I’m Usually Frugal — But…
I love coffee. It’s no secret to anyone who knows me. I’m the type of person who can drink coffee all day long. I love the smell, I love the taste, and I love all of the cute coffee decor you can get these days.
In fact, here are a few brief snapshots of my kitchen:
This is my favorite spot in my kitchen:
My coffee maker has a built-in bean grinder. I load the top with beans, it grinds them, spits them into the basket, and then brews the coffee. Fresh ground coffee is SO good.
Usually, I buy fair trade whole bean coffee from Sam’s club. A 2.5 pound bag is about $15. But, Sam’s club is 20 miles away, and a couple of weeks ago, somehow, I ran out of coffee. It’s rare for me to run out of staples like that, because I’m pretty organized as far as my pantry goes, and I almost always know how much of what I have.
So, I ran up to our local Kroger and bought a bag of Simple Truth organic whole bean. It was on sale for $7 for 12 ounces.
The next morning, I made coffee while making lunches for the kids, grabbed my to-go cup, and headed out the door. The coffee was SO GOOD. I thought maybe I just needed coffee that morning. The next day, I had my first cup and a much more leisurely pace and again, it was amazing. That night, when Gregg and I were cleaning the kitchen, as Gregg took apart the coffee machine to wash the grinder and basket, he said something about how good the coffee had been for the last couple of days.
Every morning I used that little 12-ounce bag of coffee, I enjoyed every cup from it. I dropped Kaylee off at an event one time and filled my coffee cup up there with Maxwell House and ended up dumping it out after the first taste because it just didn’t taste good after my coffee.
So, it was getting low. I thought about going to Sam’s and getting a new bag of the 2.5 pounder, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I couldn’t go back — and that was good coffee. Despite paying almost double for the coffee from Simple Truth, despite the frugal nature of my personality, and despite how good the Sam’s club coffee was compared to just off the shelf other brands, I went ahead and stocked up on the Simple Truth while it was on sale. Once the sale ends, and I have to pay regular price, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to bring myself to pay that much for coffee, but, man, I’m enjoying this while I have it!
Hallee
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Remember–it’s still cheaper to make it yourself instead of getting it out, so you’re doing better than most people! And I think coffee is one of those things where it’s ok to spend a little more, especially when it can make such a difference in your day.
I absolutely LOVE your kitchen! Someday I’ll have a kitchen decorated like that.
Kroger’s Simple Truth coffee is worth the expense, even when it’s not on sale. We drink way to much coffee for me to buy it on a regular basis but I love to splurge on it now and then.
Bobbey: I LOVE your gravatar! Funny you should say something about my kitchen decor. I’ve tossed around the idea of doing a Dr. Who theme. I have a friend who does Dr. Who ceramics, and I know I could commission her to do many things for me. Here is my tea cannister I LOVE LOVE: http://www.halleethehomemaker.com/2012/03/homemade-presents-are-the-best/
Oh my gosh. Your tea canister is awesome. I need one of those. :)
I have the lunch box and last year for Mother’s Day, my guys blessed me with the Tardis in mug form: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/e5c5/?srp=4. Now I need the matching teapot: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ef6d/?srp=42.
Think Geek is seriously one of my favorite stores.
I never count what I pay for coffee, although I like getting it on sale. I used to buy Starbucks Guatemalan and have them grind it for me until I discovered Ralphs (Krogers) French Roast (31.5 oz.) cans. They tasted just as good and I pick them up on sale sometimes for as little as $6.99 a can (in California.) I’m a coffee snob, preferring South American coffees to smoky African coffees or the most horrible coffee of all, Pikes Peak by Starbucks. African coffee tastes dirty to me and I won’t accept a cup of Pikes Peak for free. I find I use more coffee to make a pot of the Ralphs, but since it’s economical, it doesn’t matter. I like a crisp, clean, slightly sweet taste, never bitter — and full bodied. Yes, I prefer coffee to wine. :-) And I’d love a bean grinding coffeepot. I loved Bunn coffeepots but Alan can’t deal with anything that has to stay plugged in and running all the time. I stopped short before reminding him that our hot water heater runs all the time for fear he’d turn it off until we needed it. I like your Cuisinart.
We have this framed in the family room:
http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Dalek-Victory-24×36-Poster/dp/B00404PD36
HAHA! That’s fantastic!
I was glad to find a review at all, let alone one that concurred with my opinion. I bought this at our local Kroger (suburbs north of Dallas), as I had noticed it on a previous trip. It was under $7, as it was the first time, and I have a very hard time finding whole bean at any other reasonably-priced store around here, so I grabbed it. My first cup was this morning, and it was delicious! No bitterness at all, and I drink it black. Just so smooth and tasty. I don’t think that was a sale price, but I could be missing something. If not, then I surely will keep getting it. Plus, my next goal is a grinding coffeemaker, but as long as my Krups grinder holds out I can’t justify it. Not to mention that my wife just ordered me a 4-cup coffeemaker because she was tired of the 10-cup taking up so much counter space (she doesn’t drink coffee!).
We love our self grinding machine. It’s kind of just “push a button and forget about it” that I need in the mornings while I’m trying to get everyone ready.