Why I Paid $504.75 For a Starbucks Latte

How One Coffee Run Ended in a Major Life Lesson

Photo by Athar Khan on Unsplash

It was early Saturday morning in a small town in North Texas where my wife and I were spending a long weekend. We were staying at a cozy Airbnb that, unfortunately, came with what I consider a cardinal sin—no coffee maker. Realizing this right after waking up on the first morning of a three-day trip wasn’t exactly the start I had in mind.

For me, that morning coffee isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential. While I don’t go into caffeine withdrawal when I skip it, like during lab test fasting, it throws my routine completely out of whack. I’m a creature of habit, and my day just doesn’t feel right until I’ve had my two cups of coffee (after a quick visit to the bathroom, of course).

After my search for a coffee maker in the Airbnb turned up nothing, I did what any true coffee drinker in a strange city would …