I Drop $1,441.75 on Starbucks every year

[Jack_Dawson]

What horrifying addiction expense do YOU have?

[plcdude]

1. just think

how much porn you could buy with that.

[Jack_Dawson]

2. Who needs to buy porn?

Have you heard of the Internet? :beer:

[Placebo]

4. But you can buy internet porn.

It's better than the free stuff. :9

[Worst Username Ever]

3. Home Improvements. Love doing them.

I've spent about 5K this year, and my income is, to say the least, modest.

[Courtesy Flush]

5. What's the appeal to Starbucks?

I live in a small town in a red state. I don't have much exposure to Starbucks, though I could get in a nearby larger town. Believe me, as much as I love coffee, I'm not even tempted.

What's the deal? Sure, it's good coffee, but why shell out $5 for a cup of joe? Don't they sell crack in your city? It'd be cheaper, and you'd actually get something out of it.

And why do so many liberals love Starbucks? It goes against my grain to prop up a mega corporation by over-paying for a freakin' cup of coffee.

Pardon the rant... I'm shooting for 200 posts by tomorrow :):):):)

[Jack_Dawson]

10. Freepers Hate Starbucks

http://www.spacehijackers.co.uk/starbucks/

[kedrys]

11. Iced. Coffee. With. Lots. Of. Chocolate.

I don't actually drink coffee...but put enough choco in it and ice it down, and I'm there! :)

Second Cup in Montreal is the local equivalent of Starbucks, and they have a similar species of iced coffee that'll make your heart skip beats.

[Solly Mack]

6. Books. I recently moved and shipped 30 boxes...not small ones

either...that took up 3 shipping crates. I came back from the store tonight with book purchases of $200.00

and I'll spend that much more before the month is out.

I'm a year behind on my reading list...but I love books, dammit!

[Pacifist Patriot]

8. Another book addict here.

Why do I buy more when I haven't read everything I've already got?

[Solly Mack]

12. I was hoping someone could tell me. :)

I can't help it. I see a certain book and it's a "must have"

Maybe I'm afraid that one day some of these books won't be available....at least I tell myself that from time to time. :)

[kedrys]

13. Because you HAVE to!!!

At least that's my excuse... :D

[Carson]

25. My problem is reading too fast. I always run out of reading material.

A book, even a thousand-pager, generally lasts me less than a week. Also, I can't bear to part with them once I've read them. If I enjoyed the book, I keep it.

My house is overrun, although my project after the holidays is to build bookshelves from floor to ceiling in my den.

[laheina]

27. For some reason

I think that I'm going to need a book that I have read for future reference. I might want to read a book again, but I'm running out of places to put book cases.

I thought that I had solved these problems with ebooks, but they aren't the same. They absolutely have to be real books.

I'm addicted! :crazy:

[msgadget]

39. Me too,

books and magazines.

[kedrys]

7. Replacement espresso machines so the S.O. doesn't have to go to Starbucks

Those things are surprisingly low mileage when the first triple grande latte occurs around 7:45 every morning... :D

[emulatorloo]

9. time for you to buy a good home espresso machine

The lovely Rancilio Miss Silvia:



Check out this great site for coffee nuts:

http://www.coffeekid.com/

[Jack_Dawson]

14. How much?

I dunno how to operate it. :shrug:

[emulatorloo]

15. if the teen "barista" at yr local starbucks can make espresso, so can you

at any rate I googled around and Miss Silvia is going for around 500.00 (which is up $200 from when I got mine in 2001!?!?!?)

Only thing tricky (at least for me) was getting the grind right to get that great crema. . .

Check out that coffee kid site for reviews etc.

Two net vendors I have heard good things about:

http://www.wholelattelove.com/
http://www.1st-line.com/
http://www.sweetmarias.com

[BlueHandDuo]

50. Dude, get the Black & Decker Home Cafe, under $60...

...lots of places have it on sale this month, and there was a mail-in offer for a free bag of the coffee pods in last Sunday's Parade Magazine (in the Sunday paper).

Twenty-freakin-cents a cup! I've got one on order right now.

See it here:

http://www.homecafe.com/

[Willy Lee]

46. Ahhh Miss Silvia... she was my first.

Now I am pulling shots on a 2 group nuova simonelli. Still, those first fleeting days with Silvia bring a smile to my lips.

[emulatorloo]

51. My friend, my hat is off to you. . .and I am on the way over with

an espresso cup.

[CornField]

16. Whoa... that's more than I was spending on cigs.

Wow! That's a lotta latte.

[oldschoolguy]

17. So that must be about...

.... five vists to Starbucks?

[oldschoolguy]

18. Video games. I love my

Xbox and PS2. Really helps me unwind.

[Jack_Dawson]

19. Just wondering...

How old are you? Cause I'm in my mid-30s and love GTA.

Is that bad?

[progmom]

21. I'm 33, and I was addicted to it last year.

This year, the violence just leaves me feeling empty.

[Beware the Beast Man]

43. Nope, I'm almost 31, and I love it.

My wife has become a San Andreas widow.

[AlCzervik]

20. Wow, thats a lot cash on coffee

my addiction expense would be books, at least 3 or 4 a month.

[WMliberal]

22. holy fuck. you could buy a top of the line espresso maker,

a years worth of beans, milk and still have enough to donate to DU in my name. O8)

[Jack_Dawson]

29. LOL n/t

[Cadence]

23. Products.

Hair care, facial masks, creams, lotions ...it's ridiculous. I don't have a ton of them but the ones I do have are outrageously expensive.

[Carson]

24. Books. I'm a Half.com junkie. Spent over $1800 on that place alone in

the last 2 1/2 years. Not to mention Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

[Jack_Dawson]

30. WTF is that? "Half.com"

:shrug:

[Carson]

33. It's a new and used online bookstore....

eBay bought them out a few years ago. You can also find dvds, cds, computer and video games, and misc. other stuff.

You don't bid on items like on eBay, just click and buy. One can even sell one's own items.

You can get books at EXTREME discounts. These days I visit regular bookstores and write down titles and/or IBSN numbers, then buy the books at Half.com.

Most books I buy (hardbacks included) I don't pay more than $11-$15, and most are under $10. Visit the "Bargain Bins" and get books for under a dollar. Of course, you still have to pay shipping ($2.43).

I've been shopping there since 2000. Check it out!

[Jack_Dawson]

34. So...

I can get NEW hardbacks for $10-15?

[Carson]

36. Yep. If they are available, of course. The categories for books are as

follows:

New, Like New, Good and Acceptable.

The sellers most usually give good, honest descriptions of their books. I've only been disappointed once in the 4 years of buying.

Check out the comments buyers have made about a seller before purchasing. If that person has a lot of complaints, don't buy from them.

Half.com also will refund your money if the shipment never arrives. I've also had that happen only once.

(On edit: Personally, I buy mostly the cheaper "Like New" and "Good" books. A lot of them I couldn't tell they were used. Even so, I don't mind used books, as long as they are in good condition.)

[Nicole]

26. Flowers

I get a fresh bouquet of flowers for my table once a week. $20 x 52 =$1040.00

That is average, some cost less than $20 while others cost more.

[Jack_Dawson]

31. Wow! $20 is cheap!

I usually spend $60. Nice work! :toast:

[Nicole]

35. Yeah, it's cheap

unless I buy roses. I am lucky that I can grow my own roses 8 months out of the year.

[Jack_Dawson]

37. Where do you live?

State, I mean.

[Nicole]

57. Oklahoma

I have roses blooming from April to November, most years.

[mondo joe]

28. We were spending $2,880 a year on the gym - or $14,400 over 5 years

So we quit the gym.

[Jack_Dawson]

32. Do u still work out?

Damn, $3K/year at the GYM? I thought $1,100 was bad...

[fluffernutter]

38. books, journals, pens.

[Dastard Stepchild]

40. I spend about $450 on Tofu Pad Thai a year

Seriously - there is this great place by my work, and I go once a week. I need to quit this habit though.... all that weekly Thai goodness can't be good for the health.

[winston61]

41. don't take this the wrong way.

You seem to have no sense of value for money. You could buy yourself one of the finest fully auto espresso machines and the finest coffee available for that kind of cash. You can get one plumbed directly to the water supply in your home or office. You push a button and out comes the cup of Joe. If you are the boss, you could get one of your employees to actually push the button and hand the coffee to you.

[Jack_Dawson]

42. I wouldn't know how to do that

Seriously...hooking it up to my water line? Confusing.

[jmowreader]

45. Not confusing at all.

There are a couple of ways to hook these in. The easiest is the self-piercing saddle valve that comes with an icemaker kit--you put it around a copper water line, tighten it with a screwdriver, and it makes a nice hole in your water line. (No, it won't leak if it's tight.) Then you run the piece of preflared copper tubing between the valve and the coffee pot, and you're ready. Turn on the water and you're making coffee.

If you don't mind getting a little wetter, they also sell a valve with two outlets. One goes to your sink, the other to your coffeepot. You have to turn off all of the water in your house when you put this in. Then you go under your kitchen sink, find the shutoff valve, remove it and put this two-outlet valve in its place. Run a line to the coffee pot and you're done.

[Willy Lee]

48. For $1,500? I just priced a super automatic machine yesterday- 15k

Now I don't support *$ but spend plenty on coffee and accoutrements as I am in the biz. If you are seriously into your drinks even $1500 won't get you that far...

[winston61]

58. you won't need a commercial grade machine

Do your homework, and you will find a good machine. If you live near a fair sized city try to find a commercial vendor and ask them. If you shop smart, $1,500.00 should hook you up just fine.

[warrens]

44. For that money

You could smoke a small rock of crack nearly every day of the year. Which, I guess, you are sort of doing anyway, in a way.

Starbucks is evil.

[MsAnthropy]

47. Not to brag, but we got our company to supply Starbucks coffee

for the office coffeemakers FOR FREE. Never underestimate the power of an organized communal whining campaign. We just had to promise that it would improve morale and productivity (riiiiiight).

[shinju1985]

49. Anime & Manga

I've spent well over $1500 in six months

[seg4527]

52. Dunkin donuts

[Jack_Dawson]

53. What's That?

[seg4527]

54. It's great

They have donuts, muffins, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, really good coffee, lattes, iced lattes, hot chocolate. The one that I go to has a Baskin Robbins Ice Cream place too.

It's open 24 hours a day, and I typcically get off work at 1.30-2ish in the morning, and I head straight there.

[Jack_Dawson]

55. Are they in Southern California?

[huskerlaw]

59. Yes,

I went to one in Marina del Rey. Not sure about San Diego though.

[Phillycat]

56. EXCUSE me?

Are you from Communist Russia?