Frugal Green Living: No Doz is NOT a Substitute for Coffee.

I am not going to link to the site that published this list, because I like them, they are one of my two favourite frugal living sites, and I think they have made a huge mistake. But I am going to discuss the content of the list they have put up, because to me, it demonstrates everything that is wrong about frugalism. The post was titled "Cheapest Ways to Get Your Caffeine Fix" and started with the introduction:

If you absolutely have to have your caffeine fix to start your day, maybe you've wondered if there was a cheaper way to do it. You've already cut out the ever-popular "Starbucks Latte factor,"....without further ado, the list of cheapest, I mean, "least expensive" ways to get your caffeine intake.

"Cheapest Ways to Get Your Caffeine Fix"

She starts with No Doz. "This is the secret that cross-country truckers have known about for years. No Doz packs a punch that will keep you going...and going...and going...And at only $0.0008 per milligram of caffeine, you can save some of those extra pennies for the ER room after you've had an anxiety attack."

Next is Tetley's Black Tea. I can go for that, if tea is a fifth the price of coffee (which I doubt) then it is a good substitute. I can't start the day with tea but Planet Green's foodwriter Kelly does, and she seems to wake up in the morning.

Excedrin. "Got a migraine and a midterm? Look no further than Excedrin Extra Strength. At $0.0015 per milligram, you can stay awake, lose the headache and afford to keep your accountant."

Now if this was all tongue in cheek, I would say fine, it is almost April Fools day. But I don't think she is, and it is not even a fair comparison, Starbucks to a tea bag. What if you make your own coffee? Where is that? Here are the first ten items on her list:

1. No Doz ($0.0008 per mg)

2. Tetley's Black Tea ($0.0011 per mg)

3. Excedrin Extra Strength ($0.0015 per mg)

4. Starbucks Grande Coffee ($0.0056 per mg)

5. Starbucks Grande Iced Coffee (w/o Ice) ($0.0059 per mg)

6. Mountain Dew ($0.0090 cents per mg)

7. Starbucks Grande Iced Coffee (w/ Ice) ($0.0097 per mg)

8. Diet Coke/Tab (Tie) ($0.0104 per mg)

9. Dr. Pepper ($0.0111 per mg

10. Midol Maximum Strength ($0.0113 per mg)

But the most upsetting thing is the idea that to save money per dose of caffeine, one would even think of comparing coffee, which has been shown to have some health benefits, to over the counter drugs.

We not only have to live frugally, but we have to live WELL. Coffee has been shown to reduce the rates of Parkinsons Disease, Diabetes, heart disease and even cavities. From WebMD:

"Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful," says Tomas DePaulis, PhD, research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies, which conducts its own medical research and tracks coffee studies from around the world. "For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good."

If you cannot afford Starbucks, make your own. If you cannot afford coffee, drink tea. But No Doz and Excedrin? That's not frugal, it's sick.

Read more about going green on the cheap in the expansive series about Frugal Green Living.