Would You Rather Have Free Coffee or a Job?

The local New Jersey newspaper, The Record, recently reported that the borough council in the Bergen County town of Montvale, New Jersey, will no longer offer free coffee, tea or the accompanying condiments to their 115 borough employees. The reason for this decision was the necessity of the town council to trim a half million dollars from the budget.

According to The Record's reporting, Montvale will save $6,145.24 a year, which drills down to $52.97 per year for each employee, and comes out to $1.01 per week. These amounts may sound small, but when I analyzed this story, I thought of the big picture.

The town officials worked hard to trim expenses in an economy that is always strapped. Many North Jersey residents are now unemployed and trying to hold on to their homes. Any cut in the budget that won't be charged to homeowners in the form of taxes or that will allow the borough to avoid furloughs (or even worse, layoffs) is a good decision.

Many people don't have the luxury of free coffee at their jobs. Workers in the industries of retail, construction, package delivery, freelance writers or any other person who is self employed or telecommutes for a company must provide their own coffee. It doesn't seem so outrageous a cut, considering the economy we are now experiencing.

From my experience with free coffee at offices I have worked at, the coffee is usually a generic, sub par brand that is generally either weak or has a burnt taste. I prefer to make by own coffee at home anyway. That way, I can use the flavored creamers that I choose and can experiment with different supermarket brands of beans.

When asked by The Record about their thoughts on the removal of free coffee, the workers didn't seemed fazed or upset. They were most likely thankful for the town council not having decided to implement forced furloughs. Furloughs often lead to layoffs, but lost coffee is easier to live with.

According to the blog Savingwithoutabudget.com, a home brewed cup of Folger's coffee costs 10 cents per 12 ounce cup, including the cost of the coffee machine, filters and water. But this calculation is most likely a small consolation to people who are used to sleeping to a certain time and don't have to make their own coffee in the morning.

One employee told The Record that everyone in the office was going to chip in to purchase a shared coffee machine and all of other necessary accompaniments. I am happy for the town workers that they are still employed and will find a way to have their coffee.

Sources: www.savingwithoutabudget.com; http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/Java_well_runs_dry_in_Montvale.html