I like good coffee. And I like Starbucks.
It has been a long time since I’ve had the extra cash to spend $3 on coffee every day, and since I drink it black, the steamed milk and fancy add-ins don’t tempt me. Instead, I make Starbucks coffee at home.
My late partner and I tried various coffees and combinations and settled on a blend of bold and extra bold, such as French or Italian roast. She took such care in how the coffee was made and such joy in drinking the perfect cup that I actually talked about it in her eulogy. “It’s the little things,” she used to say, that make a difference in life.
I’m not as persnickety, but I do like good, strong coffee. And while I’m always looking for ways to save money, I wasn’t willing to drink mediocre coffee to do it.
Then I read that Consumer Reports had rated Eight O’Clock Coffee’s Colombian the best buy in ground coffee. That week Publix had a buy-one, get-one-free deal on Eight O’Clock, so instead of paying $10.45 for 16 ounces of Starbucks coffee, I paid $4.99 for 24 ounces of Eight O’Clock. If we must do the math, I spent 21 cents rather than my usual 65 cents an ounce — a 68 percent savings.
(If you’re willing to give your e-mail address, you can print a coupon for $2 off two packages at www.eightoclockcoffee.com. The link is at the bottom of the page.)
Eight O’Clock French vanilla mixed with Starbucks Italian roast was very good. Then the Starbucks ran out and I switched to Eight O’Clock Colombian. I don’t know who did the Consumer Reports testing, but it must have been people like my mother and aunt, who like much weaker coffee.
But I had still discovered a savings. All I had to do was mix Starbucks and Eight O’Clock to get a great cup of coffee for significantly less than I had been paying. If Publix runs a buy-one, get-one-free deal on another brand, I may try making a blend with that one, too.
There’s more than one way to save money without sacrificing quality. The little things really do make a difference.
Teresa Mears, The Miami Herald’s former Home & Design editor, is the publisher of five On the Cheap blogs, including Miami Fl on the Cheap and Fort Lauderdale on the Cheap. She also blogs about savings for MSN Money’s “Smart Spending.” You can follow her on Twitter @miamicheap.
