Oh man, have you seen the prices of coffee shop coffee lately?
At nearly $3 a pop, coffee shop coffee from your favorite joint is eating up your cash flow like it’s nobodies business.
Whether you’re stopping in at Starbucks, Tim Hortons (hello Canadian friends!) or any other specialty shop to fulfill your daily caffeine needs I can assure you that there is a cheaper and far more delicious way!
Coffee is a big part of my life. I drink 2-3 coffees per day minimum.
I’m a coffee snob and despite living a frugal lifestyle and scaling back in basically every other area of our life my only non negotiable is guaranteeing myself the absolute best cup of coffee every single morning.
I love strong, full-bodied coffee and I’ve managed to devise a way to make the best cup of coffee at a fraction of the cost of coffee shop cups.
Way back when I was a student and eventually working professional I was guilty of buying at least 1 gourmet coffee per day. If we’re being totally honest here, it was probably more like two or even three!
So, it’s probably not surprising that the first thing we cut out of our lifestyle when we jumped head first into frugal living was these expensive and overpriced fancy coffees that I’d been enjoying for years!
How Brewing the Best Cup of Coffee can Save You Thousands
How to Brew The Best Cup of Coffee
You need an amazing coffee pot
The Bialetti Stove Top Espresso Maker is the bomb. Period. Buy one right now and change your life forever. Seriously, it’s that good!
We’ve had ours for years and we absolutely love it. It’s just a question of filling the lower chamber with cold water, filling the funnel with ground espresso (about 3 tablespoons), screwing on the upper part and letting your stove do the rest of the work.
It takes all of 10 minutes to brew the absolute best cup of coffee ever folks.
My loyalty to Bialetti runs deep guys. I grew up in a traditional Italian family and have fond memories of my grandma whipping out her coffee maker and making the most delicious and aromatic coffee with hers.
These things are also built to last and once you’ve made the initial investment you’re good for years to come. Trust me, I inherited hers that was purchased sometime in the 80s and that thing still makes the best cup of coffee ever. These things are like cast iron pans – indestructible!
You need good quality ground espresso beans
These stove-top espresso makers only work with ground espresso beans. We’re huge fans of Lavazza Rosa, Illy Caffe and Moreno. We’re super fortunate that some specialty grocers in our neighborhood sell these brands so we load up our freezer when they go on sale.
If you want to save even more money invest in a coffee grinder and buy good quality beans that you can grind yourself!
How Much You Save by Brewing The Best Cup of Coffee
Now the fun part.
Let’s talk dollars and cents because you know how much I love talking about money.
Let’s say you’re spending an average of 3$ per day on coffee. It would obviously be more if you’re shilling on those fancy schmancy coffees with whipped cream and extra flavor and such. But, for simplicity we’ll go with 3 bucks.
3$ per day means you’re spending 15$ per week if you’re only buying during the work week.
15$ per week means $780 of your hard earned money spent on coffee shop coffee every year.
If you work 35 years in your lifetime you’re looking at $27 300 over the span of your career.
If you husband or partner does the same then that inflates to an astronomical $54 600.
Guys, that’s a solid down payment on a house right there!
Final Thoughts on Saving by Brewing The Best Cup of Coffee
- Invest in a good quality coffee maker like the Bialetti Stove Top Espresso Maker to start brewing your own coffee at home.
- Save a ton of cash by buying excellent ground coffee beans and make delicious, full bodied coffee at a fraction of the cost of store bought cups.
- Do invest in a good quality travel mug to carry you’re delicious coffee around and keep it hot while you’re out!
- Treat yourself to good quality coffee flavors if that’s your thing and still benefit from astronomical savings by reducing the frequency or even eliminating coffee shop coffee from your lifestyle.
Even more This Tiny Blue House posts you might enjoy
- 5 easy ways to save thousands by brown bagging lunch
- 35 legitimate ways to make money online
- Buying Used: Why buying second hand isn’t gross
- Reduce food waste by freezing these 25 surprising foods
- How to Save Money on Food While Being a Vegan
I want to hear from you!
How are YOU brewing your coffee?
Funny, how you feel 2-3 coffee cup per day is much. I’m from Finland and for us it’s not much at all. I drink about 2 coups per day and it’s little compared for many others. Many people drink lots of cups per day (I think they can’t even count it). Well, finnish people drink coffee most in the world…?
That’s interesting! I had no idea that the finnish drank so much coffee!
Yes, we really love coffee! I think it’s partly because of our long and dark winter. We need energy boost! You should see these. ?
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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHK6HkKhoHk&w=324&h=199%5D
I love this. I also drink 2-3 cups of coffee per day and almost NEVER buy it out. For one, the gym I belong to serves free Peet’s coffee every morning, and then when I’m housesitting I brew great pour-over coffee. The price of coffee out is just ridiculous, especially in the San Francisco Bay area where it can be $4 for a cup of drip coffee! Preposterous 🙂
$4??? That’s crazy!!! How much does a cappuccino or latte set you back?
i’m a coffee snob too and actually prefer the taste of my own cup to the ones i buy. i have a ceramic coffee dripper and it so simple to use. cheers to coffee!!
Yup! What kind of coffee do you use Jessica?
I love coffee and recently started brewing my own. it is true how much money you save! Thanks!
Yup! Every little bit adds up! Thanks for reading Lawann!
I need to go back to brewing – between using K-cups (not eco-friendly unles syou’re using reusable pods) and the 1-2x/week Starbucks run, I am probably spending more than I realize! From one coffee snob to another, I appreciate the Bialetti recommendation…
Yeah, it adds up really quickly. Far quicker than we really realize until we sit down and start calculating. The Bialetti is the best. We love ours!
You’re so right about how much money you could save by making coffee at home. And when I don’t have the supplies handy to make a good cup (i.e. at work), I’ve switched to tea. I’m finding that not only is it cheaper, I enjoy it more because I’m investing in quality tea.
This is GREAT! Tea is an awesome substitute and still far cheaper than store bought coffee!
Coffee is the drink of champions. My daily dose usually ranges from 2-3 cups. I love trying different kinds from different countries. My trips to Starbucks have decreased from from daily to every now and then as a reward to myself for being fiscally smarter with my spending. Besides…I can make a mean cup of coffee…if I do say so myself…
How do you brew your coffee?
I haven’t branched out into the world of k-cups yet. I’m still brewing with my big ol’ pot. Have to have the darkest, boldest roast…
Absolutely! Strong coffee is the best!
A friend of mine brought me back a bag of Indonesian coffee when he went home two weeks ago. I was excited because it had the strong, bold smell coming through the packaging. I ended up being a little disappointed. It didn’t have the kick I’m used to…
Wow! I need one of these glorious machines! My Mr Coffee has nothing on your machine! Thanks for sharing! I’m going to show my husband! He’s always down to try new things. I bet once we make coffee this way we won’t want to go back to the Mr Coffee ha!
It’s really great! If you do decide to give it a go just keep in mind that it’s a TON stronger than the drip coffees 🙂
I really need to get over my laziness with making coffee at home and experiment with making stuff that tastes just as good if not better than what I get at Starbucks. I have spent more than I’d like to admit there.
I was actually never a fan of Starbucks. I always found their coffee tasted a little burnt!
Love this! I am a daily coffee drinker and make it at home most of the time! We use a Bunn coffee pot, a little pricey but so worth it!
I’ve heard good things about Bunn! Thanks for reading Sara!
Those are some great tips! Making my own cafe mochas every morning has been a huge money-saver!
Good job! Mochas are delicious!
I have an induction stove top so can’t use this type of coffee maker. Would love to try pour over but need to research more and make the investment. I’m the only coffee drinker in the house and I have to have my coffee HOT, or it gets too bitter for me so I’ve been using the k-cups….I need to change, just not environmentally friendly. I only drink two cups in the morning.
Have you tried a French press? Of all the types I’ve tried French press comes closest to this. I also have induction and it works!
I used to be all about getting coffee at the local coffee shop, but you’re right, it’s so expensive! I get free coffee at work during the week, but on the weekends, I’m actually disappointed if I can’t just make my own. I use a pour-over pot from Bodum that works really well!
I’ve heard great things about pour over pots although I’ve never tried myself. Does it make strong coffee?
You don’t realize how much those costs add up until you look at bank statements! Our household switched over to making our own coffee a few years ago and have saved TONS of money!
Crazy right? Every little bit adds up!
I def need to stop buying coffee on the go! This is great info to help me get started saving!!
Thank you for reading!
This is literally the best advice for saving money. I can’t believe how much buying a cup of coffee out at a coffee shop costs vs. making it yourself.
The math is scary right?
So true! It is crazy to see the amount saved! I have limited myself to buying a coffee only on the weekend. During the week I have to make it myself.
That’s a great plan! It’ll cut your costs enormously!
I love coffee- medium double double ( yeah Canadian) for me twice to three times Day. It does get expensive… but will I quit coffee no!
Hahaha double double! Only a fellow Canadian will get that. I LOVE my coffee too!
As a rule, I never drink coffee away from home, this is because they do not even brew it the way I love it.But as you mentioned, brewing your own saves alot of money.I used to have coffee at work, a cup cost CHF(Swissfrancs 4.50) and I needed two cups daily, thinking of it today, I feel so stupid wasting almost 10 a day to drink a coffee I did not even like the taste.
That’s a great rule to have. Now that we’ve been exclusively making our own I don’t even like coffee shop coffee anymore. The quality just isn’t the same!