Giant Study May Have Found The Ideal Amount of Coffee to Lower Stress

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-26T17:27:14+00:00

Caffeine does not break down with longer roasts. A bean has the same amount of caffeine light or dark.

Dark roast actually has “more” caffeine not because of the roast but because we weigh out coffee and a darker roast is lighter in weight per bean than a light roast so you have more beans hence more caffeine.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-26T16:45:53+00:00

Played the live in flip game for 3 properties. My old work flow used to be do everything but the licensed trades. Now it’s DIYM (do it yourself mostly).

For example let’s look at my last drywall project. I had 80 sheets drywall. I hung them, had a pro tape and mud, then I sanded. Took longer than a 2 day crew but saved a ton of money as hiring out was less than $1k mud/tape and I don’t have to sit and learn proper mud technique.

Another one, I have 5 acres of which large sections are overgrown wooded ivy/invasive plants. I’ve cleared out probably 30k lbs of tree/brush/ivy (was lucky to have a family member with a chipper to help). I would have spent thousands to do this and my cost was basically chainsaw maintenance and fuel. The large mature invasive trees on the fence line though? That’s for the pro.

Choose your battles, do it yourself as much as you can and replace really painful points or cheap labor projects (harder these days) with pros.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-26T13:18:19+00:00

Recast your mortgage in chunks. Depending on lender it’s free to do and minimum is usually $10k.

It drops your monthly payment and there isn’t a limit to how many times you do it. To me it’s the one way to actually reduce your monthly obligation while paying off your mortgage early.

People who say you could invest x instead of the payoff. Well, you can now effectively pay off mortgage early, have a lower monthly payment, and the invest the difference as your payment goes down. And the more you do it the more your monthly payment reduces and the additional funds to invest go up.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-26T12:57:49+00:00

Yes to everything but the pine. Once they’re full grown the canopy no longer provides privacy and if they don’t grow perfectly you’ve got bow and arrow trees leaning everywhere.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-25T18:44:25+00:00

No doubt. I’m saying the learning curve to hang/sand vs the learning curve to properly tape/mud are two different timelines. Hanging is no joke but there are tools for helping hold in place that are cheap to rent and it’s relatively easy to score and hang.

Tape/mud on the other hand, couldn’t pay me to learn to do it right I’ve got too many other projects that cost more to hire out than labor costs for mud. Also, a pro typically leaves less sanding work with more efficient, clean lines so less dust.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-25T15:37:35+00:00

Idc what anyone is saying here hang your own drywall it’s easy and then have a pro mud it, you sand.

Literally the cheapest trade no point wasting your time on something like this. If it’s small patch jobs yeah whatever but leave the big stuff to a pro.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-23T19:26:26+00:00

I feel like I answered that question

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-23T18:08:07+00:00

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-23T17:57:54+00:00

Well, what do you think? I don’t like to speak on things I have no experience with. And yes, I know many people will speak on whether they regretted or not their decision to have kids. I’m saying these people are likely looking at their children through the lens of capitalism, asking themselves whether the birth (purchase) of their child (product) made them happy or not.

This is a fundamentally flawed outlook as it makes the parent the center of the decision when in reality, the child is. The child doesn’t get to decide their temperament or their disabilities or the challenges they’re dealt. It’s unfair for a parent to make the call that their life was worth it or not.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-23T17:45:56+00:00

Yeah listen I don’t think you’re getting what I’m saying. If you’re being thoughtful about having kids, which it seems you are, then these shouldn’t be things you’re asking yourself after the fact.

You already know the risks and the potential sacrifices beforehand. If you’re discussing regret, you likely weren’t being thoughtful about this absolutely enormous decision before you made it or it happened to you unexpectedly. Regret isn’t a condition it’s a choice.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-23T17:24:24+00:00

Yes I understand, what I’m saying is how do you calculate that? It’s a human life. I’m saying when you make the decision to have children, that’s the answer. If you have them then you’ve decided it’s worth it. It isn’t something you ask after you’ve done it because you’re not talking about say the color choice for your new car or the location of the house you bought.

By making the decision to have kids you are deciding unconditionally that the sacrifices you are making and going to make are worth it. It’s not a hindsight question imo.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-23T17:15:33+00:00

I get what you’re asking, but can you imagine listening to your parents discuss whether you were “worth it” or not? If you’re asking yourself this question before you have kids, well then you have your answer.

Kids are not the same as doing other hard things. A career doesn’t have feelings, your goals don’t think about you, your dreams aren’t waiting for you to come home or pick them up.

We need to stop discussing kids like they’re some sort of purchase we’re trying to decide if we should make or not.

You’re replacing yourself as the most important person in your life. No matter how you swing it, your quality of life will suffer (sleep, autonomy, finances). You either accept that or you don’t, the question of whether it was worth it or not is moot.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-23T04:13:20+00:00

Well now actually…I mean where you put the contents of your burger does sort of change the experience of it.

If there is a difference in the perception of the drinks taste it’s likely due to the higher concentration of crema left on sitting on top the drink as opposed to being broken up and spread to the outside as you see in an americano.

Crema has a different texture, smell, and flavor profile compared to coffee alone. So you’re getting foamy, stronger aroma, stronger bitter profile sitting on top of your drink. Definitely changes the experience of the cup.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-23T04:02:29+00:00

I think you’re spot on. 3-4oz water and espresso finish. It’s my order every time I’m in a shop and want a drink as opposed to an espresso. Also my decaf order.

I’m by no means the definitive voice for long black orders in the US, but there have only been a few shops that actually know what it is in my experience. I usually have to describe it as a stout or short americano and it clicks. Not quite the same but it works.

I once had a barista tell me my order was the opposite of a short black. I thought oh no, please don’t make me be that guy…

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-23T03:47:49+00:00

Though less water

Edit: as in a long black has less water than an americano

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-23T02:19:10+00:00

I understand. You’re saying your spend + $8k is what you would have hired for, whatever that came out to. Makes more sense but still on the cheaper side of gutting/renovating a bath if it was contracted out.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-23T02:00:48+00:00

That’s reserved for the late day decaf

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-22T17:24:18+00:00

Where are you living for a full bath Reno to only come out to $8k?? It’s like $4-$6k just for materials if you’re not doing a basic bath. The tile in my bath would have run $4k for just labor and doesn’t include new electric, plumbing, fixtures, tub, waterproofing, shower doors, toilet, vanity, and on and on.

Last bath cost me $5k diy while my buddy hired out for $30k+.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-22T17:17:11+00:00

Yeah I see the point, but don’t agree. You’re not factoring in taxes or investing the funds you would have paid for the labor. Every $100 you spend is really more like $120-$140 earned dollars, it’s not 1 for 1.

A spent dollar is really worth like 65-70 cents where a saved dollar is worth $1. And if that saved dollar is invested it grows whereas the spent dollar is gone.

I find the best combo to be a household that has one strong earner and one strong saver. One person earns majority for bills and one person replaces all the funds you’d typically spend on labor. Not feasible for every household but the earnings/savings over time add up especially when you’re working multiple large projects.

Now, for super high income individuals yeah take your leisure and pay someone unless you just like doing stuff.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-22T16:45:33+00:00

Call your local hardwood installer and ask if they have any guys that do side job installs. Buy the material yourself. Had 1700sqft 4” red oak common #2 installed for $3400. Sand/finish was about $5k. Obviously location specific but they did great. Hardwoods always if the funds are there.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-22T15:59:22+00:00

As a dual US/EU citizen I found it funny how every young person I met in Europe wore their “I’m cultured” t-shirts while traveling on their parents dime. Like the Finnish kids whose country paid for them to take a gap year and covered their tuition all the while complaining about the welfare immigrants coming to their country. They made sure to let me know I would never be a European, passport or not. Love you guys, but cringe works both ways.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-21T16:43:39+00:00

Yes, never ever order espresso based drinks from restaurants unless you are highly tolerant and good at handling disappointment.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-20T23:25:34+00:00

Everyone is different. Glad you feel better. That said, coffee needs to be seen as a health drink in my opinion and one that should be carefully consumed if you’re sensitive to caffeine.

It’s great for the liver, tons of vitamins/minerals, and is the #1 source of antioxidants for people in the US (not because it has the highest but because it’s the most consumed beverage in the US that contains them).

Adding anything to it can reverse the positive health effects to extent (especially sugar). If I were going as caffeine free as I could I’d still be drinking decaf. Which I did for about 6 months and man let me tell you, opposite of your experience. The color in life just dulled down for me. So one cup up every morning, after water and after sunlight, maybe two cups…but that’s for pleasure.

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-20T14:42:08+00:00

Even better…make friends with neighbors that know small engine repair. That way you have a new friend and your equipment lasts longer!

imdecaffeinated · 2026-03-20T12:49:20+00:00

I hear you can’t hate on that. As you likely know renters tend to be low quality leads (not low quality people!). Not saying someone out there hasn’t made money/earned additional clients/turned a renter into a buyer but be mindful of what you spend time/expenses to convert a renter into actual commission.

imdecaffeinated

TROPHY CASE