If you’re one of the 99% (and face it, 99% of us are), you’re at least giving thought to how to save money in your daily life. And if you listen to financial sages like Suze Ormon, sooner or later they all get around to telling you to skimp on coffee.
You know what we say to that? NONSENSE. That’s what we say. You can have your coffee, and watch your pennies, too. Here are some ways to drink great coffee and not break the bank:
5. Commit to making your own great coffee, from scratch (i.e., from beans). With all due respect to our customers who brew and serve coffee for a living, it is more expensive for you as a consumer. So while you’re still likely to buy your fix in an airport, there is no need for you to do so when you’re in town. And the rise of single cup formats like Keurig may be convenient, but they are expensive (usually 50 cents or more per cup).
4. Get good gear that suits your quantity needs. The aisles of Macys are full of fancy brewers that tend to have one thing in common: they brew a lot of coffee at one time. A Hario pour-over cone, or a small Bodum French press are more ideally suited to most coffee drinkers. You make what you need and no more.
3. Use your leftover coffee. Chill and save it for iced coffee. Reheat it (yeah, I said it, so strike me with lightening and get it over with).
2. Use your coffee grinds. They make great garden compost, fridge deodorizer, and wood stain alternative. Check out this video.
1. Form a relationship with your local roaster to get the freshest, most enjoyable coffee, the most variety, and the beenfit of their advice on how to maximize your enjoyment in a way that meets you budget.
Heh, you forgot “roast your own….” Most important, to my mind, green coffee lasts a LONG time in airtight packaging. If you want fresh single-origin Indonesian coffee year round, it’s really the way to go.