Swap It! iTunes

Awhile ago I decided that I wanted more music in my life.  It's something that really adds joy to my life, but because of the expense, I've never been one to have a huge music collection.  I would go to the library and picked up cds, but eventually the cd player quit on us (who knew a child's Tinkerbell cd player would be so unreliable?).  And to be honest, while I adore the library, I was never really able to get the kind of music that I wanted there.  And sometimes I would get a bunch of cds and forget about them entirely and return them late.  And pay fines. Ugh, fines!

Then, I received a very generous gift of an older iPhone from a friend of mine.  She had upgraded, and knew I could use it.  And then something happened. I rediscovered iTunes.  Since I don't have internet at home (just on my phone) I had forgotten about iTunes for the most part.  I was giddy with all my new music obsessions! I started buying one song here, another there, and before I knew it, I had spent $40 in new music (Dolly Parton, Sam Smith, and Bob Dylan in case you were wondering). In a week.  I was out of control!

Then I had remembered my friend's love of Pandora.  Whenever she's comes over for dinner she turns on Pandora on her phone and we stick it in a glass which gives it a speaker effect (it's an awesome trick, try it!).  And Pandora is freeeee!  Well, sort of.  It's free with a bunch of obnoxious ads.  They were so frequent and offensive (in your face advertising drives me bonkers), I couldn't take it anymore (which I'm assuming happens quite a bit)!  I took the plunge and ordered ad-free Pandora for $3.99 a month (I locked in that rate because it is a recurring monthly charge.  My rate will not go up.  I think they have since raised it to $4.99/month).

And you know what?  It's awesome! I just uploaded the app on my phone and started "making stations" (really you just enter in the name of an artist and it adds their station).

When you choose a station on Pandora internet radio, it will play music from that artist, as well as artists in the same genre.  About every few songs a song will be played by the artist you chose.  There are endless stations available, and it's a great way to be introduced to new music.  I'm sold!

If you are a music lover with a penchant for spending too much on downloads from either iTunes or Amazon, considering giving Pandora a try!

How do you get your music? Have you made the swap from iTunes to Pandora? Is there another resource like it? Please share your thoughts in the comments section!

Swap It! Starbucks Passion Iced Tea

Photo Credit: Starbucks.com

Have you ever had one of these? It's a Starbucks Passion Iced Tea, and it's delicious. I don't buy them, but my sweet 85 year old office husband does. I call him that because he's the only man that buys me treats like this (and chocolates). He has a "coffee club" which consists of him buying drinks at Starbucks for the support staff at my work.  He's a very generous man.

Anyhoo, the reason I don't buy them for myself is because they are $3-$4 a piece! Let's say I treated myself to one of these refreshing treats twice a week.  At $3.50 per drink, that is $364 a year! 

So I found an awesome replacement for me at when I'm at home, and for all you fine people!  

Behold: Bigelow Cranberry Hibiscus Tea 

For $2-$3 for a box of you can make your own knock-off Starbucks Passion Iced Tea drink - 20 times! And that's a minimum, you can actually make a huge pitcher of this stuff with a couple of tea bags!  Add some sweetener like simple syrup and you are looking at a maximum $0.15 per large glass ice tea (less if you make the large pitcher).

The result is a very similar bright, tangy, and refreshing taste. Delicious! And red!

This tea is carried online, but it's probably cheaper at your local drug or grocery store.  I get mine at Bartells.

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