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I saved myself hundreds of dollars today
Probably thousands over a lifetime
And learned a lesson on the pitfalls of over-optimizing to save time/money
All from thinking about how I make coffee in the morning
// A thread //
Probably thousands over a lifetime
And learned a lesson on the pitfalls of over-optimizing to save time/money
All from thinking about how I make coffee in the morning
// A thread //
Like many of you, I love drinking coffee in the morning
(After my liter of water, right @FitFounder?)
I found that 16oz is the sweet spot for me
Black, of course
It's not so much the rush of caffeine I enjoy
It's more of a trigger to let me know it's time to start my day
(After my liter of water, right @FitFounder?)
I found that 16oz is the sweet spot for me
Black, of course
It's not so much the rush of caffeine I enjoy
It's more of a trigger to let me know it's time to start my day
I wouldn't say that I am a coffee connoisseur
But I'm not making a pot of Folgers in the Mr. Coffee machine either
-I buy whole beans and grind them myself
-I use a drip/pour-over thing from @OXO
-I microwave water in a Pyrex cup
But I'm not making a pot of Folgers in the Mr. Coffee machine either
-I buy whole beans and grind them myself
-I use a drip/pour-over thing from @OXO
-I microwave water in a Pyrex cup
I don't have an electric grinder, though
I used a hand-crank manual one
I like buying things that are utilitarian & have many uses
-I can use this grinder at home
-I can use this while traveling
-I could even use it on an airplane
It fits my needs perfectly
I used a hand-crank manual one
I like buying things that are utilitarian & have many uses
-I can use this grinder at home
-I can use this while traveling
-I could even use it on an airplane
It fits my needs perfectly
But today I was thinking
"Man, spending 5 minutes every morning to grind coffee seems like a waste of time"
If I assume that my time is worth $30 per hour
That's 50 cents per minute
Or $2.50 per cup of coffee
"Man, spending 5 minutes every morning to grind coffee seems like a waste of time"
If I assume that my time is worth $30 per hour
That's 50 cents per minute
Or $2.50 per cup of coffee
So I'm "spending" $2.50 every day just to grind coffee
-$15 per week
-$60 per month
-$720 per year
I'm losing a shit ton of money by grinding coffee every morning!
I thought I should buy an electric grinder...
-$15 per week
-$60 per month
-$720 per year
I'm losing a shit ton of money by grinding coffee every morning!
I thought I should buy an electric grinder...
According to @CNET, a good electric grinder will run me anywhere from $100-200
Even if you factored in the negligible power costs
Using an electric grinder would save me at least $500 per year
If compared to time that I could spend doing other things https://www.cnet.com/news/the-best-coffee-grinder-for-2020-oxo-baratza-breville-and-more/
Even if you factored in the negligible power costs
Using an electric grinder would save me at least $500 per year
If compared to time that I could spend doing other things https://www.cnet.com/news/the-best-coffee-grinder-for-2020-oxo-baratza-breville-and-more/
I was SO convinced I was going to buy this new expensive grinder
I had it in my cart and was ready to buy
I told myself I was going to save SO MUCH TIME
Time that I could use to make more money and increase my hourly rate
But did you know...
I had it in my cart and was ready to buy
I told myself I was going to save SO MUCH TIME
Time that I could use to make more money and increase my hourly rate
But did you know...
Most supermarkets have a coffee grinder right next to the bags of coffee on the shelf
And it's really simple to use
1. Grab bag off shelf
2. Pour bag into grinder
3. Empty grounds into bag
4. Pay for coffee at checkout
Piece of cake
And it's really simple to use
1. Grab bag off shelf
2. Pour bag into grinder
3. Empty grounds into bag
4. Pay for coffee at checkout
Piece of cake
So, if I just grind my coffee beans at the store, I don't need to buy a coffee grinder
Problem solved
Or so I thought...
Turns out I opened a whole 'nother can of worms with this one!
Problem solved
Or so I thought...
Turns out I opened a whole 'nother can of worms with this one!
Some coffee experts will scoff at you for letting ground coffee sit out for so long
"ThE OxiDaTiON RUiNs tHe FlaVoR pRoFiLE"
Get a life, nerd
I'm making coffee for myself
As long as it doesn't taste like instant coffee crystals, I don't really care that much
"ThE OxiDaTiON RUiNs tHe FlaVoR pRoFiLE"
Get a life, nerd
I'm making coffee for myself
As long as it doesn't taste like instant coffee crystals, I don't really care that much
I grew up drinking Folgers early in my coffee career, you think I give a s**t if my coffee loses some flavor because it set out for a few weeks?
NOPE
The same thing applies to my method of boiling water
NOPE
The same thing applies to my method of boiling water
After the electric grinder predicament was resolved
I came up with a new problem
I felt self-conscious about boiling my water in the microwave
"Experts" said the taste of the water would be effected by boiling
So I added a $150 electric kettle to my cart next
I came up with a new problem
I felt self-conscious about boiling my water in the microwave
"Experts" said the taste of the water would be effected by boiling
So I added a $150 electric kettle to my cart next
This @FellowProducts electric kettle has all the bells and whistles
-Beautiful design
-Gooseneck pouring spout
-Automatic temperature control
There's even a Bluetooth version to control it from the other room!
https://fellowproducts.com/products/staggekg
Can you guess what happened next?
-Beautiful design
-Gooseneck pouring spout
-Automatic temperature control
There's even a Bluetooth version to control it from the other room!
https://fellowproducts.com/products/staggekg
Can you guess what happened next?
In short, I stopped giving a fuck
Who cares if people think it's weird to boil water in the microwave?
-It's fast
-It's efficient
-The output is predictable
I get the same result every day in less than 5 minutes of time
Who cares if people think it's weird to boil water in the microwave?
-It's fast
-It's efficient
-The output is predictable
I get the same result every day in less than 5 minutes of time
Remember
I was spending 5 minutes in the morning boiling water in the microwave and manually grinding my coffee
The electric coffee grinder and electric kettle would have saved me so much TIME throughout the year that I felt pretty much obligated to buy them, right?
Right?
I was spending 5 minutes in the morning boiling water in the microwave and manually grinding my coffee
The electric coffee grinder and electric kettle would have saved me so much TIME throughout the year that I felt pretty much obligated to buy them, right?
Right?
I thought so too
Until I reframed the problem
You see, not everything in life has to be about efficiency
Sometimes it's okay to just take a break and live in the moment
By sometimes, I really mean most of the time
Until I reframed the problem
You see, not everything in life has to be about efficiency
Sometimes it's okay to just take a break and live in the moment
By sometimes, I really mean most of the time
Yes, technically I am losing out on more than $700 per year in "lost" time
Grinding and preparing my morning coffee the hard way could be eliminated by spending less than $300 on some new toys
But what would I actually gain from those 5 minutes each day?
Grinding and preparing my morning coffee the hard way could be eliminated by spending less than $300 on some new toys
But what would I actually gain from those 5 minutes each day?
I guess I could use those 5 minutes better
-use @duolingo to improve my Mandarin
-do some self-reflection by writing in my journal
-get 5 minutes of meditation in via @wakingup
But odds are I would do none of those things
And if you're being honest
Neither would you.
-use @duolingo to improve my Mandarin
-do some self-reflection by writing in my journal
-get 5 minutes of meditation in via @wakingup
But odds are I would do none of those things
And if you're being honest
Neither would you.
You and I both would use those 5 minutes to browse our phones
Let's not kid ourselves
5 minutes is not enough time to do something that is truly valuable
You need a long, uninterrupted block of time to do that.
I'd say at least 60-90 minutes for true valuable "deep work"
Let's not kid ourselves
5 minutes is not enough time to do something that is truly valuable
You need a long, uninterrupted block of time to do that.
I'd say at least 60-90 minutes for true valuable "deep work"
It would be much more valuable to spend those 5 minutes deeply involved with the task at hand
The repetitive motion of turning the hand crank gives me time to think
It's a form of meditation in itself
I even grind while walking barefoot in the grass like my man @ZachHomol
The repetitive motion of turning the hand crank gives me time to think
It's a form of meditation in itself
I even grind while walking barefoot in the grass like my man @ZachHomol
I also get the added benefit of being rewarded for hard work
I know that turning a crank for 5 minutes is not "hard"
But the 5 minutes of work I have to put into grinding beans seems to make that cup of coffee taste so much better
I know that turning a crank for 5 minutes is not "hard"
But the 5 minutes of work I have to put into grinding beans seems to make that cup of coffee taste so much better
So, what did I learn from my trip thru coffee hell this morning?
-Money should be used to save time
-Make sure your saved time will be used well
-Are there other benefits I'm missing out on by focusing on optimization?
Oh, one more thing
Coffee snobs are a bunch of nerds.
-Money should be used to save time
-Make sure your saved time will be used well
-Are there other benefits I'm missing out on by focusing on optimization?
Oh, one more thing
Coffee snobs are a bunch of nerds.
If you enjoyed this thread, RT the Top Tweet
You could save your friends thousands of dollars over a lifetime
Or more importantly
Help them understand the hidden costs of over-optimization to save time/money
By the way...
You could save your friends thousands of dollars over a lifetime
Or more importantly
Help them understand the hidden costs of over-optimization to save time/money
By the way...
This is my first "real" thread after buying my brother @HeadMasterDFA's "Write and Ignite" course
I learned:
-Why threads?
-Crafting the top tweet
-Keep the thread interesting
-Give the solution/call to action
You can learn how too w/ my affiliate link: https://gumroad.com/a/507442291
I learned:
-Why threads?
-Crafting the top tweet
-Keep the thread interesting
-Give the solution/call to action
You can learn how too w/ my affiliate link: https://gumroad.com/a/507442291