The Daily Grind

I've been much too lugubrious lately, so today we're going to talk about—the global recession! And how you can have a good life no matter how much money you have, assuming you're at least, like, surviving. This is part of a series I'm dabbling with called "Budget Bon Vivant."

And today we're going to talk about coffee. Everybody likes coffee, and when the good times were rolling they were willing to pay a few bucks for a cup. But you can have excellent coffee every day, made exactly the way you like it, for much, much less. Here's how:

1.) Buy a coffee grinder. A name brand will cost about 20 bucks (American dollars, that is) and last for an equal number of years. This is not a big capital outlay when amortized over the years.
2.) Get a pour-over coffee maker, basically a plastic cone that sits on the cup. It works with filters. They're made by Melitta, and they sell for a few bucks in high-end kitchenware stores or online.
3.) Grind the beans just before you make the coffee. Experiment with the type of beans you buy, the amount of ginding (count the seconds) and amount of coffee to use until you get it the way you like.
4.) Start with cold water of good quality.
5.) Enjoy the coffee. Sit down, have a nice calm moment to start your day, and really enjoy it. It's excellent coffee, and it's made exactly the way you like it, because it was made exactly by you.

Here are some tips, including a recommendation to use a French press as one option. Tips with more background here.

And if you're wondering, this is how I make my own coffee. I have a cup made exactly that way in front of me at this very moment. I've been making it that way for about 20 years, and I have no idea how much money I've saved, but the money I did save is money I didn't have to bother to earn. That means I've had more time to enjoy my life over the years. Time is the stuff of life, and life should be savored like coffee. That's what Budget Bon Vivant is all about, folks. Now I'm going to press "save" and have my first sip.

UPDATE: Looks like Starbucks is freaking out. Whattaya know?