In defense of the $5 latte

I bought this just for you, gentle readers

Every article you read about trying to save money takes its readers to task for “wasting” what is admittedly a large amount of money on their daily coffee/hot beverage. But what does that $5 buy you? Is it worth the price?

When I worked at a stressful, dead-end job, my coworkers and I would escape down the street to the local European coffee house for an overpriced cuppa whatever. Those fifteen blissful minutes took us away from a demoralizing place and into a place where we were in control—yerba mate latte with soy, Americano with room for cream, skinny mocha—and we got what we wanted. Recently, I found solace in the bottom of a cardboard cup after a teeth-clenching morning of meetings and bad news. I returned to my work a saner, calmer person.

What I get from my $5 latte $3.79 soy tea latte:

1.       Getting away from my desk, a.k.a. sweet freedom.

2.       A little luxury in a very scary, uncertain economic time: “I can afford it, and I deserve it.”

3.       The health benefits. Like its partners-in-delicious-crime red wine and dark chocolate, researchers have been doggedly pursuing research to prove coffee is actually good for you. And it seems like it actually might be: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/the-case-for-drinking-as-much-coffee-as-you-like/265693/.

4.       Life-giving caffeine.

5.       Control. I’m giving the orders, here! At long last. [/meglomaniacal laugh]