In a recent post, I wrote about brown bagging your lunches to add to your savings painlessly, but there’s another big money-suck culprit: specialty coffee drinks. I know, I know, the coffee at work can sometimes get overheated or taste like instant. Heck, it may be instant, but bringing coffee from home is a better fiscal option than buying it. One of my colleagues in our Affiliate Relations department came up with a great presentation that drives this point home.
If you would normally spend $4 on a cup of coffee at (insert name of favorite specialty coffee shop here), for a minor investment in time and equipment like an insulated mug, you could instead be socking that same amount into your emergency fund or savings for your financial goals. That could be $80 a month worth of savings!
To make bringing your own coffee from home less painful, try to get as close to that coffee house taste as possible. One of those huge bottles of flavored syrup only costs about $6 and seems to last forever. If you choose to grind your own coffee, buy the specialty roasted beans when they’re on sale. In the warmer months, you can make the coffee the night before and refrigerate it, so it’s easier to make iced coffee the next morning.
Have fun with it, and just think of how much closer you will be to your financial goals with every sip.
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