{"id":91607,"date":"2026-08-22T01:00:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T08:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=91607"},"modified":"2026-08-21T17:44:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T00:44:31","slug":"black-coffee-22-aug-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id91607-black-coffee-22-aug-2026.html","title":{"rendered":"Black Coffee: Cheeseburger In Paradise"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe …<\/em><\/p>\n

Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve got another busy weekend ahead of me, so let\u2019s get right to this week\u2019s commentary\u2026<\/p>\n

The man who invented the hamburger was smart; the man who invented the cheeseburger was a genius.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Matthew McConaughey<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s no small thing for an American to buy a double cheeseburger, fries, and a large Coke for less than an hour of labor at the minimum wage. Indeed, through the long sweep of history, this represents a remarkable achievement.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Michael Pollan<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before you order that cheeseburger, you might want to haul out the psychic calculator and start tinkering with your budget.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Caroline Knapp<\/strong><\/p>\n

Credits and Debits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Did you see this? A new study from Door Dash has found that the average price of a cheeseburger, fries and a Coke varies wildly in the US, ranging from a low of $12.94 on average in Austin, Texas, to as much as $28.28 in Anchorage, Alaska. And while rising beef prices continue to plague most Americans this year, researchers concluded that higher restaurant prices reflect broader operating costs \u2014 including labor, rent and energy \u2014 rather than food costs alone. What they didn\u2019t<\/strong><\/em> mention \u2013 to nobody’s surprise \u2013 was how much more consumers pay to have their favorite fast-food burger meal delivered to their front door. Er… plus<\/strong><\/em> the tip:<\/p>\n

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Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Then again, that doesn\u2019t stop a lot of people \u2013 millennials and Gen Z, in particular \u2013 from splurging on home delivery service anyway. Then there\u2019s this: The biggest consumers of home delivery food service comes from people earning less than $50,000<\/a> annually. Why is this, too, not surprising to us? On the other hand, try explaining this<\/strong><\/em> to the delivery guy…<\/p>\n

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Debit:<\/strong><\/span> On a related note, credit card delinquencies and car-loan repossessions are higher now<\/a> than they were during the Great Financial Crisis of 2008. As for the reason? Well\u2026 it isn\u2019t rocket surgery. History shows us that when individuals, organization, and nations spend more than they earn, misery and turbulence tend to follow. The trouble is, too many people fail to pay attention:<\/p>\n