5 ms·

Sure - but you're confusing what people are actually paying for when they buy a Starbucks. When people buy Starbucks, they're buying 15 minutes of time to sit

Sure - but you're confusing what people are actually paying for when they buy a Starbucks. When people buy Starbucks, they're buying 15 minutes of time to sit in a warm cafe with friends, free WiFi, a space to work, and the labour involved in having to make the coffee for themselves. I'm still not sure it amounts to an argument why the $150 a month people would save on coffee are the root of people's money problems, or why they should give up that 19 other small frivolities just so they can afford somewhere to live.

maxxxxx 9y ago
"When people buy Starbucks, they're buying 15 minutes of time to sit in a warm cafe with friends, free WiFi, a space to work, and the labour involved in having to make the coffee for themselves." I see a lot of people do drive through. There are no friends involved and they probably can't even enjoy their drink while stuck in traffic.
- kristianc 9y ago
  > I see a lot of people do drive through. There are no friends involved and they probably can't even enjoy their drink while stuck in traffic. My model doesn't require me prove that every single person makes a perfectly rational economic decision when buying a Starbucks - merely that people derive more than the value of the beans and the water from consuming a Starbucks.
  - maxxxxx 9y ago
    It's fine. People just should be aware that they are spending a substantial amount of money on it. A while ago we looked at my girlfriend's Starbucks receipts and they added up to $1300 a year. That's a nice vacation or a new camera or something else she thinks she can't afford.
    - scarface74 9y ago
      But that cup of coffee may bring her a little joy every morning. That vacation is maybe a weeks worth of pleasure? I'm not saying either is right, but it is about priorities. Because of...reasons...I am having to choose between enjoying time with my wife now and saving more for retirement and retiring a little bit earlier. We have only being married 5 years and now have the flexibility to enjoy our selves more. I'm purposefully making the choice to live for the now. I'm turning down side contracts that people keep trying to throw at me because I really enjoy the now. We all make choices.
cimmanom 9y ago
Wait, are you really asking why people should give up unnecessary expenses if they're spending so much on them that they can't afford rent? No, $150/mo won't get you a place to live in NYC; but 10 $150/mo habits sure will. And maybe that single $150/mo habit is the difference between "there's literally no room in this city available to rent for $650/mo" and "I have a place to lay my head for $800/mo".

maxxxxx 9y ago

"When people buy Starbucks, they're buying 15 minutes of time to sit in a warm cafe with friends, free WiFi, a space to work, and the labour involved in having to make the coffee for themselves." I see a lot of people do drive through. There are no friends involved and they probably can't even enjoy their drink while stuck in traffic.

kristianc 9y ago
> I see a lot of people do drive through. There are no friends involved and they probably can't even enjoy their drink while stuck in traffic. My model doesn't require me prove that every single person makes a perfectly rational economic decision when buying a Starbucks - merely that people derive more than the value of the beans and the water from consuming a Starbucks.
- maxxxxx 9y ago
  It's fine. People just should be aware that they are spending a substantial amount of money on it. A while ago we looked at my girlfriend's Starbucks receipts and they added up to $1300 a year. That's a nice vacation or a new camera or something else she thinks she can't afford.
  - scarface74 9y ago
    But that cup of coffee may bring her a little joy every morning. That vacation is maybe a weeks worth of pleasure? I'm not saying either is right, but it is about priorities. Because of...reasons...I am having to choose between enjoying time with my wife now and saving more for retirement and retiring a little bit earlier. We have only being married 5 years and now have the flexibility to enjoy our selves more. I'm purposefully making the choice to live for the now. I'm turning down side contracts that people keep trying to throw at me because I really enjoy the now. We all make choices.

cimmanom 9y ago

Wait, are you really asking why people should give up unnecessary expenses if they're spending so much on them that they can't afford rent? No, $150/mo won't get you a place to live in NYC; but 10 $150/mo habits sure will. And maybe that single $150/mo habit is the difference between "there's literally no room in this city available to rent for $650/mo" and "I have a place to lay my head for $800/mo".