Supporting your caffeine habit can be pricey in this depressed economy. Here’s a breakdown of what it can cost per month for a daily cup of coffee and how you can save by making your own.

Take-Out
Nothing beats the convenience of driving through for your morning coffee. No dishes to wash. You never run out of beans. There’s no coffee crap cluttering your counter or your cupboards.

• Initial Investment: Nothing
• Equipment: Your car
• Cost per month: $53 (based on an average price of $1.75 for a medium)

Brew at Home
Ah, but does convenience beat waking up to the invigorating aroma of coffee? I don’t think so. Plus, if you make your own, you know it’s fresh, and you’re not contributing to the landfills with your disposable cups, lids, and sleeves.

• Initial Investment: approximately $50 for the equipment
• Equipment: Blade grinder ($20), a drip coffee maker ($25)
• Cost per month: $10 for one pound of coffee beans (1 lb. makes about 45 cups)

Over the course of a year, here are how the numbers fall.

• Take-Out: $636
• Brew at Home: $165

That’s a savings of $471. You could buy airfare to Honolulu for that!

I rest my case.

For more info:

• Saving money on coffee part 2: Peet's Coffee and Tea
• Saving money on coffee part 3: Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
• Saving money on coffee part 4: Starbucks
• Saving money on coffee part 5: Cost Plus World Market

Photo credit: D'Arcy Norman