A couple months ago I realized I wasn’t sleeping well at night and determined I was drinking too much caffeine. I was drinking a large coffee at work every morning, then following that up with a 20oz soft drink with lunch (Mtn. Dew and Dr. Pepper are my favorites).
I decided I needed to cut down on my caffeine intake if I were to get good sleep again, so I did. I quit drinking coffee on weekdays and allowed myself one soft drink during the work week (usually when I went out to lunch with a coworker). I compromised and allowed myself to drink whatever I wanted on the weekends. The arrangement worked out well for about 2 or 3 months – until Emma was born in June. Once I started back at work, I had to go back to my morning coffee to start the day. Hopefully I can cut down on my caffeine intake again once she settles into a regular sleeping pattern, but I’m afraid it’s here to stay for the time being!
FREE Coffee maker from Gevalia. For those of you looking for some good coffee deals, be sure to check out Gevalia, which is currently offering a free, programmable 12 cup stainless steel coffee maker with the purchase of two half pound bags of coffee. The total cost for the coffee and stainless steel coffee maker is $14.95, shipping included. Not a bad deal for some coffee and a coffee maker! Just note that the offer requires signing up for their coffee club, which sends out new flavors every 6-8 weeks. You can cancel the plan if you don’t want to continue and the coffee maker is yours to keep.
Recommended articles:
- History/Origin of piggy banks. I love history and languages and this article covers how the sound of a word started a phenomenon that has lasted several centuries. Very cool.
- 5 Ways To Dramatically Improve Your Business Profitability. Great tips for the inner business man in all of us.
- Cash for Clunkers Questions. The Cash for Clunkers program has gone through several changes in its short life.
- Best Free Essential Software For Windows. I love free software. It’s getting to the point that you can do almost everything with free software.
- re-engineering your thinking. This is a great “think-piece” about the function of money – why we need it and why we work so hard for it.
- How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Even Save Some Money – Equipment. I brewed my own beer with a Mr. Beer kit, which is a very simplified way to do it. This is a great article if you are interested in starting your own home brew.
- Is the Military REDUX Retirement Worth it? The military offers a $30,000 one time payment in lieu of smaller monthly pension payments. It’s almost never a good idea to take it.
This week’s carnivals:
- Carnival of Personal Finance: The House of Rose Edition @ Good Financial Cents.
- Carnival of Money Stories @ Green Panda Treehouse.
- Carnival of Debt Reduction #202: Dog Days of Summer Edition @ Prime Time Money.
- Festival of Frugality 188 @ Financial Highway.
- Money Hacks Carnival #75 – Get a Job Edition! @ My Life ROI.
- Economy and your Finances Carnival – August 2, 2009 @ One Mint.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Might I suggest a coffee alternative (I work there) called Teeccino Herbal Coffee? You can cut it with coffee or drinking it in place, as it is a solid cofee alternative with no caffeine.
I had to cut back on caffeine as well, but I’ve found tht I can get away with one cup of coffee in the morning as long as I don’t have much more…or if I do I stop by 2 PM and double up on water works as well.
John, I was able to cut coffee and caffeine a couple months ago with no averse affects… but with the new baby and lack of sleep, I need the extra jolt in the morning. Sometimes I cut the regular coffee with decaf so I don’t drink quite as much caffeine, but I don’t care for the taste of decaf, so I don’t do it very often.
For me an espresso in the morning is mandatory, and sometimes in the afternoon after lunch, but only 1 – 2 cups a day. Of course, I don’t like soft drinks, so I don’t add more caffeine to my body. With this I achieve a very good sleep at night.
Interesting article on the history of piggy banks.
I have to be honest, I don’t see the problem with a bit of caffeine everyday. I typically drink 3-4 big cups of coffee during the morning. I don’t drink soda, so that’s it for the day, but I don’t see how it hurts that much – with two little kids I’m tired by evening, anyway. I would worry about it too much. Coffee is your friend!
Thanks for the mention!
It’s been almost a month since I had my last cup of coffee, which I’ve talked about to death on my blog. I wouldn’t suggest you give up the java yet – it’s a necessity when you have an infant. I have two teenagers, who keep me awake at night for different reasons than your baby daughter keeps you up! Coffee kept me going throughout their sleepless infancy. You’ve probably had enough change for the moment; stick to the coffee for now. Babies do eventually sleep!
I was able to give it up a couple months ago, but for now, I’m going to stick with it. Hopefully I will be able to slowly back off as tie goes on. I want to drink coffee because I enjoy it, not because I need it. Small distinction, but an important one.