It was very noticeable yesterday morning - the one, independent, outdoor kiosk style coffee shop that's been permitted to reopen in Hereford.
I just walked on by, without buying what would have been my usual Cappuccino, sometimes occasional muffin or pastry.
I shit you not when I say 'usual'... here's a snap shot of my transactions before lockdown. That one in red is the last take-out before the coffee shops finally closed on 25th March 2020.
The rest in yellow are all of my coffee/ cake purchases from one account, and that's excluding a few others bought with my credit card (paid off promptly each month) and cash, to kid myself into thinking I'm spending less than I actually am!
I've blogged before about how my estimated coffee expenditure per month is in the £150-200 a month range, most definitely sub-optimal.
But easily done.... £3 per coffee * 30 days = £90 as a based amount, and sometimes 2 a day, sometimes combining one of those coffee with a £2-3 cake, very easy to get yer coffee shop expenditure up to > £150/ month.
But my take-out coffee expenditure since 25th of March has been.....
£0!
All thanks to the wonderful world of lockdown meaning I couldn't buy any take-outs. Instead I've bought more decent coffee and made my own at home. I've been relying on this little fella more....
On the sub-optimality of business as usual
Coffee shops are scheduled to re-open en-masse very soon the in the UK, but I don't really want to go back to buying take-out coffee - it's just so sub-optimal for me, I mean just look at what a drain on my expenditure it is!
£150-£200 a month, that is 10% of my 'income as usual', and probably nearer 20-30% (possibly even more) of my future income when I transition to a more fiat-free life.
Compared to the £20 a month it costs me to make decent coffee at home, it really is not rational behaviour to buy take-out coffee.
So it might be back to business as usual in the next couple of weeks, but for me, it's sticking with coffee on the stove and keeping my money in the bank!
Healed KC’s DV
Hey cheers!
He's probably going over the relatively little guy, that's me of course.
My husband has been "saving" so much money on coffee and lunches since I (basically) forced his hand by using up the budget on other stuff (bad wife/good wife?).
At one point it was consistently averaging on $800 per month.
And he wonders why I became headstrong and forced us into property ownership. I would MUCH RATHER pay $800 a month in interest on a property, than have him eat it.
It does however sour his mood to have to always make his own coffee and take lunches to work. We counter it by adding extra's to his coffee, like turmeric or condensed milks etc.
Still, I am a little bit grateful to the pandemic for closing down many coffee shops, it really cut down on our need to discuss why spending a wad on take out is a "good" idea, or how "only $40 dollars this week" is still $40 dollars.
That is an insane amount of money. I guess it's fine if you're already financially independent, but if you've got a mortgage to pay all you're doing is making sure you're debt slaves for longer, every £1 you spend on take-outs!
Maybe a once a week treat wouldn't be so bad!?!
Yeah, it was pretty mind blowing to me.
Oh, the price of convenience, but a out-sourced coffee does taste good. So, will you be making your own muffins too?
I made three batches of 12 early on in lockdown, problem is 12 home-made muffins last me two days, so I've now stopped!
Too much of a weight gainer!
LOL. I would suggest you freeze them in zip lock baggies, and take out 1-2 per day. It sounds not delicious until you pop them in the toaster oven (or microwave) and eat them with just a little butter.
So, you could say you're gaining pounds everywhere...Haha! I'm here all week ;)
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The "unintended" consequences from the lockdown are in a way is really good for individuals in the long term. I think the quarantine inadvertently snapped us out of our habits, and this brief pause is giving us a moment to reflect. Myself, I stopped purchasing so much 🍕 I used buy one ever week but ever since the lockdown I reduced my habit down to 1 pizza ever other month.
Good to hear, it's very rational!
Pizza I think is an especially irrational take out (not that I don't ever do it myself), it's so cheap to make your own.
Compared to something like fish and chips: relatively expensive to make your own version compared to the take out version, compared the difference for Pizza!
Yes! Sometimes it's just plain convenience that becomes more costly than taking the time to prepare meals.