Daily Refreshment

Amber Dearman introduced me to Minute Maid's Pomegranate Blueberry "Help Nourish Your Brain" juice when we were both pregnant and due around the same time last year. The juice is a good source of DHA, which is recommended for babies' developing brains and eyes. Knowing it was Amber's favorite, her baby shower hostesses served this juice spiced up with Ginger Ale at her baby shower. (This picture was taken there.) I liked the combination so much that I started buying both, and it has become my drink of choice at home.

While I prefer Ginger Ale, I've started buying a six pack of Twist Up, the Sam's Cola version of Sprite, because it is so ridiculously cheap - 6 for $1 at Wal-Mart. Sierra Mist is also a substitute. A 2-liter of Canada Dry Ginger Ale is about the same price, but mine went flat too quickly, and cans solve that problem. The Minute Maid juice costs about $3.


Why so cost conscious, you might ask? The other day my friend, Holly Nester, said she thought I could have lived back in the Depression after Kenzie, Connor and I split a frozen yogurt cup at Cherry Berry and I saved my plastic spoons to take home for the kids to use for their cereal. (I can't seem to keep up with the dishes as fast as they go through our spoons.) I admit I can be a bit quirky when it comes to money, but I don't come close to my late grandmother, Kathleen, who did actually grow up in the Depression. She would wash and save every piece of foil, plastic food container and rubber band. And then there are my parents who seemed to save every type of fast food condiment packet under the sun...

Several years ago I read a Millionaire Next Door type of book that referenced people who bought Starbucks coffee every day and how quickly that adds up within a month, over a year, etc. What if that money had been invested instead? So, now I try to be more conscious of every area of spending and attempt to make better decisions since the little things like beverage choices can quickly add up. Currently, whenever we go to a sit down restaurant, we order water (which we need more of anyway), with the satisfaction that afterward, at home, my significantly cheaper daily drink refreshment awaits. Cheers!