GorgeousDumpsterFire

If I were to provide a suggestion, I would start with fresh grinding your coffee from beans. You can get a pretty cheap manual grinder for like $20-30. I don’t remember the name of mine (it’s generic) but it was like $30 on Amazon and is great when I travel.

Next time you’re in a coffee shop, grab their cheapest blend. Coffee shops, in my experience, have fresher beans than the grocery store, especially if they roast their own coffee.

It doesn’t have to be the $26 organic single origin, just something that’s been roasted more recently than 6 months ago. Maybe you’ll be able to convince your S/O to get some better coffee in the future.

Honestly, your ingredients are going to far surpass any brewing method. I’ve brewed cheap coffee in my Chemex that didn’t taste very good and quality coffee in a hotel in-room Coffee machine that tasted amazing.

Good Beans + Good Water gets you like 70% of the way to good coffee.

I’m not sure how you can get much cheaper than a local band lol.

I can go see a DIY show with a local no-name act for less than $12. There are even shows (often I see this for theatrical shows) that are pay-what-you-can (including $0). I don’t see a world where these are going away, even in the face of AI.

Besides, I don’t think the consumer is comparing a local band with the ‘beetles’. The Beatles are quite literally one of the most influential acts of all time – it’s a false equivalency.

audience won’t have a choice but to watch it

This is only true if humans stop making art. Maybe Hollywood dies at the hands of AI, but independent media will always exist & consumers will always have a choice.

When I used to work fast food, my manager told me that the most expensive component of a soft drink is the ice. Syrup & (filtered) water are pennies, but ice requires electricity to maintain and it’s a little more expensive than you’d think.