Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Price of "The Experience"

So, it's no secret that I'm a snob when it comes to not eating out. I really dislike eating out and would chose to never eat out, but there are occasions that come up, mostly when I'm away from home. But I seem to be able to go out and buy a cup of coffee mid morning almost everyday! Am I being hypocritical? I think a bit, and that's why I'm going to change it!

Mark and I have our morning pot of coffee (I drink most of it!), and then, usually after my workouts and before lunch I stop at Peet's and get a 1/2 decaf 1/2 caf. It costs $1.80. Can't I make my own extra coffee? I have a coffee pot, I have a thermos, do I have the time?

There it is again...."time". How can I advocate home cooking and preparation when I can't even brew an extra 1/2 pot of coffee for myself?

When I mentioned this to Mark he told me that I was paying for "the experience" and wasn't that worth $1.80? I agree, there's something about stopping at the coffee shop, having someone else get you a big, super hot, super fresh cup of coffee. In fact if I take into consideration how much time it takes to stop at a coffe shop, well, there's my 15 minutes...at least.

Yesterday I made my extra coffee and filled my thermos. Today I'm doing the same. 30 days....

11 comments:

  1. We did the same thing. We used to get coffee at Starbucks a few times a week - mostly as a treat - the experience. We have a perfectly good coffee maker at home and frankly - just as good. So in December, we stopped. And we haven't missed it one bit (except for the baristas - with whom we were on first name basis.)

    My one naughty drink was the Chai Soy Latte extra pump chai. For kicks, I stopped a few weeks ago and bought a tall(small) one to see how it tastes now that we stopped eating sugar and drinking that sort of thing. I took two small sips and had to toss it. It was just TOO sweet and didn't taste good to me at all. I don't miss that either.

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  2. Tracy,

    Nice comment!

    In the past, over 5 years now I only went to Mc Donalds one time and bought my favorite cheeseburger (2 years after my weightloss), I couldn't believe how dry and flavorless the were! I expected salty, but not salty cardboard!

    Getting used to real food spoils us in the best of ways.

    And you know what else? I cut back on my coffe already...it's a good thing.

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  3. Good for you Ma'am! I stopped buying coffee out, and instead started brewing/drinking green tea instead. I also don't like dining out. For more than a year now, my wife and I, have fixed our own meals. I don't miss the restaurant experience.

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  4. I'm a coffee snob, yet I still bought coffee just out of sheer laziness. I always regretted it.

    Tracy, it's funny you talk about eating out. I recently went to a restaurant that we used to frequent and everything tasted terrible. My husband said I was a food snob...he meant it as a compliment.

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  5. Guy,

    I really don't miss the restaurant experience, but thanks for reminding me about green tea. Mark drinks a ton everyday and it's habit I should start too!

    First things first though!

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  6. Maribel,

    I will be trying Phil's however! I can't believe I've not bought coffee for only two short days and I'm alomost over it!

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  7. I completely agree about "the experience". It's the habit that brings comfort to me! But that said, you may be interested in reading an article I wrote after doing research on why we should NOT drink coffee after a workout (it inhibits our mTOR and affects our protein synthesis)...

    http://natashakay.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/the-black-magic/

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  8. Just being the devils advocate that I am.....I like keeping small local business's in business. I haven't eaten out very much either over the last 4 years and I'm glad that I don't because the food pretty much sucks-but once in a while you find a treasure out there! This doesn't even have to be about a food/coffee shop-anything. If I can keep someone working in these times-I will. Kind of like if people wanted to save money on their weight loss-they'd do it on their own instead of coming to your gym or any other establishment. Being a person who's had this experience of losing a business to "the times", I am kind of passionate about contributing to small/local business. It's good for us all.

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  9. Natasha,

    If I want coffee then I drink it. before, after, or during a workout.

    I can't worry about every little detail. But thanks for your interest!

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  10. Diana,

    We lost a business too, our gym. we lost it because Gold's Gym came to town along with 2 other big name "Clubs" so I feel your pain.

    I always look for business closest to my house when I need services, so I support not only local, but neighborhood businesses.

    But...if I don't need something, like a cup of joe from the neighborhood coffeeshop, then I don't need it.

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  11. Hi Tracy - I'm new here, and am more of a lurker than a commenter, but I thought you might be interested in knowing about the "aeropress" which is a great, quick way to have a cup of coffee. Since I got one of these (actually, I have 3 of them), I have no desire to go out for coffee anymore... unless it is purely for social reasons: http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/gamer/8e3a/

    (I don't have any financial interest in the company - just a fan!)

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