OK – we’ve been on the road for 70 days, & I’m told that a Diet Coke update is long overdue, so here it is.

First the raw stats:

Serving size - Quantity - Cost
Fountain - 81 - $115.96
7.5 oz can - 4 - $0.00
12 oz can - 58 - $51.78
16 oz can - 21 - $22.93
16 oz bottle - 1 - $1.00
.5 liter bottle - 11 - $11.18
20 oz bottle - 28 - $48.49
24 oz bottle - 3 - $5.09
1-liter - 8 - $13.39
1.25 Liter - 7 - $5.67
2-liter - 41 - $76.17
TOTAL - 263 - $351.66

Some points to consider:

1. I’m surprised at the number of different sizes that this stuff comes in.
2. I’m also constantly surprised at the pricing. The reason there are so many 2-liter purchases is that often they are cheaper than a 16 oz bottle – especially in convenience stores. Even if they are more expensive, the difference is very little. Why pay $1.69 for a 16 oz. bottle when you can get 2 liters for $1.99? We usually end up drinking it anyway. Besides, 30¢ is worth the peace of mind – I don’t have to worry about running out!
3. We’ve only walked out of a couple of restaurants because they served Pepsi instead of Coke. If Jeanna & I were by ourselves, that number would be a lot higher, but we do have to show a little consideration for A&V, so most of the time we just suck it up and drink water (yechh!)
4. You have to be very careful when you get a drink from small country stores as well as the “mom & pop” motels, as the soda is likely to be out of date. One motel gave me a can that was dated 2014. Needless to say, I didn’t even open it.
5. In round numbers, our addiction only costs about $5.00 a day. Cheaper than cigarettes and (probably) not as bad for you.
6. The financial hit is not quite as bad as it looks – We received a KO dividend in July which offset a lot of the cost. If only we could get a Coke distributer to read our journal and become a sponsor!

That all for now.