Good morning Dinks. Today we are talking about something that I really don’t like…wasting money. If I pay for food that’s not good or go and see a movie that I don’t like I get really upset about it and it bothers me for at least a day or so. I don’t mind spending money on good food and quality clothes but I really really hate wasting money.
Don’t waste money, just do what you love
Think about the last time that your friend asked you to do something that you really didn’t want to do, now think about what you would rather be doing. 9 times out of 10 when my friends ask me to spend $15 on a movie that I really don’t want to see or $25 on dinner at a restaurant that I really don’t want to go to I always think to myself, oh I don’t want to spend money on that, I’d rather go to Starbucks.
Yesterday I had lunch with one of my colleagues at a new cafe-style restaurant that opened up near our office building where we paid $10 for half a sandwich and a bowl of soup, $13 including a drink. The soup was warm and the sandwich was not filling. After we left the cafe I looked at my co-worker and said “We should have just gone to Starbucks because we could have bought a coffee and a scone for half price.”
Trying something new could be costly
Starbucks never disappoints. In all my years of drinking Caramel Frappuccinos and Spiced Pumpkin Lattes I have never thrown out my drinks or food from Starbucks. I have been in Starbucks cafes all over North America and not once have I ever regretted my purchase. Why is that? It’s absolutely because Starbucks is always a good decision.
I’d rather go to Starbucks is a little game that my friends and I play when we really don’t want to go somewhere but don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. When you say “I’d rather go to Starbucks” it means that you would rather spend that money on something else, something better than the offer. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you absolutely want to go get a latte at Starbucks; it just means that you would rather be doing something else.
What would you rather do with your money?
The next time your friends, co-workers and family ask you to do something that you really don’t want to do and spend money on something when you would rather spend the money on something else, just tell them…”No thanks, I’d rather go to Starbucks.”
Now it’s your turn. Tell us something that you would rather go to Starbucks than spend money on.
Here are three of mine…
– Seeing the Steve Jobs movie again. I would definitely rather go to Starbucks.
– Eat Indian food. I really hate curry and anything spicy.
– Discount shop at outlets. I love a good deal, but shopping in crowded outlets with only one of everything really drives me crazy.
Photo by MyLifeStory
Kristina Tahnyak
Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.
I am with you on movies and Indian food–neither are up my alley either. I would rather go to Starbucks than go out to eat pretty much anywhere else. I know how much everything is going to cost and now they publish calories…so damage on all fronts is accounted for.
This is so true. My comparison is always Chipotle. It’s only $7 a meal and I always leave satisfied and full. Whenever I go out to eat somewhere else, I usually end up thinking to myself whether it was better or worse than what I would’ve got at Chipotle. Normally the answer is worse.
Such a smart idea – what a great way to get around spending over $20 on something you weren’t interested in anyway without stepping on any toes! I often struggle with this when less frugal friends want to go and do something that I see as blowing money. It’s a big internal fight between not wanting to hurt someone by dissing their idea, and not wanting my money out of my bank account! Definitely using this next time I’m faced with that situation.
We don’t dine out usually, because most of the time it’s pretty expensive and the food is not that stellar either. We cook at home, from scratch, and our meals are healthy and very tasty. But, when we do go out, we like to go to the few places we know won’t disappoint us. Instead of wasting money on things we might not like, we’d rather either stay at home or go to a place that’s always giving us great service/food.
Professional sporting event…..stupid crazy expensive. Give me my lazy boy, a cold one, and a bag of chips and I’ll be WAY happier. :)
@Jake Oh I LOVE Chipolte!
I really would rather “go to Starbucks.” Problem is that I’m a complete and utter Starbucks coffee addict with a capital “A,” and not just when it comes to the regular coffee. In fact, I don’t even like their regular coffee (on that front, Dunkin rocks), only their lattes — the hugely oversized quad Venti flavored lattes to be exact…at about 6 bucks a pop. For all of the other vices I could have, I guess this isn’t the worst, but I find it nearly physically impossible to avoid the call of the strong, life-giving and delightfully caffeineated Starbucks. I have most likely shelled out thousands of dollars to them over my lifetime, but my favorite cup just makes everything right in the world. I’ve tried substituting, like bringing in K-Cups from home, and it’s just not the same. This is the main thing that makes me happy on a daily basis, except for getting home to snuggle with my newly born little one; so is it really that bad? And as for everything in between…yeah, nothing else can compare.
LOVE THIS! Haha…. I’m totally gonna steal that phrase and start using it – It’s brilliant :) And NOT what I thought this post was gonna be either!
I think it’s hard to compare Starbucks to something you’ve never tried, unless it’s a movie or a book where you can kind of get a teaser or something like that. That said, I’d rather go to Starbucks than, like you, go to the mall. Malls are such zoos, especially during the holidays. :)
This is why I’m always hesitant to try something new- whether it be a new dish or an unfamiliar restaurant. I hate not liking something I spent my hard earned money on. On the other hand, sometimes I find some real gems.
My solution: I use coupons or wait for specials/happy hours to try new places out.
Yeah, any movie where you go just to get out or where you know you’re better off waiting for cable — rather go to Starbucks.
How about this though? I’d rather check out a small coffee place that isn’t Starbucks because a lot of them have better coffee and are cozier (not all but by me SB tends to be crowded). Still, I love your idea.
You have no idea how refreshing it is when I see people stand up for Starbucks and for spending money on things that they really enjoy. No more nonsense about giving up lattes and scones because it’s wasteful.
I’ll take my $2 coffee and their good music any day of the week over the new restaurant down the street or the $14/ticket Imax movie.
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