Coffee

There are a lot of things on my desk right now. My monitor and keyboard take up most of the space. I also have a hand-crocheted pencil case, a bottle of lemongrass and cardamom body lotion (for stress relief, since I do get stressed a lot - I blame my grad degree), a random crochet hook, the case for my fiancé's (hereafter addressed as S) copy of Dragon Age: Origins, my battle.net authenticator and, depending on the time of day, I usually try to sit here with a cup of coffee.

Today, I'm drinking instant coffee.

I don't think there's an adequate emoticon to demonstrate that this is not my ideal cup of coffee.

However, this cup of instant coffee (proving once again that instant does not always equal awesome) is representative of a way that I am now trying to save money.

You see, I love going to Starbucks.

Yes, I am very well aware that my drink of choice at Starbucks costs a whopping $3.78 total in Canadian funds. However, this summer, I have been fortunate enough to be able to count my daily Starbucks trips among my tiny list of luxury expenses. S, since S actually has a decent-paying salary job, has been helping to support me financially as I transition from grad school to teacher's college, which I will be starting in less than a month. He's okay with that, as long as I pay for my own coffee.

Which I have been.

However, the penny-pinching miser in me loathes the idea of spending almost $4 on coffee on a semi-daily basis.

But it is not really the coffee that keeps me buying into their overpriced (yet delicious) swill.

I love the experience of buying coffee.

No, this isn't some philosophical crap. I just love the atmosphere of coffee houses, whether they be mainstream like Starbucks, or more local and independent, like Jimmy's Coffee a block away. There is an aura around the coffee drinkers of these establishments, like an aura of complete and total satisfaction. Coffee does that to people.

Also, the extroverted attention seeker in me coyly enjoys being recognized by the cashiers and baristas, even if that implies that I go to Starbucks far too often. Depending on who is working, they might even have my coffee ready right as I get to the counter to pay for it. It's a nice bit of friendliness to start my day.

So, as you might guess, sitting here with a mug of instant coffee does not quite cut it. This mug doesn't give me that satisfaction of being a part of a community, and it doesn't provide that friendly human interaction which seems so simple, but can really improve upon one's day.

It's not that bad, though. The container, which provides 80 cups of coffee, cost the same as one tall iced cafe mocha from Starbucks.

I'll just have to cope, I guess.