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The Economics of the Morning Commute

I recently commented on Facebook about the ironic comments people make about not having money for summer vacations, while they sip a $3 Starbuck's coffee each day.  I was personally attacked as being a have not, desiring the fruits of the "haves" labor.  I unfriended the degenerate who staked these claims, not because his comments were rude, insensitive or wrong, but because it dawned on me that when someone knows me so little and doesn't care to know me, how can I consider them a friend?  The entire coffee on the run idea got me thinking.  Why do we do it?

For years I did the coffee and egg sandwich special at the local deli.  Usually a special that cost me a mere $3.50, but times have changed and the last time I succumbed to this nonsense it was $5.00.  I then started thinking about my morning.  I had to be somewhere at 9am and normally would have left at 8:40 to arrive on time. I wanted the breakfast and time to eat it, so I left at 8:30.  A good 12 minutes went by and by the time I got back to the car, I was in a rush, so I wolfed down the sandwich, slurper 3/4 of the coffee and entered the meeting place just as the clock struck 9am, slightly disoriented and sweating.  The next morning, I woke up at 7:45 in the morning with nothing to and went shopping.  I bought a dozen English Muffins for $4.99, a dozen eggs for $2.79, a package of cheddar cheese for $2.50, a quart of milk for $1.89 and a can of Bustelo coffee, on sale for $2.99.

When I returned home, I did a little test.  I got up put a flame under a pan with a pat of butter in it, then proceeded to load up the coffee filter with enough for a six cup pot.  By the time, I poured the water into the pan, the butter was sizzling and I added an egg. I then threw an English muffin into the toaster as the eggs cooked.  I flipped the eggs, added some cheese top and shut off the flame. As the toaster went off, I took out the muffin, added the eggs, squirted a little hot sauce on top and poured my coffee.  I was in no rush, but I had timed this.  The entire process took me five minutes and fourteen seconds.  Total cost for sandwich and cup off coffee? $1.06 (give or take a few pennies).  Now also take into account over the course of a week, my total would have been roughly the same as the deli charged me for a day.  So I would have saved $20 and I still have enough for seven more egg sandwiches.  For the total cost of $15 I can make the same thing I get at the deli for two straight weeks, including two left over for the third week and save $35 or for the conversationalists I overheard.....$900+ for my vacation fund.  Oh and did I mention the extra ten minutes of sleep I can get every morning? That's two snooze pushes for those who like to snooze, which for some is worth more than it's weight in gold.

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