Not all of my thrifty ideas are my own

Just like my last post was based on a new feature in Harper's Bazaar, I also got this idea from a magazine, but I don't remember which one.

I have to admit that the bf has made me a bit of a coffee snob, we buy the massive bag of french roast beans at Costco and grind the beans ourselves. We are also considering getting rid of the coffee maker and replacing it with a French Press (this will probably not happen soon, we like the automatic timer feature on our coffee maker too much). Anyway, my mom and stepdad do not share this snobbery (is that even a word?) and I'm still at home. My mom is not a coffee drinker and my stepdad drinks good ole Folgers, which brings me to the point of this post.

We all know that making our own coffee in lieu of buying it at our local coffee shop can save a huge amount of money and time in the morning (automatic timers are amazing). This is something the bf and I do. Also, another cost saving option is to add a bit of cinnamon to a cheaper ground coffee. It makes the taste much richer, just make sure you don't add more than 1/2 a teaspoon or else it will overpower the coffee. This is what I do with the Folgers at my moms and I promise you that even the bf agrees that it makes the coffee taste a bit higher in quality.

If you're not a straight coffee drinker (I'm a milk and splenda girl myself), you can still have that Starbucks coffee drink at home. Invest in a flavored syrup and add it to your coffee with some milk (or just buy the flavored nondairy creamer that you like) and top your drink with some whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder or shaved chocolate. While this may not taste exactly like your favorite Starbucks mocha, the money you save will more than make up for the lack of authenticity.

A random side note -- I'm very excited that Samantha Brown's Passport to Europe is in Salzburg, Austria today. Salzburg is one of my absolute favorite cities -- I've been in both winter and summer and it is just as beautiful and magical no matter what time of year you visit!