Saving money on coffee

[HappyHiker]

Maybe you're like us and you've been buying bagged coffee. We buy Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts brand coffee. We mix full caf with half de-caf and drink our morning coffee out of large mugs probably equal to two cups.

Yesterday at the Dollar store, I decided, on a whim, to buy two containers of Maxwell House--one with caf and one without.

This morning was the taste test. I was prepared not to like the Maxwell House, but instead, both my husand and I preferred the Maxwell House. We found it less acidic and with a robust flavor (sorry, guess I sound like a commerical).

We'd been paying around $8.95 per 11.5 oz. of the SB or DD coffee per bag. The MH was $3/$3.75 per bag for the same size. So that's a savings of $11 or so each time we stock up on coffee.

Lesson learned? Step out of my comfort zone and try other choices in foods and beverages...ya just never know!

[catherine]

I have a Keurig but I fill reusable pods with ground, bagged coffee because of the plastic waste and cost of the Keurig pods.

Normally, I would buy the cheapest coffee possible, but lately I've become concerned about coffee production processes in South America and the clear-cutting that most coffee-growing incurs, so I'm trying to stick with Fair Trade, shade-grown. It's actually hard to find, and when I do find it, it's expensive. Cheapest I've found is Trader Joe's for 7.99/lb. There was a vendor at Costco one weekend who was selling it and like a jerk, I didn't realize he was a one-day vendor, and I never bought it. I'm hoping he returns!

[Tussiemussies]

We too only drink Dunkin Donuts but have c.f. offe so infrequently that it pays off. I too would think that Maxwell House woukd have a great flavor. My sister made it last Christmas Eve and it smelled really great. Glad you found something that works for you....

[nswef]

I use Portorico.com for ordering coffee. They have organic, fair trade and it's reasonable. Free shipping if you order enough and have room to freeze it. I was looking at fancy coffee makers and decided to try doing some things with my regular coffee maker- wet the filter, let 1 cup go through the process, let it sit a minute or two to "bloom" , finish the cycle and turn it off immediately when the perking- bubbling stops, the rest of the water will drip out and the warmer will be off. It has made a difference and I figure I saved $100 that a new maker with those options would cost. Of course I would not have bought it. I get my coffee ground to 1 slot past Melita and they do it.

[HappyHiker]

I use Portorico.com for ordering coffee. They have organic, fair trade and it's reasonable. Free shipping if you order enough and have room to freeze it. I was looking at fancy coffee makers and decided to try doing some things with my regular coffee maker- wet the filter, let 1 cup go through the process, let it sit a minute or two to "bloom" , finish the cycle and turn it off immediately when the perking- bubbling stops, the rest of the water will drip out and the warmer will be off. It has made a difference and I figure I saved $100 that a new maker with those options would cost. Of course I would not have bought it. I get my coffee ground to 1 slot past Melita and they do it.

Wow, you have a lot of patience! I'm Ms. Impatience for my morning (and only) java jolt. I want my coffee and I want it NOW! lol

We have the most basic Mr. Coffee and it seems to do the job...but I'm not too fussy as it turns out....

[nswef]

I do my neck stretches while it does its things..forced exercise before I allow myself to have the coffee.

[Blackdog Lin]

I am also "Ms. Impatience" when it comes to my morning coffee HappyHiker! I want it strong and black and now! I even have a hard time with taking the time to grind beans (on the infrequent occasions that we have some "quality" beans to grind). I'm glad that you have found happiness with a less-expensive brand.

Our route to saving money on coffee was just realizing that DH doesn't notice the difference near as much as I do between brands. And since our morning rising/routines are off by as much as 2 hours, and I've been making 2 half-pots rather than 1 full one for the last 2 years.....I finally figured out that by using a "better" brand (I like Dunkin) for my first half-pot (3 scoops please), then using a less-expensive brand for the next/his half pot (2 scoops only, on top of the grounds already in there) - I can significantly decrease the amount of money we spend yearly on coffee. And he doesn't mind, he's more focused on having fresh coffee than on having quality coffee.

I do my neck stretches while it does its things..forced exercise before I allow myself to have the coffee.

This is a great idea! I have dog duties to do while my coffee is dripping in the mornings. I should incorporate some stretching into the routine.

[Float On]

I mix a variety of beans (I grind once a week) with Maxwell house masterblend. Probably 2/3 fresh beans and 1/3 masterblend. It is what a lot of restaurants use and I've always liked it and it stretches my more expensvie beans.

[jp1]

Maybe you're like us and you've been buying bagged coffee. We buy Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts brand coffee. We mix full caf with half de-caf and drink our morning coffee out of large mugs probably equal to two cups.

Yesterday at the Dollar store, I decided, on a whim, to buy two containers of Maxwell House--one with caf and one without.

This morning was the taste test. I was prepared not to like the Maxwell House, but instead, both my husand and I preferred the Maxwell House. We found it less acidic and with a robust flavor (sorry, guess I sound like a commerical).

We'd been paying around $8.95 per 11.5 oz. of the SB or DD coffee per bag. The MH was $3/$3.75 per bag for the same size. So that's a savings of $11 or so each time we stock up on coffee.

Lesson learned? Step out of my comfort zone and try other choices in foods and beverages...ya just never know!

Would you say it was good to the last drop? (sorry, couldn't resist...)

[rosarugosa]

We buy Kirkland brand Colombian beans at Costco, 2 lbs for about $12.00. We grind once a week, and a bag lasts us a month or so. We decided a long time ago that we preferred coffee that we ground ourselves to pre-ground in a can. Up to that point, we were dedicated to Chock Full of Nuts brand. I'm not really motivated to revisit because we're satisfied with what we're doing now and the price seems reasonable, but if you find something that works well for you for less $$, that's a good discovery!