Costly caffeine catastrophe

Susan Kim
Contributor
You’ve just been up 36 hours studying for exams, you have a paper due in three hours and another major assignment due tomorrow. You grab a cup of coffee, knowing you’re not going to get much sleep, and you’re crying inside because you know how much the caffeine is going to cost your already-worn wallet.
Well, dry your tears: there are cost-effective ways to manage your caffeine urge on campus.
Step 1: Know your enemy
Tim Hortons has the cheapest coffee by far, and it’s available all over campus (including in Central Square, the William Small Centre and Seneca College). A cup of coffee at Tim Hortons is literally a fraction of what you would have paid in some other stores.
When you walk into fancy cafés, a big part of what you pay for is the seating, the ambiance and the background music. If you’re looking to chat, there’s no doubt both Second Cup and Café Supreme are great places go. If you’re in a rush or looking to study, opt for a cheaper deal like Tim Hortons or Treats, grab a cup of coffee and go to the nearest library. If it isn’t a lab or archive, most libraries on campus, including the central Scott Library, allow beverages with lids.
It only takes a couple of dimes for some coffee chains to make your coffee, yet some stores inflate their prices ridiculously. If you’re a daily coffee drinker, you could be saving yourself anywhere from $30 to $60 by walking the extra five minutes to the nearest cost-effective coffee store.
Step 2: Save every penny
If you’ve only heard of discounts at the shopping mall, you might find yourself surprised to find coffee discounts.
Tim Hortons coffee is already cost-effective, but you can get an even better deal by bringing your own cup to save a dime. Tim Hortons secures its place at the top of the list for lowest discount price while Timothy’s $0.25 cut is the biggest no-cup discount.
Most college cafés do not give discounts, but the Seneca Café offers you a free cup of coffee after nine purchases of medium or large coffees.
The Coffee Company – located in the TEL café, in Winters and Stong Colleges and in Central Square – and Las Nubes are eco-friendly companies that advertise 100 percent free trade products. Buy a mug for $5 and get your first drink on the house and $0.15 off every consecutive purchase. You would be saving money and helping the environment at the same time.
Café Supreme has the most expensive coffee on campus, but it gives you the ultimate discount – one size down – for bringing your own flask.
If you’re a daily caffeine drinker, you could be saving anywhere from over $3 at Tim Hortons to a whopping $21 at Café Supreme each month by taking advantage of these discounts.
Step 3: Seek alternatives
If you’re a heavy coffee drinker who needs an extra large cup every day, try saving some cash by substituting it for tea. Most stores have a flat price for tea, regardless of size, making it the more cost-effective liquid.
Drinking tea is not just beneficial to your health, either—it’s also easy to make. If you can bring your own tea bag, you could just pay for hot water ($0.50 at most college cafés) or even get it free at Timothy’s in the Schulich Building.
Sometimes, you’re charged you more for your caffeine than necessary. Sometimes you pay for the ambiance, sometimes the convenience. Whichever it is, make sure you’re making the most – or least – of your coffee habit.