Should You Stop For Coffee in the Morning?

So the short answer is no. But before you click out of this post in anger because, yes, that is quite a valid reaction, believe me you don't have to completely stop buying coffee when out and about and trying to stop that completely is just a waste of time.

For a long time, and even every once in a while still, I think coffee from a coffee shop tasted way better than anything I could make at home. But one, that is because most of those coffees are filled with sugar, and two, I didn't have to do it myself. The money that you save from not spending on coffee multiple times a week adds up so fast though. Like for example, let's say you buy coffee every day during the week before work. So five days a week you probably spend (at the very least) $5 on a coffee. Every week that means you spend $25. If you do that every week in one month that is an extra $100 monthly cost. It's almost like paying an extra utilities bill every month. Think about what you could do with an extra $100 a month if you weren't spending it on coffee. Where would it go? Savings for the future? For a new car? For a rainy day? That $100 a month adds up.

So what now then? Obviously you still need your morning coffee fix. So below are a couple of essentials that can get you on the right track to saving your money for something more important than expensive coffee.

French Press

My favorite way of making coffee is using a french press. They are super easy to use and clean and I think it makes really good tasting coffee. All you have to do is pour hot water over the coffee grounds in the bottom and then after a few minutes of steeping, press down on the lid to separate the grounds from the water. This one off of Amazon has great reviews and is only $12.99. These things last a long time and the only thing you ever need to replace is the strainer in the bottom if it starts to fray. These special pieces can be found in lots of places online and are usually sold in packs for under $10. This link will take you to this French Press: French Press

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Coffee

Next you need your coffee. I personally like to get fresh coffee beans from local coffee shops because when they are ground right for you, they can be ground exactly the way they should be for a French Press, drip coffee, or however you like to brew your coffee. Twelve ounce bags of coffee can range from $5 to $25 or more. I usually stick around the $15 dollar range.  Compared to buying coffee every day, let's see how much money we save from one bag of ground coffee and making it ourselves. One 12oz bag of coffee could make about 22 cups considering that you need about a half of an ounce of grounds for every cup of coffee brewed. If you bought a bag of coffee for $15 and got 22 cups of coffee from it, that would mean the price of each cup of coffee you made was less than $1.50 each. That is a big difference. Obviously you still need to buy milk, sugar, and/or cream, but it is still significantly less overall. A couple of coffee shops in the Bay Area that will grind the beans you buy from them specifically the way you want are Bluestone Lane, Saint Frank Coffee, and Castro Coffee.

Coffee Mugs!

So a lot of us are on the go. Whether it's on the go to school and classes, or work, or meeting up with friends, sometimes you don't have time to finish your coffee in the morning. Or also, you would just rather bring it with you to sip on your commute. A good, sturdy traveller's mug is a good investment in my opinion. You want one that will keep your drink warm, but also hold probably at least a solid 10 or 12oz cup of coffee, while not being incredibly bulky. A couple below are ones that have good ratings and I think are fairly budget friendly. (Remember how much money you will be saving in the long run by not purchasing coffee every day and carrying it in your cute new mug)

 This first mug can be found on Amazon for only $9.99. The lids on these types of cups are nice and they also fit really well in car cup holders which is a plus for drivers. However, some reviews stated that it didn't hold temperature quite as well as they had wished, so if you're someone who takes an hour and a half to finish your coffee, this might not be the best choice.

I really enjoy the brand Contigo that is this next coffee mug. I have multiple of their insulated bottles and they hold heat very well. I also like that they are stainless steel and last a really long time. This one is a little more expensive than the first at $17, but I definitely think it's worth it. You can also choose from a handful of different colors as well and Contigo can be found on Amazon as well as in many Target stores.

The last mug is from Target and is also stainless steel like the last one. This might be the one for you if you walk to your destination because it has a handle making it much easier to hold, but a little harder to fit into a cup holder in a car. It is in the middle in price between the two at $14.99 and has fairly good reviews online.








As you can see with just a couple of purchases, you can make transition to making your coffee at home by yourself. Not only are you saving money, but I can guarantee your sugar intake will go down as well. Another thing I like about trying to make my coffee at home as much as possible, is that when I do go out for coffee with a friend or grab one when I'm running late, it feels like a special treat and I enjoy it that much more.