AIBU to spend £84 on takeaway coffees in three weeks?

[CheeseMongrel]

So I’ve checked my online banking today to add up how much I’ve spent on takeaway coffee since I last got paid.

84 bloody pound

What on earth?

I have been going more due to not having much else to do but Christ that is a serious waste of money.

I was planning to go tomorrow but now I can’t justify it.

Not sure what other things I can treat myself to (that isn’t a massive waste) to keep me going .. any suggestions?

Has anyone else had a bigger waste of money than that lately?

@Rayna37

Please confirm you're taking your own mug though? They do give you a discount if reduced waste isn't enough of a motivator!

Coffee shops here stopped the 'bring your mug' when the first lockdown started.

I should add that its the OP who has expressed her dismay at how much she/ he is spending.
No one is saying never spend a penny ever again.
Personally I would chuck £100 a month at my mortgage rather than spend it on takeaway coffee.
Im not denying the need for treats but there are plenty of ways to do that without frittering on coffee.

@BarbaraofSeville

I must be the only person who doesn't find going to a coffee shop a particularly pleasurable experience.

Queuing for ages to get your drink, saying no thank you repeatedly to endless upselling because I don't want a bucket of sugary flavoured coffee plus cake and then struggling to find a table or somewhere to sit and then having my peace disturbed because the people on the next table are always those who never stop talking.

Me!

I stopped getting takeaway coffee on a regular basis when it didn’t seem worth the cost. Nowadays it’s mainly when I meet a particular friend for a walk.

I’m in the office today, so I’ve just done my thermos of Aeropress coffee.

Our Pret has closed too (and another Greggs opened opposite). I do miss their 49p filter coffee.

Thermos flask for you my friend!

@BarbaraofSeville you're not the only one! To me takeaway coffee is a modern flea circus - you are paying for the advertising, branding, building, staff, packaging. The product is almost valueless.

A pint in a pub makes sense, or a sit down coffee with a friend in a nice cafe.

But takeaway coffee I don't get personally at all.

Get a nespresso machine and one of their milk frothers. I love mine and it’s saved me a fortune in the long run.

I’m on the fence. I buy the odd coffee out BUT I don’t smoke or drink

We've just bought a Lavazza machine where the machine was £1 and we have to buy at least 8 packages of capsules. It has an inbuilt milk frother and is quieter, simpler to use and takes up a lot less room than the bean to cup machine we tried before (bought on a Black Friday deal from Amazon last year but found it too big, noisy and faffy and we didn't actually like the coffee it made, so we sent it back).

It was DP who wanted to buy it, but I really like it. We're also looking into a reusable pod where you can put your own coffee in, to save coffee waste, hopefully it will work out cheaper and more variety of coffee.

A regular takeaway coffee costs more than my horse’s shoes - and they say horses are only for rich people! 😆

It’s nearly Christmas- get a decent bean to cup machine. DH has a de Longhi Magnifica which has a milk frother on it if you are a cappuccino fan. Good beans cost a few quid for a bag that will last ages.

I don’t think it’s bad at all. I totally understand needing to get out and do something while WFH. I assume you are saving money on commuting etc so why not.

There’s always stuff you can cut back on and if you need to then it’s an easy thing to stop to save some money but honestly I’d say grab your little pleasures where you can at the moment!!

A regular takeaway coffee costs more than my horse’s shoes - and they say horses are only for rich people! 😆

This makes no sense, the shoes are a single cost. Assume stabling, food, tack, vet's bills and ooh, the cost of the horse comes to a fair bit more.

Horses are only for rich people

I quite often get one good coffee in a nice cafe each day and so spend up to £70/month! Who knew! Just calculated it now. I'm not doing it now cos no cafes open except for take away which isn't the same.

I live in a place where there are a lot of independent cafes who do lovely coffee.

Depends if you can afford it or not.

It's not a waste of money if you enjoy it and can afford it.
With regards to what else you can treat yourself to I know I'd get more pleasure saving it and buying one good item, not food or drink but a piece of jewellery perhaps , something that'll last .

I'd also be worried about the amount of coffee he's drinking. That's about 12 coffees a day isn't it?

Despite continually resetting our Nespresso machine and descaling it, the volume of coffee that comes out is a bit meagre so he usually has two capsules' worth to make a decent sized cup. But yes, it's a lot of coffee, whether it's 6 cups or 12 a day.

He's tried cheaper capsule substitutes but the plastic ones don't seem to work as well and some metal ones from Amazon he said weren't that nice. He's now on Starbucks capsules which are a bit cheaper but not by that much.

In fairness to him, it's his one extravagance, he never spends money on himself and we can afford it. But I agree, £150 a month on Nespresso capsules is ridiculous. I found some nice instant coffee powder in Aldi so I'll have another hunt to see if I can find their capsules next time I go.

Even big chains like Costa are often franchises, so you are helping to keep their business going and keeping their staff employed.

There’s a Starbucks in the college where I teach and I tend to buy coffee most days so probably spend at least £25 a week on coffee. On mat leave atm and I do miss the coffee, never really considered how much it costs before but it is a lot.

Surely it’s all relative though? In relation to how much money you earn/have.

If you struggled to pay your bills and we’re getting in to more debt then yes I’d say YABU

If you’re find financially then YANBU

fine

I used to spend similar - perhaps even a bit more. I didn't eat out much so that was a daily treat. Since then I've instead bought a decent coffee machine (Sage one), nice beans, some syrup and spent time learning how to make a coffee at home that I like. It was a bit of a ££ outlay and obviously the beans etc keep costing - but feels more like a more satisfying way to spend my money

Buy a decent coffee machine for your house! If you’re spending lots on coffee it makes sense (and you can choose your beans and make coffee exactly as you like it). We have a bean to cup which makes perfect lattes at the push of a button and it’s my favourite object in the house 😬

We are lucky and have a nespresso machine at work (and so just have to buy own pods) which does quite often stop me from grabbing a coffee from the shop which I pass between parking and the office! We also have one at home but DH does appear to get a coffee from the van which visits his work each day at circa £15 a week.

Easily done. Coffee at £3.80 a go mounts up. One of the few benefits of this Covid thing is I’ve stopped spending money on stuff and things I really don’t need. Saved me a small fortune.