As the frugal lady that I am, my number one priority before any expenditure is value. Of course when it comes to coffee, I’ve gotta go with quality and taste first, but then again there’s something to be said for those times when you need caffeine fix and you need it fast! So, after finding nothing on the internet I thought I would launch a full scale investigation into the matter. Meaning I went to 5 of the most popular coffee spots and wrote down their sizes and prices on my blackberry, then left without ordering anything. These are my findings:

Starbucks
Tall (12 oz) $1.75 = $0.15 per oz
Grande (16 oz) $1.95 = $0.12 per oz
Vente (20 oz) $2.25 = $0.11 per oz

Blenz
Regular (12 oz) $1.80 = $0.15 per oz
Medium (16 oz) $1.99 = $0.12 per oz
Supremo (20 oz) $2.25 = $0.11 per oz

Tim Hortons
Extra Small (8 oz) $1.20 = $0.15 per oz
Small (10 oz) $1.34 = $0.13 per oz
Medium (14 oz) $1.49 = $0.11 per oz
Large (20 oz) $1.74 = $0.09 per oz
Extra Large (24 oz) $1.96 = $0.08 per oz

McDonalds
Small (10 oz) $1.35 = $0.14 per oz
Medium ( 16 oz) $1.55 = $0.10 per oz
Large (20 oz) $1.75 = $0.09 per oz

7/11
Small (12 oz) $1.65 = $0.14 per oz
Medium (16 oz) $1.85 = $0.12 per oz
Large (20 oz) $1.99 = $0.10 per oz
Extra Large (24 oz.) $2.09 = $0.09 per oz

So, from my calculations if you just want the cheapest coffee no matter what size then Tim Horton’s Extra Small cup is the winner at $1.20. If you’re looking for the best bang for you buck, Tim Horton’s Extra Large cup is the best value. Of course some people don’t like Timmy’s and swear by their Starbucks. Hey, that’s okay too because it’s actually $0.05 cheaper per cup than Blenz. Let’s not forget your last resort option too. The free stuff you get from work. It’s never great, but hey, it’s free. You can’t argue with free.

-Mo’ Houses out!

Image: TheCulinaryGeek/flickr