Money buys options. Options are freedom.

A bank account isn’t your self worth, but it is an extension of your reach. Sometimes that reach is necessary, crucial even.

The options that are for sale are distractions, lessons maybe; they always end up making you miserable and less free.

Freedom is a mindset, not 500 TV channels; it's a lack of lack, not more crap.

Options like quitting a job you don’t enjoy, supporting your parent because the ACA doesn’t cover enough of their healthcare costs, or paying for IVF so your partner could have a child they otherwise couldn’t are not distractions. We’re not talking cable TV, smart phones, or fancy coffee.

Mindset isn’t a silver bullet (although it’s helpful and will keep you sane). Sometimes you’re going to need dig deep for that grit and find those dollars you need.

Life can throw you a turn and you might be hit by a car tomorrow but... chances are that won't happen.

There are people who devote themselves to living in the moment, push all their money into the now and whatever instant gratification they can get. In no specific case can you prove that's a terrible idea without knowledge of the future, but I think we can all say that quitting your job to shoot up heroin is a choice that deprives you of many of the joys of life.

AND YET, while I stand by everything above, buying into a system that deprives you of your life in the hope that you might be able to scratch out a living in your sunset years is awful and modern societies push toward "Be prudent toward your retirement" is one we need to balance with the joy of letting ourselves step out of the rat-race on occasion to enjoy stuff.

Either way, I think the OP is demonstrating the worst choice of both worlds, no where in his statement is it implied he's actually buying a coffee to gain enjoyment, just to reject the necessity of money - that's just a terrible reason... enjoy things, treat yourself, be conservative with constant spending and live life.

And lastly, coffee is complicated. The article and OP might be referring to the occasional splurge on a nice latte to relax with, but it could easily be read as the activity that turns into a fixed cost - buying coffee because your daily life has sapped you of everything you are to the point where Caffeine is the only place you think you can find the energy to carry on. I have OSA (sleep apnea) and feel into this sort of trap for a little while before I got a CPAP, it was dark depressing time that I wish on no one.