starbuck''s support group

[nejarb]

I spend about $30/week there and I don''t even drink caffine! They''re in my apt building. I can''t get away from them. Every morning I convince myself that a tall vanilla latte w/ soy milk and just 1 pump of syrup is a great, healthy, convenient, reasonably-priced breakfast! Then sometimes when I''m cleaning my apt I think "this would be so much more fun if I went downstairs and got a strawberry frapaccino!"

I haven''t always been like this. My 1st semester in law school I was, but that was totally excusable b/c I was living at home and had no other expenses and I was so busy studying that it was all I had time to spend $ on, and it was either that or vending machine coffee and reese''s pieces for breakfast. Also, I needed the caffine. Now I don''t (somehow? I weened myself off). Now, in my last semester, I''ve found the time to find plenty of things to spend $ on. And I certainly have the time to eat a bowl of cereal or something in the morning. But we moved into a new apt building a few months ago, and the day we moved in, starbuck''s opened in the same building. literally.

We can afford it, I mean I''m not racking up CC debt for starbuck''s or anything, but we want to go to Europe for about a month before he starts school next fall, and so anything extra we can save is that much more we can spend on our trip. So that''s my motivation. I can spend 30/week at starbuck''s for the next year OR have an extra $1,500 to spend in Europe. That''s about $50/day on our trip.

help me.

 

[ForteKitty]

i''ll join.

But it''s almost theraputic to sit there and chat with friends/co-workers. And did you know that you can order a Venti and have them split it into 2 talls? if you and another person share the same fav drink, you can save half the cost! I normally can''t finish a grande anyway, so the tall''s perfect for me.

 

[Mara]

starbucks has never been super appealing to me...i don't know why...sometimes i used to get iced lattes or iced mochas or something but they are not that good really so i just never go out of my way to go there. also i don't really like starbucks coffee in general, i prefer peets or seattle's best or something so the only time we ever go to starbucks is if we are out early one morning for a race or something and need a quick cup of plain coffee for some caffeine. otherwise i have coffee in the mornings at home. we have 2 or 3 starbucks gift cards that we have had for a year or so now with like $10 on each and we hardly use them. hehee.

also, recently i saw a show about how people are drinking their calories and WOW those starbucks drinks are pretty insane with calories and fat!!! something like a mocha frappucino was something like 400 calories and 20g of fat or something. they equated it to a plate of nachos i think. i would much rather have the nachos! hehee.

so ever since really seeing that i have absolutely no desire to get a drink. the only time i am ever tempted by a drink like that is in tahoe at this one place which has the most amazing frosted white mochas, yum. but starbucks and other places typically can't really compare!

anyway, the only thing i can really say is if you really want to cut back on it then just plain and simply cut back. if it's not an addiction to the caffeine then get your fruit elsewhere....like in an actual fruit or something. much cheaper too!! or make your own smoothies at home or something. for me if i can cut back elsewhere to know it makes a difference somewhere else does make a difference. but you have to have that priority in but that's how i see it...if you REALLY want to do it, you just will. good luck!!

 

[hlmr]

I would definitely use that money for Europe. always get a bit freaked out when my youngest sister from Vancouver comes and I go to get her favorite Starbuck''s coffee which is soy and half a hazelnut shot, etc, etc, and it costs me around $5.00!!!!!!!!!!

I buy Starbuck''s dark roast beans from Costco and make my coffee at home every morning for a fraction of the cost. The odd time I will buy a Tim Horton''s coffee when I am out and haven''t had my quoto for the day, but that sets me back only around $1.25, maybe once a month so I don''t mind.

Even if you only indulge yourself half of the time you normally would you will still save yourself a substantial amount to spend on your trip!!

I hope you can do it! Good luck!

 

[Tybee]

While I am a certified coffee junkie. We have saved a ton of money by buying me a stove top latte maker. I get amazing espresso beans from our local farmers market, and enjoy my daily addiction.
But it looks like your addiction is in the PLACE.
I think you can''t cut yourself off, you need to do it slowly. Perhaps you can create a STARBudget (tee hee) and only allow yourself the spend a certain amount weekly. The other days force yourself to make something at home.
While I LOVE to make my coffee at home, there is definitely something more appealing about having someone whip you up a fancy drink at a coffee shop. I still go to my favorite, but I only go on the weekends, and it involves a really long dog walk, and time spent sitting outside the shop talking to my sweetie.

 

[Dee*Jay]

I used to be a Grande Mocha girl but then for some reason I switched over to just coffee with whole milk and splenda. Saves me about $3/day (not that I actually do anything good with that $ I save though!) and I don''t have to wait in line at the bar for my drink. For me it''s all about the "ritual" of going there--it''s become part of my morning routine.

BTW, met the happy hubby in a Starbucks while I was waiting for my then-boyfriend to arrive, so sometimes you get more than just a cup o'' Joe at the coffe house! He says he''s always regretted not proposing to me in Starbucks. Wonder if they would have given us our drinks for free if he did?!

 

[nejarb]

Well, I had some apple juice and whole wheat crackers for breakfast, so I''m pretty sure I can make it to class w/out stopping there.

Tybee, I love your idea! Maybe I''ll start at $12 per week. But I''ll have to get those gift cards and then be sure to use them for my own drink even when I go down there with my guy (he gets a tall brewed coffee every morning).

 

[VegasAngel]

Buy a nice bag of coffee & a coffee pot with a brew later feature. It''s cheaper & nice to wake up to the smell of fresh coffee brewing. I do like to have Starbucks every once in a while, but really I like to just get together with friends & chit-chat.

 

[ephemery1]

Mmmmm.... Starbucks.

I used to be very anti-Starbucks until I got sucked in by the one in my Barnes and Noble... all those fun drinks really are appealing! And it does become a ritual... sometimes it''s my sole incentive for leaving the house on a cold day!

To save money (and calories!), I tend to make a habit of ordering coffee instead of a cappuccino, then adding my own milk and sugar... or an iced tea instead of a frappuccino... and no snacks!! Although they have an amazing chicken salad sandwich at the Starbucks on my campus... not sure if they all have them? Hopefully not... I don''t want anyone else to get addicted.

 

[mrssalvo]

They just opened a starbucks in our Target and built 2 new freestanding drivethru''s minutes from my house. It''s just way to easy for me so I understand the temptation. I could easily go every morning too and spend $25 a week but limit myself to just one or 2 max.

Why not buy a gift card with the amount you''d want the spend there for the month. Say $40, and then put the other $60 in a vacation savings account. You''ll get to watch that account grow for you trip and limit yourself to using the card at starbucks only so when it''s gone, you''ve got to wait until the next month.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 9/20/2006 8:03:29 AM
Author: mrssalvo

Why not buy a gift card with the amount you''d want the spend there for the month. Say $40, and then put the other $60 in a vacation savings account. You''ll get to watch that account grow for you trip and limit yourself to using the card at starbucks only so when it''s gone, you''ve got to wait until the next month.

You so smahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhht!

I ebb and flow when it comes to Starbucks. One month I''ll go almost every weekday...then a few months I don''t go at all. I guess I''m not addicted to caffeine at all...I just love the yummy drinks. I went A LOT in the summer to get some cool frapps, but haven''t been there in at least 2.5 months!

 

[Tybee]

They make a mean vanilla latte.
yum... vanilla latte...

 

[VegasAngel]

So now I sorta need to eat my words....I have gotten McD''s coffee (& hashbrowns) two days in a row now. I havent been there in years. Their coffee is so much better than Starbucks. Does Starbucks still have those pumpkin cream cheese muffins? I love those

 

[Dee*Jay]

Vegas Angel - OH YES, they do still have those muffins (she says wiping crumbs off her chin

). Had one for breakfast as a matter of fact!

 

[Rod]

Date: 9/20/2006 9:59:00 PM
Author: FireGoddess

Date: 9/20/2006 8:03:29 AM
Author: mrssalvo

Why not buy a gift card with the amount you'd want the spend there for the month. Say $40, and then put the other $60 in a vacation savings account. You'll get to watch that account grow for you trip and limit yourself to using the card at starbucks only so when it's gone, you've got to wait until the next month.

You so smahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhht!

I ebb and flow when it comes to Starbucks. One month I'll go almost every weekday...then a few months I don't go at all. I guess I'm not addicted to caffeine at all...I just love the yummy drinks. I went A LOT in the summer to get some cool frapps, but haven't been there in at least 2.5 months!

Hello, my name is Rod and I'm a StarbucksaHolic!! I used to drink as many as 2 Mocha Frapuccino's w/extra mocha - no whipped cream a day!!

But since I became a much healthier person, I do still really enjoy Starbucks dark roast coffees. We get a Starbucks coffee everyday after lunch and take it back to work and on weekends there are no less than 3 free standing stores within 3 miles of our home. It's just comforting to go to one in particular, get a nice cup of coffee and sit under the centuries old oak tree with the spanish moss dripping from above. Plus, this particular Starbucks provides the best daytime diamond viewing in town. The filtered sunlight through this oak tree is just fantastic

I do agree with mrssalvo and I fill up my gift card and stay within budget. But I don't put other funds into anything else to compensate for my addition though.

 

[Allisonfaye]

You could do what I did. In about 1995, I saw them beginning to open Starbucks in airport terminals. So I bought the stock.

I was working at the time and going there once a day. I used to drink a cappucino every day but then switched over to the regular coffee to save $$. I felt terrible buying coffee when the coffee at my office was free. But it was AWFUL. lol.

The stock has done pretty well. I don''t work any more so I only go once in a while now.

Also, you can go on the Starbuck''s website to find out how many calories are in your favorite drink. You can even customize your selection so it fits the way that you drink it. My personal favorite is the white chocolate mocha latte.