Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The ROI of an Espresso Machine

I had to clean my espresso machine yesterday. After 200 shots, you have to drop a little tablet in and listen to it make all sorts of crazy noises while it takes a little bath.

During this process, you have to turn the dial around and flip past the counter that tells you how many drinks you've made. I was startled to see that I had made 817 drinks. Not because that's a lot of coffee, but because of how much that would have cost me at Starbucks.

Everyone thinks espresso machines are really expensive. But think about this. 817 quad short breve lattes at Starbucks would have cost me $3700. I got this machine as a gift many years ago, but it was probably about $900. (That's 36 large stamp sets :) ) So if you take the $900, plus the $62 in coffee beans it took to make that many drinks, maybe another $30 in half and half - we're still looking at a $2700 payback!!

If you love espresso - you might want to check it out! The company that made mine - Capresso - has discontinued it, but they have all sorts of other ones. If you get one, get one that grinds beans for you and has a ground coffee option, and DEFINITELY get one with a milk steamer/frother wand built in. You don't want a separate grinder and frother, especially if you're working with my teeny amount of counter space.

So I think that justifies at LEAST $2700 worth of my stamp expenditures over the last few years, don't you? I feel completely guilt free! Makes it so easy to enjoy creating! :)
Stamps: MFT Up Up and Away Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Crumb Cake, Soft Sky 
Paper: Soft Sky, Whisper White, Crumb Cake Accessories: MFT Die-namics -  Flat Bottomed Cloud  Well Worn Greetings, Dizzy Border, Bleach, Paintbrush, Sponge

I love this quote so much - it's so true.

I know you can't see on the big picture, but the balloon is all glittery - I rubbed some Extreme Glitter paint on it with my finger - it's so beautiful.


Doesn't all that blue just make your eyes happy? Or wait - is that just me?

Congratulations to my Big Shot Die winner - Anne S! Anne, please email me your address and I'll get your goodies in the mail!

Now for the rest of you -  your assignment for the week is to focus your imagination! Make coffee and stamp something!

Loveyameanitbye.


12 comments:

  1. I completely agree..the best investment I ever made!!! Love me some Lattes in the AM! :-)

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  2. Your explanation just made me laugh out loud, Lydia, with your explanation on how you are "guilt free." And, you are absolutely right!! Kathy/SCS-101Airborne

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  3. SOOOOO... your coffee maker is monitoring your behavior?? Does it have furtive meetings with the gas pumps as well, to discuss how many coffees you buy while you're at the filling station? all this while SBUX is tracking you via GPS.

    wv Dumbeg (Doombeg) is an hour-glass shaped drum with lamb skin at one side and an open end at the other side.

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  4. Ha - coffee beans must be cheaper there than they are here. Any time I have to ask DH to buy some he nearly faints - and then he works it out in terms of cups of coffee bought out and realises it's better value. But he doesn't know how much my grinder cost and I ain't telling him.
    It's certainly a great way of balancing the books, setting the coffee savings against stamps :D.
    Love the quote, too!

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  5. Oh Lydia I just love your justification! I am not a coffee drinker (nothing hot at all) gimme a Dew and ice and I am happy, but I can understand that math!!
    Great card and I love the Mark Twain quote!

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  6. Hello... department of justification? I *love* the way you think, Lydia-Lou.

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  7. Sent you an email with my address this afternoon. So excited that I won--thanks! Cute Balloon card--i like the quote you chose.

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  8. I will present your reasoning to dh when I submit the request for an espresso machine....
    Cool card!
    *smile*

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  9. OK, so I LOVE your caffeine / stampy math! Love it! My beloved espresso machine died last year (after about 8 years of heavy use!) and I've been unable to find one we like to replace it...

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  10. I completely SQUUEEEEEEEEE'd out loud when I saw this card! The whole thing makes me happy! And I had major regret for not following through and buying this set on release day...since they're sold out! BOO! I immediately wanted to play! LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE those clouds and that balloon...I love how you made it RED. And SHIMMERY.

    Awesome.

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  11. Lydia, LOVE the story about your espresso machine. Is Quad FOUR shots of espresso in one drink? And is breve cream??

    I have a Keurig and I make myself my favorite Starbucks drink everyday for less than 50 cents (it would be about $4.50 at SB!). My favorite is an Iced Venti Skim Caramel Macchiato!

    Hope to see you at Convention!

    Susan, aka Soozie4Him on SCS
    moot96 AT aol DOT com

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  12. I had to clean my espresso machine yesterday. After 200 shots, you have to drop a little tablet in and listen to it make all sorts of crazy noises ... mexpressomachine.blogspot.com

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