Cutting the Cost: Coffee

That picture above? Yeah, you might as well have taped my picture over her face.

It's the story of my life.

I don't just want coffee, it's necessary for my functionality!

For the past four-ish years, I have worked as a barista.

Which means four-ish million times I have heard people complain about the cost.

It's true. Buying a latte from a coffee house everyday REALLY adds up.

The Math:

Average Vanilla Latte Cost: roughly $3.50

x

Days in a year: 365

=

Holy. Cow. You would be spending about $1277 per YEAR on the morning caffeine dose!

That's a down payment on a car!!

Dave Ramsey would have a fit with that one!

I'm all for the occasional Grande non-fat Tuxedo Mocha....

But only on special occasions.

So, stepping off my soap box, how do we stop this money drainer?

Well, over the past few years I have (close to) perfected a system.

Drip Coffee:

Before we start, let me introduce you to my buddy, Trader Joe's House Blend...

At my local TJ's, he retails for about $5/pound.

And he is GOOD quality.

He is also the same cost of a lower grade blend from the grocery store.

Anyways, TJHB as he will be referred to, will be the basis cost for my calculations.

One container will last me about 2 weeks.

And that is with normal consumption of 2 mugs per day, totaling out to $2.50 a week.

That's not too bad.

However, if you don't drink your coffee black, your creamer costs can raise your price per cup.

How do I fix that?

Get on pinterest and search "homemade coffee creamer".

I use the one that doesn't use sweetened condensed milk.

In about 20 minutes I can make a batch of 1 1/2 quarts that I freeze in smaller containers and use when needed.

My calculation says that it adds about 30 cents per cup to the cost, as well as a lot fewer preservatives!

So that gives our daily coffee habit a 66 cent cost.

MUCH better.

Now, what about those who like their coffee iced?

I use a SUPER simple recipe from the Imbibe website.

The same amount of TJHB coffee is used weekly, just brewed under a cold brew method, so the cost equals out to the one above.

Some days when I am really hurting for that coffeehosue taste, I pull out my Keurig Hazelnut "brew over ice" and make one. 

At about 75 cents a cup, it is worth it for that real latte taste!

(And still better than the local Starbucks' cost.)

Flavored Coffees:

For a flavored coffee, I do one of two things:

1. Dollar Tree has bottles of flavored syrup for $1. Not bad at all.

2. I make my own. (Holla.)

Simple Syrup goes like this:

- Equal parts sugar and water are boiled until the sugar dissolves.

- Add extracts such as vanilla, caramel, or hazelnut for the flavor.

And that's ALL! Easy Peasy.

Just add a splash and some milk and you're on your way!

Chai Lattes:

In the fall, there's not much I love more than cuddling up with my hubs and a warm chai latte and watching college football.

Here's advice for chai on the cheap:

Oregon Chai is a good bet. It is sold at Walmart, many grocery stores, and TJ's.

There is a powdered version or a liquid.

As well as a sugar-free or regular choice.

Heat your milk, pour it in, and go.

Bonus points if you brew a strong cup of Chai tea and add honey and milk.

It isn't quite the same taste to me, but maybe I just need to experiment more.

Obviously, I could talk and talk about coffee savings.

I forsee a part two coming soon!

Here's a quick table I found from Seattle Coffee Gear on home-brew vs. shop-purchased prices:

What about you? Any tips or tricks?

Love and Savings,

MFP

Just Me? No?

Love and Savings,
MFP

Five Frugal Favorites: Green Cleaners

5 Frugal Faves: Green Cleaners

Green cleaners are awesome.

They’re all we use in our house.

Not because I am super green and environmentally conscious.

Sure, that is a huge benefit, and I’m glad those chemicals aren’t going into the world around me.

But I am also MORE glad that they are cheaper.

Here are my Five Frugal Fave Cleaners:

1.       Baking Soda

-Why it’s great: a 15 pound bag at Sams Club is about $5. It is a non-abrasive scrubber. It is safe enough to eat.

-My favorite use: pouring down a drain and adding vinegar to make a small science experiment that cleans the drains.

2. Vinegar

-Why it’s great: 2 gallons cost $2.78 at our local Sam’s club. It is an acid that cleans just about anything mixed when it is mixed with water.

-My favorite use: 50/50 mixture with water as an all purpose cleaner for glass, mirrors, and hard surfaces.

3. Dawn Dishsoap: (They’re not paying me to say this, by the way!)

-Why it’s great: A gallon of the commercial grade is under $10 at Sams. This lasts us about 9 months. At under $1 a month, I am thrilled. We use it for our dishes (duh), mixed with washing soda, water, and vinegar as a floor cleaner, and in laundry soap.

                -My favorite use: On our dishes and greasy pans.  (Duh again).

4. Washing Soda and Borax

(So these are technically two, but they are often seen together as a dynamic duo in cleaners)

-Why it’s great: A several pound box of each is about $3 at Walmart. They work in most cleaning products, especially laundry soap.

-My favorite use: in both of our laundry soap recipes. Equal parts of these mixed with Dawn (!) and hot water make it in to  frugal laundry soap.

5. Hydrogen Peroxide

-Why it’s great: 2 bottles cost about $2 at Sam’s. It cleans cuts. The fizzing power helps clean, and when mixed with Dawn (!) it is a homemade stain remover.

-My favorite use: Stain removal from clothes. Rub the Dawn into the stain and spray with peroxide. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then wash. It works!

There are probably more, like lemon juice, rubbing alcohol, etc. but I am keeping it to five!



Love and Savings,
MFP

Goals and Getting There

Goals in Mind for saving:

I think what helps us save is to have goals in mind. When I want to go buy new clothes, shoes, crafting supplies, or whatever it may be, I try to remember the much greater things we are bound for. Or the better, more life enhancing, things that we are striving for.

A big goal of ours is to not be tied to $800 per month student loan payments. In Proverbs it says that the borrower is a slave to the lender. I don’t like to be the slave to anyone. So that is goal #1.

Our next goal that runs alongside of our loans, but will probably (hopefully) be achieved first is to own a home. Whether the home is a condo, a move in ready smaller home, or a “fixer-upper” type of home,  says owning a home almost always better.

We also want to see the world. Both of us have always liked to travel, but the bug has bitten, badly, since I started my travel agent courses. There’s just so much to see!

Our travel goals are:

Europe Cruise, Hawaii, Alaskan Cruise. There’s definitely more, but that is first.  And since travel takes money, we’ve got to make more and pay down debt before we spend more.

I also feel like we should start an adoption fund for when we’re finally in the place to adopt. $30,000 gradually saved over the next ten years is a LOT easier to pay out to the Chinese and American governments when we are ready to adopt than $30,000 over the course of one year.

big dreams take big planning, but when that big planning is broken down into littler things, it makes it easier to take.

Big goals can be broken down into smaller goals. And that’s important to me, because it makes me believe we are getting somewhere.

Little goals can be things like “pay ahead one month on our student loan with the highest interest” or “for the next 6 months, put $50 per month away for a future trip”. Things like these seem little, but they do make an impact.

So what are your goals for your money? I’d encourage you to take a few moments and figure it out.

Love and Savings,
MFP

The Number One Rule!

Of all the possible things you could read on this blog, THIS is THE most important rule I (try to) follow!

Spend more to save more.

No, I am not telling you to go on a shopping spree.

Calm it down and read on.

The "more" I am talking about spending is not something you can touch.

This "more"  means time or energy.

The more time or energy you spend saving and being frugal means more in the bank account at the end of the month!

Which, for all my fellow practical people means this:

Sometimes you have to spend a little more time doing the background work so that your bank account/credit card/cash doesn't have to.

Spend some time on Pinterest pinning cheaper solutions to everyday life. (Yes, I am telling you to spend even MORE time on that addicting site!)

Spend a small bit of that time that you would have normally spent reading your Facebook news feed looking at the local grocery sales ad, because sometimes you find deals in unexpected places!

Spend the extra five minutes to clip the coupons out of the Sunday paper. (More to come on coupons!)

Spend the few seconds it takes to whip out your phone calculator to find the best price per unit.

Also, spend the energy to break down and repackage you cheaper bulk purchases into smaller sizes that work for your family.

If it helps (which it does in our family!) spend the extra effort to make up and freeze meals to deter the temptation to eat out when you don't feel like cooking.

No, it's not the easiest route, and often not the most fun, but I promise your bank account (and if you're like me, your spouse!) will thank you!

Love and Savings,

Mrs. Frugal Princess

Why We're Here...

If you've seen my past blog, you may be thinking, "Okay Amy, another blog?!"

Well, this is why...

Between life in our world, frugal living and working, and Pinterest tutorials, our family blog could be going all over the place!

So I decided to divide and conquer.

This will be where we discuss our attempts at a frugal lifestyle and being crafty!

Ready to journey on?

Let's do this!