I love coffee. Not just floofy sugary Starbucks-esque drinks, but dark, rich black coffee. I like the notes of fruits and florals, and appreciate the difference between a light roast and a dark roast. In short, I am a coffee snob. Managing coffee love (snobbery) on a budget was kind of tricky at first, but we’ve found a way to make it work!
Real quick, I attribute this love/obsession with coffee to my upbringing 1. I was born and raised in Anchorage, AK. In Anchorage, there are fabulous coffee “shacks” on nearly every corner. There are few places in the city where you cannot see two coffee places at once. I’d put Anchorage at just under Seattle in terms of coffee obsession. and 2. My dad. He was an insane coffee drinker with a love for a 12 oz quad shot breve (or latte when he was trying to be slightly more healthy). In my childhood, 9 out of 10 daddy-daughter outings involved a coffee shop.
Anyways, heres how we go about managing coffee love on a budget…
- We only drink nice coffee on weekends. In the past, we drank fancy coffee every morning. We were always proud to say that we “didn’t buy coffee” at a coffee shop, but quality beans get expensive. Frankly, our coffee consumption during the week is more means-to-an-end to get to work and through the day than it is about enjoyment. So now, we grind up our beans only on our weekends. Doing this has made us really appreciate every delicious cup, and has pretty dramatically lowered the $ we spend on coffee.
- We don’t drink coffee out – I won’t say never, because occasionally when I’m behind on MBA homework I’ll go work on it at a coffee shop in the city nearby. Our home is in an area where the only nearby coffee is Starbucks, so there isn’t much temptation otherwise. People who know me in my current town/college town think I love Starbucks, but it’s only because they don’t understand what Anchorage offered and unfortunately Starbucks is as good as it gets here. Meh.
- Buying “good coffee” on sale – I know I just said I don’t really like Starbucks, but I DO really like their Christmas Blend/Holiday Blend coffee beans. They have the perfect amount of spices without adding too much “flavor” past the beans. Anyways, this year I was able to score some after the holiday season for 50% off. I really wish I would’ve checked more stores to stock up because this roast is delicious and the price was unbeatable. I also check TJ Maxx ( I know it sounds weird but sometimes they have good blends!), and other coffee shops.
- Buying Whole Bean Coffee – this is another thing I learned from my dad. Whole bean coffee is a better value, because there was less processing involved. Not to mention it is WAY more fresh tasting. Instad of the grounds drying out the entire time they were shipped and in your cabiniet, only the outside of the beans touch the air. There really is a taste difference, I promise. Now, when you drink whole bean coffee this means you need a coffee grinder. We use {this} one (FYI there are quite a few negative reviews, so be aware of that. But we’ve had ours for two years, used daily for about a year, and used weekly for a year with no issues)
Prepping the coffee beans. This little coffee grinder has been a workhorse for us and is easy to store during the week. - Drinking Coffee Black – Adding anything into your coffee simply adds in additional cost per cup. Not to mention it may also add in unnecessary sugar/chemicals into your drink too. You aren’t managing coffee love if you drink super doctored up drinks. At that point you are enjoying the cream/extras and should just drink the cheap stuff.
I hope this helps any other coffee lovers out there! Or if you don’t care, that you just amused by my high horse about coffee. Either works for me. I’ll just be here drinking my delicious weekend coffee.
With Motivation,
Rachel