free starbucks: a PSA

My take-home messages from the comments on yesterday's post was that a) no one else has awesomely kind next-door-neighbors like me, and b) you don't know about the turn-in-your-bag, get-free-coffee thing at Starbucks!!

I can't help you with the first issue (although there are a few houses for sale in my neighborhood if you're interested...it'd put you a lot closer to great neighbors...and me!!), but I am happy to enlighten everyone about the second!! Here's the deal.

If you happen to buy Starbucks to brew at home, take a look at your bag:

And in case you were wondering if I had to sneak into Diana's office early this morning to take these pictures...the answer is yes. Having a master key is a beautiful thing. ;) And a friend that is extremely organized and keeps her Empty Coffee Bags in exactly the same spot always! Made for a quick field trip.

So. If you were to carefully examine the side of your Starbucks coffee bag, you would find this:

Fo' real!! It's right there, everything you need to know!! Bring in the empty bag, they give you a free coffee. It can be hot or iced, and at the Starbucks we frequent here in downtown Athens, they don't care if it's a flavored iced coffee...so I get caramel. In case you needed to know. Not quite a Frapp, but pretty close, and FREE, so...yep.

This is a picture of Diana's empty bag collection. I have no idea how she gets this many empty bags, but if it's because she drinks this much coffee all by herself, I wouldn't be surprised. But hey- she shares the bounty of the free coffee, and you can't ask for a better friend than that!!

So now you're in on the best-kept Starbucks secret...that isn't exactly a secret. If you don't believe me or the side of the bag, they also discuss it on their webpage. 

Another not-so-secret secret? Remember the amazing veggie reuben sandwich I went on and on about yesterday? Yeah. I couldn't NOT go for lunch again yesterday. It's a weakness, I tell you! Luckily, it was just as good the second time. And I'm trying to muster up all my self-control to not go again today. Part of my 'get self control' plan involved stopping and getting a donut (apple fritter, fine) on the way to work. I figure I'll feel too guilty about eating the donut to go out for lunch now. Solid logic? We'll see. Happy Friday!