need frugal coffee advice

[markusk]

Okay, this is for those of us addicted to coffee -- and we want to be!

I love dunkin donuts coffee, specifically the blue berry iced coffee. But at over $2 a cup, it was WAY to expensive and so I made some changes in my drinking habits.

I drink one large cup of coffee everyday on my way to work. I buy BJ's brand 2 1/2 lbs of beans for $9.99, which lasts me about 30 days. I use a starbuck's french press (a house warming gift) to brew and a starbucks grinder (also a gift) to mill. Boil some hot water and pour. I use International Delights non-daily creamer (32 oz at $3.69) which has both the cream and sugar Great coffee.

I use to have a multitude of travel mugs over the years, some were bought and others were gifts, but invariably in a few months, I would lose them.
So about a 1 year ago I bought a box (500 count) 16 oz styrofoam cups with caps for about $20. Total cost? About 30-35 cents per cup.

I am now thinking about buying a coffee maker with a timer so that the coffee will be ready when I wake up. Any suggestions?

How do you guys keep costs down with your coffee (without sacrificing taste)?

[cicy33]

No comment on the cost, cuz I hate coffee but my husband drinks it every day! We have not went with the timer thing, have been told by too many people that they are a fire hazard. Not sure exactly what the reason is but we have been told that alot so while we have one that has the option (gift) we don't use it. I do get the coffee ready to go so that in the am all I have to do is turn it on.

[tinapbeana]

coffee addict here! i buy 9.99/lb coffee and a pound lasts me about 2 weeks. i use the timer built into my coffee pot and have never had an issue with it. same for my parents for the past 20 years (using the timer on the coffee pot, that is).

i make an 8 cup pot for the morning. this gets me 2 cups at home and 1 travel mug full to take to work. i enjoy my coffee black but keep half&half in the house for when the mood strikes.

at work they brew folgers (blech!). i buy a quart of non-dairy creamer and keep it in the fridge there to make the stuff drinkable.

i've actually got a blog post entitled Your Own Personal Coffee Shop that has some other suggestions for schnazzy coffee on the cheap.

[threebeansalad]

My coffee pot doesn't have a timer, but get everything prepped the night before so in the morning all I have to do is flip the switch. By the time I feed the cat, go to the bathroom and wash my face, the coffee is ready! I also have a stainless steel thermos so I can bring coffee to work with me and not be tempted to run out for a cup mid-day.

[kealina]

i'm not a coffee addict but when i drink it i definately enjoy it... one of my favorite ways to drink it is to mix really strong coffee or basically espresso with sweetened condensed milk mixed in and then either drink it hot or iced... so yummy... if you guys have ever had vietnamese coffee or tried the "thai" coffee from Starbucks that is what it is...
my mom has been making these for me since i was a kid (i knew there was a reason i'm so short) and they're very simple and delicious... imagine my surprise when my friend offered me a sip of her "thai" coffee and it turned out to be that... =)...
i also love mocha type things and will have to try to mix the cocoa in among other things... great ideas tina...
lucky for me i have a coffee/espresso maker (bought at garage sale for $10) and tons of coffee given to me as a gift so i can go play the flavors...yum...

I'm not a big fan of coffee but I love French Vanilla... Not sure if it's coffee but it tastes so good. I don't like it so much that I could drink it everyday but it tastes good and it smells good too ^.^". I drink it at my work and it doesn't cost me anything.

[jodi]

I drink an occasional cup, but DH drinks about two pots a day (no, that's not a typo, unfortunately!). We were averaging about one coffee maker per year when we bought the cheapo ones, but his parents (also heavy coffee drinkers) swore by their Bunn coffee maker (restaurant quality, a bit pricey), which lasted them for 20 years. We got one as a gift this year and DH is absolutely in love with it. He used to mess around with the timer, forgetting half the time. Now he doesn't even bother because it only takes about 3 minutes to brew an entire pot. This might be a case where spending the extra money is worth it in the long run. We could have gone through 20 $30 pots in the time this one $120(?) pot will last us.
I buy my travel mugs at garage sales. Once I stumbled upon a box of brand new mugs advertising some business, priced at 2/$.25. I bought a bunch and we've been using them since. They also can be found cheaply at thrift stores.
Other than that, I wait for coffee to go on sale then buy as many as the store will allow. Luckily for me, DH will drink just about any kind. When Folgers or Maxwell House go on sale for $1.50/13 oz, I can usually combine it with a coupon and buy 3-6 cans. This will get us through to the next sale. With online retailers, like Gevalia, I have found free shipping deals combined with 10% off your order. I used this to order a variety gift pack, which is cheaper than ordering individual packages of coffee. This way, we can have a little bit of the fancier coffee too as a treat (but I don't let DH get too used to it!).

[JanH]

When I drank coffee, I loved my Bunn. No timer, but it makes it so quick you don't have to wait. My coffee store closed, so I don't get any more. I'm sure the Bunn uses extra electricity because it constantly heats the water.

[tinapbeana]

word to the wise: most Bunns also don't have burners that automatically turn off, so make sure you turn the unit off and/or remove the coffee pot! a pot left on a hot burner smells terrible and is almost impossible to clean. worst case, it can shatter in your hands

[JanH]

Originally Posted by tinapbeana

word to the wise: most Bunns also don't have burners that automatically turn off, so make sure you turn the unit off and/or remove the coffee pot! a pot left on a hot burner smells terrible and is almost impossible to clean. worst case, it can shatter in your hands

Yikes!

[cschin4]

You don't need a "timer". Just put your coffee in the basket and the water in the hold the night before. Then, just turn it on in the morning. I usually do just that.
I am the only one who drinks coffee in my family. I have 4 cup maker. I usually just make a little over 2 cups (just what I can drink and what I can put in my travel mug). I find that a small can of coffee lasts quite awhile. I don't buy coffee out because I like my own better.
Occassionally I will buy Hazelnut or Vanilla coffee.

[Ima saver]

I am glad I never aquired a taste. which is strange since my parents were both coffee drinkers!

[markusk]

The reason I want a timer is because they usually have an automatic turn-off feature (usually 1 hour).

cicy33, I have not heard of any issues with timers being a fire hazard.

tinapbeana, I definately will try some of your yummy suggestions! Thanx for the link!

threebeansalad, et al., I just like the idea of grinding coffee and adding water, then being waken up in the morning by the aroma of coffee (like magic!) -- another incentive to wake up!

kealina, you sound like there is something wrong with being a coffee addict I love vietnamese coffee too, but I'm lactose intolerant so I have to be near a bathroom for a couple hours...you know, just in case.

I did some research on amazon.com -- wow, there are alot of choices. One I found promising/intriguing is a brand I am not familiar with: Melitta. Not only does it have a timer and auto-shut off, but it will grind the coffee automatically just before it brews the coffee. It has great reviews. I think I will pull the trigger and buy it. Will let you know if it's as good as they say.

[Hot dog]

I do drink coffee but am not very picky in the brands I guess cause I usually flavor it but I just found splenda coffee flavors so one pack sweetens and flavors your coffee with no calories or fat

[baking23]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

I am glad I never acquired a taste. which is strange since my parents were both coffee drinkers!

Neither one of my parents were coffee drinkers and neither am I. I do enjoy the smell, and I liked to make it on the stove. A quick way to make it if you don't have a machine is to just boil a large pot of water, throw in the grounds, boil until dark enough, and pour into a pitcher. The grounds will sink, or you can pour it through some cheesecloth.

Then put the grounds on your compost pile, or on your roses, they love it.

[kealina]

[quote=markusk;105854]

kealina, you sound like there is something wrong with being a coffee addict I love vietnamese coffee too, but I'm lactose intolerant so I have to be near a bathroom for a couple hours...you know, just in case.

QUOTE]

lol... no, nothing wrong with it at all...it's just that i'm more of a coffee lover than a coffee addict like some friends and family i know... i don't drink it every day and i don't crave it either...
i just enjoy the heck out of it... and i love the smell of coffee... and i love those mocha freeze drinks... my DH and I both love vietnamese coffee.... i grew up with it and i know my DH became attached to it on our trip to vietnam...btw, where did you try vietnamese coffee?...
i don't always run into people who even know what that is and they think i'm wierd when i tell them i put sweetened condensed milk in my coffee... =D

[tinapbeana]

sweetened condensed milk in coffee is 'vietnamese' coffee? who knew! personally it's not my favorite, but sweetened condensed milk is THE way to drink hot chai tea. YUM!!!

[scrava]

I have the Melitta grind&brew and LOVE it!
I was sold on the whole bean gets ground and coffee magically comes our- I don't have to touch/pour anything idea!!

Their customer service has been really cool so far.

After about 2 years my lid thingie broke and they sent a new one, no charge. I also bought a replacement pot and coffee filter (at a later date).

We keep our beans in the freezer (they say not to) but, I love our coffee!!!

[kealina]

Originally Posted by tinapbeana

sweetened condensed milk in coffee is 'vietnamese' coffee? who knew! personally it's not my favorite, but sweetened condensed milk is THE way to drink hot chai tea. YUM!!!

in hot chai tea? hmm.. may have to try that...
and yeah, that's basically what vietnamese coffee is...or at least to the best of my knowledge it is...
i do want to note though that I prefer to make it with espresso because the coffee flavor has to be strong before you dilute it w/the sweetened condensed milk and ice...

btw, i really liked your tips in your blog... they sounded yummy...

[Homebody]

We buy Starbucks beans at Costco and half gallons of half and half. Sometimes we decide to be cheap and buy Kirland brand beans, but then we go back to the Starbucks and back and forth, depending on how cheap we are feeling when we run out of beans.

We do occasionally indulge in the actual Starbucks brewed coffee, like the other day was totally stressful with all three of my daughters upset about one thing or another and I called DH to bring me home one of those cinnamon dolce things, decaf, sugar-free.