By Robert Dean
Guest Columnist
One way to make me irrationally mad is when someone tells me to “stop going to get coffee,” as if my iced coffee habit is going to make or break my finances. The same goes for grabbing dinner or lunch. These are small pleasures of life, and depriving oneself of them sucks. What do we go to work for? What do I exchange my labor for if I can’t afford basic life things like a night at the movies or the good brand of popcorn — the kind that doesn’t immediately burn once the microwave nukes it?
I just did the math. I spent around $1,200 a year on coffee. Let’s also reframe this: I’m a working writer who works from coffee shops and never goes to Starbucks. I only go to local spots. I don’t feel guilty about this. I view it as a cost of doing business. I quit drinking. This is my vice.
Recently, our landlord decided to sell the house, and we had to find new digs. Hiring movers was like taking out a small personal loan — $1,800, and that was a deal. I had to fill up my gas tank: $60 for my reliable Hyundai Santa Fe. It’s not just gas. It’s everything. Rents are insane. Insurance is a joke. Medical insurance is a bigger joke.
What are we doing here?
Capitalism is killing us. Everyone is tired. We’re all stressed out. Big-name musical artists are canceling their tours; a trend the industry is calling “Blue Dot Fever” — named for the unsold seats that show up as blue dots on ticketing maps — because nobody can afford a high-dollar ticket. We’re all stuck buying groceries that cost $89 for two bags of nothing.
Even if I quit coffee, the $1,200 becomes just another bill. Another thing to pay off. Those coffees — my moments of joy — a year’s worth of them doesn’t add up to what movers cost, or to what office space would cost, and it’s nowhere close to my rent. When George Strait recently played Austin, nosebleed tickets started at $700. Those tickets sold out, and I’d be willing to bet 90% of his working-class fans bought them on Klarna or credit. Who’s got $700 for a single ticket? That’s not even including gas, parking, or dinner. Post Malone is probably pissed — his fans skew younger and have worse credit.
Why is the default setting always “stop going out to lunch” or “stop getting coffee,” and why can’t it be “why is my insurance premium so high?” or “why am I paying a fortune in rent?” or “will I ever be able to buy a house?”
It feels like I see more people with signs looking for a buck every day. Every day it feels like one of us could be next. And that really sucks. No one wants to pay $100 to fill up their car. No one wants to debate which store is cheaper because they need to feed the kids. And yet here we are, being told the problem is the cold brew.
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