Keurig. A complete waste of money?

thecharon

I thought about buying one. So I ran down some numbers.
Regular coffee: Walmart coffee maker single serve. $9.99
Foldgers coffee on sale at a warehouse .02 cents per serving/scoop.
Coffee filter: Less than 01 cent each

Keurig: about $50 to $100+. Coffee pods at walmart: .61 cents each for the cheap stuff.

I could make a spreadsheet on this, but I think I would save money by sticking to my little coffee maker and foldgers. I have tried Keurig and noticed no difference in taste. Perhaps I have just developed a love for Foldgers.

I googled my question and some sites agree with me.
https://www.cheatsheet.com/money-career/household-products-that-are-a-complete-waste-of-money.html/?a=viewall Robotic vaccums were also on that list.
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/the-wastefulness-and-cost-of-keurig-coffee-machines-are-mind-blowing-awesome-stats-inside.250059569/ this site also breaks down the costs for me.

janejellyroll

Keurig's selling point has never been that it's the cheapest way of making coffee or that it tastes better than coffee made in more traditional coffee makers. It is that it is cheaper than paying someone else to make your coffee. It's for people who want coffee quickly and want to avoid what they perceive to be the hassle, inconvenience, or time involved dealing with things like filters and measuring coffee. It's an alternative to places like Starbucks. It's also convenient for situations where you may have multiple people drinking coffee who all prefer different styles/strengths of coffee (like an office).

If that isn't worth it for you, then why change? It's not for you and that's fine.

cwolfman13

Keurig is a convenience thing...that's the attraction and selling point...you'll always pay a premium for convenience...always.

Personally, I don't think Keurig is bad...we have one in the office and it's more convenient than using a traditional coffee maker and people can pick what kind of coffee and roast they like. That said, I'm kind of a coffee snob and prefer to buy quality whole beans, usually from one of our small local shops and grind them in the morning when I'm making my coffee at home. It's definitely not cheap, but so worth it...

MonkeyMel21

I won't get a kuerig again. I had my old one for a couple of years. I used the reuseable k-cup because I can't stand all the waste from the one time use plastic cups. It stopped working a few months ago and I pulled out my old 5 cup, basic machine, and I'm actually even happier with it. Kuerigs are literally only good for the convenience of making just one cup of coffee at a time, but at a great cost to the environment.

We have a Kuerig at my office and it's a more appropriate setting for it than at my home.

jemhh

If you like your Folgers, stick with it. Drink what you like!

I use a French press at home. I have two or three types of coffee that I get in whole bean form and grind to make what I think is delicious. My mom thinks the French press is too complicated and prefers instant coffee so she brings a little jar of Maxwell House instant with her every time she visits. To each her own

MrSith

I love my Keurig and I didn't even like coffee before I bought it.

janejellyroll

jemhh wrote: »

If you like your Folgers, stick with it. Drink what you like!

I use a French press at home. I have two or three types of coffee that I get in whole bean form and grind to make what I think is delicious. My mom thinks the French press is too complicated and prefers instant coffee so she brings a little jar of Maxwell House instant with her every time she visits. To each her own

I love my French press.

NorthCascades

We have one in the office. It's decent coffee. I'd rather buy a whole milk latte.

CSARdiver

I like my Kuerig, but I use the coffee ground option more often. If I have time I use my French press or Aeropress.

sllm1

We like our Keurig for convenience - it's just fast and easy and no cleanup is required.

I can get K-cups for about $0.30 at Sam's.

allangirl

The man who invented the Keurig has regrets because of all the waste his invention created. http://www.businessinsider.com/k-cup-inventor-john-sylvans-regret-2015-3. John Sylvan doesn't even own one because they are expensive as well...

jlscherme

You can buy a filter k-cup and put your own grounds in it.

maggibailey

I’m with everyone else. I have one in my office and it is perfect. I drink about 4 cups a day and it keeps me from buying the stupid expensive coffee from the coffee shop on property. At home it would be a waste of money to me, plus my French press and espresso machine just make better coffee when I have the time to relax on my days off.

Unknown

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sunfastrose

I just bought a Keurig. I'm not a big coffee drinker, so I prefer to have a variety of options to work with - chai latte, mochas - and not have to be tied to a whole pot of one type of coffee.

steveko89

We used a Keurig as our primary coffee maker for a few years. I found a really interesting vendor called the San Francisco Bay Coffee Co. who makes Keurig compatible pods that use far less material and the ring they use is biodegradable for about $0.30-0.35/pod. Determined the amount of coffee the Mrs. and I would drink, especially on weekends, exceeded the use of a single-serve setup and incorporated a Mr.Coffee drip maker, mostly for weekends. My Brother in-law got a Ninja Coffee bar, which prompted the Mrs. and I to upgrade when I caught a sale at Kohls and had some Kohls cash. Have had it for a few months and really like it so far. I brought the Keurig to work and make a cup every morning. I do notice a difference in coffee between the Ninja, Keurig, and basic drip maker; with the basic drip at the bottom of the totem pole.

peleroja

Keurigs are nice for places like offices, where everyone can just make what they want, when they want it, with no one responsible for making pots, coffee not going cold or stale, etc. They are super convenient as an on-demand solution for a space with lots of people in my experience.

I had one at home but I didn't really enjoy it. We just drink black coffee at home and it's barely any more work to make coffee in a French press or even pourover and it tastes a lot better, plus doesn't take up counter space, plus I don't have to think about the pod waste or cleaning/descaling the thing.

I love the Keurig at work though because I can make myself a fresh coffee in like a minute at any time.

vingogly

I have a small Keurig machine, and a reusable plastic/metal pod so I can do bulk ground coffee (or cocoa beans) with it. That eliminates the inflated cost of the pre-filled pods - but since I'm single, I don't need or want a coffee machine that does more than a cup at a time.

thepragmattic

The only time I use Keurig is in the office, otherwise it's french press (or aeropress) any other time. The K cup coffee is typically just brown water (well, coffee in general is!), but I don't feel it has much flavor to it. Plus, I don't like the increased waste.

cmriverside

+1 for the French Press. Takes up virtually zero counter space, easy to clean, no filters. The only issue is the reheating. I don't have a microwave.

I know. Who doesn't have a microwave? Well, I have one but it's a dry storage spot.

anglyn1

I've had the mini one for over five years and I've really enjoyed it. I'm the only one in the house that drinks coffee so just making one cup at a time is great for me. I'm also not a morning person and I'm prone to oversleeping. This way it literally only takes me an extra minute to brew my coffee and get out the door in the morning. I used to be into lots of flavored coffees so it's nice to switch around flavors without the pressure of having several varieties open and going stale. It's definitely a convenience thing and not money saving at all.

rileysowner

thecharon wrote: »

I thought about buying one. So I ran down some numbers.
Regular coffee: Walmart coffee maker single serve. $9.99
Foldgers coffee on sale at a warehouse .02 cents per serving/scoop.
Coffee filter: Less than 01 cent each

Keurig: about $50 to $100+. Coffee pods at walmart: .61 cents each for the cheap stuff.

I could make a spreadsheet on this, but I think I would save money by sticking to my little coffee maker and foldgers. I have tried Keurig and noticed no difference in taste. Perhaps I have just developed a love for Foldgers.

I googled my question and some sites agree with me.
https://www.cheatsheet.com/money-career/household-products-that-are-a-complete-waste-of-money.html/?a=viewall Robotic vaccums were also on that list.
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/the-wastefulness-and-cost-of-keurig-coffee-machines-are-mind-blowing-awesome-stats-inside.250059569/ this site also breaks down the costs for me.

I don't use my Keurig for saving money, I use it because I am the only coffee drinker in the house. If I buy a bag of coffee it has gone off before I have even gotten through a portion of it. I guess there could be some savings there in the long run. I also like various types of coffee and face the same issue having those coffees go off.

With the Keurig I can make coffee for myself quickly, have various types of coffee available, and as a plus, the rest of the family can use it as a quick source of hot water for hot chocolate, tea, or various other beverages. I guess a single cup coffee maker would do the same thing, but again, I would be wasting a bunch of coffee I don't drink before it goes bad. Or I could add a coffee grinder to the mix, yet another appliance taking up space, and get whole beans and grind them myself, but that is not quick or easy, which is what I want first thing in the morning.

If I wanted to same money, there are an abundance of refillable coffee pods that work with keurig and I could purchase inexpensive coffee and go that route. I have them, but again the issue of coffee going off still remains. I will stick with my keurig as it works for me in my context.

kimny72

Keurigs are great in offices. I think they are pretty wasteful in homes unless you have several coffee drinkers who each like something different.

I got the small Keurig on sale and use a knockoff reusable K-cup and buy ground coffee. I only drink one cup a day, and most of the one-cup traditional coffee makers I tried were crap, so this worked out great for me. Also, I can get some special flavored K-cups once in a blue moon to treat myself without buying a full size bag.

I have often considered getting a french press, are there any drawbacks? It seems so perfect but I figure there must be a reason they aren't very popular in the US (not necessarily a good reason, mind you).

TR0berts

I have a Keurig knockoff with a reusable pod. I sometimes get a variety pack, if I want to try different flavors. I got it on sale last year, so it was only around $30, so not that expensive. Seeing as I had to replace my old single-cup maker, and those I had priced out at ~$15 (I think), it was worth it to me to spend a little extra.

janejellyroll

kimny72 wrote: »

Keurigs are great in offices. I think they are pretty wasteful in homes unless you have several coffee drinkers who each like something different.

I got the small Keurig on sale and use a knockoff reusable K-cup and buy ground coffee. I only drink one cup a day, and most of the one-cup traditional coffee makers I tried were crap, so this worked out great for me. Also, I can get some special flavored K-cups once in a blue moon to treat myself without buying a full size bag.

I have often considered getting a french press, are there any drawbacks? It seems so perfect but I figure there must be a reason they aren't very popular in the US (not necessarily a good reason, mind you).

I can't understand why the French press isn't more popular, to be honest. It makes great coffee and it's easy to clean. If you travel and want to bring it along, it's incredibly easy to use on the road. My husband and I don't like coffee the same times of day, so it's great in that regard as well. The only thing it doesn't do, like @cmriverside mentioned, is keep multiple cups hot. I have a small one that makes one cup at a time so that's not a problem for me.

lemurcat12

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Keurig is a convenience thing...that's the attraction and selling point...you'll always pay a premium for convenience...always.

Personally, I don't think Keurig is bad...we have one in the office and it's more convenient than using a traditional coffee maker and people can pick what kind of coffee and roast they like. That said, I'm kind of a coffee snob and prefer to buy quality whole beans, usually from one of our small local shops and grind them in the morning when I'm making my coffee at home. It's definitely not cheap, but so worth it...

All of this. I have a french press at home and grind beans and use them, but the Keurig at the office is fine too. I wouldn't buy one for the house, but I'm also glad I don't have to drink Folgers at home (and the french press was cheap and there are lots of great coffees to try).

If you don't care that much about coffee (or are happy with your current routine), stick with it, OP.

hist_doc

+1 for French press. I also use an Italian coffeemaker from time to time.

stevencloser

I wouldn't use it for regular ol' coffee, but there's like Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato etc. for which a machine that can make them from scratch would cost several times more.
We had one of those expensive ones at the place I had my last internship. I never drank as much coffee as during that time.

cwolfman13

kimny72 wrote: »

Keurigs are great in offices. I think they are pretty wasteful in homes unless you have several coffee drinkers who each like something different.

I got the small Keurig on sale and use a knockoff reusable K-cup and buy ground coffee. I only drink one cup a day, and most of the one-cup traditional coffee makers I tried were crap, so this worked out great for me. Also, I can get some special flavored K-cups once in a blue moon to treat myself without buying a full size bag.

I have often considered getting a french press, are there any drawbacks? It seems so perfect but I figure there must be a reason they aren't very popular in the US (not necessarily a good reason, mind you).

We use ours occasionally...I do like it, but my wife and I typically go through a full 12 cup pot every morning...I usually have a couple of large mugs full at home while I'm getting ready and then fill my travel mug for my hour commute.

We are more inclined to use our French press and/or our cappuccino maker on weekends when things are more leisurely.

KANGOOJUMPS

love my keurig, had it for years, we use whatever coffee we want, change and mix it up all the time, just got to buy a different filter. you can buy them from 5 bucks to 10 bucks.the bigger bulk you buy the better, if you want to drink the same coffee or not.

youngmomtaz

I had a tassimo then a keurig at work. Both made poor coffee but it was better than a whole pot sitting there all day. Changed jobs, home way more now. Even if my (drip) pot goes cold and I have to microwave my black coffee it is better than both those machines put together.

So now I have a regular drip coffee maker for the whole family in the morning and a French press when I just want a cup in the afternoon. We grind our beans fresh, can add foamed milk, can throw everything in the blender with coconut oil for a latte, or just drink it Black. Don’t waste your money as far as I am concerned.