Our very favorite coffee is Dunkin Donuts. They still make a 16 oz. bag and sell it in their shops. So when they have their sale around Christmastime, I buy 6 bags. This is the cheapest time of the year to buy it. We go through about 6 of these and 6 other cans of coffee a year; just about one a month. I used to buy 12 bags but over the last 4 years, the price has become prohibitive to me. So the other 6 cans I buy are usually Wegmans which they had on sale last year for $ 2.49 a can. When they had it that cheap, I stocked for 2 years since it was dated a couple of years out. Occasionally if I have a good coupon and there is a good sale, I will buy Maxwell House or some other brand. We keep bagged coffee in our freezer to keep it at it's freshest.
We really do love Dunkin Donuts the best. We like it better than Tim Hortons. To each their own!
So we alternate months with that and the other brands. That way we don't feel like we are being deprived. I tried mixing 1/2 and 1/2 but it didn't really taste like Dunkin Donuts and I do look forward to it every other month.
I don't know how many coffee scoops you use for coffee but we use one for each two cups and an extra for the pot. If you are a strong coffee drinker, you wouldn't like that. But it is perfect for us.
I also tried Amy Dacyczyn's trick of adding a couple of scoops to yesterdays pot but it was a no go for us. We did not like the coffee it made.
I know that lots of people buy their morning coffee out. We never got into the habit of that. I always brought my coffee from home for work and DH belonged to a very cheap coffee club at work. So we never spent the $3.00 or $4.00 it used to cost at Starbucks or any other specialty coffee shop. I am sure those specialty drinks there cost more than that now. I did try Starbucks once because I had a free giftcard that I won but I didn't like it because it tasted burnt to me. That said we do get a cup of coffee at a restaurant if we go out to breakfast which is rare. But that said I know it costs under a dollar a cup. If you are a senior citizen, you can get a cup of coffee at most McDonald's for $ .25. But I don't even do that because we rarely go to McDonald's. If I do it is usually to treat West or Alexa. We mainly drink our coffee at home.
DH has two large cups and I have one every morning. It is much more cost effective than buying it out. I haven't even gotten into the one cup coffee craze. Those little cups are expensive and I can't see buying one to use their little cup to only make one cup at a time. It just doesn't make sense for us.
I wish I could drink it black but I just can't stomach that. So we buy those expensive creamers to flavor it. I do try to buy them on sale with coupons for under a $ 1.00. This way it is just sweet enough that we don't have to put any sugar in our coffee.
I am very curious about how you save on coffee. Have you cut back over the years or do you still drink as much as you used to? Do you go to Starbucks for yours or some other specialty coffee shop? Please leave a comment and share with us how you keep the price of coffee down.
26 comments:
I have a nice stockpile from using rr's & ecb's from the drugstores. I also stock up at our Meijers grocery store when they have excellent deals. We & I mean me, hubby & all 3 kids (2 are young adults & 1 still in high school) drink coffee. With 5 ppl drinking coffee I make 2 1/2 pots every morning & sometimes in the evenings I'll make a pot. That's a lot of coffee being made around here so I need to keep stockuped @ all times. lol
I do go to Dunkin Donuts every Fri morning when I grocery shop. I treat myself once a week to a med sz cup of their coffee & a reduced fat blueberry muffin. Sometimes hubby & I will get Starbucks as a treat but at over $8 after tax for to Grande sz (that's med) we don't do that to often. I find I like Dunkin Donuts better b/c it's not near as strong as Starbucks.
I did buy a Keruig at X-mas time for a really great deal. I also bought off the internet the reusable k-cups that you can use with your own coffee. That helps keep the price down with the expensive k-cups. I only buy those when they're on sale & I have coupons to go aong with them. I love the thing b/c when hubby & I are alone for the evening (meaning kids out & about) & we don't want a full pot of coffee then the Keruig comes in very handy.
Have you ever tried the coffee at Aldi that looks like Dunkin Donuts coffee? Here at our Aldi's it under $4 a bag & it's good. We really like it.
Hi Shanna,
Wow. Is that what Starbucks cost now? YIKES!
Two and 1/2 pots is a lot of coffee.
I could see where the Keurig would be great if you only want a cup of two in the evening. :-)
I have not tried Aldi's coffee. I will keep my eye for it. Thanks for the tip!
You won't believe this one, but at age 61 I have started drinking coffee. Should have never started but now that's the first thing I do in the morning. I bought my H a Keurig two Christmas' ago. I had always been a hot tea drinker. However I liked the flavored coffees and of course the flavored creamer. Now at work in the afternoon I will have a cup of plain coffee with the flavored creamer. I also grind coffee at the store (flavored) and have ordered it from Gevalia (on sale - I like the decaf Pecan flavor) and use the K cup. That is economical but the pods are expensive. If you can get them for 50 cents or under that is the best. When Kohl's has them on sale and I have a 30% additional off I will get them. I get my H's at Sam's in an 80 count box and they are under 50 cents each. However, when I retire I will try to get my husband to use the K-cup (even if I have to make it for him). The pods are also not friendly for the environment. DAMN, should never have purchased the Keurig! Therefore, I try to get the best price possible. LOL
We drink coffee in the morning only. For the same reasons as you.
I try to buy it on sale.
Right now 35 oz FOLGER'S is on sale at CVS with their card for $6.99. I think I may try to pick some up this week. I haven't made it a habit to shop CVS--but am going to go back to shopping more frugally. Even if it means spending a bit more time to plan trips, menus, etc.
I have tried adding fresh coffee grounds the next day-- but only do it if we're running low. Crazy I know. We've tried some store brands and we've tried MIXING store brand with the Folgers... I agree with you, it's not the same.
Don't do 'single cup'...I find it wasteful. Don't see the point in it.
The Honey uses sugar no cream.
I use creamer. I've started making my own creamer (w/ sweetened condensed milk and regular milk and vanilla mixed.) I love it and I don't use sugar in my coffee with this creamer. However, the sweeten cond. is pricey (even store brand). On sale $1.99 for 14oz. I just pinned a recipe for making your own sweetened condensed milk in the blender. May give this a try! Surely it's cheaper than $1.99
Also--if I'm out of creamer, I've used cool whip on my coffee and sprinkle with cinnamon. That's a new one and I like it too.
I've even used chocolate syrup to replace creamer when we're low on milk.
so all my options are tasty.
Vanilla,
chocolate,
cinnamon.
Who needs Starbucks?!
The closest Starbucks is 36 miles away anyhow.
There is a Starbucks at the V.A.Hosp....but, it's even expensive for Veterans. :)
Love reading here-- Pat
My dh drinks the equivalent of 4 cups in the a.m. and I go through about one bag a month - 11 or 12 oz. I use 1 1/2 scoops for that, so I guess his coffee is very weak compared to yours, but he likes it.
I buy ours at Harris Teeter when they run a B2G3 free special. Usually it is $8 a bag, so for $16, I can get 5 bags of high-quality coffee. I watch the store that week because they always run out. This last time, I got several rain checks and waited until there was a $3.99 sale and bought 10 bags for $16!!!! I was so proud of that deal. I have 4 more rainchecks that I am holding on to for the future.
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for sharing with us. I like tea too but not as much as that coffee in the morning. Those pods are expensive. I suppose if only one person drinks one cup in the morning then it might be worth it rather than make a pot that will go to waste.
Hi Pat,
That is a great price at CVS. I love your creamer ideas. If I could just make cheap creamer that DH would like.
Hi Anonymous,
That is a wonderful deal: 10 bags for $ 16.00 is unheard of. Good for you. Pretty smart getting the rainchecks.
Hi Precious, my husband and I used to spend like $200 a month getting coffee every day at a coffee shop, we would also get our 5 yr old a smoothie. Our income was cut in half so now we buy store brand for about $6 a month. We also love our creamer but drink it without if we have to.I am so mad at myself for all that money we were wasting. I would try to justify that we deserved it, but we were wastig our money. I can make it at home and it tastes just as good. Great topic for a post. I love to read your blog, thank you you have taught me alot.Heidi from Oregon.
My husband like the 8 O'clock brand whole beans. I buy them when they go BOGO at the grocery store - usually it will be $3.00 for 12 ounces. He grinds the beans in a grinder I got from Amazon with my swag bucks and brews the coffee in an espresso maker from Value Village thrift store ($7). He still like Starbucks, but I try to get gift cards from a grocery store that will give you a discount on gas when you buy gift cards.
We drink 2 pots of coffee a day in our house. My husband makes the first pot in the morning and fills his thermous to take with him. He makes the 2nd pot for me. I drink that all morning till about noon. (by then it is gone) I sometimes have to reheat it in the microwave because it gets cold. I buy Folger's coffee at Sam's Club for $11.00 for the extra large can. One can will last us 2 months. I drink tea the rest of the day.
Hi Heidi,
It's wonderful that you cut you expense by 194.
Don't kick yourself. Be glad that you are saving that money now.
Thank you for your kindness.
Hi Jennifer,
That is a nice deal on the Eight O Clock coffee. Thanks for the tip on buying the giftcards to get the gas points.
My second full-time job provided coffee for us - so I would drink it all day long. When the economy didn't improve the company decided that one employee perk they could do without was the coffee. After that each department had a coffee fund and the employees contributed according to how much they drank - of course we were also paying for the customers and visitors to our department. That pretty much cured my coffee drinking (I had started drinking coffee when I was about 4.). Now, I will have a cup occasionally but it always seems to smell better than it tastes. When I do drink it I always take it straight with no flavors - no creamers - no sugar.
Sarah
Hi Roxie,
That is not a bad price for 2 months worth of coffee. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Sarah,
That was a nice perk while it lasted. I think alot of companies have had to cut perks. Thanks for sharing.
****MAKING A CORRECTION TO MY COMMENT***
it's WALGREENS that has the Folger's 34.5 oz. $6.99 with their card.
They also have Maxwell House Wake up Roast, 30.65 oz.
CVS has Maxwell House on sale too... has Maxwell house 3/$9 w/card and 3/$7 with reward bucks $2 off...I forget the oz. it is smaller I think 10.0z
sorry about any confusion!
Frugal On!
Thankfully, that is one expense we don't have. I am not a coffee drinker. DH does have a cup of coffee every morning but he gets a free cup at work and he doesn't drink any on the weekends.
I love Dunkin Donuts coffee too Precious! We make a full pot in the morning. When I was working we both filled our coffee mugs and each had a cup at home and it was all good. I can't believe how many ppl still continue to buy out. It just boggles my mind. Oh well, to each his own.
I cannot do Maxwell House or Folgers. I tried mixing a can of Maxwell House with my Gevalia, yuk.
So I purchase Gevalia when it's on sale. 8 O'clock is the next favorite. I buy it whole beans and grind it either at home, or if I am at BJ's, I grind it there.
Also, BJ's brand of Columbian coffee is "yummy"! Very reminiscent to DD's! I've bought it a few times.
Hi Pat,
Thanks for taking the time to make the correction.
Hi Maria,
Free coffee is the best!
Hi Didi,
Thanks for sharing and especially for letting us know how good the BJs Columbian brand is.
I am also a coffee drinker, love the european one, since I grew up with. So when I ever it's on sale, may it be where ever, I'll stock up as much as I can. The 500g are just about 7.00(on sale 6.00). The few times I did go to Starbucks, I seen prices I would like to forget - med. frap with whatever they ask, then with tip was 10.00 - can you say yikes. My big treat is a local Cafe, where I meet for Sit N Stitch, which is 6.00 with tip and side salad for lunch.
BTW I am one of those who like my coffee strong, plus I hand brew it, like my parent used to do. :)
Hi Urmelche,
Thanks for sharing.
I used to buy a lovely German coffee Tchibo which we used for the main pot of coffee each morning and then we had inexpensive decaf for our afternoon cup (3 cups a day for me, 2 in the morning 1 in the afternoon). However shipping made that more cost prohibitive and with the increased costs at the market we found we just couldn't keep it up.
I then moved to purchasing the regular German coffee at Aldi which we enjoyed but they stopped carrying at our store. If they return to having it I'll be buying it.
I prefer Dunkin Donuts but try to buy bags that are less than $5. Not fond of Seattle's Best (usually a b1g1 special) as I think it smells horrid.
We tried the half and half thing which works best if you have a very strong coffee and a medium roast, but we no longer do that since we're not buying the lovely German coffee.
I long for the days when I could buy really good brands of coffee at the drugstore for $2.50 or $3.50 a bag...Those days are no more in my area, so we buy decent coffee and trim in other areas.
I do like Starbucks but for me it's a once a month treat. Usually my husband treats me and lately I've been using every fourth Swagbuck earning to add a $5 amount to the gift card my daughter gave me. However, I'm firm on that once a month business! Never more than that. I'm a huge believer in keeping treats as treats and not habits.
Hi Terri,
Thanks for sharing. I long for those days of cheaper prices too but I think they are gone for good. I ams sitting enjoying a fresh cup of Dunkin Donuts while I write this.
Enjoy your Starbucks treat!
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