Why Over 1/3rd Of America Is BROKE

[fatbaldguy]

I've got a years worth of Maxwell House, Folger's, Kroger all French Roast.  I've got some Kirkland to trial.

My pension fund is currently paying 63 cents on the dollar, I expect it to be in receivership when I'm finally able to retire.  Buying guns is my current priority, screw saving, see what it got me.  Damned Union mismanaged fund.

[Solus]

I grind and brew my own coffee..  DD and Starbucks suck...

As to saving and being broke.  I was doing fine until some asshole decided to drive his minivan in the same space as my motorcycle and I lost the battle.

Now I'm part of the 1/3 that will be hard pressed to recoup my losses before I retire.

Funny how life gets in the way sometimes...my advice is to get run over by someone with some liquid assets and a pricey car instead of some illiterate douche bag from (insert euro shithole here)!

A McLaren would have been a better choice but you don't see too many in Cranston, RI!

I do that too...but before I grind them, I roast them from green coffee beans.

The "purist" timeline for coffee is:

Brew coffee should be consumed within 2  hours of brewing...and NEVER held in a carafe on a heated pad, but in a insulated carafe

Ground coffee should be brewed with in 12 to 24 hours after grinding...the sooner the better quality.

Roast coffee should be ground with a week to 10 days or is will loose quality.

Green Coffee beans can be stored for 2 years without loss of quality...and if stored much longer, the quality doesn't deteriorate, but the taste will change...still quality..just different mix of tastes.

If you want to look in to home roasting, check out Sweet Maria's  https://www.sweetmarias.com/store/

[Big Frank]

I never roasted my own beans but it sounds interesting. My mom boils her coffee in an old percolator. She makes a pot full at a time but only drinks a cup a day and keeps the rest in the fridge. I've never tasted it and don't plan on it. As for McDonald's coffee I tried it once and it was badly burnt and the worst cup of coffee I ever recall drinking. There aren't any Dunkin' Donuts around here anymore or I would try that. I'll try nearly anything once and I won't go broke over coffee.

[billt]

To me roasting and grinding your own coffee is like brewing your own beer. I'm not that big of fan of either to bother. I have my 3 cups of Folgers in the morning, and I'm good for the rest of the day. It's much the same with beer. For the few times a year I get the taste for one, a bottle or can of Miller or Bud suits me right down to the ground. I'm in and out of the store in 5 minutes with either...... If they're on SALE!

[alfsauve]

bilt, bilt, bilt.   Oh where have we gone wrong?   What's next?   Thunderbird wine?  Old Crow bourbon? RG Industry revolvers?

[Sponsor]

[Rastus]

I tasted Starbucks coffee once or twice. I guess it was okay but I brew Gevalia at home. It's the only coffee I've tried so far that tastes good black. I order it online and it's around $7 per half pound. Not the cheapest but a long way from being the most expensive, and nowhere near coffee shop prices.

Jumbo I'll have to try that Gevalia stuff some day.  I like strong black coffee so no Folgers, Maxwell House, etc. for me.  I do drink Community Dark Roast and Sams/Wal-Mart have a house brand called Sumatra Fair Trade dark roast.  The Sumatra is hit or miss because sometimes it's dark roast and good and other times they get it towards medium roast not-so-good.  Then there is a local brand around Beaumont, TX, called Seaport which I really like...dark and strong and I mix it 50-50 with Community.

And yeah....McDonald's...I'd rather drink ice tea because it's pretty dang weak.

That's not a knock on you guys that like coffee that's not so black and dark...to each his own. 

For you guys way, way down south you might even be able to grow your own.  I'm planning on buying a couple of trees and planting them at my mom's in Louisiana...probably too cool but I'm going to try it anyway.

[billt]

bilt, bilt, bilt.   Oh where have we gone wrong?   What's next?   Thunderbird wine?  Old Crow bourbon? RG Industry revolvers?

Here is the deal. Like most Americans I don't really like the taste of Coffee, or the "coffee breath" it leaves you with. I NEED the beverage, more than I WANT it. I much prefer the taste of tea, and drink it quite regularly. However, it doesn't wake me up in the morning anywhere near as well as coffee does. I know someone will come forward with stats that show various types of tea that have more caffeine than coffee does. While that may be true, it just doesn't get it done for me in the morning. And I've tried every tea grown under the Sun.

I've never been an admirer of coffee. All that chocolate and whipped froth crap they sell at Starbucks is anything but coffee to me. It reminds me of a Baskin & Robbins on high heat instead of frozen. I think the people who buy it are like me, in that they want the wakeup with a better taste. I've found a dash of salt in my coffee takes out a lot of the bitterness. But no matter, it's not a taste I prefer, but rather require the results it's consumption gives me. It seems the older I get, the more this requirement takes hold.

[Timothy]

Keep in mind that a decent "tasting" coffee isn't just about the beans!

It's about the brewing method, temperature of the H2O, residence time with the grinds, etc..

I prefer a simple coffee press.  They're cheap, you can control everything and steep the grinds just enough to perfect the taste profile to your liking.

Grinding is an issue in that you need a large grind size for a press.  Most markets have a grinder but I've found a decent burr grinder that I can control the size quite nicely.  Too fine and it works right through the screen.

The issue with ALL chain coffees is the time it sits on the burner and the sad fact that it cost about 20 cents to make a "Venti" (20 oz) cup and they charge 3-5 bucks for it...

I buy a good market brand, mostly organic, from various local roasters here in New England.  A 12 oz bag is about 8-10 bucks and last me 8-10 days depending.  Not too many roasters offer a bag that is actually a pound anymore.

[Big Frank]

Expensive coffee is off the table so to speak but what about the other things?

As for credit cards I always paid mine off and didn't pay any interest until 2 months ago when I charged way more than I should have. It should be paid off next month and I won't do that again.

I'm sure I'm paying too much for car insurance. I need to look into that. I do get a discount for having home and auto with the same company.

My money is in a credit union so I don't pay any ATM fees. I did pay $3.50 once when I was on vacation and went to a bank and later realized that there were 2 CUs across the street that I could have gone to.

I never pay expedited shipping. I can wait 3 days for regular UPS shipping.

Thankfully I have no mortgage payments.

I don't care if something is brand name or not as long as it's good.

[Timothy]

Yes, Frank...

No credit cards, period.  I have a prepaid Amex that I use online.

Car insurance rates here are controlled by the Politburo on Beacon Hill in Boston.  Everyone pays more to insure the drunks and bad drivers...  700 a year for two vehicles.  Can't save much there...would love to fire AAA as an agent though.  100 bucks yearly for membership that I don't use...

Credit union, no ATM charges and even if I used a foreign ATM because I direct Deposit and use the debit option a few times monthly, I get a refund of all foreign ATM charges and interest on my account.

I never pay for shipping if I can help it...period!  Never, ever pay for "express" shipping.

Even the organic stuff I buy is store branded...except for my coffee and it's only a dollar more...