*Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Do you have a personal finance story that you’d like to share? Sign up with the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own finance articles.
Coffee is expensive. In my area, a pound averages around $10 for premium brands. As someone who drinks at least four cups a day, the cost can really add up. Some people recommend buying the cheapest coffee available to save money, but I can’t stand the ways it tastes. The solution I’ve found involves tricking my taste buds just a little.
There are two coffee drinkers in my house, so we can easily go through a pound per week. When we can’t fit four pounds of premium coffee into the monthly budget, we buy two pounds of premium and two pounds of the cheap stuff. The cheapest store brand tends to cost about $5 a pound. It tastes terrible. By purchasing two of each, we’ve spent $30 for the month on coffee instead of $40, reducing the cost by 25%. But that still leaves the problem of having to alternate between good coffee and absolute dirt, right? Well, actually, no.
The trick is to mix the premium and the cheap brand in equal proportions. Yes, it does alter the taste of the good stuff just a little, but it also means not drinking coffee that’s barely tolerable. When the two are mixed, there is only a slight difference in the taste. Since I use cream and sugar, once I’ve doctored my java up with those, I’m completely satisfied with the taste.
By mixing the coffee brands, we save 25% on our coffee for the month — more if we can find deals or coupons. Sure, we could save 100% of that cost by kicking the habit, but it’s one of our few indulgences. We’d be spending a great deal more if we went to Starbucks regularly. There’s also a caffeine addiction involved which knocks it out of the luxuries category — it’s a need. Anyone who’s ever run into me before noon will attest to the truth of that statement.
So for selective coffee drinkers who find they have to pinch the coffee budget a little, this provides a happy medium. You’re not stuck drinking coffee that offends the senses just to get your caffeine fix. You’re making your own custom blend that meets the needs of both a reduced budget and a selective palate. Over the course of a year, the savings can add up to over $120. That’s enough for at least 24 trips to Starbucks.