How I Saved $552 on Coffee AND Drank Starbucks

I really enjoy my coffee. I also realize that coffee can be a major expense because many of us drink it daily. So, I tasked myself with the mission to drink great coffee and yet save money.

Have you ever heard any of these sayings that are said probably a million too many times?

If you just gave up you $5 Starbucks everyday, you would get out of debt and be rich.
For the price of the $5 Starbucks you drink every day, you could purchase a brand new car by the end of the year.

I understand the point of these sayings, but I feel that they are toxic and inaccurate. Why? Because most people don’t drink a $5 Starbucks EVERY day and the saying fails to take what you enjoy into account.

What do I mean by putting joy into the equation of whether to drink Starbucks? Marie Kondo famously does a great job describing the concept of whether an object bring you joy, when she says, “You will know when you go through every single item you own, and ask yourself whether each item sparks joy for you. If you do this even once, and reaffirm what sparks joy for you, you will learn to trust your decisions in choosing what sparks joy, thus finding peace with what you have left.”

Wow, that was a long introduction. So, how do I save money and $1,300 in a year and drink Starbucks. Let’s get into the details.

Saving On Coffee At Home

I would like to introduce what I was doing before, and then I’d like to explain my new method. A few years ago, my wife and I drank coffee from a classic coffee machine. What we found as our lives became more busy that purchasing a Keurig would be more feasible for our busy lives.

My wife and I drink about 365 cups per year. We drink probably about 315 cups at home and about 50 cups at Starbucks per year. Let’s get into Coffee economics below.

Coffee Cost Per Keurig Cup

When I started drinking Keurig K-Cups, I would purchase 16 Keurig cups for $11.99 at Target. I figured that it would it save because it was still under $1 per cup. What I failed to realize is that the cost per cup was still astronomical an astronomical $.75 per cup. So, I went hunting and found that I could drastically reduce my cost per cup by researching many different options. Here’s my top findings:

Grocery Outlet:

I actually just purchased Keurig cups at Grocery Outlet this morning. I purchased Day To Day Coffee that had 120 Keurig cups for $19.99, which is about $.17 per Keurig. I do not believe this coffee will be stellar based on the reviews, but I sometimes use creamer, so it should be fine.

SF Bay Company:

I really like this company because the company tells stories about the farmers that grow the coffee. The coffee is also delicious (not always the case with Grocery Outlet), and it comes in alternative cups that appear more friendly to the environment.

Look out for deals around Christmas time. Check the deal I was able to land near or on Black Friday. This coffee is a bit higher quality, so I was happy to pay $.32 per cup. Currently, here’s two of the best deals I found on Amazon for SF Bay Company Coffee by the cup: Fog Chaser ($.41/cup) and Variety Pack ($.43/cup).

Amazon:

Amazon is a great place to compare many different options. You could also see similar options by searching on Google Shopping. Here are some of the Amazon Keurig cup options that had decent costs per cup and generally good reviews (4 stars or better):

Coffee / Tea Cost Per Pound

My wife and I personally drink much more coffee via Keurig cups, but you could use a similar metric for purchasing your coffee or tea. What is the price that you are paying for pound? Look for the lowest price that still maintains a high quality.

Saving on Coffee at Starbucks

Now, let’s go through my favorite Starbucks hacks that allow me to drink the coffee I enjoy for less

Alternative Drinks

One way to enjoy Starbucks for less is to purchase alternative drinks that are lower costs. Let’s go through the most common that we order:

Misto instead of Latte

A Misto is a drink made of equal portions of strong brewed coffee and steamed milk. The Misto can be thought of us as the latte with coffee instead of espresso when you add pumps and use half and half instead of 2% milk. It’s great and much less expensive. While a grande latte can charge upwards of $4.95, a Misto can run for as little as $2.85.

Mocha without Espresso

The Mocha without espresso is actually similar to the Misto. You would purchase a strong brewed coffee split with 1/2 coffee and 1/2 half and half and then add chocolate pumps. The combination tastes great and is also much less expensive than a traditional mocha.

Two For One Deal

Another way my wife and I enjoy Starbucks is by purchasing the biggest option of a drink then getting a cup on the side for free. This is an obvious option, and you can even save more by purchasing an alternative from the above choices in the larger size and splitting that between two people.

Let’s Calculate The Savings

I saved the best for last. Let’s dig into the savings. Here’s a table below that should show that the savings were significant, so much so. that I was able to buy my wife a brand used iPhone 10.

The total savings was $552.80 for the year while my wife and I continued to drink Starbucks once per week.

What are your thoughts? Do you have any other ideas you’d want to add? For other deal sites, check out this Rakuten review or this Honey review.

Budgeting

By admin, March 9, 2020