Save Money on Coffee, Bottled Water? We’ll Drink to That!

You may be drinking yourself into debt. And we’re not talking happy hour. Did you know the  average American drinks 1,132 cups of coffee annually — or about 3.1 cups per day? Did you know they spend $1,562 a year on brewed coffee or $2,773 on espresso drinks at stores, restaurants and coffee shops?  The cost to brew the same number of cups of coffee at home is just $147 (13 cents per cup) or $294 (26 cents per cup with a K cup). By making your coffee at home, you can save between $1,415 and $2,626 per year or between $118 and $219 per month. Even if you have upgraded to a Keurig machine, you could invest $18 in a reusable K-cup and slash your per-cup cost at home from 26 cents to 13 cents. Now let’s talk about bottled water. Water that comes out of the tap is free. However, did you know that bottled water is more expensive than gas? If you were buying bottled water by the gallon as you do gas, you would pay about $10 per gallon. As it is, Americans spend about $1,400 a year on bottled water, or about $117 a month. If you got a refillable, reusable water bottle and filled it from the tap, you would save not only money but trash from cluttering up landfills. Monthly savings using a refillable water bottle? $117! For more money-saving tips, check out Living on the Cheap.