Yes, coffee is great, but not great enough to cost such a large chunk of my budget. That led me to another experiment, this time on a quest for saving money, at least when buying coffee.

I’ve become quite a pro when it comes to money-saving methods that let me live a good life while saving money. Here are five of my favorite apps that allow for a lifestyle that includes going out to eat, grabbing coffee at a good café and buying branded food products.

Get a coffee every day with Rista

Grabbing coffee is crazily expensive in Denmark. Actually, Denmark has some of the most expensive coffee in the entire world. Rista is here to change that.

Rista is a new Danish subscription app that lets you grab a coffee every day from different great cafés around the city. You pay just DKK 129 a month.

Does that sound too good to be true? I thought so, but for a month now, I’ve been a happy Rista subscriber. Every day (or whenever I feel like getting my coffee fix), I go to one of the 25 participating cafés and grab a coffee of my choice without getting out my wallet. I simply open the app, swipe my coffee of the day and that is it. Besides the free daily coffee, Rista also gives you a 10% discount off the menus at the participating cafés. That’s a lot of money to be saved!

Make the city your office space with Joes & Cos

I don’t just spend money buying coffee to go. As a freelance writer, the city is my office and I camp out at different cafés to get work done. Hopping around searching for different cafés as a way to avoid being a nuisance can become quite demanding.

Also, I need to know whether they have outlets for recharging and if the cafés allow phone or video meetings. At the same time, I can’t afford my own office space and I enjoy the flexibility of different workspaces.

This is where Joes & Cos comes in handy, an app that grants you access to the best workspaces around the city. Joes & Cos collaborates with a long list of cafés, hotels and office spaces. By subscribing to the app, you can hop on the platform and choose your workspace of the day, depending on your mood.

Villa Hotel is one of the spaces that’s available through the Joes & Cos app. (Photo by Caroline Sølver)

Would you like to work from a fancy hotel? Do you need a space for a phone or video meeting? Or do you need full-on deep concentration? Joes & Cos has access to all those different kinds of workspaces, so it’s up to you to choose your ideal spot.

Last but not least, Joes & Cos works out great deals for its subscribers, which means that some of the spots offer you a workspace for the day, unlimited coffee and 20% off the menus for just DKK 50. What’s not to like?

Save $ on groceries and eliminate food waste with Motatos

Whenever I go to the supermarkets, I find myself scouting through the ‘expiring soon’ shelf to find food that’s close to the expiry date at lower prices. However, these products tend to be meat, and as a vegetarian, that’s not really useful.

Instead, I’ve become a huge fan of Motatos, a website ‘where revolution happens’. Motatos collects all sorts of products that are close to their expiry dates, from milkshakes to candy, self-care products and all sorts of food products, and sells them at lower prices. The selection on Motatos is huge, meaning that there’s always something exciting to find.

When shopping on Motatos, you’re killing three birds with one stone. 1. You get your grocery shopping done. 2. You save the planet by eliminating food waste. 3. You save money. It’s a good deed all around!

Be lazy and pick up food with TooGoodToGo and YourLocal

If you’re not up for buying groceries and cooking at home with Motatos, there is a way around this. A way that lets you be lazy and have bakeries, cafes and restaurants do the cooking while still fighting food waste and saving money.

On the apps TooGoodToGo and YourLocal, food spots around the city sell their leftover foods from the day that would’ve otherwise been thrown out.

For example, you can go to Emmerys, the bakery, and pick up a bag full of delicious bread and pastries from the day for just DKK 39. The same goes for tons of other cafes, restaurants and bakeries. All offers from the different food places are released every day in the apps, and lots of them sell out quickly, so stay tuned and swipe to purchase once you find a great offer.

There’s always money to be saved

One thing I’ve learned is that nine out of ten times, you can save money when buying something. It’s all about knowing the little hacks and tricks and being smart. Whether it’s by using apps like the ones above, by searching for online coupons before checking out on an online store or by taking advantage of all the student discounts that are available out there.

The little saving hacks make a huge difference!

Hopefully, these apps can be just as great additions to your everyday life as they are to mine, while letting you save time, money and even the planet. Enjoy!