Tracking your spending doesn’t mean you never get to spend money, and tracking your calories doesn’t mean you never get to have dessert. It was only when I finally saw, in black and white, where my money was going that I could make realistic changes and find more money to save. I had the money, so it’d be easy to save it, right?Īhem. Like that time my goal was to save half my income, and I thought it would be a piece of cake based on my basic Excel spreadsheet. It’s basically the same as having no idea why your bank balance is always so low by the end of the month… and then you keep an eye on where your money is going. It was going up, which felt baffling to me… until I looked at my calories. It turns out, I was overshooting that by a fair bit, and I had no idea other than the vague indicator that is my bathroom scale. Not to crash diet, but more to recalibrate what it looks like to eat well for my body. One of the biggest reasons I started tracking my calories was to reset my concept of what it looks like to eat the right amount of food for what my body needs right now. Um, I was eating how much food?! (Alternatively, I was spending how much on groceries?) You have no idea what you’re doing if you don’t track it Now it’s second nature, and I only rarely bury my head in the sand and avoid my spreadsheet.
Regular vs giant big mac calories update#
For the first few months, I would “forget” to update my spending when I wanted to avoid it, because it seemed like such a hassle. When it comes to food, I’m now at the point where I can reasonably input my meals without busting out my food scale to see how much broccoli is really on that salad, but for the first few weeks, that food scale was my best friend (and worst enemy, it’s such a hassle). There’s a learning curve when it comes to tracking. While I don’t have Alyssa’s fantastic infographics to share, I do have a few things that I’ve (re)learned about the power and importance of tracking over the past few weeks-and they’re true of both money and calories. She wrote about her experiences tracking her calories a few weeks ago, and at the time, I had just started doing the same. Yes, Alyssa from Mixed Up Money and I are literally the same human being, and the fact that we run separate money blogs is actually just a very, very long and unfunny practical joke. You are the annoying cheerleader for tracking that no one asked for.”īut it’s because when it comes to your spending, the actual act of writing down and seeing where your money goes is so critical to making good choices-and “good” is something highly personal, so it doesn’t have to be prescriptive. Like “Desirae, you’ve been talking about this for almost three years. We strongly urge you buy the normal version instead of go to Starbucks and get the fatty, sugary one.You would think, for all the articles I’ve written about tracking your spending, that I wouldn’t be so surprised at the power of tracking, right? If you’re looking to try the real version, most local coffee shops will know what to do. What’s a simple way to keep the two types of traditional macchiatos straight? Whatever is first in the cup, steamed milk or espresso, directly corresponds to the type.Ĭlearly, both types of traditional macchiatos are straightforward espresso drinks, unlike Starbucks’ numerous variations. So depending on what type you’re making, the espresso is either marked with milk or the milk is marked with espresso. For starters, the term “macchiato” translates to “marked” in Italian. it is more popular and uses a whole shot of espresso, with just a small dollop of foamed milk on top.īoth types of traditional macchiatos are actually very easy to make. It is mostly steamed milk and foam, with just about half a shot of espresso.Ĭonversely, even though a caffè macchiato is traditionally about half the size of a latte macchiato, it’s a much stronger drink. There are two types of traditional macchiatos: a latte macchiato and a caffè macchiato.
Starbucks’ “coffee” concoctions like these that often contain more calories than a big mac don’t even seem related to the simple, traditional macchiato. Both are decadently layered drinks of espresso shots, coconut or almond milk, and a whole lot of sugar. Starbucks released two new macchiato creations earlier this year, the Iced Cinnamon Almond Milk Macchiato and the Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato. Starbucks’ creation is really just a latte with added foam and flavoring. On top of that, it adds a generous drizzle of caramel or hazelnut on the top. The Starbucks macchiato is over-the-top and usually involves a lot of milk and sugar. Yet you may not know that a Starbucks version is far from traditional. One of Starbucks’ most popular drinks, perhaps because of its sweetness, is the macchiato. Founded in 1971, the coffee giant is still hugely popular and has made terms like “pumpkin spice latte” and “caramel macchiato” household names. It seems like Starbucks is always adding new coffee drinks to its ever-growing menu.