Growing up, my dad taught at my high school. This meant that I would sometimes get rides to school with him. Part of the drive was always a stop at the local gas station so he could buy up a cup of coffee. This always baffled me because we have a Keurig at home and he has a coffee pot in the lunch room, but every single morning we would stop in and he would buy his coffee. This small little habit that he's taken up and honestly he doesn't even think about it anymore. A lot of us have these little habits that we don't even notice. Whether its a cup of coffee, ordering out, going out to dinner, or other little things, they're habits that we somehow picked up and made a habit of.
They're called little luxuries. We splurge here and there on little things that make us feel like we are living a better lifestyle. A Starbucks here, a takeout order there, it's small things that we can afford now to feel luxurious but what are the implications? If you figure you pick up a $2 cup of coffee before work everyday, that's $520 a year spent on coffee assuming you work 5 days a week. When you add it all up it makes sense why you would want to spend your money in other places.
This mini luxury of coffee is one that a lot of college students especially start picking up. Coffee unlike some other mini luxuries can have a big environmental toll as well. When you think about the cups of coffee that you are throwing away each day think about what that would add up to in a year. I'm not saying to give up coffee or even to give up your morning coffee trips. However, in this blog I am going to give you five steps that you can change your coffee habit to make it not only cheaper for you but also more sustainable.
Step 1: BYOC
Bring your own cup! It is approximated that 6 BILLION Starbucks cups end up in landfills PER YEAR!*
Did you know that you can bring your own travel mug to a lot of coffee places. If you live on the east coast like me and are a sucker for Wawa coffee like me, you can bring any of your travel mugs to fill up. Best part? You actually get a discount for using your own cup. It's a win-win-win because not only do you save money, but Wawa saves inventory and also a cup is prevented from ending up in the trash a few hours later.
Make sure to ask if you can use your own cup before pouring anything for yourself. Where you can use your own cup does vary by location. I also know that for Dunkin that although you can use your own cup for normal coffee drinks you can't for drinks like lattes where they need to use a machine.
Go ahead and ask your local coffee joint! The worse case scenario is they'll tell you no.
Step 2: Support Local
So you're really stuck on getting your coffee made for you. Whether this is personal preference for flavor, convenience, etc. that's totally fine! However, consider where you are giving your business. Would you rather your money be going to a large corporate giant or a small local shop that gives back to the community? The choice is yours but ultimately do consider the added value of supporting local even if it does cost slightly more.
Step 3: Start making your own coffee
This one is a bit self-explanatory. Obviously when you stop buying coffee this is going to save you money. Getting a coffee machine can have a large up front cost depending on what you want but when you again consider the $520 for a daily cup of joe is getting a Keurig really that much? They have been working to make cheaper smaller Keurigs for people like students in dorms in mind. You can get one for just $86 here that is the perfect size for a dorm.
I have also recently started making myself my own french press coffee in my dorm. Let me tell you the taste is out of this world. Although it just gets made in my dorm by my inexperienced self, I can genuinely say that it is the best coffee that I have had in the states. Getting my own press and grinder has changed the way I drink coffee and I don't even miss getting coffee at Dunkin and Wawa.
Step 4: Stop Buying K-Cups
Did you know that you're not limited to just the standard K-cups with your Keurig? In fact, since I have had my Keurig I haven't purchased a single K-cup. Well, actually one but here's the catch- it's reusable. As you can see in the image, there is a little filter that I can fill up with my own coffee. I use it with Pumpkin Spice Dunkin coffee, coffee I got from Costa Rica, Maxwell, really anything. All I have to do is dump it out when I'm done, rinse it, and repeat the next time I want coffee. This little gadget has saved me so much money and has allowed me to continue drinking coffee that doesn't have a K-cup line out.
If you have a Keurig 1.0 you can get one for $7 here. If you have a Keurig 2.0 you can get one for $8.96 here.
Step 5: Buy Fair Trade Coffee
If you've ever stood staring into the coffee isle you know that there's lots of options. Although it seems like a meaningless decision in the moment of one brand versus another, your choices do matter. Your purchase supports the brand you purchase. Do you know what your coffee brand stands for? For all you know, your brand could be employing people illegally or treating them unjustly if they are not certified fair trade. You can read my blog more focused on the sustainability of coffee growing itself and that process on my blog Coffee Sustainability: What's Going Into Your Cup.
I know that my initial reaction to buying Fair Trade or organic coffee was that it was going to be too expensive. In reality at Target you can get a bag of Dunkin ground coffee for $7.19 or you could get a bag of Archer Farms Organic Fair Trade coffee for $5.99. Even better is that a lot of times they will even have these brands on sale. Buying ethically doesn't have to be hard or a strain on your budget.
Ultimately all of our decisions in life do matter and they effect others down the line. It's important that we are conscious of our actions and change them into more ethical and sustainable mannerisms. So what is your little luxury and how can you change it?
Sources:
*https://www.eater.com/2018/3/28/17172556/starbucks-cup-waste-sustainable-compost-recyclable
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