a book due in January and another one due in March and planned on using that time to write while my healthy husband handled life for us.
- It’s Christmastime.
I’m sure you’ve had a year just like this. OK, maybe not four surgeries in twelve months, but some other circumstance that has forced you into not just wanting to simplify Christmas, but needing to do it as well.
The need to simplify usually comes from the lack of one of these three areas in your or your family’s life:
- Time – There is a huge time crunch in your life. It could be from a work situation, or something going on in your family, but there aren’t enough hours on the clock to complete the Christmas miracle you normally plan each year.
- Energy – You’ve been sick, or you’re caring for someone who is. Or maybe there are external pressures (like a job change, a move,) or a recent tragedy that has left you drained. Whatever the situation is, you know that the wisest thing to do this year is pull back.
- Money – Job loss, job cut backs, increased expenses, or a firm resolve to not go into debt. There are a thousand reasons why you won’t be spending the same as you have in year’s past.
So I want to spend this week talking about how you do Christmas when it needs to be a simple one. Each day we will discuss one of those areas listed above: Time, Energy, Money.
And if you have any wisdom about how to scale back, please leave it in the comments below. Painful choices you’ve made in the past may give someone else the freedom they need to make hard choices for their family.
by kathilipp | Nov 25, 2013 | Me |
I’m Having Gastric Sleeve Surgery. Here’s What I Want to Tell You…
Tuesday morning, Roger and I will be at the hospital at 5:30 AM and I will be going in for the gastric sleeve surgery. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out the Wikipedia page.)
While I’m a little nervous about the surgery, I’m mostly excited. (I liken it to when I had babies – excited about how my life is going to change, but also appreciating that I have no idea of all the ways it’s going to change.) But the thing I’ve been most nervous about? Telling people.
There is a lot of shame that comes with having a weight problem, (and for those of you who don’t have a weight issue, I know there are other areas that can land you in that shame place just as quickly) and while I’m not on the cover of People magazine, I do have a lot of friends and followers that I wanted to let know in some way. It feels a little weird putting it out on the internet for the world to see, but I would hate it even more if anyone thought I was trying to hide what I’m going through. Because for me, this weight thing is the biggest thing in my life.
I’ve always watched those shows like “Biggest Loser” or any talk show with someone who has lost weight as they’ve talked about how miserable their lives were before they lost weight, and how magical and fairy dust-covered their lives were after losing the weight, and here’s the thing: I could never relate.
Yes, I’ve had hard times in my life. I’ve gone through a painful divorce and been rejected by people I love, but one thing has remained true: I love my life. I love the God who loves me back. I have joy that not weight or circumstances can take away from me. On top of all that, I have a husband who adores me, a family that not only loves me, but likes me a whole lot of the time, friends that love and accept me, and the best dang job on planet earth.
I’m not having this surgery to change my life. I’m having this surgery so I can keep showing up for the life I already have.
Right now I’m in good health. (The intake nurse told me this morning that I was the easiest intake she’d had all month because I don’t have complications.) But I know what is shortly waiting for me around the corner: I already have high blood pressure, and I have a family history of diabetes, cancer, stroke and more. It’s possible that losing weight can help me avoid some of that. I want to have the surgery while I’m still a great candidate to do so.
This has been a lifelong struggle. When the nurses ask me when my weight problem started, I honestly can’t remember a time in my life when it hasn’t been an issue. And I’ve lost weight before. Two times I’ve lost more than 65 pounds, and 20 pounds a dozen times over. But I’ve always put the weight back on just as soon as any other struggle has come up in my life. And after a while, I had failed so many times that it was easier to give up than it is to fight my way back.
But whenever I would give up, sooner or later there was something that lurked inside of me that said, “Don’t give up. Keep fighting for your health.”
I’ll be honest. Ten years ago when I heard that people had weight loss surgery, I thought to myself, “Well that’s cheating. That’s not really how you’re supposed to do it.” Now ten years later, I think that people who say, “I’ve tried everything I know how to do, and now I’m trying one more thing, surgery” those are some brave people. It took me ten years to get to the point to stop giving up on myself and start speaking up and saying that I need help.
I was afraid to tell many of the people I love about the surgery, since I thought they would have a similar reaction. “That’s cheating.” or “I’m just going to pray that you don’t have to have the surgery.” I was especially afraid to tell people who I know had lost weight “The right way.” They were Weight Watcher leaders, and one friend founded an international weight loss program. And I was terrified to tell them.
Boy, did I need to have more faith in my friends.
Every person I respect, without exception, has expressed nothing but love and support for this decision. My friends who have done it “the right way” have been over the moon for me and have loved and supported me every step of the way.
This decision for surgery has come after a lot of discussion, soul-searching and support. I’ve consulted with my primary physician, a gastroenterologist, my psychologist, and a nutritionist and have even talked it over with my pastor. But most importantly, it has come after a lot of prayer. I now have the confidence that this is the right decision for me. It took me a long time to get there.
God has brought me through a huge learning curve about myself and his love for me, and people’s love for me. To those of you who’ve known and encouraged us, thank you for your unconditional love and support. I am grateful and I feel powerful because I know that I have so many people who love and are praying for me and Roger.
If this is something you are struggling with, I pray that your path would be made clear to you, whatever that might be. If you know someone who is struggling, I hope this may give you some insight into what they are going through.
Oh and one final thought: if you have some objection to the path I’m going down, please let love and support be your guide (in other words, Roger may delete any comment that isn’t helpful or constructive before it shows up on the blog!).
With great anticipation about what God is going to do,
Kathi
by kathilipp | Oct 24, 2013 | Home |
What Do You Want to Get Done Before Christmas?
I am a list maker. I love a good list.
As I’m sitting here making lists of things I want to get accomplished before the end of the year, one think looms heavy in my sight: Christmas.
Don’t get me wrong- I LOVE Christmas. LOVE it.
But most of the Christmas prep does fall to me. And some years, it’s downright overwhelming. Because not only are there things I want to prepare for the holiday, but I also want to get some major stuff done around the house like:
Clean out the garage.
Sort through my kitchen cabinets.
Swap out summer clothes for winter clothes (in CA, you never do this until November 1st.)
Etc.
So I would love to hear from you: What is it you want to get done in the next two months? Because wouldn’t it be great if we could all get it accomplished together, cheering each other on, swapping ideas and tips, strategies and solutions?
Share it all in the comments, and we’ll tackle a project a week. It could be as big as cleaning out a room, or as small as washing the pillows in your house.
Share it in the comments, and let’s come up with a master plan to get organized, and make Christmas manageable!
by kathilipp | Oct 6, 2013 | Me |
How to Never be Criticized for the Rest of Your Life
Friday, I was standing in line waiting to have my license examined to see if I was legal to fly in to Dallas.
As the TSA agent was inspecting someone’s ID in front of me, a uniformed man walked up to the front of the line. He was obviously an employee of the airport and was able to skip the line to get to his job, but apparently, he was doing it the wrong way.
“Don’t stand over there! Stand up over here!” the TSA agent barked at the worker.
He asked a question (it was obvious that English was new to him,) and the TSA agent continued to bark at him, and then to belittle him. “Why can’t you just follow directions? It’s not that hard.” And she continued to berate him to the passengers who were standing in front of her.
Obviously, I don’t know either of the people in this situation, but it was apparent that this older gentleman was new to this job, and probably our county. and because he didn’t know the system, he was getting criticized. This man, who left his homeland, I’m guessing in pursuit of a better life for him and possibly his family. He is having to learn new customs, learn a new language, and relearn everything he thought he knew because everything in his life is new.
And this woman had no time for it.
The only way this man (and you) will stopped being criticized is if he, and you stop showing up.
The next time you’re being criticized, ask yourself –
Am I doing something new? People who are comfortable in never changing their lives are the first to criticize those who do.
Am I being brave? It takes courage to say “This is new to me – I don’t know everything, but I’m marching forward!
Right now, I’m stepping into a new world, podcasting. I don’t know a lot about it, and it’s easy for me to be embarrassed “I should know how to do this! I wish I was better at this!” But really, I can only be as good as I am today, and maybe tomorrow, by trying something new, I can be a little better. But I’m going to be a whole lotta bad before I can do anything well.
Are y0u in the midst of something new? Tell me about it. I want to cheer you on in being brave!
And if you’re being criticized, look at the source. As Brene Brown says, “I only listen to those who are in the ring.” Listen to other brave people who are doing their own brave things, not those who are sitting comfortably in the spectator section.
by kathilipp | Oct 2, 2013 | Home |
They are the words you never want to hear:
“Your house is on fire! Get out!”
A complete stranger was pounding on my door, yelling at me to get out. In days past, I’d always played the “What would I grab if my house was on fire? game and now I have the answer:
My dog.
Not even his leash. Roger was home so while I had my cell phone in my pocket, I took the dog and the clothes I was wearing on my back. Roger stood out in front of our house, shoeless we surveyed the scene.
We live in townhouses and the house two doors down from us was on fire. It was easy to see that it was a goner. The house next to ours, it was clear, was going to be in rough shape as well. The fire hadn’t traveled to our house yet.
And that’s when I had a terrifying thought: Where was Jeremy?
It was the first day of school, and with Jer, I didn’t know his new schedule. There was no way he could be in the house, right?
Roger ran back into the house, straight to Jeremy’s room, flew open the door to find a sleeping Jeremy, fresh off his first day of college, back in bed, sound asleep.
Yep. We are the parents that grabbed the dog, but forgot the kid.
Fortunately, everyone on our block was safe, but it gave me not only a new respect for the fire fighters who saved our house, but also the need for our whole family to get up on their fire safety.
You never think that a fire is going to happen to you – until it does. I now have the peace of knowing that I’ve done everything I know how to do to keep my family safe. And if you have small kids, it’s especially important to help them grow in their fire safety knowledge.
Two great resources.
- Download the for free (for kids ages 2-6 – and let me just say I played it and TOTALLY CRUSHED IT…) I would absolutely recommend having it on your phone and while you and your kids are waiting in line at the grocery store or are in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, whip it out so your kids can play and learn. I had a bunch of my friends with little-uns try it out – the four year olds were WILD about it – the older kids (six and seven) all shared concerns that it might be too babyish, but kept coming back for more and playing.
For older kids (7-10) download this free e-book Rescue Dogs, Firefighting Heroes and Science Facts Some of my favorite authors- Another great Sparky resource is this Fire Safety Checklist to go over with your kiddos. There were some great reminders to me as well.
- Have your dryer serviced regularly and clean out the lint – not just in the lint trap but in the hosing behind the dryer.
Is there something you’ve done to teach your kiddos safety in the home?
by kathilipp | Sep 25, 2013 | Guest Blog, The Husband Project, tips and ideas |
We are taking a coffee break today (ha ha ha) with my friends over at Happy Wives Club!
Grab a cup of your favorite brew, and check out my article 3 Ways to Love Your Man When You Don’t Have 3 Minutes to Spare.
Tomorrow we’ll get back to our Coffee Series.
In the meantime, what are your favorite ways to show your man you love him in the midst of crazy times?
by kathilipp | Sep 23, 2013 | Home |
Better Than Starbucks Day #2: Creating an At-Home Cafe
When she came to my house, I knew she was looking for support and a few (OK, maybe more than a few) laughs. But as Tonya came into my kitchen, she revealed her true purpose for being there, “I knew you’d have good creamer for the coffee…”
Even if you don’t love coffee, I think it’s important to have a basic set up for when friends and family come over and need a cup. Not want a cup. Need a cup.
In my house it’s:
- Jesus
- Family
- Coffee
(And let’s be clear. On bad days, number’s 2 and 3 can get switched.)
When my friend Bronwyn moved from our hometown to an Austin suburb, she left a lot of love. Girls who “got” her and who she “got”. That’s hard stuff to leave. That’s until she found her new group: Her coffee group: “I felt the pain of loneliness until I found the gals here in TX I now share my Thursday mornings with. We rotate whose home we meet in and enjoy breakfast and the much needed fuel for our lives COFFEE together. It is during this time that we share life; the struggles, joys, frustrations and vent about all things we can’t take to our husbands. The coffee dates are the food for our souls.”
If she misses a Thursday coffee date, her husband Jason tells her to call her friends and go out, “You need them and I need you to be with them” he will say.
I LOVE having my own little cafe at home. I love having people over and mixing up new and fun drinks to try. Here are just a couple of things you may want to invest in to start your own at-home cafe:
Get Your Equipment Set Up
Frother When Tonya, heard that I was going to be talking about at home cafes, she posted on Facebook,”I was at IKEA and was going to buy another cruddy frother. I put it back because your’s was STELLAR. Please tell us what that one is.” I have tried many a frother, but my favorite is this Bon Jour Rechargeable. It actually froths the milk – not just moves it around. It gets nice and frothy and not only do my drinks taste great, they look AMAZING.
- Espresso Maker An Aeropress Coffee Maker the BEST system for making espresso shots and is less than treating your family to Starbucks drinks and treats.
Have Some Choices
One of the reasons that going to a coffee shop is such a great option is all the varieties of flavorings available. Here are a few items (besides the basics) you may want to get to set yourself up as an at home barista:
- Coffee Flavoring
- Creamer
- Peppermint sticks
- Good quality cocoa
Do you need to buy all these things at once? Of course not. Coffee with milk and some kind of sweetener will get you started. But, it’s fun to be “the coffee house” and let people experiment. Plus, even if you did go on a caffeine-induced shopping spree and bought all those fun extras, you could make up for it in a year with avoiding one Starbucks run a week.
Use Great Mugs Using your favorite mug, and having a few mugs put away for friends that are “their mug” at your house instantly makes your friends feel like they have a place in your home.
Yummy Treats are a Must When you make a loaf of banana bread at home, and then compare it to paying $2.25 for a single slice at Starbucks, you’ll feel like a genius for never leaving your house.
Learn Some Moves Ashley Row is a blogger over at www.joyfulthriftyhome.com who knows the secret to making all those great drinks we love: “I come from a family of coffee drinkers so it was no surprise when I became one myself. After college, I even worked as a barista in a local coffee shop where I learned all about making fun coffee house drinks. I no longer work there, but I do volunteer in my churches coffee shop where I still get to act as a barista. One of my favorite things is using the skills I learned as a barista to make make different kinds of coffee drink recipes and share them with family and friends.” Check out her excellent post on How to Make Coffee House Quality Drinks at Home
Tell me your favorite drink to make at home (and if you know it by heart, give us the recipe!) and you’ll be entered to win an ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP to MOPS for you or a friend! Enter by Friday midnight and we will announce a winner on Monday!
by kathilipp | Sep 22, 2013 | Home |
Better Than Starbucks- Don’t Go Broke on the Beans
Today is the first day in our five part series on saving money by making great coffee at home. People have a hard time believing me, but it’s true – I like the coffee I make at home just as much as I love my Grande nonfat misto which I consider the best kept secret at Starbucks. So when I’m out with friends, or traveling, I happily order my favorite drink, but you can tell how much I’ve cut down my Starbucks runs because the barista recently came up to the window and said, “Kathi! I thought I recognized the hum of the motor on your car! We’ve missed you!” Now that’s frightening.
All week we will talk about not just saving money, but making the at-home coffee experience the best it can be so Starbucks can stay a treat – and not have to be a necessity.
Saving Money on the Beans
Check the Sale Rack Recently, I’ve seen my favorite brands of coffee on sale in the back of our supermarket (you know, that weird looking shelf that has the unsold Easter candy and matzo on it.) Just this week they had my favorite blend of Starbucks Decaf (Blonde) on the shelf for 50% off. So that $8.99 bag is marked down to $4.49, plus I get a free tall drip coffee at any Starbucks by turning in the bag. (A tall drip is $1.85 which is a drink I would normally order there while driving or traveling, bringing the price of my beans down to $2.64. Huzzah!!!) I bough six bags- which should supply my decaffeinated needs for several months.- Keep Your Ear to the Ground (or the Web) Subscribe to money saving sites like Money Saving Mom to find out about all the coffee deals going on out there. Crystal has a network of women who are out looking for deals for you, so you won’t miss valuable coupons like this one for $2 off 2 bags of Starbucks beans If I’d seen that coupon before buying my decaf beans, that would have lowered my price to $1.64 a bag.
- Stretch those Beans Once you’ve made your first pot of coffee, don’t throw away your coffee and filter. Just add about 50% more ground coffee the next day and I bet you won’t even taste the difference. (And once you’ve stretched it to two days, go ahead and add those grounds to your outdoor plants as a natural fertilizer.)
- Use Expired Beans No one has ever died from using expired beans, and unless your one of those people who is so picky about your coffee you travel with your own coffee pot, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference. The decaf coffee I bought has three months until the “Sell Date”. Don’t believe them. My daughter’s boyfriend worked at Starbucks and saved up about a dozen of the bags that employees get once a week for free (plus a mug and other fun goodies) and gave it all to me for Christmas. Because I had just laid in a supply of beans, I had more coffee than a girl could handle. (Hard to believe, but true.) I lived off that coffee for over a year and never detected a drop in the quality of the beans.
- Use Beans You Don’t Like Remember that bag of beans you bought at Costco of French Roast that were SOOO cheap and what a genius you felt like for saving money, but then you got them home and realized they were WAY too strong? Oh, just me then? Anywho… I took those beans, ground up some, and mixed them with a light roasted coffee that I bought that normally would be too weak – turns out the custom blend was perfect.
- Choose a Finer Grind The finer you grind, the less coffee you can use to get the same results. Experiment with grinding to a powdery consistency and see if you can use less beans.
- Make Your Coffee Last It’s tempting when your coffee has grown cold to just want to make a new pot. Instead, make your coffee last as long as possible by using insulated containers to keep it totally drinkable.
- A Desk Drink Warmer
- Contigo Mug
- Insulated Coffee Pot
Yes- true coffee coinsurers will balk at some of these suggestion, but I figure if you’re going to drink coffee every day of your life, it’s worth testing out what is important to you when it comes to coffee. Don’t blindly follow what your coffee snob friend says, experiment, and figure out what works for you.
And the best way to save money on beans? Win them! Tell me your favorite way to stretch your coffee budget by midnight Friday, September 27th, 2013 and I’ll send one person (picked randomly) a bag of my favorite Starbucks coffee. Only true coffee lovers need apply.
The above was a comment that she left on my Facebook Page after I posted this picture of twelve bags we were donating of good usable clothes and household items. But I was getting tired of the “things” merry-go-round. Every year we accumulate all these “things” and every Christmas season, we spend days getting rid of stuff.
