BY CLARE M
Buying coffee is a daily tradition for a lot of people, but rising living costs are leading many to question whether it’s money well spent. Some are saving by making their own at home, while others think the caffeine hit is worth every cent they pay.
Evan Williams, a 19-year old retail worker and UNSW student from Engadine, loves his coffee: “Coffee would never be a waste of money. It is in my bones, part of who I am. Not to mention it fuels my study.”
19-year-old Canberra local and ANU student Nic West is also a caffeine enthusiast. When asked if he thought coffee was a waste of money, he said: “No, I don’t, personally. I think it’s a stimulant and it wakes me up. It’s also pleasurable, but it should be up to the person who buys it to decide whether it’s a waste of money or not. But not for me, no.”
21-year-old student Tim Hooker from Wollongong has a mixed opinion: “Coffee’s not that much of a waste of money if you only have, you know, one a day at home and you buy your own stuff. “But if you’re one of those people that buy like five a day and you get them all at the shop for $4.50, then yeah it’s a waste of money.”
Chantelle Scollar, a 20-year-old UNSW student, thinks the solution lies in a DIY-approach: “In terms of buying coffee, I think that a lot of people do spend too much money on coffee, and it’s also bad for the environment to get takeaway cups all the time. So, it might be more efficient to be using instant coffee or maybe investing in a coffee machine. But it’s good for baristas.”
