Leftover coffee? Who ever heard of such a thing? However, if you are like my husband, you make more coffee than you need for one or two cups. Throwing it out is such a waste. It is cheaper to make your coffee at home rather than buying at a coffee shop but you still don’t want to be throwing it out. You aren’t really saving much if you waste it. Part of living a frugal lifestyle is using everything you can and stretching things as far as you can. Sometimes it takes thinking a bit outside the box to help you be able to stretch everything you can to last or serve more than one purpose. Here are some of our favorite uses for leftover coffee that help us stretch the budget a little more.
Drink Later
Yup. I know this isn’t for everyone. A lot of people will only drink a fresh pot of coffee. But if you really don’t mind, put it in the fridge for later or the next day. That is what Matt does most the time. Since had a hard time figuring out how much coffee to make for just one morning, he now makes what he needs for two days. We put it in a quart mason jar in the fridge and he heats it up the next morning.
Freeze
You can also freeze your leftover coffee in ice cube trays. This is especially great in the summer for iced coffee. When the ice melts, it doesn’t water down your coffee. Once the cups are frozen, you can transfer to a freezer bag. This helps keep the ice cubes from disappearing in a frost-free freezer and frees up an ice cube tray for reuse.
Baking
Look for cookie, cake, brownie, etc. recipes that call for brewed coffee as one of the ingredient. Coffee and chocolate go really well together. You can make these to enjoy now or freeze to enjoy later. Bonus: You can use your frozen coffee cubes for this too if you don’t have any leftover coffee at the moment.
Craft Projects
Did you know that leftover coffee can be used as a dye for fabric or a stain for wood? I haven’t tried it yet but keep hearing about how great it is to give things an aged look.
Hair Rinse
Here’s another one I keep hearing about but haven’t tried yet. Supposedly, you can use coffee as a rinse for your hair to add luster to brown hair. This is on my “to try” list.
How do you like to use up leftover coffee?
Helene says
We use leftover coffee as a marinate for roast! First we soak the roast for 12-24 hours in cold coffee, garlic and some chili powder or cayenne pepper and salt. Then just stick in a roasting bag with lots of vegetables and a cup of your marinade! Works great for beef or pork! Makes the most delicious gravy as well.
Julie says
I’ve never thought of that! Thanks for sharing. I’m going to try that next time we make a roast. 🙂
Becca @ The Earthlings Handbook says
Meh, we just reheat and drink it…but I will keep these other ideas in mind!
Did you know coffee grounds are excellent for scrubbing cast-iron pans?
Julie says
I’m always amazed at the people that won’t drink reheated coffee. So it’s nice to hear someone else who does that. 🙂
I hadn’t heard that about coffee grounds. I use them in the summer to help get rid of yard ants.
Leesha @ Living Contently says
These ideas are so creative! We love coffee in our house, so we don’t have any leftover very often. But, I’ll definitely have to try one of these the next time we do!
Lydia @ Thrifty Frugal Mom says
I hate throwing out coffee! These tips are excellent. I have a chocolate cake that uses coffee and is deliciously moist and it’s one of my ways to use up coffee. I also make homemade frappes (recipes on my blog) regularly using frozen coffee. They are SO good and much cheaper than buying them at a coffee shop….plus I get to use up our leftover coffee in the process. 🙂
Julie says
Now I really want chocolate cake. 🙂
Brittany @ Fun on a Budget Blog says
We do freeze our leftover coffee from time to time, but I’m not sure about test running that hair idea….you first! 🙂
Julie says
I really do want to try it…at some point. Maybe a week (or two) I have no where to be. 😉
elaine emery says
I have used the coffee leftover to dye cloth to make rag dolls. Love it makes them look like antiques. Thanks for the other hints.
Elaine
Julie says
Glad to hear it works from someone who does it. I don’t always trust online tutorials for actually working. 😉