How To Save Money On Coffee Every Morning

To buy a cup of coffee or not to?

This is what I decide every morning, as soon as I wake up in the morning. Given that I am a heavy coffee user, drinking coffee daily can create a noticeable dent on my monthly budget. And, I know I am not alone in this case.

According to Urban Coffee research, 64% of American adults drink a cup of coffee daily. Out of these coffee drinkers, 50% prefers to buy from a drive-through cafe. If they are like me, they probably drink more than a cup per day.

So, how much money do you spend on a latte a day?

The same research puts the average cost of a cup of restaurant coffee at $2.99. For other cafes such as Starbucks, the price can range from $1.95 to $2.15. Occasionally, I pay about $2.15 for a black venti-sized cup at Starbucks.

Additionally, this amount can fluctuate depending on the kind of coffee gotten, the cafe and the frequency. However, the monthly cost for such a coffee can rack up quite a fortune if you are daily drinker.

What Is the Best Way To Save Money On Coffee?

You can avoid the contribution fast-food coffee makes on your monthly expenses. Here are seven ways I spend about $10 monthly to save on coffee.

1. Buy Gas Station Coffee

I know what you are thinking. Buying a watered down coffee at a gas station? Bleh!

Well, I will not deny old gas stations have some tasteless watered-down versions of good coffee. Those are not who I am talking to you about. Hey, I would not do you like that.

By gas station coffee here, I refer to gas stations with the modern automatic coffee dispenser. Such a gas station is the cheapest place to get coffee. Some of their prices range from $1.20 to $1.75 depending on what gas station you go to.

In fact, Gas stations tend to have the best coffee reward programs out of all the coffee selling cafes or restaurants. For example,

Circle K has a coffee program called Sip & Save. You pay $5.99 monthly for daily free coffee. It is not only hot coffee, but also iced coffee, tea, polar top and Froster beverages. This includes sizes of up to 64 ounces.

And, you only do this once a day with Circle K.

Finally, one beautiful thing about gas station coffee is programs like the Circle K’s. If you are heavy coffee drinker like me, you can save a lot monthly. $5.99 per month is better than $2.15 per day for a cup of coffee. Am I right?

2. Buy Reusable Cafe Coffee Cups To Save On Coffee

Did you know most cafes sell reusable coffee cups with coffee discounts?

You can purchase these coffee cups once to use each time you go to buy coffee. Yes- the coffee cup may cost twice a cup of coffee. However, you get a discount each time you take the cup to get your favorite coffee flavor.

All you have to do is ask your favorite cafe about a reusable coffee cup and buy one. Before you buy one though, ask about its policy and the discount you get from it. This is to ascertain how much you will be saving.

Personally in my household, we have reusable cups from our favorite cafes. This includes Starbucks, Bill Millers and 7-Eleven Gas station. They save us somewhere between $0.50 to $1 per coffee. As a result, the coffee cups pay their cost within a few days.

Oh! I forgot to mention. With these kind of cups, you can order as many times as you want with the same discount. Cool, is it not?

3. Buy Grounded Coffee In Bulk From Grocery Stores

Let me tell you a secret, my good reader.

What we pay for three cups of Starbucks coffee can actually pay for a bag of Starbucks coffee in a grocery store. Now, here is the best part. Such a bag can give you about 34 cups of Starbucks coffee. And, it includes any flavor.

Usually, HEB carries 12 oz bags for a price of $8.12 per bag. They have the one made for coffee machines without filters and with filters. The K-cup type costs about $8.63 for ten to twenty k-cups.

Furthermore, these prices can be matched by other stores like Amazon. Here are a list of Starbucks coffee bags at very cheap price than what you pay at the Starbucks cafe. As an Amazon associate, WeeklyBagel will earn a commission for qualifying purchases at no cost to you, when you make a purchase through the links here.

You can follow the links below, to explore other favorite Starbucks flavors on Amazon with free shipping.

4. Brew Your Coffee At Home To Save Money

The National Coffee Association 2021 Consumer report estimates 656 million cups of coffee were drunk by American adults this year. This breaks down to two cups per average coffee consumers and three cups per daily drinkers. Also, 46% of young adults within the age of 18 to 26 years make up for the consumers.

Now, what does this mean for your wallet as a young adult coffee drinker?

If you are daily drinker, it means you are probably having three cups of coffee per day. This translates to an average of $199.95, when you pay $2.15 per coffee cup daily. In a year, this amounts to a whooping $2,399.4!

You can avoid this cost by brewing your coffee at home. What you need to do this is a coffee machine and ground coffee in storage. Since you have already made the move to purchase coffee in bulk, all you need is a coffee machine to help you save $2, 399.4 as a daily coffee drinker.

Here are some good coffee making machines. I have been using the second one for five years now with no problem. Also, they will save their cost of purchase with time.

How much money do you save if you make your own coffee?

Urban Bean Coffee says people who brew coffee at home save an average of $427 annually. This is in comparison to people who drink in cafes and fast-food. It may not sound much, but $427 goes a long way.

5. Use Cafe Apps To Get Discount

Some cafes have coffee discounts, when you use their mobile apps to order. One great app you may not be aware of is the Macdonalds’ mobile app. Once a day, they take $1 off any coffee you purchase from them.

And, you only get to pay $0.99 for their large cup of coffee.

This saves you $1 daily, if you always drink their premium roasted McCafe coffee. Amazing savings, is it not?

Furthermore, there are other cafes who give you discount for using their mobile app. Whattaburger is one of them. It offers a free coffee or food after a few orders.

Starbucks is not left out in this too. You can join their rewards program to get free drinks or foods from them. Not only Starbucks, but also other cafes have this kind of program. All you have to do is ask your favorite coffee shop the next time you drop by to get a cup of coffee.

Cafe apps can help you to save on coffee expenses. Do not neglect to use them, especially if you are a daily coffee drinker.

6. Skip Days You Drink Coffee

To save on coffee, you have to control the habit of daily drinking. This is especially, if you are buying premium coffee from brand cafes. I know this is not easy, since there are statistics which show it is common way of life.

64% of American consume coffee daily. Also, 71% have visited a coffee shop since January 2020. In fact, 55% of them place order through a drive-through. This number increased to 62% by January 2021. This is according to a 2021 National Coffee Association report.

So yeah, I understand it is not an easy habit to drop.

This is why I recommend skipping days you drink the beverage to save money. Just how much money can you save not buying coffee?

Exactly the same amount you spend on days you drink coffee. Think about it. If you spend about $2.15 drinking daily, it is $15.05 weekly and $64.5 monthly. Assuming you decide to only drink three days out of the week, you will only spend $6.45 weekly and $25.8 monthly. Therefore, saving $38.7 monthly.

Now, $38.7 monthly may not seem like a lot of money. But, it accumulates to $464.4 at the end of the year. This is enough to make moves. Don’t you think, my good reader?

7. Avoid Buying Coffee Shops Altogether

Unless you use the above recommendations, avoid buying from coffee from coffee shops altogether. This is because of the expenses a coffee shop can rack up for you. You may be wondering what other option there is.

Well, you can buy coffee in bulk. Then, you can brew your coffee at home. Finally, use an insulated cup to keep it warm for wherever you want to go. Here are a list of affordable Amazon’s best selling insulated coffee cups which can keep your home-brewed coffee hot for 5 to 18 hours.

Brand	Volume	Heat Retention Time
Luvan thermal Coffee Carafe 304 Stainless Steel /Double Walled Vacuum Insulated Thermal Carafe with Press Button Top, BPA Free	68 oz	12+ hours Heat Retention
Thermal Coffee Dispenser – Insulated Coffee Airpot with Coffee Air PumpStainless Steel Coffee Carafe for Hot / Cold Water and Coffee by Cresimo	101 oz	12 hours heat / 24 hours cold Retention
Tiken 68 Oz Thermal Coffee Carafe, Stainless Steel Insulated Vacuum Coffee Carafes For Keeping Hot, 2 Liter Beverage Dispenser	68 oz	12+ hours heat / 24+ cold Retention
S’well Stainless Steel Traveler Bottle With Commuter Lid – Teakwood – Triple – Layered Vacuum – BPA – Free Water Bottle	16 oz	6 hours for hot / 24 hours for cold Retention

When you purchase these and start brewing at home, you may discover you do not need to frequent coffee shops anymore. And above all, you are going to save a lot of money monthly for not buying coffee daily.

To conclude this article, I want to remind you drinking coffee daily can eat into your monthly budget. If you follow through with these saving tips here, you will definitely indulge in coffee drinking without spending a lot. I hope these help.