When I was preparing for the GMAT, I’d frequently go to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Starbucks, or Borders to study.
Often I would be too distracted to study at home. The libraries around my apartment would close at in the early evenings… that’s way too early considering I usually got my studying in between 9PM and 11PM.
At $3-$6 a sitting (I’d usually get a drink, sometimes I’d splurge for a sandwich), these study sessions aren’t cheap. I went out to study at least once or twice a week. Assuming an average expenditure of $10-$20 a week, I was spending $50-$80 a month on coffee drinks alone!
I don’t know how I got into studying at coffee shops - it’s a habit that started in high school when I first started cramming for statistics at a Starbucks.
Mentally tallying up all the coffee money I’ve spent in the name of studying…. must have been in the hundreds.
image source: reallynatural.com
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
When you put it in the perspective of $50 a month for coffee, it does sound like a lot of money. On the other hand, t sounds like it has paid off for you. You got a return on that investment with your great scores. Thank goodness college libraries usually stay open late so that should help when you do go back to school.
Ahh I miss Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf! I wish all coffee shops made their ice like that.
Anyway I took at least 6 Coffee Bean/Starbucks breaks each week during the school year, so yeah, that ended up being a problem for me as well. Then I discovered Jamba Juice’s oatmeal which took care of the mornings… whoops.
I work/study at coffee shops pretty frequently, and consider the increased productivity worth the cost! I often get a lot more done in a coffee shop than in my office… and as a grad student, happily take advantage of that flexibility
I like the routine of going to the coffee shop and getting my one cup a day. I don’t buy the expensive lattes; my Americano with sugar-free vanilla syrup and nonfat milk comes out to less than $2. My husband and I are saving at least $1,000 a month, and I have very few other things on which I spend, so I figure if one cup of coffee gets me through the day and gives me a little pep in my step, why not? I’ve felt guilty about the “latte factor,” but if I’m really frugal in other areas, why can’t I have this one thing?
Wow…I think we share a life sometimes. My blog even has photos of my second office (aka Borders, featuring a latte!). I would frequent bookstores and coffee houses for GRE studying, writing, etc. Thankfully, I’m done with the GRE forever. Recently, I cut my coffee purchases to one per week (not including whoel beans for the house). It is too expensive when I have to buy a house. I miss coffee dearly and it definitely challenging, but I have to learn to cope.
I started drinking regular coffee when I was studying for my comprehensive exams for m PhD. I had been drinking only lattes and other such fancy drinks, but the cost was rising rapidly, so I switched, even though before that, I didn’t like regular coffee. I now blame my caffeine addiction to my comps.
I would concur with others that the increase in productivity and sanity (I studied with colleagues at the coffee shop, which was integral for my comps) was well worth the cost, and if it fit into the budget, why not?
I miss Coffee Bean (no locations here in MA)! I now visit Dunkin’ Donuts regularly as I’ve started drinking coffee in the past year but never really liked it in college and grad school. It certainly is an expensive habit.
I am in this habit too but sometimes I buy coffee online at Starbucks.com through Ebates.com and get cash back on my coffee addiction!
Studying makes me massively hungry for some reason, I don’t know why my brain craves calories. But I was never very good at studying at the coffeehouse, heck I was never very good at studying anywhere! It’s a miracle I made it through school. If a coffee a day helped you get through school then it’s money well spent.
I just started studying for the GRE. I am sitting in Borders right now and just ordered a cookies and cream coffee drink. I have a feeling I need to budget for my coffee now.
When I was in college, there were no Starbucks or other places like that in LA so we went to Denny's late at night to study and for $2 had the endless cup of coffee all night.