A Guide to Buying Coffee on a Budget

The global economic recession has caused job loss, cash flow restrictions, and much more as you have probably heard ad nauseum on MSNBC and various news counterparts. For many, even those with jobs, spending $5 daily on a performance enhancing liquid to get you through your day is becoming less and less appealing. On a conservative estimate, buying Starbucks coffee for every work day can cost at least $1300. Of course, we can all use an extra $1000 in our bank accounts, but going cold turkey on coffee is not the answer, especially not when the caffeine goblin inside of you is screaming for satisfaction, and your boss becomes appalled at your ridiculously lackluster performance. Making coffee at home is an option but Folgers in my cup does not always taste like my favorite Starbucks drink. So what is the answer? While buying an expensive European cappuccino machine may solve your problems, there are more cost effective and feasible answers.

1. Run to the Golden Arches - Contrary to popular and hipster beliefs, McDonald's coffee is surprisingly delicious. While many turn their nose up and sneer at the thought of going to a low class establishment like McDonald's for their coffee, you can be less ignorant and less prejudiced to be a part of something great. While it is fact that McDonald's coffee is cheaper than Burger King's, Dunkin Donuts, and Starbuck's, it is also fact that McDonald's coffee taste better than most of those stores previously mentioned. Many consumer tastes test like this one from consumer report concur. Another cost plus is that McDonald's have senior discounts on coffee for the older gentlemen and ladies. Very rarely can the cheapest thing be the best, this is one of those few instances. For the hot summer days, McDonald's new flavored iced coffees are a fantastic and cheaper alternative to Starbuck's Frappuccinos. My favorite is the Hazelnut flavor. Throw the snob out the window and quit striving to be "hip" and grab yourself a delicious cup of joe for $1.35

2. Support local businesses - If you do not have time or the resources to make your own coffee at home, the only other wise and reasonable alternative to McDonald's are the local shops that are hiding in your city. Local coffee joints are great places to grab a cup of coffee on the go or sit and relax. The ambiance is definitely an improvement over the chain stores, and the coffee can be extremely delicious. A good local shop should provide you with excellent coffee for only $0.50 - $1.50. Wonder why the people from "Friend's" always hang out at the coffee shop on that show? Because these shops are truly great places to wind down after a busy day and to spend chatting with your buddies. I cannot tell you where exactly the best coffee shop in your town will be but a good place to start searching is City Search website, as that is where I found my favorite shop. Supporting local businesses will help stimulate the economy too, so do your part!

3. Grind your own beans - Tips 3-8 are written to help you improve your own homemade coffee, the cheapest coffee of all. If you want decent homemade coffee, the first step is to throw away your can of grounded powder and buy some fresh coffee beans. Ground coffee get stale really fast and can taste bitter. Sure, you will have to grind your own powder whenever you want coffee, but it only takes about 10 seconds. Grinding your own coffee is cheaper and more delicious, so if you are a true coffee drinker, the only reason not to do it is extreme laziness. Your own coffee bean grinder can cost from $25 to $100, but there is no reason to spend more than $40 on a good one. Some good ones include: the Delonghi, Krups, and Braun.

4. Choosing your coffee beans - Try to obtain your coffee beans from good coffee shop for the best taste. However, buying coffee from the supermarket will do. Try not to buy coffee from the display plastic towers and go for the coffee in the vacuum sealed bags. For one thing, you do not know how long the beans have been in the plastic tower, and secondly beans in the towers can be damaged. When buying vacuumed sealed bags, check the roasted date or freshness date to ensure you're not getting anything too old. In terms of roast style and flavors, that's just to your personal taste or whatever is cheapest for you. Either way no matter what you choose, having your own coffee beans is infinitely cheaper than going out for Starbucks.

5. Choosing your coffee maker - There really is no wrong answer here. However, it is best to choose a coffee maker with an auto-brew timer. That way you can grind your beans the night before and have coffee fresh and brewing when you wake up. An auto-brewing coffee maker is the perfect device to make you use your coffee beans and help you avoid costly coffee shops especially if you are on the go!

6. Storing your coffee beans - Remember to store your beans in an airtight container in a cool place or your cheap beans will really taste cheap! It is also important to remember to use your supply of beans in one week, if you have more than a week's supply store the excess in the freezer.

7. Master Mixer - The above tips are just for your regular everyday "Joe 6-pack" coffees. Now if you want some specialty coffees or special mixes and blends but do not want to spend the money to obtain those, there are various helpful recipes online that can help you create your own perfect mix. Here's an example of a website with various recipes to help you recreate the exotic flavors that you crave.

8. The magic of IPOH - If you are on a budget, in a hurry, and way to lazy to prepare your own coffee. The last resort would be instant IPOH white coffee. If you have never heard of IPOH white coffee before, read about it here. My personal favorite instant IPOH coffee comes in a small packet and is of the 3-in-1 variety. This means that sugar and milk has already been added. The taste is good enough and it satisfies the random cravings. You can find a large bag of 20+ packets at many Asian grocery stores for about $5. Experiment to see which brand you prefer the most. Cheap, quick, and hits the spot, the magic of IPOH!

Hopefully this short guide have given you hope in this time of economic failure. Take heart, you can have good coffee and be poor at the same time, it just takes some personal effort but it can be done!! Until next time, drink well and prosper!