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With nearly 40,000 stores worldwide, it can feel impossible to avoid Starbucks. The coffee giant makes it convenient to grab a tasty cup of joe in the morning, but there’s no doubt buying coffee from Starbucks can be many times more expensive than brewing your own coffee at home. And if you’re also buying food items and higher-priced drinks from Starbucks — like Frappuccinos and seasonal drinks — the cost can really affect your budget.
That’s what Liz Sweeney, owner of marketing and communications agency Dogwood Solutions, recognized once she got introspective about her seemingly innocent Starbucks runs.
Falling Into the Habit
“My husband and I had gotten into the habit of going on Saturdays for breakfast and a coffee. I’d often pick up a sandwich for my daughter, or an iced coffee while I was running around town doing errands,” Sweeney explained.
“The app made it so easy, and as I drink black coffee, I never thought it was too decadent. But when I did the math, I realized that with tips, we were probably spending $2,000 a year — on something that we have at home,” she said.
So, in January this year, Sweeney and her family started a resolution of sorts to stop going to Starbucks and instead put that money toward building back their savings after a series of unexpected expenses.
For example, “we’re replacing the roof on our house,” she said. “We pulled the money for that out of savings, as I didn’t want to have to pay finance fees. $2,000 is much better spent on a roof than at Starbucks.”
Reining In Mindless Spending
Sweeney’s resolution to cut out Starbucks stems from her family’s desire to curtail mindless spending and mindless calories, she explained. For her family, Starbucks was a good example of something that seemed small each time but had a big financial impact overall.
“The scale was the initial driver; pre-pandemic I’d only get an iced black coffee, no sweetener. During the pandemic, I’d often add a chocolate chip cookie to that order, and the habit stayed on even after our normal life patterns resumed. I needed to find an incentive to kick-start some healthier habits,” she said.
So, she counted up her Starbucks spending at the end of 2023, before her New Year’s resolution.
“I added up all those little $10 and $15 automatic reloads onto my Starbucks app for the month of December and was surprised at how much it was; $10 doesn’t seem like much when you hit ‘reload.’ But $180 per month is ridiculous,” she said.
Altogether, she was going to Starbucks at least four times a week before her resolution started. Now, while she’s not perfect about sticking to this goal of avoiding Starbucks, she’s doing much better. Still, it’s hard to quit cold turkey. During a road trip in March, for example, her family stopped at Starbucks a few times for meals, and her total Starbucks spending through mid-May is $215 — a significant decrease compared to her prior habits.
Staying on Track
Despite some hiccups, Sweeney’s family has implemented some easy replacements and behaviors to help them stick to their goal, providing similar taste outcomes at a much lower cost.
“We will occasionally buy a treat at the grocery store, like a raspberry Danish, and we have gotten very good at getting up a little earlier, so we have enough time to make a breakfast sandwich at home. And, since we always make coffee and tea at home anyway, we make sure we have to-go tumblers cleaned and ready to be filled,” she explained.
It also helps to have an accountability partner.
“My husband and I agreed not to suggest Starbucks to each other, and now we turn the opposite way out of the driveway on the way to our Saturday pottery class. Just knowing that we’re saving close to $2,000 per year is a great incentive,” she said.
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