FREE NEWSLETTER
Go to main Forum page »
I like a good cup of coffee – not that easy to find. I have two or three cups each morning (decaf) and use a Keurig. I know, not the best way to make coffee, but it’s quick, easy and expensive. I received the machine as a gift (it does cappuccino and lattes too- which I rarely use).
My true love is Starbucks, black no sugar, that too is expensive.
I spend considerable time in the supermarket market coffee aisle trying to figure out the best deal on K-Cups and looking for sales. I use my handy phone to divide the cost by the number of Cups in the box. I’m looking for $0.60 or thereabouts. All this leads me to take the lowest cost regardless of brand, which is pretty ridiculous I admit. Just a frugal retiree because it seems the thing to do.
The other day Connie and I were having “breakfast” in a Starbucks. While there, I looked at the bags of coffee beans. $18-ridicules! But as I was enjoying my coffee and egg bite, I began to convince myself to splurge so I picked up a bag of beans and asked it be ground.
The barista asked how I planned to use it which apparently determines the grind. I left with my Starbucks ground for a Keurig. Since I already had the Keurig inserts that allow you to use your own coffee, I was good to go.
I guess some of the engineers and spreadsheet folks know where this is headed. My $18 bag of beans ends up being far less expensive than buying $7.00 boxes of ten or twelve K-Cups. 🤑
It should have been obvious, but all these years I couldn’t get past the Starbuck’s sticker price to my detriment. A classic penny wise and pound foolish. And I do feel foolish. 😱
Now if I just had a donut or bagel with a schmear.🥯
I’ve been buying Starbucks beans ever since they took over the Coffee Connection in Cambridge, MA, in the 1980s. The Coffee Connection was the best, especially on those days when you could buy beans that had been roasted more than seven days ago for 50% off. But Starbucks beans have served well, for grinding at home and then pouring the hot water into my manual Melita pot via a cone filter. Collecting “stars,” especially by paying through the phone app, usually results in several free bags over the course of the year (somewhat reduced now that “double star days” seem to have been trimmed back quite a bit in the reset of the rewards program this past March). The big splurge is during the Christmas sale, when beans can be 30% off. Then there’s the free birthday drink, any size, which for me means the Venti Latte. Otherwise, I only buy beans at Starbucks, not being able to bring myself to pay the other prices on the menu. For great tasting coffee at home, I find Starbucks to offer great value. The problem, however, is that it makes most other coffee one encounters, even in many restaurants, almost undrinkable.
I love this! Not a huge Starbucks fan here, but love how you found a way to be more frugal for your morning coffee. I agree with Dana that I try not to buy coffee in a can. I have a recommendation if any of you live in an area with Meijer grocery store. Their Frederick’s brand of premium coffee is good, especially the flavored ones. We buy for a treat sometimes. Chris
A great example of where Nick Maggiulli’s 0.01% rule would have been handy :
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/0-01-rule-money-expert-130000592.html
I’m not spending that on coffee😎
Richard: I have done the same, both the grocery store price comparison and the grinding at Starbucks. What I would really like would be the opportunity to put more grounds into the Keurig filter insert for a more potent pour.
Mine has a “strong” button that allows the water to move more slowly through the coffee. It does make a difference.
Even when we were starving grad students, coffee was the one thing we wouldn’t skimp on. We’d cut corners elsewhere. No coffee from a can. We bought good beans and ground them either at home or in the supermarket.
The Mr bought himself a very nice espresso machine and milk frother a couple of years ago when he got his bonus. Our coffee game has improved considerably.
On the other hand, I won’t pay for Starbucks egg bites. I’ve perfected my recipe and make batches in my Instant Pot.
Ok, I’ve got to ask: What’s an egg bite?
It’s egg whites mixed with potatoes or bacon, onions or peppers. It’s about the size of a golf ball and cooked by microwave at Starbucks. Quite good.