Tips like these helped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story in Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.
Java, Joe, Liquid Love, Wake up Juice, Latte, Breve, Jamocha or Rocket Fuel . . . there’s no doubt that regardless of what you dub it, coffee is a beloved beverages for millions all over the world. I LOVE me a daily good cup of coffee and even the simple indulgence of what I like to call Fancy Lady Espresso now and then too. Here are four great ways to save money on coffee!
Brew at Home
While rather obvious, you can save a bundle by brewing daily at home. Be sure that you have a pot that best meets your needs. We prefer a programmable model so that it can begin brewing before our feet touch the floor in the morning. You want to be sure to keep it in good working condition or the build up can taint the flavor of your favorite brew. Run 1 part white vinegar with 3 parts water through a regular cycle and then 1-2 more cycles of water to loosen the gunk inside your coffee pot. Double bonus – pour these mixtures down your drains that might be clogged or sticky to clear them out, too. 🙂 You don’t have to have a fancy single serving brewing pot. If you’re in the market for a new coffee pot, hold out to score a great deal on Black Friday, one of the best times of the year to purchase small appliances.
Splurge on Good Beans
It’s always a delight when I tell you to actually spend more, right? if you can PROMISE me that you’ll stay out of the drive thru for a high priced latte, you can actually afford to buy more expensive beans from time to time. I have a favorite ALDI brand that only costs me $3.99 for Fair Trade (Dark Roast, mmmm). However, if you want the coffee shop flavor without the latte price tag, splurge. The good news is that there are ALWAYS great coffee coupons floating around out there, too.
Use the Leftovers
From composting the grounds to freezing leftovers, be sure you make good use of any coffee byproducts or extras. Freeze the extra coffee at the bottom of the pot in a ice cube tray to use later for your own iced coffee drinks. Many Starbucks locations give away their used grounds, too so that you can put them in your compost bin or directly into your beds to feed your plants. Don’t let the leftovers become trash! Use them for other purposes.
Coffee Shop Rewards Programs
I won’t hate on you if you want to drink a PSL in the fall or a fix-y Frappuccino. However, coffee purchases can sometimes be mindless & add up quickly over a month. Monitor your spending to make sure that all of your hard earned cash isn’t headed to Seattle monthly. If you do frequent places like Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, be sure to collect rewards points toward free drinks. I’d even recommend purchasing a gift card to load into your account to set a spending limit for the month/year. Buy lower priced drinks to earn points and save your splurge drinks for the freebies. By the way, be sure to check out The Best Ways to Save Money at Starbucks for even more tips!
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
