Her books and clothes are bought locally, often from thrift stores. She takes a pass on the $6 baskets of blueberries. And as much as she’d like to get behind the Buy Local movement and avoid anything from the United States, she said spending extra isn’t something she can afford.
It’s not blueberry season in our hemisphere. She can buy frozen blueberries from canada for far cheaper. As mentioned at the bottom of the article, just buy seasonal. Butternut squash is good, kinda awkward to cut, but easy to cook with just a few spices in the oven. Apples are kinda expensive lately, but keep really well.
I think we’re collectively very spoiled right now and the fact that not getting fresh foreign blueberries is a major complaint is kinda sad.
Newfoundland-based music teacher Claire Bates said the hardest part of buying local has been losing some of her favourite routines.
“There’s so much happening in the world, and I just want to drink the coffee that I love,” said Ms. Bates, a Starbucks fan.
I get it, but I’ve given up my things like this too and it’s not hard. I have a guilty pleasure of buying dairy queen, and since tariffs I’ve completely cut them out of my life.
I got kind of pissed off today when I was out. There was a lineup around McDonalds. Lineup around Starbucks. Meanwhile across the road A&W (who do have decent coffee) and Tims are basically empty. You can get better food at A&W and decent coffee, and A&W Canada is canadian owned.
Starbucks really exemplifies the problem perfectly I think. You don’t need it, you can avoid it easily, and yet you go every day. I buy a $50 bag of locally roasted espresso that provides 4 cups a day of coffee for over a month. Compare that to a $2.75 for a cup of coffee from starbucks, that’s a huge savings. I do not understand people’s coffee habits in this day and age.
But frankly I’m finding this “it’s not affordable” despite making zero efforts to change habits super frustrating to hear about.
I’m also finding the “I need people to tell me what to buy and why” frustrating too. You need to get off social media and make your own decisions.
The US produces basically zero coffee. I’m sure there are plenty of snooty boutique roasters in Toronto who do the exact same thing as all the snooty boutique roasters in the US.
Your last two paragraphs summarized it all perfectly: majority of us had become sheeple who are happy to give up their rights and free will to live a comfortable life and let someone else decide for them. The only resistance they show is by posting on social media - getting up and actually doing something for a better good is too difficult. Including doing their own goddamn coffee! Even buying an automatic coffee machine is paying for itself at this rate in less than half a year! And the same majority decides about our future in elections!
I’d also recommend delicata squash. I’m not usually a huge squash fan, but I really like that one. Very cheap and easy to cook, and easy to cut up as well. It seems to be very underappreciated. I always hear people talking about spaghetti, butternut, and acorn squash, and I think I’m the only person I have ever encountered who has mentioned delicata. Give it a go! Roast it up with some olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper. You can even eat the skin.
I used to buy Second Cup every day, and just a relatively cheap Americano. About 15 years ago I picked up a $1200 deLonghi Magnifica fully auto espresso machine. Since then I’ve run off, according to the counter in the machine diag, 40,000+ shots of espresso. At $3 a cup at Second cup, with bean costs, I’ve probably paid for that machine 30 or 40X over.
I recently had to replace that machine finally, but I have another one at the cabin with almost 20,000 shots registered on it. It wasn’t just a fluke.
Idk how the machine counts shots, but I imagine if you drink double shots it should count as 2? That’s 3 coffees a day, so not out of the realm of possibilities. And if it’s just regular ones, 3-4 a day isn’t unheard of. More so if shared with a spouse
A&W also has a decent plated breakfast (for a fast food restaurant) and an egg McMuffin equivalent that is just as good. I actually like their hashbowns better than mcd’s
It’s not blueberry season in our hemisphere. She can buy frozen blueberries from canada for far cheaper. As mentioned at the bottom of the article, just buy seasonal. Butternut squash is good, kinda awkward to cut, but easy to cook with just a few spices in the oven. Apples are kinda expensive lately, but keep really well.
I think we’re collectively very spoiled right now and the fact that not getting fresh foreign blueberries is a major complaint is kinda sad.
I get it, but I’ve given up my things like this too and it’s not hard. I have a guilty pleasure of buying dairy queen, and since tariffs I’ve completely cut them out of my life.
I got kind of pissed off today when I was out. There was a lineup around McDonalds. Lineup around Starbucks. Meanwhile across the road A&W (who do have decent coffee) and Tims are basically empty. You can get better food at A&W and decent coffee, and A&W Canada is canadian owned.
Starbucks really exemplifies the problem perfectly I think. You don’t need it, you can avoid it easily, and yet you go every day. I buy a $50 bag of locally roasted espresso that provides 4 cups a day of coffee for over a month. Compare that to a $2.75 for a cup of coffee from starbucks, that’s a huge savings. I do not understand people’s coffee habits in this day and age.
But frankly I’m finding this “it’s not affordable” despite making zero efforts to change habits super frustrating to hear about.
I’m also finding the “I need people to tell me what to buy and why” frustrating too. You need to get off social media and make your own decisions.
The US produces basically zero coffee. I’m sure there are plenty of snooty boutique roasters in Toronto who do the exact same thing as all the snooty boutique roasters in the US.
Source: have been to Toronto.
True. Only one state produces coffee (Hawaii) and it’s not a helluva lot.
If you include roasters, there’s Raven’s Brew from Alaska. They’re my favorite coffee that I have ever had. Just the best smell.
Your last two paragraphs summarized it all perfectly: majority of us had become sheeple who are happy to give up their rights and free will to live a comfortable life and let someone else decide for them. The only resistance they show is by posting on social media - getting up and actually doing something for a better good is too difficult. Including doing their own goddamn coffee! Even buying an automatic coffee machine is paying for itself at this rate in less than half a year! And the same majority decides about our future in elections!
Acorn squash is just as cheap and good as butternut, and easier to cut/core
I’d also recommend delicata squash. I’m not usually a huge squash fan, but I really like that one. Very cheap and easy to cook, and easy to cut up as well. It seems to be very underappreciated. I always hear people talking about spaghetti, butternut, and acorn squash, and I think I’m the only person I have ever encountered who has mentioned delicata. Give it a go! Roast it up with some olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper. You can even eat the skin.
Sounds like it will cook the same way as acorn, eat the skin on that too. I’ll have to keep an eye out
They’re long and yellow with green striations. Tend to be mixed in with the other squash.
I used to buy Second Cup every day, and just a relatively cheap Americano. About 15 years ago I picked up a $1200 deLonghi Magnifica fully auto espresso machine. Since then I’ve run off, according to the counter in the machine diag, 40,000+ shots of espresso. At $3 a cup at Second cup, with bean costs, I’ve probably paid for that machine 30 or 40X over.
I recently had to replace that machine finally, but I have another one at the cabin with almost 20,000 shots registered on it. It wasn’t just a fluke.
40k shots in 15 years is like 7 shots a day. You may be drinking a little too much.
Yah, they’re double shots. So 3.5 coffees a day. Probably too much but I’m good with it. You can die fast or you can die miserable.
Idk how the machine counts shots, but I imagine if you drink double shots it should count as 2? That’s 3 coffees a day, so not out of the realm of possibilities. And if it’s just regular ones, 3-4 a day isn’t unheard of. More so if shared with a spouse
A&W also has a decent plated breakfast (for a fast food restaurant) and an egg McMuffin equivalent that is just as good. I actually like their hashbowns better than mcd’s
I like their sandwhich better than the McDonald’s version. McD’s has a better hashbrown, but A&W has better everything else.