Early Retirement Extreme Forums

For the first time ever I gave up something for Lent.

I had slowly been drinking more and more soda. I abstained from soda the whole time and a week after Easter I drank a Diet Coke ( my favorite soda). It didn't taste very good, and I got an odd little headache too. I haven't any since.

I still drink black coffee and La Croix water. A pot of brewed coffee with the best beans you can buy is way less than the K cup stuff(although they are not all equally bad).

Anyway I think soda has four attractions/addictions

1. Sugar
2. Caffeine
3. carbonation
4. Ritual/routine

Based on what you shared they are all part of your deal and tied together and sugar might be the biggest deal. Maybe separating each will work? Tea, coffee, or mate' for caffeine. Fruit or cookie for sugar. Sparkling something with no sugar (real or fake). Maybe a quick walk for other pleasant break for ritual.

coffee has great routine, with the brewing and what not. sparkling mineral water is sold in cans, pretty good.

you need to find a brewed coffee you like and buy it en mass, that will cut your costs down.

keurig cups are not very frugal for mostly coffees you can brew yourself.

You could try making a "soda" substitute by making huge pitchers of green or black tea sweetened w/ one of those combination stevia sweeteners, and then filling used 1L/1.5L bottles with that.

Then the amount of sugar is under control and you can control the taste and make it appealing to you and also gradually wean yourself off the sugar over time.

BTW, water is really tasty if you do it right.. Filtered water or reverse osmosis water. Try getting a 1L bottle and fill it up with water and carry it with you to your desk etc..