My Journey to Coffee Paradise

While never one to waste money buying coffee at Dunking Donuts, Starbucks or other coffee joints, I am a coffee fiend. I drink way too much of the Black Liquid from Heaven. In my quest for better at-home coffee, I've gone from drip coffee to K-cup machine to French Press to Espresso machine. 

I switched because of taste, not price. The savings is an added bonus.

I work from home so making espresso, or any other style coffee, is not an issue. I’m in no hurry. When I did commute to an office, I made coffee in the morning with my French Press and then brought it to work in one of those metal-thermos' that construction workers use.

Here is what I found over the past 5 years or so of working at home.

• Coffee shop coffee cost: $120-$180 per month (or more), $4-$6 per day

• K-cup – Machine cost: $100 – K-Cup Coffee cost: $60 per month, $2 per day

• French Press/Coffee Beans - French Press & Grinder cost: $50 – Coffee Bean cost: $52 per month $1.67 per day

• Espresso – Machine cost: $60 – Italian Ground Espresso cost: $15.28 per month, 51 cents per day

Yearly savings using espresso vs. k-cups or French Press: $425-$520

Yearly savings using espresso machine vs. Starbucks/Dunkin: $1,236-$1,854

This is the machine I bought 2 years ago. It was $60 then, it's gone up to $84. It will still pay for itself quickly.

This is the espresso I get delivered every month through Amazon's subscribe and save service (extra 20% off for frequent buyers (5 or more items per month)). One $15.28 order lasts me a month.

Sure I could probably save a few dollars more a month by switching back to generic drip coffee (or heaven-forbid, quit), but lets get serious.  

We still have the K-Cup machine for when guests are over, for the college kids to use or a quickie cup when on the run. I've since found K-Cups from Amazon that are only 29 cents each. (San Fransisco Bay brand)

For those of you with a Starbucks addiction. Here are some recipes you can make at home.

Starbucks drink recipes