Cut down daily coffee expenses | Frappuccino recipe

A once-a-day coffee habit could cost more than $80 a month. Image: Flickr / TinyTall / CC-BY-ND

Cutting your daily expenses can seem tough, at best. You’ve heard of a thousand ways to cut out the unnecessary treats, but there are some things — like coffee — that you just can’t give up. However, you really can reduce your expenses by mixing your own coffee-based beverages, and it will be even better than what you get at a coffee shop.

Know the basics of coffee

If you start researching what making your own coffee drink could cost, it can be overwhelming. Some people will tell you that coffee needs to be ground and brewed immediately and beans need to be stored at a specific temperature. The basics of coffee, however, are simpler than that. Good quality beans, stored in an airtight container and brewed with care will produce a drinkable cup of joe.

The mathematics of coffee

A basic latte or mocha in a coffee shop easily costs $4. Add an extra shot of espresso or an additional flavor, and the price goes up. The secret is, though, that the ingredients that go into that cup of coffee run about $1 at most. It will take time, but the savings definitely pay add up when you start making and mixing your own coffee drinks.

Make your own Frappuccino-style drink

One of the most popular coffee drinks on the market is the Starbucks Frappuccino. Making your own version of Starbucks’ bottled Frappuccino is easier than it seems. It takes only four ingredients and 20 minutes to make a week’s worth of concoction that is strikingly similar to the liquid you can buy in bottles at the grocery or convenience store. Start by making 4 cups of double-strong coffee or eight shots of espresso. Mix that with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 gallon of milk. For a Vanilla Frappuccino recipe, mix in two or three shots of vanilla flavoring. For a Mocha Frappuccino recipe, mix in 2/3 cup chocolate syrup. For less than the cost of two 16-ounce bottles of Frappuccino coffee drink, you have a week’s worth of coffee. Now that is a money-saver.