The Coffee Indulgence Doesn’t Have To Cost More Than Your Couch

If you have a job in America, the chances are 50/50 that you are still indulging in the simple pleasures such as coffee from a shop. Half of all American workers buy coffee during the work day, spending more than $20 a week, adding up to a little over $1000 a year. So says a recent survey by Accounting Principals, reported this week in the New York Times.

The survey also found that not surprisingly, on average, younger workers (under 34) spent almost two times as much on coffee as workers aged 45 and over. Men spent more on coffee than women. The same survey asked what changes employees wished to make in the coming year in regard to their finances. The most popular choice was paying down credit card debt. The second, marked by 35% of the respondents, stated they would start bringing a lunch rather than buy. Cutting back on coffee was not one of the choices so we don’t know if that would have been a top choice or not.

A spokesperson for the survey company stated that a $3 cup of coffee was a small reward that most people indulge in often without adding up the yearly total. At the end of the year, if they read such surveys or CoffeeKind news, they would learn they’ve likely spent $1000 on coffee from shops. If they made their own at home, they could cut that total considerably and spend the savings on a couch.

The best way to have the freshest tasting, warm, home-brewed coffee at work during the day is to cold brew a toddy syrup from your favorite freshly ground coffee. Brew it overnight or longer in a French press in the fridge, using more grounds than for normal French press coffee. Strain out the grounds and use the syrup like instant in hot water. You’ll have to experiment to find the strength that you like, but this should save you money over the year if it keeps you away from the coffee shop.