The Lure of $1 Jamba Juice

I'm not a huge fan of Jamba Juice, but my daughter is. She thinks frozen, fruit-laden, sugar-enhanced beverages are a good thing to waste - I mean SPEND - her money on. I simply don't get it. (If it was served at a Mexican restaurant and a shot of tequila were tossed in, then I would get it. She's 9 years shy of enjoying adult beverages, however.)

Since it was $1 Jamba Juice day, she looked at me with her puppy dog eyes, batted her eyelashes, and in her sweetest voice she asked, "Mommmmmmmy? Can we go to Jamba Juice? Pleeease, Mommy?" OK, why not, it's just a buck. I dug into my change jar and scrounged up a few quarters.

I tried the Acai Superfruit drink, she tried Yumberry. Mine tasted a bit like plums or raisins... It was my first venture into the acai world, and quite possible my last. Autumn's drink was so much tastier! Think strawberries, peach, etc... YUMberry for sure! My total: $1.

The evening's event was my usual Wednesday nigth standby... Trivia night! Like last week, I had a gift certificate from winning previously. Translation: FREE food! Tri-tip nachos & chicken nachos. I (boringly) drank water, except for the one margarita that my trivia teammates insisted that I consume. They twisted my arm (literally), and hence, I gave in. Total: FREE!

Total: $0.16 - $1 = -$0.84.

COME ON, FRIDAY!

Day 3... Cheap Fun in the Sun!

After last night's Subway dinner "splurge" (I know, I know, $15 isn't much of a splurge) I was a little concerned that I'd blow my final bucks all in one sitting today. My big plan was to sleep the day away, thereby preventing any spending of the cashola.

Alas, 24+ hours of sleep was not to be had. The sun was shining, beckoning me to play outdoors! I had heard about a free art festival here in Thousand Oaks called ArtWalk, so my brother and I hopped on our bikes and made our way down to check it out. I knew I wouldn't be buying anything (you can't get much art for $6!), however, I wanted to support a friend, John Manley, who was displaying his ceramics there. His stuff was so impressive - I'm always in awe when I discover how talented my childhood friends are. I've always heard the phrase "starving artist"... Well, several ArtWalk patrons purchased his ceramics while we were visiting! (Check it out here: http://www.manleysclayworks.com)



John and Mark at ArtWalk 2010

After browsing through aisles of currently-unattainable artwork and pedaling through town, my brother thought a stop at Chuy's was a good idea. He owes me about 1 million rounds of beer, so when he offered to buy, I didn't decline. We happily strolled in and happily discovered it was happy hour. Mark got us a half pitcher of Coors Light for a mere $5. I usually pay about that much for a pint! Such a deal! We munched on the free chips & salsa while sipping our cerveza, did a little people watching (Chuy's rarely disappoints in that department)and watched the extra-inning Dodger game.

All of this bike riding prove to me that I am TRAGICALLY out of shape. One hill and I was worked! I need to fit in more walking and bike riding this summer. Bonus: Less visits to the gas station if I do!

I managed to get through the day with spending nada! Goooo me! Final tally: I still have $6 to play with.