Buy this NOT that!! Work Edition!

We've all seen those "Buy this not that" comparisons or "Splurge or Steal".  But most of the time it's to compare makeup or clothing.  Wait....let me start from the beginning.  Being a busy mother of 3 (my real-life full-time job) and a 9-5 employee (that other job) very little time is left in the mornings for me to eat so on occasion I found myself grabbing a Dunkin Donuts muffin every morning. I mean hey it was only a buck fifty.  Although I have a Keurig at home and a cabinet full of a variety of coffee I would also throw a medium coffee on my order as well.  Why not? It was only $1.79 more!  And let's not forget about the mornings I felt like i should "treat myself" (which is ok every once in a while).  On those mornings I found myself at Starbucks getting a Caramel Machiatto.After a while I realized my visits were becoming more frequent. Side note: Did I mention that I'm not a huge fan of eating out every morning for breakfast and everyday for lunch.  Number one it adds up, and number two it's usually not that healthy.  So on accident my eyes were opened! lol I was grocery shopping and had a coupon for Krusteaz Muffins AND they were on sale. So in my basket they went.  I made the muffins that evening.  As I was mixing the batter I realized I could just grab two in the morning for breakfast.  Then i realized that i just spent under $3 for about 16 muffins! Um Hello!!...that's $3 for 8 days of breakfast!  That would have been about $20 for Dunkin (with taxes) for 8 days.  I'm sure you can see where this is headed. Yep  you guessed it! For the last 3 weeks I've been making my morning muffins and every bite is better than the one before knowing I'm saving money.  If you're anything like me you need to see it in black and white so just for you I compared both coffee and muffins and Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and good ole home! Take a look:

                

          Dunkin Donuts Coffee                                                          Starbucks Coffee

          Sm $1.49 x 12 = $17.88                                                   Tall $1.75 x 12 = $21.00

         Med $1.79 x 12 = $21.48                                                  Grande $1.95 x 12 = $23.40

          Lrg $1.99 x 12 = $23.88                                                   Venti $2.25 x 12 = $27.00

Coffee at home Keurig
$9.95 (for a 12 pack of k-cups) for about $0.83/cup (whatever size you want)!!
 If you don't have one the basic edition would be a one time $99 cost (plus taxes). I did the math and if you've had more that a cup of small Starbucks for the last 2 months you have definitely already purchased one).  That's $9.95 for a cup of coffee for two and a half work weeks! By the way, both Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts offer K-cups for the Keurig so you don't have to completely stop enjoying your good coffee!

Now for the muffins.....

                           

                  Dunkin Donuts muffin                                                   Starbucks muffin
      $2.25 everyday for a month $45 plus tax                 $1.50 everyday for a month $30 plus tax

             Calories: 460                                                                      Calories:380

                                                Krusteez muffins (Store bought, home-made)
                                          $2.14/box for about 16! So about $4.28 for a month!
                                                                        Calories: 220

Crazy right?!  (Figured I'd go ahead and throw the calories in to make my point better, lol. forry) Here are some additional tips to help you save throughout your workday.  These tips will not only help you save financially but the calories will be cut back as well.  So it's a Win-Win!  Most of them will take some pre-planning on your part. You can't wake up Monday morning and make muffins if you are running late.

Tip #1  Look for muffins when they are on sale. Be on the lookout for coupons to save more

Tip #2  Bake muffins during your down time. I make mine Sunday afternoons.

Tip #3  Pre-pack your muffins in Ziploc bags so they are easy to grab and you avoid using the excuse that you didn't have time to grab them

Tip #4  If you don't own a coffee machine at home and aren't interested in purchasing one then grab one of those great creamers and keep is at work to put some flava in your boring office coffee.

Tip #5  Take saving pass breakfast and save on lunch!  I try to make a little extra when I'm cooking dinner to make sure I have lunch for the following day.

Tip #6 Again, pack up lunch the evening before so that it's quick and easy to grab in the morning.

Tip #7 STICK WITH IT!  You'll have those days where you absolutely HAVE to have your Starbucks so go ahead and enjoy it I will certainly be enjoying my Dunkin muffin from time to time but you want to make sure (if you goal is to save) to stick with your new savvy saving habits.  You'll love your pockets for it!