Brew and Budget: How to Work in Coffee Shops Without Going Broke
We are all attracted to love tall, dark, sweet and handsome beverages. There is something about coffee and coffee shops that will drain your wallet. I know if I am not careful, my pennies will get spent very quickly whilst working from the coffee shop.
Loving coffee, It is one of the universe's fundamental laws, like Romance novels having tall, dark and handsome protagonists.
Joking aside, this is an important thing to be thinking about as working from a coffee shop can become expensive if you are not keeping track of what you are spending money on.
Before we dive into this subject matter, we need to talk about setting a budget.
Setting a Budget
What I should have called this section is: How much to pay your caffeine dealer. Sadly, someone would have got upset, so I have decided to write about it in a sentence for comedic effect. Anyway, moving on.
Setting a reasonable and sensible budget for both working out of the house and buying drinks in a coffee shop is important.
Several factors will play into this calculation, including:
- How many times do you plan on visiting a coffee shop each week?
- How long do you intend to be there?
- Who is paying? You? Your company?
- Have you cleared your expenses with your boss?
- Have you read the company expenses policy?
- Will you be eating (e.g. getting lunch)?
- Does your company have a budget or policy around remote working?
- How will you get to the coffee shop?
Not all of the questions above will apply to you; however, with the answers to these questions, you will be able to set a budget for working from a coffee shop.
I wrote an article on this subject called When Working From A Coffee Shop How Often Should You Buy Drinks, which can help outline a realistic approach to this.
Tracking Your Spend
Keeping track of these expenses can become an overly complicated burden, that, let's be honest, is not going to add much value. I prefer to set a budget and track how much of the budget is left.
Essentially, I believe using a strong method to control spending will act as both a budgeting and tracking tool.
How to Control Your Spending
There are several ways you can control your spending whilst working from a coffee shop. They include: habit, cash, and cash cards. However, first, let's talk about Willpower.
Willpower is the simplest and obvious answer: just control yourself. The proponents of this methodology would say, as a fully grown adult human, you should be able to do this.
However, it does require willpower, which is something that fluctuates throughout the day and week.
Personally, willpower requires too much effort to be effective and considered. So what might work then?
Cash
I find cash and cash stuffing to be a great way to control how much I am spending whilst working in a coffee shop. Cash works by setting a hard barrier to further spending through limiting the access to spending. Once the cash has run out, it has run out.
Positives: You have a finite budget, and once it is spent, it is spent. You can visualise it by looking at the cash.
Negatives: You lack flexibility. Some coffee shops will not take it. Pennies and loose change.
Pro Tip: Have a separate wallet or envelope that you keep your coffee pocket money in.
Habits
Habits are the most powerful driving force in all of our lives. If you are able to use willpower for long enough, you can create a series of coffee shop habits that will allow you to manage and curb your habits.
However, like willpower, there is only so much that you are going to be able to do. Habits can also suffer from habitual drift, where they change ever so slightly over time and can morph or change completely.
Habit is not, in my personal opinion, an effective way to control your spending when working from a coffee shop.
Positives: Habit is a shaping force in our lives. You will not need to be managing a system.
Negatives: Habit requires upfront willpower. No inbuilt accountability. Can lead to habit drift.
Pro Tip: Build habits through routine. Same coffee shop, same times of day, same days of the week.
Cash Cards or Expense Cards
Much like cash, cash cards or expense cards can help you to manage how much you are spending by setting a hard budget. Once the money on the card has been spent it restricts your purchases of the black stuff (that's coffee, not Guinness).
Positives: Helps you manage your budget. Pay for things in most shops and coffee shops. Would allow you to make regular transfers so that unspent budget can be rolled over.
Negatives: An additional cash card does come with an extra cost. Need to have the card with you when working in a coffee shop.
Pro Tip: Getting a completely separate card like Skrill means you can set up a regular weekly or monthly transfer that allows you to keep this money entirely separate. Please note I am not a financial adviser, nor do we get affiliate income for the link above.
And Do Not Forget
Keep the Receipts.
If you are going to be claiming the expenses, ensure you keep the receipts. In my twenties, I was rubbish at this and sadly ended up occasionally spending my own money on company expenses. Do not be a clown like me.
Final Thoughts
Working from a coffee shop is a great way to get things done. However, do not let those baristas empty your wallets.
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