Math in Cups

I've mentioned that this has been an expensive year. I have reached the point of I Can't Think About It because mydawg.  It's not dire and it's "fine" and people have it worse, for sure.  It just feels like a giant step backward to me.  I had a 5-year plan that is now a We'll See About 6-years plan.

So, with all that.  Here's a story chock full of privilege:

When the roof came in significantly over the bid due to unforeseen damage, I immediately went into Cut All Frivolousness Mode.  Cut our cable channels, cut our data plan, unsubscribed from subscription boxes and magazines I don't read anymore, etc.  It's amazing how things just add up over time and a person doesn't notice.

Then Lucy needed surgeries and I really started to look at things. I had already budgeted (*hork* hate that word) so there wasn't a lot to be done. I did reschedule some payment dates and then kind of shrugged and resigned to my fate.  We skipped Friday Night Dinner a few times, I skipped buying flowers Every Friday.  We were fine.

Then Kevin...oh, Kevin.  He's going to be the death of me.  He did math. Math is never my friend.  Math continually does me wrong.

He had thought about the coffee stand.  We see our friends at the coffee stand A LOT.  A lot A LOT.  He did the math and extrapolated it out to the annual cost.  I am Team Coffee Stand.  I am Treats Before Tasks.  Team Support our friends/ Local Businesses.  He is, apparently, Team Buzz Kill.  Literally.

But I admit, even I goggled at the cost.  I mean, we should be embarrassed.  We are, a little, but then we think about treats and it fades a little.  I can use coupons at the grocery store, lolsigh.

Then Kevin spoke with The Nephew and somehow the topic arose.  He said "Oh, we make ours at home, It's easy."  Nephew, you used to be my favorite.  (he totally still is but you know, not in this instance)

Kevin mentioned - in a way that I know this isn't going to end well for me -  "The next time you go into town..."  

There is a restaurant supply store near the actual grocery store.  This is where you can buy the flavored syrups and accessories for the drinks.  Oh, and hey, hi, I'm talking about Lotus Drinks, and not coffee drinks.  But coffee supplies too and but, times two the sequel: I haven't been able to make a non-coffee-tasting, coffee drink that Kevin doesn't hate. 

And Lotus Drinks are organic energy drinks, btw.  

Well, first off, I had to figure out the flavors that are in our favorite drinks.  I was able to do this when it was one of my least favorite baristas.  I asked about a drink and she handed me the master list with all the drinks and all the flavors.  Casually, I took a cell photo of it then printed it once I got home.

Of course Kevin and I drink different drinks.  I tend toward strong, and he tends toward sweet.  Looking at my purloined list, I discovered that each drink has three flavors and none of them are the same.  So, that's six bottles of syrup.  Plus seltzer water.  This is not feeling very save-y, Kevin.

Now to buy the Lotus potion.  Yeah, only available online.  And it's expensive.  Well, not when you do the per serving cost but that initial large purchase cost. (MATH) Plus the pumps and the shipping.  (sigh) At this point I'm not feeling like I'm saving ANY MONEY.

But again, Kevin-with-the-math explains that in just seven days, we will have Paid For the stuff to make the drinks for almost three weeks.

But wait, there's more!  Kevin likes the seltzer water in the one-litre bottles.  I like the seltzer in cans. Neither of us enjoyed the recycling piling up much faster than usual.  And the refrigerator being full of said bottles and cans.  

This is where I have become one of those people.  I went to my shmamazon account and bought a soda stream.  Again, this doesn't feel very save-y but in the long run, it will save me time and frustration.

Now that's the financial "fun" of this project.  I also have to find space for all of this stuff.  As I've mentioned before, I hate clutter.  I hate stuff on the countertops.  I have resented the blender sitting on the counter since I bought it a year ago.  #matureadult  Now I have all this stuff and a water machine that doesn't fit under the cupboard.

So I decided the other weekend that I was going to figure this out.  All the home shows have coffee station, wine bar, etc. features.  I am not inventing the wheel here.  Big projects are my jam when I'm feeling overwhelmed so this is perfect timing.  

Oh, wait. Tiny detail.  When this began, I thankfully had not taken recycling away just yet.  Cut to me fishing out lids and cups from the recycle bin, hand washing them, then hoarding them.

Everything came out of the cupboard and off of the counter and onto the island.  Then I stood back to make a plan.  Feeling frustrated, I sent a photo to a friend who Unknowing that I was Spiraling, and they mentioned adding a shelf.  Sometimes it is the most obvious solution that is the most difficult to realize.

Kevin came in the house and I'm all "So, we need to go to town before I can finish."  With a sigh, he asked "What are you taking apart NOW."  Then we went to town.

We bought two extra shelves and I happily returned home to finish this project.  I had already repurposed my in-box from my old office to corral the bottles, cups, lids, and straws.  But I didn't have enough room to accommodate the tall bottles of flavors AND the to-go cups of various shapes, sizes and materials.

Also, I had to relocate my coffee cups and drinking glasses to the cupboard where...wait for it...the coffee is kept, above the coffee pot.  I know, right?  Sometimes the obvious is not so obvious.  And this required the additional shelf. Zippy twist, right?

The notes are recipes because if I hear "How do I make the green drink?" 
one more time, there may be hostage taking.

$10 shelf can make a big difference

 Now in one area is everything we need: the cups, the lids, the straws.  A glass for getting ice and a stir spoon. (although I really want one of those twisty ones but there's that math again) in that repurposed tray.  The soda machine handle fits under the cupboard and that's as good as it's going to get. The flavors are all stored by category/flavor on the shelf and the other to-go cups are on the tops shelf.  (yeti's not featured. What I thought was a meh gift has turned out to be great)

With the new shelf, it caused me to cull through cups and glasses again.  There's just two of us and I don't need six of each.  It also made me reorganize the cupboard that I really never cared about because it was all cooking stuff.  It's still a work in progress as I'm short and can barely reach the top shelf.

As it stands, I estimate that next year we will begin officially saving money.  This is hyperbole, as we already are. It just feels like Not right now.

And Lucy and I still go to the treat stand sometimes. Ssshhhh.

Then we bought a truck...........