Caffeinate at home cheap not at Starbucks

So you are stuck at home. Time to hit Starbucks for a coffee before you start the day. Huh??? No! You are home so stay there and drink your coffee on the cheap.

Here is some simple math

Let’s start with your daily caffeine habit. Chances are if you work you drink coffee and pay a lot for it. I used to pay $7.50 per workday to buy coffee as I bought two large cups. That amounted to $150 per month using 20 working days per month. The same deal applies to the drive thru or in store pickup.

This sounds simple enough to change and there are many financial gurus who say hey cut out the fancy Starbucks lattes and you will be a millionaire. Well that’s only partly true. You likely need caffeine to do the job that pays the bills and that involves lots of coffee. So let’s get right past the myth of skipping coffee right now. It’s not happening.

You are going to need a cup of coffee but it doesn’t need to break the bank. Here are some ways to get that high without the pain.

• Get a cheap Mr. Coffee or equivalent machine for $20 and brew a half pot to last all day. You can also get a two pot brewer. Then get some coffee you like at grocery store like Dunkin donuts, Starbucks, Seattle’s best etc for $7/bag. Don’t cheap out with the bad tasting coffee like store brands/no name as the cost savings won’t be worth it.
• Make your own coffee at work with a mini French press ($20). Yes, they make single cup variants. Buy a bag of coffee for seven dollars you like and press it away as most places of work have hot water and sink. It doesn’t have to be special grind at all, just don’t drink the dregs at the bottom as with any french press. The bag will last about a month. All you need is a mug, french press, hot water and a sink. So from $150 to $7 per month. See below for the small one.

• Get a Keurig single cup maker. The machine will pay for itself in a month or two. Instead of buying the disposable pods buy a refillable one and put in whatever bagged coffee you want. That is much cheaper. The refillable one is $6 at the store or Ebay for brands such as Ekobrew. See below.

• If you do need to go out to to work then drink your first cup at home or bring it in a to go cup. This costs pennies per day. Just don’t spill it on yourself on the way. : )

Doing the math let’s say we save $7.50 dollars a day on each workday. That’s $150 per month and $1800 per year after tax. If you have a more expensive habbit that can be $2000 per year or more. That’s like a month of rent or mortgage. Big money!