11 Money Saving Coffee Hacks – Frugal Finds During Naptime

This is a guest post from Valentina Wilson of Bestdebtconsolidation.org.

Going out for a coffee? Try these 11 money saving hacks!

Are you having an affair with caffeine? So, if you are going out often to have a splendid time with caffeine, you may end up hurting your wallet! According to a Yahoo! Finance report, buying a $4 latte everyday means you’ll eventually be spending $1,460 by the end of the year! To maintain a long-term healthy relationship with caffeine, you need to take care of your wallet! And for that, you need to save money while going out for a coffee.

“Is it possible?” This might be the question in your mind after hearing this. Let me tell you, yes, it’s possible to save money while going out for a coffee! But you need to follow some tactics, which we have listed for coffeeholic like you!

11 Money Saving Coffee Hacks:

1. Order a small size cup.

Do you need a medium beverage each morning? What if you switch to a smaller size! This way you don’t have to give up your favorite drink. Besides, you shell out less for a small size cup, making a moderate saving.If you add up for a month, you can see a substantial amount of savings by opting for small size coffee everyday.

2. Use cash instead of credit.

Yes, it might be tempting to swipe your credit card while paying your bills. You indeed get some reward points, cashback, and other enticing offers. But it’s equally important to use your credit card wisely and pay your bills on time!

The harsh fact is, most people end up overspending at the end of the month. And seeing the exorbitant outstanding balance amount, they become shocked! So, whenever you are going out for a coffee, try to pay by cash as much as possible. You might observe that you are spending less at the end of the day. Sounding unbelievable?

According to a U.S. News study, people tend to spend less while using cash! Because credit card intrigues you to overspend and ultimately makes you fall in the debt trap. And being debt-ridden affects your life adversely. Because a large part of your paycheck goes for paying off your debts every month!

If you are already struggling to repay debts, you can opt for debt consolidation to get rid of your debt burden. But before proceeding with that option, you should be aware of the money mistakes to avoid while consolidating debts. Otherwise, you might be trapped in more debts due to lack of proper planning and awareness!

3. Order a puppuccino for your pets.

You can treat your pets with a cup of puppuccino at Starbucks. There is no coffee, tea, or any kind of caffeine in the cup. It’s just made of espresso shot cup full of whipped cream or foamed milk! And guess what? Starbucks offers this puppuccino at free of cost!

But you need your dog with you to order it. Else you have to tell the barista that you want to take it for your pet, who is in the car or at home!

4. Become a loyalty or rewards member.

Many coffee shops offer reward programs for their loyal guests. That means you can receive free drinks or special discounts if you become a member and earn certain reward points. Coffee shops like Dunkin Donuts, Panera, Caribou Coffee, Starbucks, and many others offer rewards programs for loyal coffee drinkers.

So, if you are a frequent visitor to a certain shop, you may enroll for a loyalty or rewards program! You need not have to visit the same outlet everyday; you just have to stick to a specific brand. As a member, you can enjoy great discounts and freebies.

Let’s say, you want to enroll for the Starbucks Rewards program, having a registered account with Starbucks, you will get 2 stars for every $1 spent! But remember, you can’t earn stars on taxes, tips, etc.

Here is a breakdown of the Starbucks Rewards Program: 

• 25 stars: An espresso shot, dairy substitute, or additional flavor
• 50 stars: Brewed hot coffee, hot tea, or bakery item
• 150 stars: Handcrafted drink, hot breakfast, or parfait
• 200 stars: Lunch sandwich, protein box, or salad
• 400 stars: Select merchandise or at-home coffee

Moreover, you don’t need to worry about the expiry date of your collected stars. As you can see, enrolling for a rewards program can help you to make a handsome saving on your coffee! So, check with the rewards program of the coffee shop you often visit, asap!

5. Carry your mug or tumbler.

You will come across many local coffee shops and even retail chains which offer a small discount to the guests who bring their own coffee mugs. Usually, you will get a discount ranging from about $0.10 to $0.20.

In the first place, you might not find this discount amount profitable. But what if I ask you to calculate for a month! You will see that you can get a free coffee with the accumulated savings. And from a larger perspective, you can get 12 free cups of coffee in a year! Moreover, you can make a little contribution to a greener planet! What more do you want?

6. Look for deals online.

Search for the best coffee deals on the internet (or this site) and you will come across several websites like Groupon, Slickdeals.net, etc. There you can find some coupon codes, discount gift cards, and more.

Apart from that, you can follow your favorite coffee shops on social media, so that you can know about the promotional offers going for a limited time. You can subscribe to your email id in your favorite coffee shop. Thereby you can get a chance to receive the latest exclusive offers or discounts valid for a day or two!

7. Look for “happy hours”.

“Free coffee week” or “Happy hours” Have you seen such ongoing offers while passing by coffee shops or restaurants? Well, visiting these places might help you to get a cup of coffee free or at a low cost.

For example, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and other places offer “happy hours”, where you can grab a cup of coffee at a discounted price. Whereas, McDonald’s offers free coffee for their guests during the free coffee week!

8. Add a flavor for free.

It is quite tempting to add flavors, additives, spices, etc. to your coffee! In a local coffee shop, you will find various types of coffee beans, creams, syrups, sugars to improve your drink’s flavor. Most of these add-ons come at free of cost!

You can infuse your favorite drink with cinnamon, cocoa, nutmeg, vanilla, and try experimenting with different tastes and flavors. Apart from treating your taste buds, it will be cost-effective too! You get to taste a new drink every time.

9. Split a drink with your friend.

Do you and your friend have a love for the same beverage? If yes, you can order for a large size coffee and ask for an extra cup. Generally, one large cup equals to two small drinks and costs a bit less.

So, you can easily share with your friend or co-worker. This will help you to save a few dollars and can improve the bond with him/her. And again, you can always carry your cups because a store might charge a bit extra for an extra cup.

10. Join a coffee club.

Monthly subscriptions are very common now and coffee clubs are no exception. Spending about $20 a month will give you access to fresh coffee grounds and flavorings around the world.

It will help you to save a lot of money for your daily cup of coffee. Besides, you will be able to taste different styles of coffee, from light to dark.

11. Avoid bottled water.

Most of us choose bottled water to quench our thirst! But have you ever checked your bill? The high-priced water bottles can burn a hole in your pocket in most of the coffee shops. So, you can ask for a cup of water from the barista!

They will give you the same triple-filtered water which is used to make your coffee. So, why will you go for bottled water? You are getting the same quality water at free of cost!

Last but not the least, I would like to give you a small suggestion! How about preparing your coffee at home? Call your friends or colleagues over a cup of coffee at your place and hang out for some time. Then you will be able to save a significant amount! And not only that, you can choose your ingredients as per your wish and add flavor to it! Besides, you can apply awesome ideas to reuse coffee grounds to get optimal results!

Or you may try for natural energy fixers instead of drinking a cup of caffeinated coffee. You may try green superfoods like spinach, kale, etc. which will provide you with a healthy energy fix along with necessary nutrients!

At the end of the month, I bet that you’ll be surprised to see how much you’ve saved. It will motivate you to save more in the next month. And, finally, save this amount annually to buy your favorite stuff or adding a few dollars to your budget while going for a long-awaited trip or whatever you love!