How to save money on coffee
May 12, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under food, groceries
There are plenty of ways to save money on coffee and coffee gear. Some of these ways to save, I’d actually NEVER do because, frankly, I’m a little bit of a coffee snob (read addict), but they may work for you. Other ways to save on coffee work even for us coffee snobs.
SAVE ON COFFEE GEAR & BREWING TECHNIQUE:
Buy a coffee post sans the timer and other bling accessories. If you buy a coffee maker with a clock, timer, and so on, you’ll one, spend more at the get go, and two, you’ll feel compelled to leave the pot plugged in. If you get a pot sans all the bells and whistles, it’ll still work fine, only it’ll cost less, and use less electricity when you unplug it after brewing.
Only use a reusable coffee filter. Paper filters are not only bad for the environment, but create a lame ongoing cost.
Grind your beans super fine because you’ll need to use less per pot for the same flavor. The finer the ground, the richer the coffee.
To make better coffee with less grounds use a French Press and boiling water. Boiling water brews a better cup, and your coffee maker will never get that hot. Well, not unless you have a super fancy pot.
Once you brew your coffee, pour it in a thermos and unplug your pot for maximum energy savings.
SAVE ON ACTUAL COFFEE:
If you only like the best of the best beans buy oodles when they’re on sale and freeze all but a few weeks worth.
If you like great beans (like a special organic) but want to stretch it, you could consider also buying some cheaper coffee and mixing the two. NOT a tip for coffee snobs – sorry.
You can save half the grinds from one day in the fridge then mix them with 1/2 new the next day – also not a tip for coffee lovers, but works if you’re not as picky.
Save leftover coffee in an ice cube tray and use the cubes later for iced coffee drinks OR pour your extra coffee into a small freezer safe container and mix with low-fat milk or chocolate milk. Freeze. Later pull out the container for a coffee-icy-milk flavored concoction. It’s a little like a coffee frosty if you let it thaw a bit. You can also use leftover coffee to make many various recipes.
Ask for coffee gifts. If you really love coffee, but can’t afford your faves, make it known that you’ll take it as a gift – i.e. ask for a coffee of the month club membership for your birthday or another major holiday.
And the obvious – don’t buy coffee out and about; make it at home.
How do you save money on coffee?
[image via free pixels]
I use an Aeropress coffee maker – it’s a mechanical device, so it doesn’t use any electricity at all. It sits on top of my coffee mug and makes just the right amount of coffee for me.
(Here’s more: http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm )
And I compost the tiny filters and coffee grounds, so I’m saving on fertilizer for the garden too.