A few months ago my husband sat me down like I was six years old and said " Honey, you are spending money. Like a lot of money. What are you buying? You really need to get this under control because we have goals of buying land and we will never get there at this rate." He was right. I was just running around buying nonsense, going out to eat and acting like a total fool.
So I set a few rules for myself: I was not going to let myself buy anything online without letting it sit in my cart for at least a week. I realized I was buying so much on a whim. I wasn't mulling over what was actually necessary for our lives and I was having crap delivered...again. I don't want crap and I don't have room for it. I wasn't going to go shopping alone. I tended to go alone and just buy anything that tickled my fancy. Well that's just silly. If someone is with you when you pick up that blanket, they will say to you "Um, you have 378 blankets. You don't need that" I need checked like that so a "parent" while shopping is imperative.
I also set some money saving goals. I looked when I spent money on consumables. My grocery bill. What was I spending the most on while at the grocery store. Basically it's laundry products, cleaning products (more in another blog on how I save on these), and coffee. My family of four spends around $120-150 a week on groceries and almost $50 of that was in those three categories! WHHHHAAAAT?! I can fix that!
So I began to research how to do my favorite thing first... Drink coffee cheaper. In to my life comes the pretty little French Press. Previously I was buying K-cups. at almost $1 a pod, we were spending roughly $4-6 a day on coffee pods. Nonsense.
Because I prefer to do things in a more natural way, this was right up my alley! It saves me money and it has now also transformed my mornings. I have always needed my morning cup of joe like the rest of us but now the 10 minute process it takes to make it, is part of my morning calm. I don't just enjoy drinking it, I enjoy making it too.
I wake up an hour before everyone else now. This was an evolution. The first morning, I only gave myself 15 minutes, but as I have come to love this routine, I have given myself more and more time for it. I put a pot of water on the stove- because I have yet to buy a kettle. I grind my coffee beans in my little grinder that I scored from Kroger for $7 and pour them into the bottom of my press while I wait for the water to heat up. I then pull out my favorite mug and creamer and prepare it. Once the water is hot, I pour it over the ground coffee and put the top on. I wait to press it for about four minutes. Perfection.
Then I sit down and pray. I like to take a lot of time in this. It was something I used to do in the evening but I have found that when I give myself the time in the mornings, I feel a much stronger connection to God with a fresh and bright mind. Then I plan my day. What I am going to cook- it's already decided but sometimes I need to do a little prep work for that in the morning. I lay out my kids clothes. I start breakfast. I pull out shoes and coats and gloves and book bags and make sure all of the papers are in the correct folders. All the things a half heartedly used to do in the evening when I was exhausted after a long day. This new routine brought to me by this simply beautiful coffee source has changed my life. Are you curious about the cost per week? For us it's about $5 per week. I have just been buying the sale whole bean coffee and a bag lasts more than a week but not quite two. It is GLORIOUS.
After trying a couple mass market French presses, I found this one and I HIGHLY recommend this one! Also, when you buy one, you are actually supporting a family business and I am 100% down with supporting people who are chasing their dreams!
Here is the link to order:
Copper French Press Coffee Maker Kit, Measuring Spoon and Clip - Portable, Manual Coffee Makers - Double-wall, Stainless Steel Pot and Brewer, Great For Travel and Outdoors, Rose Gold, 34 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CRRH911/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OFEsCbMNPQF7V
