Americans feel happiness drain away as daily treats like coffee cost more and more. Here’s how to keep them from adding up

Young woman using credit card reader at coffee shop counter (Credit: MoMo Productions)

Pour one out for your daily cup. After tax and tip, a large coffee in my New York City neighborhood now runs almost $8. Yes, I ask for oat milk; no, there’s nothing else “fancy” about it. I’m now second-guessing the once- or twice-weekly indulgence as inflation has ballooned the price of not just coffee but most everything else in my budget. 

I don’t mean to complain. I understand the economics of why the price has gone up. The beans, rent for the shop, wages for the employees, specialty milks—all those costs have increased. What used to cost $4.20 on average for a pound of ground coffee in 2019 costs $6.19 today.