How are you doing, it's been a while! Here to update you again on how much coffee costs, I was looking earlier in the year at the price of the company that owns my favourite brand to drink, Folgers.
https://www.tradingview.com/chart/?symbol=NYSE%3ASJM
Over the summer I wasn't sure if there would be any more Folgers as it seemed to be disappearing off the shelf and rising in price. I even bought a tin of no-name yellow label coffee which has a displeasing aroma. Mixed with creamer it doesn't taste much different, but I prefer Folgers. I found another tin, but don't let me get too far along this story. The price of SJM J/M/ Smucker company has risen from 95.60 to 106.71 today, with highs around 112 in late August and September 2025.
"Folgers is owned by The J.M. Smucker Company, a major American food manufacturer",
I am finishing my first cup of coffee right now, and will probably have another shortly here. What are you drinking today? Have you had your first, or second cup yet? I do not own any SJM but I am looking at this and other companies and paying closer attention to what is going on related to the things that I buy regularly. I think if people start to own stocks in the companies they buy products from it will both help cultivate personal brand awareness, and also benefit when they do well.
Personally that means looking at the places where I spend my money and asking, 'Do I see myself continuing to buy these things in the future, and supporting this with my shopping choices?'
I made a list of all the places I spend most of my money, around 50 businesses. How many opportunities are there for earning ownership shares of these companies? How much would it cost to buy just one stock to share some of the profit from these companies over time?
If I had the ability and knowledge to buy stocks of MCD when I worked there in 2002,
https://companiesmarketcap.com/mcdonald/earnings/
or bought WalMart stock ($102.82) when I worked there in High School
https://companiesmarketcap.com/walmart/stock-price-history/
Another one I noticed around $80 is Dollarama, now $139.72
https://companiesmarketcap.com/dollarama/earnings/
And some are more complicated to find, like Wendys and Tim Hortons, which are owned by Resteraunt Brands International. They just announced their "dividend of $0.62 per common share", of which I own 0 but in the future I plan to acquire one. Currently QSR priced at 95.56.
So to recap, we have
McDonalds 305.28, Wal-Mart 102.82, Dollarama 139.72, RBI 95.56.
That adds up to $643.38 for just one of each. Have I spent more than $643.38 at these places in a year? I think probably. However I have been thinking a lot about investing where I regularly spend my money. I might earn enough one day to buy a coffee, and if I am spending money somewhere I should put myself in a position to benefit from those purchases over time. If I buy coffee at Tim Hortons, I should own some shares of RBI. I added up all those expenses, and I spent around 40/month at Tims for the first four months of the year, about 160! For that price I could buy one RBI.
Making coffee at home, and not subscribing to the $2.50/day habit, should save me money, provided I don't still go out and buy coffee too much. Once and a while is fine, but as much as $5/day on bagels or other food added up over time, can become over $100/month! At the end of the year, how much of your money do you still have? Most people, none.
We all make choices all year long and it can seem impossible to keep up with all the expenses. Once you do, however, you'll find you had choices to make all year long. Some could be good, others may not pay off. Yet I know I will probably spend thousands of dollars more next year at the same places. How much will change over time, and what might stay the same?
I know i'll probably still want Folgers, so I should add SJM (106.59) to my chart.
Where do you spend the majority of your budget? How many opportunities are there for you to get on the positive side of those relationships? I believe if everyone does better, that will lift even more people up. I didnt know I could have done this, and im sure those who already are might be laughing at me, but we are all on our own journey. Most people never learn how to begin, but this next year I want to budget for success and start buying stock where I spend my money. Will you?
