Jeff,

This is another great idea!
I always bring my own drinks — I feel guilty about smuggling them into movie theaters, but it does save!!! it helps to wear a big coat or carry a sweater to hide them in.

You can save even more if you buy them in bulk at costco, etc….

Have a great day,
makingourway

I love happoshu!

The coffee maker with timer is the best invention ever.

Good tip! I shall be taking my own drink away this weekend!

I only drink water with my meals, or on occasion wine (not at work of course), so that’s a moot point for me. But what about when you go out?

Should you hide a flask in your jacket when you go to a bar, and nip on it in the bathroom? Or is it better to keep a bottle in your car, and step out when you want to take a swig? So long as you’re sobered up by the time you drive home, of course.

What about a coffee shop? It’s a great place to get free Wi-Fi and meet people, but they kind of frown on you bringing in your own coffee….

Excellent tip. I always bring my own drink to work. And, to save even more, I have learned to like pop out of a 2 liter instead (and Walmart brand) instead of out of cans. A 2 liter of pop usually lasts me about a week at work. I get them at Walmart for 50 cents each, so that was the price of one can of pop out of the machine at work. And, I drink more than one cup of pop a day, so that is quite a savings. Additionally, when I go to a restaurant, no, I do not take pop with me. But, I am trying to be healthy so I always drink ice water when I eat out. First, it saves me usually the $2.59 charge for pop and it is healthier for me too.

Cool layout and color scheme.

However, the combo box in the navigation bar takes visitors to a bunch of completely unrelated sites that all look identical. I would just keep the visitors in the dark about other satellite sites.

Good Tip

Carnival of Personal Finance

I had a tough time deciding on how to host this week’s Carnival. Honestly, I haven’t read (or submitted to) one in weeks. As Carnivals get larger, the host tends to get overwhelmed and all your really get is a long list of links. If you’re lucky you…

I have been doing this for some time, and it really helps. Instead of buying cans, though, I buy 2-liter bottles. We have a refridgerator at with with an ice maker. I simply have a cup that I keep at work, and I wash it in the sink. I save about 50% off of the cans by going with the big bottles.

As for coffee… you can save a lot. I don’t have an automatic coffee maker, as I rarely drink drip coffee unless I am dining out for breakfast. I did, however, get an espresso machine. I got one for dirt cheap. It isn’t the best one in the world, but it does the job. I spent $50 for the espresso machine, a grinder, and a nice latte mug. I spend about 30 cents to do what Starbucks would charge nearly $5 for.

In addition, I sometimes sneak cans or bottles into the movie theatre in my wife’s purse. It worked well when we would take the kids to the movies, because we could bring a daiper bag. I know, it is so sneaky. And we don’t do it all the time. But, it has saved quite a bit of money. If we go to a show and get everyone a drink and candy/popcorn, we could easily spend $80 for one show. We like going to the discount theatre ($1.50 on Tuesdays and Saturdays, $1 all other times). They show movies that have been out of the major theatres for about a month. They are the worst on refreshments, though.

i was addicted to the cold starbucks in the jar. i found a copycat recipe on the web which actually tastes better and costs about 1/4 or less to make, now i just have to keep my co-workers away from my thermos :).

As far as BYOB for wine at restaurants, yes it’s possible to do this, but there is often a nominal corkage fee. I rarely have done it, but if it’s a special occaision, the staff is more than happy to treat your wine as well as any wine they keep in their cellars. The corkage fee varies by restaurant so call ahead and plan it out if you’d like to do this. :-).

I always like to keep drinks in the car so I always have something when I get thirsty. Bottled water and apple juice are my drinks of choice. I also keep granola bars in there in case I get really hungry. All from Costco.

Buying drinks at vending machines, movies, museums and events like sports, concerts and plays can really cost you. But sometimes there’s no way around it.

Solution: Drink and eat before the outing. But not too much, nature may call. Keep your money