Comments on: Twelve Tactics For Defeating the Starbucks Habit

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:54:39 +0000

I noticed that someone else named Kim mentioned that cocaine was the secret addiction ingredient in Starbucks coffee….that’s what I have often thgouht! Frankly, I wish Starbucks would disappear off the face ofthe earth…my husband spends an excess of $300 per month at Starbucks – even after I bitched and moaned about it. He has now resorted to hiding his cups in the ditch beside our house before he pulls in the driveway so that I won’t know he’s been to Starbucks! Hell, people…we have bills to pay! I don’t know what to do about my husband! He would spend his last $5 at Starbucks…Starbucks or gas…he would choose Starbucks. He’s got NO common sense when it comes to Starbucks.

By: Sally

Sally — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:17:00 +0000

I think the caffeine is like the money. You need a balance. I make mine at home but quite frequently get one from a local coffee shop. It’s $1.25 for a small with cream and one sugar. It’s not too many calories either. I thing caffeine can be a necessary evil – I’ve done that and the vegetarian thing – and find that a blance is what works for me. I have coffee (but not more than 2 cups a day – no cola, choc, etc) and I have meat – but in moderation.

By: Mule Skinner

Mule Skinner — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:47:29 +0000

Nowadays you can get reasonably good coffee at McDonald’s, because they are challenging Starbucks. And if you are over 50 (55?) ask for a “senior coffee” — not on the menu, but only 60 cents!

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:27:22 +0000

Two other money saving suggestions for saving money at Starbucks…
7.) When ordering an iced drink (like passion ice tea lemon-aid), ask for lite ice. You’ll get more actual drink for your money and it is still just as cold.

8.) Order a hot drink “extra hot” – they will make the drink about 20 degrees hotter and you can add in extra cold milk and the drink will still feel as hot as normal – and you get more beverage for your buck.

You can save a fair bit of money if you order a short, extra hot latte in a travel mug and add more milk and vanilla powder flavoring, as opposed to ordering a tall, regular vanilla latte in a Starbucks paper cup. In Canada, this would save you about $1.10 plus applicable taxes every time.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:58:37 +0000

I have to admit, I LOVE Starbucks, but I DON’T like coffee! I love the hot chocolates, teas, coffee-mixed flavored drinks, and the baked goods. Here are a few suggestions for saving money….

1.) Usually you pay the same price for tea, regardless of what size you get.
2.) You can order a “short” drink for a reduced price. A short does not appear on the official menu, but it is available, and costs less than a tall. Obviously, it is also shorter than a tall, but it does the job.
3.) Starbucks has good customer service. If you do not get the drink to your specifications, you can get a coupon for a free drink next time. Once I waited over 5 minutes for my blended lemonade; I got a coupon for any drink of my choice for free for next time.
4.) Honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, vanilla sugar are all free – use these instead of adding a syrup to your drink and save $.50 a drink.
5.) Bring your own travel mug to save $.10 a drink and also save the environment.
6.) On April 22 (Earth Day), Starbucks offers free coffee to anyone with a travel mug, and a $5 coupon when you buy a travel mug.

By: Cleveland

Cleveland — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:13:59 +0000

This is a pretty good article yet it’s the same information over and over..

By: Connie

Connie — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:51:51 +0000

I purchase a Starbuck’s gift certificate several times a year. (You can get neat personalized ones on their site) and I limit myself to the amount on the gift certificate for 3 months. No more money on the card, no more lattes until X date.

This does two things:

1)Keeps me in budget without depriving me.
2) Makes me think twice each and every time I stop because I have to decide if today is “Starbucks-worthy”. It cut out the mindless spending.

I don’t think I could ever give up designer coffees. They are not so much an addiction as a joy for me, like good food or fine wine, so I find a way to incorporate them into my life.

Good luck!
Connie

By: Fran

Fran — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:29:25 +0000

Try this: while your coffee is brewing,warm some milk in your (microwave safe)cup. Voila–cafe au lait a l’onde-fours. (everything sounds better in French, doesn’t it?:)
For my fellow tea people, try making chai in its simplest form: bring a mixture of 3 parts water to 1 part milk to a boil, drop in a plain black teabag, and let it go for a minute or two. Add your favorite sweetener if you wish.
In answer to the above question about where one can go without driving past a Starbucks, try either I-90 as it goes through Wyoming from South Dakota to the border with Montana or M-28 between Seney and Munising, Michigan.

By: Maggie Shaw

Maggie Shaw — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:14:34 +0000

This is the girl who originally sent in the starbucks question. Even when I make coffee in the morning, I sometimes have the urge for a Frappucino. I can’t avoid Starbucks because there is one in the lobby of my building. You can smell the aroma of coffee the moment you enter the lobby. I’ve decided to just go cold turkey. I want a bigger apartment next year. Plus I typed up and stuck on my fridge all of the significant expenses I have coming up in the next few months. That’s motivation enough to not spend the money. JUST STOP GOING is not that easy. It’s not a caffeine issue either because I drink decaf already with skim milk and no sugar.

By: sandra

sandra — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:58:19 +0000

I´ve read somewhare that an apple do the same then caffeine: whake you up.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 21:25:15 +0000

If we are talking about financial reasons for not going to Starbucks then how about ‘JUST STOP GOING!’ If it is a caffeine issue then brew at home and start mixing in decaf with regular a little at a time and take yourself off slowly. Worked for me.

By: d.a.

d.a. — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:34:12 +0000

Used to have a Starbucks habit… here’s how I kicked it:

1. Bought a Starbucks stainless-steel travel mug. Found that some Starbucks (not all) will offer a discount if you bring your own mug. Also switched to drinking “cafe misto”s, which are not generally advertised on their boards, but is cheaper than the usual lattes.

2. Started taking my mug to the local convenience store, and filling up there. In most cases, it was less than a dollar if you brought your own mug, and they had plenty of flavorings.

3. Today: I brew a large pot of coffee on Sunday night, put it into a big mason jar, and store in the ‘fridge. Each morning, I’ll heat a serving up with a touch of sugar and creamer, pour into the travel mug (that thing is a workhorse), and I’m on my way.

By: Ann

Ann — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:00:43 +0000

One other way to quit Starbucks is to become a coffee snob! There are so many vastly different, explosive-with-flavor coffees out there. Start with a small artisan coffee roaster, then move on to home roasting. Then you’ll have to get a thermos and bring from home, because SB’s just won’t cut it for taste anymore. A friend, with reinforcement from the Sweet Maria’s homeroasting group, got me started roasting my own beans at home: Exquisite beans for about $5/pound, 15 min of time/week, using a battered saucepan and wooden spoon. Wonderful! I love discussing undertones of flavor, my husband likes the cost.

By: tuck

tuck — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:24:53 +0000

One thing I didn’t see mentioned (unless I missed it) was a suggestion to tally up all the money you are spending at Starbucks in a month, and see how much money is being wasted. Especially if invested.

I would disagree with the fruit juice suggestion: fruit juice is loaded with calories and oftentimes sugar or sugar substitutes — water is a better option.

Starbucks is also known for making extra-strong coffee — i.e, more caffeine than other brands. (DD, Peet’s, Coffee Bean, etc.) So another step to quitting might be to start with a lighter brand of coffee.

I’d also disagree with the Diet Coke suggestion. While it may be zero calories, it still has aspartame, or Splenda, or some dicey sugar substitute.

The best thing would probably be to wean yourself down to decaf, then drink it with skim milk.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes!

By: nita

nita — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:07:09 +0000

I’m on the get your fix elsewhere, and make it pleasurable plan. The coffee at my workplace is grody. But the coffee station does have hot hot water.

I have a french press in a mug from Planetary Design (http://www.planetarydesign.us/). I tend get my coffee from a coffee roaster that donates a percentage of their profits to a nonprofit theater organization (thundermuck.com). I can afford the splurge on good coffee because I use relatively little of it. And I don’t waste it by brewing a whole pot when I’ll only drink half.

I save time on the way into work, and if I want a nice, walking break, I walk to the library instead.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:55:46 +0000

I defy anyone to find a route between any two points in the US that does not pass a Starbucks ;)

By: MoneySucks

MoneySucks — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:49:42 +0000

I find that I am more likely to stop for a coffee (not starbucks) if I have a few extra minutes in the morning before work. By leaving home with just enough transportation time to get to work, I am not able to stop for a hot drink.

Not recommended for everyone, but it works for me.

By: FinanceAndFat

FinanceAndFat — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:11:53 +0000

Rather than quitting caffeine, something I never plan to do, I cut my Starbucks habit drastically by simply brewing my own coffee at work. I bought a Senseo coffee machine because it is simple to use and maintain and I make do with that coffee.

It’s not a direct substitute (I still miss my lattes), but it gets the job done and I find that about one trip per week to Starbucks now keeps me satisfied and I think I appreciate it more now anyway.

By: Corinne

Corinne — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:14:29 +0000

I just do the Starbucks thing a little more rationally. Trent’s suggestion for bypassing my starbucks en route to wherever I’m going is nearly moot in NYC – there can be, literally, a Starbucks on every corner here. What I do is really make going to Starbucks a SPECIAL activity. I settle for our work brew during the week, and then make weekend trips to Starbucks a special occasion where I can feel free to get whatever fun frothy beverage I’m craving. Interestingly, calories usually trump cost, and because I’m health concious, i tend to forego the huge sugar loaded expensive beverages anyway. But when I want a pumpkin spice latte on a cool fall morning I get it! I don’t feel like I’m submitting to marketing or anything else, simply that I am using the disposable income at my disposal in the way that will provide for me the most “utility,” or satisfaction in that period of time. Could I save that money, and invest every penny? Yes. But as Trent explains, the point of frugality is both saving and cutting out needless expense, AND enjoying the money that you work so hard for every day.

By: MB

MB — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:55:18 +0000

My husband and I also got hooked on Starbucks (someone gave us a $50 gift certificate for xmas a few years ago.)after the certificate, there was no way we were going to keep spending that money on coffee!

We bought a Melita grind & brew coffeemaker (much better than the cuisinart) (about $70 online) and we buy Costco brand, “Starbucks brew” whole beans for $9 for two pounds. We also picked up an assortment of travel mugs (Marshalls or TJ Maxx good for this). We set up the coffeemaker at night, push the button to automatically grind and brew in the morning, put it in our attractive mugs with some cinnamon or nutmeg (no calories) and 2% milk and have freshly brewed starbucks on our morning commute. Thus we get our Starbucks, enjoy it thoroughly, and pay only a fraction of the price. Another bonus? We don’t waste 10 or 15 minutes stopping for coffee so we can sleep a little later!