Coke has always been my cola.  Yes, I can taste the difference!  I usually stock up on extra Coke when it’s on sale. But when Pepsi is on sale and Coke is not, I stayed with the Coke.

Just this week I’ve realized that brand loyalty is an extravagance I can no longer afford. Unfortunately, I’ve also noticed that Pepsi seems to be on sale a lot more than Coke. A few weeks ago I was able to buy two-liter bottles of Coke for $1 at one of those “dollar” stores. Then it went up to $1.25.

I’ve searched the supermarkets and the discount stores in the past week. The regular price for a two-liter Coke seems to be $1.79. The lowest price I found was $1.25. But Pepsi is on sale for 99 cents!

Breaking a lifetime habit, I decided I simply could not justify paying 26 cents more for the taste of Coke. Just like that, Coke was no longer an essential in my everyday life. Does this count as an epiphany?

Now I’m getting serious about thrift. You’ll know I’m deadly serious when I shake the cola habit and switch to water or tea.