Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...

...and get a great deal doing it! Starbucks has a history of having unadvertised aspects of their beverage services.

I think the secret is out now, but the "mystery of the elusive short cappuccino" was written about in Slate and ordered by yours truly with fantastic results. I think now the "short" has turned into the "skinny." But I am sure the "short" still lives on, I'll test it out soon and let you know.

The secret above is great for cappuccino lovers, but the latest discovery is even better. It's so good that I am even reluctant to write about it, just in case they change their policy. If you order any iced coffee or any of the variety of iced teas (sorry not the fraps) and keep your cup, then a refill is only $.54. That's right, fifty-four cents, and all you have to do is keep your old cup. And it doesn't have to be on the same day!

Yesterday I went and got a venti, shaken iced-tea lemonade. It cost me $3.85. I kept the cup in my office, and walked down to Starbucks about ten minutes ago, handed them my cup and ordered the same drink. The barista handed the cup to one of his coworkers and rang me up for a refill at $.54! FREAKING BRILLIANT. Not only did I reuse my cup that's going to take about 10,000 to breakdown anyway, but I saved money doing it. See it pays to be a little green.

I know someone who buys a beverage on Monday, and refills it everyday of the week for $.54. So go out there and take advantage of this, you're helping the earth (a little anyway) and definitely helping those envelopes!