The Keurig craze, Expense vs. fad
I work at a large department store. I've seen people buy these Keurig coffee brewers and expensive K-Cup boxes of coffee daily. It's a single cup brewer. It can brew a cup of coffee in about 20 to 60 seconds.
I'm sure it's a neat thing to have, but I hear people justify their expense by saying that it's saving them money in the long run. They often use the excuse that their spouse has to drink decaf and they like to drink regular, so it's less expensive to get this brewer so that they can both have their coffee, not be wasteful of their coffee, and save on cost.
In reality however it's far more expensive to buy a Keurig coffee brewer and the coffee varieties that are specifically made for it. If you drink coffee daily, which I would hope you would if you were going to buy this expensive piece of machinery, then it's not really worth the cost.
My coffee expenses in one year:
$4 bag of coffee purchased twice a month($8) for 12 months - $96
Keep in mind now, every day we brew enough for us to each have 2 or 3 cups of coffee.
My coffee pot cost $30 and I've had it for 5 years.
(It's still going strong, fingers crossed.)
My coffee filters cost about $1.12 and there are 200 filters in a pack!
So basically my cost for coffee is $100 a year. And this budget is for both my husband and I drinking the coffee. Not a single cup either! We both drink one or two cups daily!
The Keurig coffee drinker's expenses in one year:
$10.69 for a box of the Keurig coffee, it holds 18 cups worth.
So basically it cost 59 cents for a cup of Keurig coffee.
Doesn't sound like much huh? Well...
For one person to drink ONE CUP of this coffee, daily, for one month it will cost about $17.82
Double that for two people drinking it - $35.63 cents a month.
For one person to drink one cup, daily, of Keurig coffee per year the cost is - $213.80
For two people to drink one cup, daily, of Keyrug coffee per year the cost is - $427.60
And that's not including the coffee pot!
The average cost of a keurig coffee pot is - $109
If you'd like to try and cut your cost for your Keurig brewer and use your own coffee you have to buy special filters that cost $24.99 for a 6 piece set. Or you can buy the metal reusable one for $22.99.
Still... that's twenty times the cost of regular coffee filters for a regular coffee pot.
There are options for the family that wants a single cup coffee machine! West Bend makes a single cup brewer that you can buy on amazon.com for only $20! And you can use your regular coffee choice, tea, etc... You don't have to buy expensive specialized little cups or filters!
Also, it's not convenient. I have several customers who leave the store frustrated because they cannot find the coffee they want or cannot find the filter they need for this coffee pot. Not every store sells the coffee and apparel for these coffee makers. When the coffee and filters cannot be found in stores, Keurig consumers have to order them on-line, which means they have to wait days before they can use their coffee pot and they also have the extra expense of shipping and handling.
Not to mention that this brewer promotes waste! Each little serving of Keurig coffee is packaged in a plastic cup that ends up in your trash daily!
I've come to the conclusion that in the coffee drinker's world it is far less costly to use a regular coffee pot or regular single cup brewer than it is to go with the Keurig trend. I believe that this coffee trend is just that...a trend. It serves as a status symbol. "Look at how much money I can waste on an expensive machine and it's specialized apparel." In the end, you don't look smarter, you're not saving time or effort, you're being just as wasteful (maybe more so), and you're certainly not saving your money.
I'm sure it's a neat thing to have, but I hear people justify their expense by saying that it's saving them money in the long run. They often use the excuse that their spouse has to drink decaf and they like to drink regular, so it's less expensive to get this brewer so that they can both have their coffee, not be wasteful of their coffee, and save on cost.
In reality however it's far more expensive to buy a Keurig coffee brewer and the coffee varieties that are specifically made for it. If you drink coffee daily, which I would hope you would if you were going to buy this expensive piece of machinery, then it's not really worth the cost.
My coffee expenses in one year:
$4 bag of coffee purchased twice a month($8) for 12 months - $96
Keep in mind now, every day we brew enough for us to each have 2 or 3 cups of coffee.
My coffee pot cost $30 and I've had it for 5 years.
(It's still going strong, fingers crossed.)
My coffee filters cost about $1.12 and there are 200 filters in a pack!
So basically my cost for coffee is $100 a year. And this budget is for both my husband and I drinking the coffee. Not a single cup either! We both drink one or two cups daily!
The Keurig coffee drinker's expenses in one year:
$10.69 for a box of the Keurig coffee, it holds 18 cups worth.
So basically it cost 59 cents for a cup of Keurig coffee.
Doesn't sound like much huh? Well...
For one person to drink ONE CUP of this coffee, daily, for one month it will cost about $17.82
Double that for two people drinking it - $35.63 cents a month.
For one person to drink one cup, daily, of Keurig coffee per year the cost is - $213.80
For two people to drink one cup, daily, of Keyrug coffee per year the cost is - $427.60
And that's not including the coffee pot!
The average cost of a keurig coffee pot is - $109
If you'd like to try and cut your cost for your Keurig brewer and use your own coffee you have to buy special filters that cost $24.99 for a 6 piece set. Or you can buy the metal reusable one for $22.99.
Still... that's twenty times the cost of regular coffee filters for a regular coffee pot.
There are options for the family that wants a single cup coffee machine! West Bend makes a single cup brewer that you can buy on amazon.com for only $20! And you can use your regular coffee choice, tea, etc... You don't have to buy expensive specialized little cups or filters!
Also, it's not convenient. I have several customers who leave the store frustrated because they cannot find the coffee they want or cannot find the filter they need for this coffee pot. Not every store sells the coffee and apparel for these coffee makers. When the coffee and filters cannot be found in stores, Keurig consumers have to order them on-line, which means they have to wait days before they can use their coffee pot and they also have the extra expense of shipping and handling.
Not to mention that this brewer promotes waste! Each little serving of Keurig coffee is packaged in a plastic cup that ends up in your trash daily!
I've come to the conclusion that in the coffee drinker's world it is far less costly to use a regular coffee pot or regular single cup brewer than it is to go with the Keurig trend. I believe that this coffee trend is just that...a trend. It serves as a status symbol. "Look at how much money I can waste on an expensive machine and it's specialized apparel." In the end, you don't look smarter, you're not saving time or effort, you're being just as wasteful (maybe more so), and you're certainly not saving your money.