Full of beans

It was a rare occasion when I made coffee at home. Instead, I liked to pay $2 for a regular cup of Joe from Caribou or Starbucks every day when I could have pocketed that $40 per month for, say, a new pair of shoes when mine started to smell.

I preferred the stronger taste of the Kenya blend from Caribou over watered-down Foldgers. And I enjoyed being served my coffee in its cute little cup instead of having to wait on myself.

But times have changed, my friends. Although I consider myself a coffee shop snob -- I seek only the best cafes (move over Starbucks) to spend an hour with friends over a cafe miel -- I've started to take my coffee at home.

One of my first morning detours is a trip to the kitchen counter where the coffee pot sits. I pour a few spoonfuls of Trader Joe's Bolivian blend coffee beans into the Mr. Coffee grinder. I press down on the grinder until the loud sound stops and then scoop a few tablespoons of fresh grounds into the Mr. Coffee maker. I press the "on" button. And within a few minutes, I'm sipping the smooth brown magic.

I still go to nearby coffee shops, but the number of trips per week has dwindled down to one or two. Even then, I go for iced tea or some special drink that I can't -- or, more likely, won't -- make at home.

I attribute the switch to making coffee at home to the grinder, a new coffee pot and Trader Joe's Bolivian blend coffee beans.