Three Months of Coffee
I used to work an office where we had a coffee pot and an espresso machine, and now I work in an office where we do not have that, but we do have the convenience of having a Starbucks next to our building. I bought a Starbucks card and have been reloading it every week or two for the past three months using PayPal so I could track how much money I’m spending on my daily cup of coffee before I head into work.
Three months = $120
Which I don’t think is actually that bad?
And yes, I do tag and categorize all of my emails. If you have emailed me, you have been tagged with something special!
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Previously on The Billfold
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I wish I could respond with a screenshot of my email, because I tag everything as well. And I also have a “Finances” category, except that it’s green, because ya know, money.
$10/week on average isn’t so bad I suppose? I still try to make my coffee at home every day. I budget myself about $20 a month for external coffee, but I think I usually go over that (but just a little). So maybe I need to readjust.
A few years ago I was probably spending half my life savings on Starbucks, but now that I’m in an office equipped with a coffee machine, I save so much money.
$120 isn’t THAT much, but I’d still rather have it to spend on something else.
@jacqueline Ditto. If my company is willing to pay for my morning coffee, why not? It means I don’t get it until I actually get to work, instead of on my way in, but I can live with that.
(I also started saving about $10/week when I stopped drinking soda during the week.)
I decided not to spend more than $20/mo on coffee and it’s sort of working, if only because I’ve given up on life outside of my bedroom when I’m not working.
We have a coffee machine in my office that I don’t use because it makes disgusting coffee. But Primo Cappuccino near my office has this 99 cent iced coffee deal. Are those only in Penn Station? If you have one of those near you Mike, I recommend, it’s saving me so much money.
It seems like a coffee pot at the office would be a worthwhile investment for both Mike AND Logan. Not that $120 is a lot of money, but it is enough to buy a pretty fancy coffee maker.
Wait, that’s not that bad? Wouldn’t a coffeemaker have paid for itself by now? You and Logan could totally have an experiment with this!
That’s nothing compared to what I used to spend on coffee every morning. It always snowballed because going into a coffee shop always leads to coffee + bagel, coffee + scone, coffee + bagel + latte for the person I’m with…and then my office moved and Starbucks is no longer conveniently located on the way to work! And I talked my boss into buying a Keurig!
I do allow myself a coffee + bagel detour a couple times a week because some mornings I just want someone else to do it for me.
You could have bought a decent coffee machine for that much!
Also unless you bring your own cups, THINK OF THE GARBAGE.
I am not a coffee drinker though. I drink tea, and I bring it on the bus if I don’t have time to drink it at home. Mostly because my commute is an hour, but also because I am can get way better tea than what most places serve.
You guys. I am considering getting a coffeemaker for the office. It’s just that I will also have to actually remember to run to the grocery store and buy coffee grounds, and get milk and sugar on a regular basis, and there is also the cleaning of the coffee pot, and the time this all requires. I guess it’s true that they say that you pay for convenience. But it is being considered!
This is why I started working at Starbucks part-time. Making money AND free coffee.
Also, are you getting your Starbucks Rewards? That should count for something!
We don’t have a pot in my office either. I bought single cup french press and it works wonders, plus saves tons of money!
Now I just want to know what I’ve been tagged.
Or get an Aeropress, you guys! We use them for filter coffee at the cafe I work in and they are so cheap to buy, quicker than french press, and also pretty much clean themselves (for real). Plus they make delicious coffee. A++ would buy again.
I waver back and forth on coffee convenience vs cheapness. I have a french press and make cold brew in the summer(large batches! Takes only minutes to prepare! SO DELICIOUS!), but I also probably blow about $15-20 a month on Starbucks. I have, however, enforced a money/waste saving Personal Rule that I can only get “away” coffee if I remember to bring my reusable cup.