There are so many different types of coffee available nowadays that sometimes it is tricky to know which one to go for. Do you plump for your old favorite cappuccino and only vary it by whether you have chocolate sprinkles on the top or not? Or do you strike out and order a skinny caramel latte with all the trimmings and not really know what to expect when you take your first sip?  Choosing the right kind of coffee for your own tastes can be a long process. The best way is the tried and tested method which means you have a great excuse for drinking loads of different types of coffee over a few weeks with the excuse that you are doing some serious research. It has got to be done – and all guilt free. Marvelous.  The sort of coffee you choose can also vary as to the time of day it is and how much time you have to linger over it. A longer drink like a latte or Americano is great for meeting and chatting with friends when you have the time. If you are on the go and just need a hit of caffeine quickly then an espresso is perfect as in one gulp it is gone.  There are generally three types of customers in a coffee shop – the simple type (and that is not being rude about their cerebral capacity) who just want something straight forward and easy like a filter coffee and they add their own milk.  Then there is the more indulgent customer who wants that little bit of extra in their drink so they are likely to go for a cappuccino or latte. The last type is those who are having a bad day and want to cheer themselves up with a mocha with extra cream, caramel sprinkles and a spoon. They tend to attack these sorts of coffee like a pudding and get the very last bits out with a spoon.  The type of coffee that is right for you really can depend on the sort of mood you are in and the time of day when you are drinking. But the great thing about the choice nowadays is that coffee is seen as much healthier than it was a few years ago with the added combinations of soya and skimmed milk as well as sugar free syrups.   Buying a deeply rich tasting coffee in a coffee shop is all well and good, but what do you do when you get home? The answer is to buy one of the many http://www.caffesociety.co.uk/coffee-machines/bean-to-cup-coffee-machines“>bean to cup coffee machines so you can have freshly ground coffee whenever you want. Perfect. I`ll have a double espresso please.

Okay, so I’m not poor, anymore.  I was at one point and could easily be again so I keep a study in impoverished conditions.  Nuts?  Maybe, but who cares.  My point is simple, it’s not cheaper in the ghetto.  Check out what my ‘brilliant’ brain concocted and see how ‘well’ it plays out.

About a year and a half ago, we where preparing to move.  In preparation, we of course needed to find a new house.  We don’t share walls well with others so we always search for houses instead of apartments, townhouses or duplexes.  I decided, in my fit to cut expenses, that moving into the ‘ghetto’ area where rent was cheaper would be a sacrifice we could make to move forward in other ways financially.  Little did I know, it’s not cheaper.  Here’s the break down:

In suburbs we spent the following for a 3 bedroom 1300sq foot house and had two teenagers at home.  $800-rent/$125-average power (included water because it was an electric pump attached to a well)/$30-trash/$450-gas (45 mile one way commute each working adult) – $1405

In downtown historic area we lived in a 3 bedroom 980sq foot with only one kid in the house.  $1000-rent/$200-average power/$25-average water/$75-gas (less than 10 mile commute for one and walking distance for other) – $1300

In the ‘ghetto’ we have a three bedroom 1050sq foot house and no kids at home.  $650-rent/$340-average power/$45-average water/$150-gas – $1185

Okay, the finances look pretty even if taken in whole but look at the power and water differences and that there are fewer people in each step.  Now consider the peace and comfort you also give up.

In the suburbs we sat on an acre and it was quiet.  No sirens, traffic, fighting neighbors, loud parties etc.  I mean, once or twice a year a neighbor would have a cook out and it would be rowdy but never to the point it disturbed you inside the house.  Everyone kept to themselves and the neighborhood was peaceful.

In the downtown area, our lot was less than .2 acres and our neighbors where about 15 feet away on one side and triple that on the other side.  Not what we are accustomed to but not unbearable.  The back yard at least had a fence and we could let the dog out.  The noise level doubled, the knocks at the door tripled and the sirens and trains made for some hard to sleep nights.

In the ‘ghetto’ we’re always on alert.  The sirens blare right past us daily, the thumping music of passing  ‘thugs’ in their old 1970′s cars with crappy engines and flashy paint jobs, with big spinning rims and thumping sound (I presume to drown out the noise of the engine that is about to blow?).  Making matters worse are the windows that don’t lock, have no screens and if pushed on just so will pop out because all the caulking has dry rotted and Plexiglas held with tack nails substituting broken window panes.  Toss in the trampoline effect of some of the floors for a full day of enjoyment inevitably squashed by the slant in the office floor that causes the chair to roll towards the door or the steepening angle of the bathtub throwing you off balance.  Compound that with the fact that we’ve had bicycles, lawnmower, weed eater and even a stupid chair stolen from the porch, even when locked up!  The back yard is a jungle that’s not fenced so the dog is inside all the time.  With all that said, is it any wonder we can’t both leave the house for more than a few hours?  Going out on a Wed. Night to our favorite spot is an adventure.  Every time we leave together, I expect to be robbed.  It’s a daily thought, a daily fear, and unfortunately, in this neighborhood, it’s a reality.

All things considered, we’re looking for another house in the downtown area.  Neither of us embrace the idea of staying in this house any longer or wish to commute from the suburbs anymore. Downtown and historic areas are quieter, safer and smarter for those who work in those areas.

I hope my dumb move will teach someone else not to make that mistake.  That’s why it’s been written, to share, to educate, to enlighten, even myself.  As much as one might enjoy reading my quips and sarcastic banter with myself, it’s therapeutic and fulfilling to write it.

May Peace, Love and Prosperity be with you always.