My buddy told me my 'coffee savings' were actually costing me more

Last week I was bragging to my friend Dave about how I saved $40 a month by switching to store brand coffee grounds. He just stared at me and asked what the total cost per cup was after I factored in my fancy single-serve maker, filters, and the 15 minutes each morning I spend cleaning it. I did the math and realized I'm spending about $0.85 per cup versus $1.50 at the shop down the street. But Dave pointed out that shop has free refills and I could study there for 2 hours without buying anything else. Now I'm rethinking my whole morning routine. Has anyone else found their 'budget hack' was actually a wash once you added up all the hidden costs?

2 comments

2 Comments

lindahunt1mo ago

Oh, did you also fall for the trap of thinking you were being thrifty when really you were just inventing a part time job for yourself? Been there. I once "saved" money by buying a bread maker, then spent 20 minutes cleaning dough off the ceiling after it exploded, plus the cost of the artisan flour that was somehow twice as expensive as a decent loaf from the bakery. Pretty soon I was wearing an apron and swearing at a machine like it was my third shift, all to produce a brick that my dog refused to eat. So yeah, Dave's got a point. Sometimes the budget hack is just a fancy way to pay in time and frustration.

wendy_wilson1mo ago

Yeah Linda you really nailed it with that "part time job" line because cleaning my coffee maker every night feels exactly like unpaid overtime. Did you actually end up breaking even on the bread maker or did you finally toss it in the back of the closet? I'm wondering if the real savings is just admitting we're paying for convenience and moving on.