Curious: how much do you spend on coffee? Also, a couple of piggyback questions.

[SKL]

Coffee is a major luxury for me.  I buy a brand that gives me happiness and comfort all day long.  I am going to add up what I spend on it in an average year and post it below.

I was wondering what the general public spends on coffee and where I fall in the range.  This is purely for the fun of it.  I have no plans of changing my coffee habits.  🙂

So:  how much do you spend per day, on average, for coffee?  (If you prefer, use a weekly / monthly / yearly figure.)

Add-on question(s):  what about tea?  Soft drinks?  Alcohol products?  Tobacco products?  Answer any or all that you want to answer.

[SKL]

To answer for myself, it seems I spend about $400/year on coffee.  I buy an organic, fair trade instant coffee and sip it all day, every day.

The other things:  I like tea, but drink it rarely because it stains my teeth.  I don't buy soft drinks, alcohol, or tobacco.  Well, except I do occasionally drink a sugar free "sparkling water" that costs less than $1 each.  I probably drink about 1 of those per month on average.

[mommyoffive]

Coffee- 0

Tea-  Not sure.  Everyone here drinks tea I think.  Not so much my oldest and youngest.  Lots of times I will spend $4 for a box of 20 of new flavor I want to try.  But I also buy the big packs of green and black tea.  We do not drink tons.  Me maybe one or 2 a day.  The others do it when sick or when they are cold.  So for them mostly in the fall/winter.  Me year round

Soft Drinks -0

Alcohol-0

Tobacco -0 

[Pawz4me]

I have absolutely no idea. Unless we're having a meal out I generally only drink coffee at home. So no stopping at Starbuck's or other coffee shops or anything like that. But coffee is just another part of our grocery bill, not something I've ever thought about as a separate item. 

[elegantlion]

coffee - $14 /month. We buy a big can of McDonalds coffee from Amazon each month. We never go to Starbucks or other coffee shops. We will sometimes have coffee is we go out to eat - which is less and less these days. 

tea - ~$2/month average maybe. I stocked up on a bunch of tea bags last year and SO drinks green tea. My stash is running low, so I need to buy some more flavors for myself. 

soft drinks - SO never drinks soda. I only do if we go out to eat. About every 4 months I'll buy a 6pk of Dr. Pepper. 

alcohol - $30/month maybe. My favorite rum is $22 a bottle which it takes about a month or two to go through. I generally have another bottle of pre-made Margaritas (Jose Cuervo brand) in the fridge. That runs about $18 per bottle. About every couple of months we buy a bottle of Mead which we split over a weekend. 

tobacco - 0

 

[Faith-manor]

The only coffee we buy is organic coffee from Peru from Aldi, 2 or 3 per month at $7 each. We use milk or half n half in it. So another $3-6.

We almost never buy coffee out. Usually only when on a road trip, and then we buy gas station coffee or McD's. So annually it doesn't amount to all that much because once we arrive at our destination, be it the Alabama house or a hotel/vrbo/campsite, we make coffee.

Tea is not much. I drink very little tea, and Mark is a major Tea drinker but gifted so much we do not buy a lot. Maybe $5 or so every 6 months.

Alcohol would be more. I cook a lot with high end bourbon and a couple of cabernets. We get akavit every year for Christmas and flavor it. Last year was rhubarb, this year is raspberry. Mark also likes Fireball in his tea whenever he feels a scratchy throat or a little under the weather. So my guess is that we spend $350 or so.

$14 a month for coffee

$10 a year on tea

$350on alcohol

ETA no tobacco

Edited November 21, 2023 by Faith-manor

[WildflowerMom]

In the past year, I’ve spent $450 on strictly coffee.  That doesn’t include creamers or Splenda or the dunkin that dh gets sometimes on his way to work.   We love coffee!  
I have no clue on alcohol.  And don’t have the brain width to add up the sodas that dh drinks.    I’d be fine with only coffee and water since that is mostly the only thing I drink save for a Gatorade zero a few times a week.  

[historically accurate]

Coffee - $0, no one drinks it here

Tea - estimating $5-$7 a month, one DD drinks Snapple iced tea a lot, and about every 4-6 months, I'll splurge on a new tea flavor.

Soft drinks - estimating $10 a month, a McDonald's large coke for me every 2-3 weeks on my way to work, a 12 pack of Dr. Pepper for DH once in a great while, soft drinks on the rare eating out occasion

Alcohol - $0, DH and I have a drink every 5-10 YEARS.

Tobacco - $0 - no one uses it here.

Total: less than $20 a month for all categories. 

[Bootsie]

I estimate we will spend a little less than $200 on coffee.  We order Lavazza coffee.  I was out of the country for 2 1/2 months this summer, so wasn't drinking cofe at home then (but DH was for much of that time).  We do not generally buy coffee out unless we are traveling.  emo

I enjoy a variety of teas.  I have a favorite I can get when I am traveling and bring it home.  

I have a Soda Stream and drink a fair bit of carbonated water; we usually buy sodas simply when we will have company.  Ocassionally, we will have a rum and Coke.  We keep some ginger ale and sprite on hand for when we are not feeling well.  

DH will ocassionally drink a beer; we enjoy having a glass of wine--but that has really been only in the last few years as the kids are grown and we have more leisurely evening dinners at home.  Our expenditure on that varies a lot depending upon what we are wanting to try.  And we will often have Mexican food at a local restaurant's Happy Hour with a margarita.  

[Carrie12345]

No real clue. I grab Chock Full O Nuts (NY) and Folgers (Black Silk) when they’re on sale. How big a pot I make daily depends on whether or not Dh will be home.  
I occasionally get a pricier bag from our local bean roaster in fun flavors, but they’re never dark enough for me.  
And I get a few iced coffees from Dunkin through the summer.

[ScoutTN]

Coffee is a small luxury. Enjoy what you like.

Not sure for a year. I buy whole bean dark roast at Costco, about $20 for 3lbs. How fast we go through it varies bc sometimes my kids or Dh have some too. Dh drinks Cafe Bustelo, $4/brick. We drink cream and sweet cream in it. (Real dairy product with no fake stuff or preservatives.) Filters for the Chemex cost about $15/box of 100. 

We almost never get coffee out, except when eating b’fast out or traveling.

Tea, $20/yr 
Alcohol, $100 yr
Soft drinks $0
Sparkling water $50 yr

No tobacco. Blech!! 🤢
 

 

Edited November 22, 2023 by ScoutTN

[marbel]

I have no idea. On a day-to-day basis my husband and I drink coffee from Costco. A few times a month I take my daughter out for overpriced coffee drinks at cute coffee shops. I prefer not to add that up. Whatever it is, it's not wrecking my finances and is invaluable for time with her.  Even less often I take myself out for a nice coffee drink at a nice coffee shop. 

I think $33.xx a month for something that gives you great pleasure is a bargain, assuming the mortgage is paid, bills are not piling up, etc. Which I know is a safe assumption to make.

 

[Elizabeth86]

Idk. I drink a few coffees a day. We don’t buy anything fancy. I never buy coffee out. I go through phases when I drink tea. We occasionally buy soda like on someone’s birthday or New Year’s Eve or something. I went through a sparkling water phase. Dh spends a ton on cigarettes. He smokes about 2 packs a day. So something like $15 a day. $5,475 a year! 🥺 Dh buys beer a few times a month. I don’t know how much it costs. I haven’t drank alcohol in 13 years. I’ve either been pregnant and/or breastfeeding for 13 years straight.

[lynn]

For Dh and I probably $20@ month.  We do try to stock up on when our coffees go bogo.

[Laura Corin]

About three pounds a week on coffee - one cup in a cafe. I mostly drink tea, which I make myself. I go through a box every couple of weeks, so maybe two pounds a week on that.  £250 a year in all.

[forty-two]

Had no idea, but just calculated it: about $150 a year (plus another $20 for filters).  That's one 9oz cup a day, with HEB's Cafe Ole brand (store brand, but a more premium-ish store brand - I like it, and my dh wouldn't be super impressed if I wanted to go more expensive).

[chocolate-chip chooky]

40 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

Idk. I drink a few coffees a day. We don’t buy anything fancy. I never buy coffee out. I go through phases when I drink tea. We occasionally buy soda like on someone’s birthday or New Year’s Eve or something. I went through a sparkling water phase. Dh spends a ton on cigarettes. He smokes about 2 packs a day. So something like $15 a day. $5,475 a year! 🥺 Dh buys beer a few times a month. I don’t know how much it costs. I haven’t drank alcohol in 13 years. I’ve either been pregnant and/or breastfeeding for 13 years straight.

I saw an article recently about the musician, Tommy Lee. He was in Australia and apparently was shocked at the cost of cigarettes here. He apparently paid $63AU per pack, compared to $12 in the US. 

I don't smoke and don't know anyone who does, so I have no idea how accurate this is. But I do remember something about cigarettes being about $40 per pack a few years back, due to new taxing on them.

[KungFuPanda]

I drink hot leaf water so it’s just cheaper. Maybe $100ish a year? I work upstairs from a Starbucks and never go down there. I just make tea in the work kitchen. Dh is the coffee guy and I have no idea what he spends. Sometimes Dd brings him coffee beans from Vigilante coffee because they both like it. He doesn’t seem to be brand loyal except when he makes cold brew. 

[JessieC]

Coffee-- I buy two 12 oz bags for about $8 each every week so that is about $400/year, plus I spend about $20/month on K-cups for work, so that is another $120. I don't buy coffee out much at all, so $520/year.

Seltzer - I don't care for it much, but teenage son drinks a ton. Probably another $300/year.

Alcohol - DH loves expensive beer. I hate to add this up. One four-pack is $12, he drinks at least two four packs a week, that is $1248, but more realistically probably $2k when you count going out with friends. I spend about $60/month on wine, so that is another 720/year. So total $2720 year on drinking! Too much.

No tobacco, thankfully.

[Indigo Blue]

2 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

The only coffee we buy is organic coffee from Peru from Aldi

I just bought this today. Ds will be here tomorrow. He likes single origin coffee. This is a steal for organic coffee at $5.95 (our price here).

For us:

0 on coffee (Dh buys his with loose change at Circle K so I don’t count that).

 

0 on tea

0 on sodas

0 on alcohol

 

I just buy loose herbal tea by the pound. Now, I have miso as a hot beverage. I do this because I can’t have any caffeine at all. 

[Ausmumof3]

I buy a bag that costs $20 AUD and it lasts roughly a month for two of use so I guess around $240 per year?

[Elizabeth86]

6 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

I saw an article recently about the musician, Tommy Lee. He was in Australia and apparently was shocked at the cost of cigarettes here. He apparently paid $63AU per pack, compared to $12 in the US. 

I don't smoke and don't know anyone who does, so I have no idea how accurate this is. But I do remember something about cigarettes being about $40 per pack a few years back, due to new taxing on them.

I live very rural so they are 6-8 dollars a pack where  live. Dh was near DC recently and my sister was in NYC and yes $12 a pack is a close estimate. 

[Annie G]

I don’t drink coffee or alcohol, and no tobacco use.  However, I do buy Coke Zero when it’s $3.99/12 and drink one daily. Plus I buy two large teas at CFA every week. 
My chocolate consumption is a bigger splurge for me than my drinks.  I don’t mind the $ spent on these items…they bring me joy. 

[kirstenhill]

Just to make everyone feel better about themselves, we probably spend $1000/year on coffee - mostly for coffee beans from a roaster we like.  This is for three coffee drinkers, but my husband is responsible for the vast quantity of the coffee drinking.  Clearly if we were in a pinch we would chose more economical coffee.   The price has also increased by close to 50% in the last couple of years, so it used to be a lower figure.  We may look into other options soon.  We mostly do espresso, so the bean quality is a huge factor in getting a good drink. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Currently, $0 on those specific things. I am back to my teetoller ways.

Previously, about $200/yr on coffee, $150/year on Harney tea bags, and unknown amount on soda (family drinks it more than me). 
 

I’m still buying soda stream cartridges to make sparkling water, but that’s it. It’s about $120/yr.

I am hoping to be able to add back Harney decaf Earl Grey tea bags. 🤞

[Clarita]

Coffee: $20/month I like hanging out with friends and ladies like to hang out at coffee shops.

Tea: Hard to put a number here, although wouldn't be surprised if it's high. I only like high quality tea and I will spend for that. Definitely spent $20+ on 2 oz of tea leaves. I'll definitely buy Bobas and milk teas.

Soda: $20-40/year I'll drink a soda that comes with a meal, and we like to do Italian soda for parties so we have a collection of Torani syrup and buy or/make soda water (we had a kegerator for a while). 

Alcohol: $50/year We keep some beer on hand. So I buy a case from Costco probably once per year or less. Sometimes DH will buy alcohol that looks yummy like a cider or something.

Smoothies: $500+/year It's great that there are no smoothie/Boba shops too near to me. I mean if I lived down the street or something from one, it'd be trouble.   

 

[DawnM]

Not really sure.   I do go to a coffee shop with a friend at least a few times per month.   I buy beans there when I go.   Beans are roughly $15/lb and I go through about 2 per month.   I have a semi-automatic gaga espresso machine.

Tea, probably $10 or less per month.   I order Kenyan tea off of Amazon every few months and DH drinks that and some teas he buys that are cheaper.   I only drink Ketipa Kenyan tea.

Alcohol.   I drink it mostly when I am out.   I rarely drink it at home.   I don't really know, I don't drink on a regular basis.   

I don't use tobacco but I do get a Delta 8/CBD supplement to help with sleeping that costs roughly $30/mo.

[Terabith]

I don't buy or drink coffee.  My husband does.  He drinks Eight O'Clock Coffee and drinks a cup a day.  He buys it by the box with like six bags in it, which is about $10 a bag.  Not sure how many bags he goes through in a year though.  

ETA:  It's definitely cheaper than my La Croix addiction, for sure.

I don't drink alcohol really either.  My husband does.  I don't drink tea at home (but a stupid amount of La Croix....easily $12 a week on La Croix).  I do get sweet tea when we eat out a couple times a week but mostly only at restaurants where a drink comes with a combo like at Chick Fil A or this local place we often go to.  

Edited November 22, 2023 by Terabith

[Spryte]

We have to buy low acid coffee so it’s Java Planet for us — fair trade, organic, shade grown, bird friendly. But whoa. The price. It’s so high. We easily go through 3 - 4 bags per month. It’s a huge luxury.

We have two coffee drinkers here, plus guests who come for coffee and hanging out often.

We drink espresso drinks. We use a super automatic Gaggia, which prefers medium to lighter roasts (less oily). We love coffee.

I drink only coffee and bottled alkaline water. No soda, tea, seltzer. Alcohol here is very rare to not at all. No tobacco products. Coffee is my own and only. (Other than popcorn!) DH drinks coffee, tap water, seltzer.

 

Edited November 22, 2023 by Spryte

[Meriwether]

For me: Coffee - $0, Tea - $60/year or less

For family: Coffee - $20-30/year, Tea - $60/year

We mostly drink pop when we have company over or are traveling, but we travel a lot. Not lots of vactions, lots of miles driving across country including at night after long days. There are 5 of us still at home. So maybe up to $400? That looks so terrible, but it may be less. I don't track it. The road trips really up that number.

Sports drinks/Ice drinks - $100-$200/year. Mostly at tournaments or traveling. We do take our water bottles, too, I promise, but when you drive up to 23 hours straight through little treats make a difference. And tournament days can last 12 hours.

That is a lot on drinks. Interestingly, perhaps, my entire grocery spending is only around $10,000 for 5 full time residents and two college kids that are home sometimes.

[popmom]

Gosh. I really should look into this. I’m the only one who doesn’t drink coffee in this house. The biggest expense is probably dd’s cold brew. I actually did take the time recently to ask her how much she pours for a serving to figure out how many servings are in the container for her. Then I bought enough to get through to next payday. I told her to pace herself because when it’s gone I’m not buying anymore—until next payday. Dh drinks kcups, but he is fine with generic. 
 

Alcohol varies. Some months zero. Some months might be $60. Rough guesstimate. That’s the first to get cut if the budget is tight. 
 

Tobacco is always zero. 
 

Tetley tea for iced tea… it’s cheap. A box of family size tea bags lasts a good while. $4-6 a month maybe??
 

If cannabis were legal here we might have budget for that. lol Not for me. Dh finds it very relaxing the few times he’s tried it. It doesn’t work for me at all.

[math teacher]

I have bought 5 bags at 14 dollars each in the last 6 months, so roughly $140 per year. We don't buy it out, unless we're out for breakfast or on vacation. Dh and I both keep k cups at work, so that adds some.

[SKL]

I order my coffee through Amazon, which is why I have the info re how much I spend (I took the most recent price times how many I buy per year).

In our household, I don't buy all of the groceries.  I really don't know what % I buy.  Long ago, we all agreed that keeping track and sharing to the penny was just too annoying and stressful, so we each took categories that seemed reasonably evenly weighted at the time.  Things have changed over the years, but none of us are broke enough to worry about those kinds of differences.

Anyhoo ... the person who buys most of the groceries will include tea and "healthy drinks" in her grocery bill, but I never considered my coffee to be a "grocery."  I probably should though ... in case the topic of fair spending comes up again.  😛

[catz]

I don’t know exactly what we spend but we buy bulk locally roasted organic fair trade and definitely spend more than 400 a year on my part!  ☕️😍

[Boymama5]

For just For just me I’m guessing about $1 a day for coffee at home (2 pods @ .25 each, 1 bottle of oat creamer every 10-12 days). 
I get coffee out maybe 1-2 times a month. Most of the time none out for months. So around $400/425 a year?
 

DH has a nespresso and drinks more on average as well as getting coffee out. I don’t even know how much he spends on his but I’m guessing at least double mine. Funny since he rarely drank coffee when we met and bought me a coffee maker when we got married since I drank so much. 

[HomeAgain]

I buy a 5lb bag of coffee for $70 every month or so from a local roaster.  In the winter we go through about a pound a week, making 12 cups in the morning and then possibly a small pot (4-6 cups)after dinner.

Tea is a gift.  I may spend about $5/year on cheap teabags, but ds24 and dh make sure my cabinet is well supplied with loose leaf every Christmas.

Wine is $200 every 6 months.  We purchase about 10 bottles, and drink/cook with most of them, but there is always a reserve of 10-12 bottles in the basement.

Dh spends $30 on beer and cider each month.  8 ciders will last me a year, but the adult males here enjoy a craft beer occasionally.

Soft drinks - next to nothing.  A very occasional soda.

No tobacco products.

 

Our other drink purchase is usually electrolyte packets to add to water.  Dehydration is a concern with ds, and I keep one or two packets in the car for when he is really off.  We buy a box every 3-4 months or so.