The 5 Ways To Save Money On Coffee (Without Sacrificing Quality)

Last Updated on October 20, 2021 by John Moretti

Coffee makes the world go round, but it doesn’t always come cheap. If you’re looking for a way to save some dough on your cup of Joe, you’ve come to the right place.

The most efficient way to save money on coffee is to have your coffee at home. The best options to make a great coffee on a budget are french press, moka pot, or percolator. Also, there are good espresso machines under $200.

The complete list of how to save money on coffee without sacrificing the quality or being unreasonably frugal:

  • Making french press or moka pot coffee at home
  • Buying a budget espresso machine (under $200)
  • Buying a cheap coffee beans grinder and big packs of beans
  • Signing up for a coffee shop loyalty program
  • Buying Starbucks or other coffee shop beans for home

If you need your fix of caffeine but don’t want to spend your life savings at your local Starbucks, here might be some ideas you would want to hear.

How To Save Money On Coffee

Coffee is delicious and an essential part of most adults’ lives; it can become quite expensive to grab that latté at your local coffee shop even if you only grab a latté once a day. There is no denying that the coffee you purchase at the local coffee house is delicious, and the culture and atmosphere are an invaluable part of the experience.

Coffee does go to the soul, but something needs to change when it drains your bank account. A good way to save money on coffee is to have your fix of caffeine in the comfort of your own home. Thankfully there are machines and devices available to give you coffee house standard coffee in your kitchen:

french press at home

One of the least expensive ways to have coffee house quality coffee at home is to get a French press. A French press is a round cylinder with a plunger attached to the lid. You add your coffee grounds and boiled water into the cylinder and then slowly press the plunger down, repeat two to three times, pour and enjoy.

You can find relatively well-priced French presses in most general stores, and they are very convenient. Using a French press takes just about the same amount of time as boiling a kettle. You would need to boil a kettle to use your French press as you need boiling water to add to the coffee grounds in the cylinder.

Another option is to have a coffee percolating machine. These are slightly more expensive than a French press; they are worth the investment. In the same manner, like a French press, you will need coffee grounds to add to the machine. You add water to the machine in one compartment, usually to the back of the machine.

It would be best if you used coffee filters with these types of machines. You place the coffee filter in the compartment for the coffee grounds and add the coffee grounds to the filter; the machine then percolates your coffee slowly. The hot water runs through the coffee grounds, and your coffee drips out into your cup.

How Much Does Coffee Grounds Cost?

There are many different coffee grounds, different blends, different roasts. There are coffee grounds from different countries. It costs about $18 for a 12-ounce pack of coffee grounds. One twelve-ounce pack of coffee grounds makes sixteen delicious cups of coffee; it works out less than one dollars per cup.

You could also purchase whole coffee beans and turn them into coffee grounds yourself. You could use a processor or a blender to do this; however, devices are designed especially for this purpose and are more efficient and effective at turning beans into grounds.

Can You Make Coffee From Beans At Home?

coffee beans grinding

Freshly ground coffee has a very rich aroma and a taste with no comparison. It may seem worth spending the money at the coffee house because of how delicious the coffee is; however, you could make it at home.

You would need to invest in a good coffee machine to use beans to make your coffee. A proper coffee machine can cost anything between $100 and $300.

Ways To Have Your Coffee House Coffee And Save

There are programs at some coffee houses like Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks which reward you with free coffee and free food for spending your money with them. If you do the math, you earn a percentage of every purchase back in free coffee or food when you use the loyalty program. 

The loyalty program may save you some money, but that might not be enough to justify your coffee addiction breaking the bank for that one free cup of coffee in every ten or twenty purchases.

A Way To Enjoy Your Favorite Coffee House Coffee At Home

starbucks at home

As amazing as the loyal programs are at some coffee franchises, that might not always be enough to keep you from breaking the bank. Thankfully, your favorite coffee houses don’t want to leave you in the lurch. They have made their delicious coffee beans and grounds available to purchase for at-home use.

As I mentioned above, you would either need a French press, a percolator, or a pour over cofffee machine to make the coffee from your favorite coffee houses at home. If you aren’t willing to give up that delicious taste of your favorite coffee house coffee and still want to save money, purchasing the at-home coffee might be a compromise.

The Final Word

If you enjoy your coffee and want to save your budget, having coffee at home would be the best option. Thankfully that does not have to mean having bad coffee anymore. There are various devices and machines which assist you in making coffee house standard coffee at home.

There are many variants of coffee beans and coffee grounds available to use at home. It is almost more rewarding to make your coffee in your home and try out different flavors and combinations to see which you prefer best. You can save money and still have great coffee.