Do you have a strong deep rooted addiction to Starbucks coffee? Do you “NEED” it every day or you will go in to a fit reminiscent of a toddler throwing a fit because they got the wrong sippy cup? Well here are 5 good reasons you should give up Starbucks!
Here are 5 Good Reasons You Should Give Up Starbucks
1. It’s too dang expensive!
Let’s be real here, a cup of coffee is over $2 and no-one goes to Starbucks for a simple cup of coffee. A tall Frappaccino is $4 and a Venti is $5 BEFORE tax! That’s just for a drink. How many times have you went in the morning and got food as well. Let’s say that on average you spend $5 a visit (including tax) and you go only 3 times a week. That’s $15 a week or $60 a month. For those of you that “have” to go everyday (let’s assume work days), that’s $25/week or $100/month!
That’s $1200 a year!
Considering that the average American spends $1100 a year at coffee shops, $1200 is a conservative estimate for Starbucks lovers.
2. Saving for retirement
Let’s say that you take that $100 a month and invest it in your retirement account. Let’s take a 10% rate of return for 30 years and you will have $209,000 in your retirement account. And yes a 10% return is possible and that is after fees and paying a financial advisor.
You obviously need to save more than that, but that’s a nice little nest egg for just giving up Starbucks!
A new study shows that millennials are spending more on their morning coffee than on saving for retirement! That is insane. That means they can afford to save for retirement, they just are choosing coffee over retirement.
Check your numbers here-> Bank Rate Calculator
3. Control Your Spending
If you can avoid places like Starbucks, you can control your impulse buying. This will make it easier to stick to your budget. So, not only are you saving yourself the cost of the coffee but also all the other things they sell. You won’t be tempted to buy a muffin, a danish or cups while you get your coffee.
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4. The Environment
The savings isn’t all about your money but also the environment. If you make your own coffee and use your own washable cups, you save a lot of trash from going in the landfills. Six BILLION Starbucks cups go in the landfill every year. They are made with paper but are lined with plastic which is not biodegradable.
I will give them credit as they are working on this problem, but our society still has a trash problem.
5. It tastes bad
I know you probably want to argue with me about this and I will admit I hate coffee BUT study after study has proven that other cheaper coffees taste better in blind tests. Several blind taste testers said that Starbucks tastes burnt. I have tried their other drinks and food and I thought it was disgusting. It certainly was not worth the cost to me.
People like Starbucks because it’s more expensive and has become a status symbol in this country. Just like other name brands, Starbucks makes people feel better about themselves when they buy it. It’s a status symbol just like designer handbags and expensive shoes.
If those 5 reasons you should give up Starbucks aren’t enough, it’s also unhealthy and making you fat. It has a very unhealthy amount of caffeine and sugar in it. So, I guess you won’t need to save for retirement because you will have had a heart attack from all the caffeine by then…hahaha just kidding just kidding…seriously start saving for retirement.
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I go to Caribou some days (and I love everything about it because the coffee is great and it is NOT Starbucks). Prices run about the same, and I use it as a treat as well as an unhealthy meal replacement. If I get a XL White Caramel Mocha, I’m looking at around 1000 calories so I typically don’t eat breakfast or lunch (whenever I choose to drink it). It’s not an every day thing for me by no means, and I definitely think people should make their own coffee (I put lots of creamer and whipped cream in mine). But I think as a treat now and then, it’s worth the splurge.
every now and then is definitely worth the splurge!
Those are all good reasons not to buy Starbucks and any coffee shop coffee. I may only drink a coffee once a month, but when I do, I make it at home. I just don’t understand paying $7 for a single cup of coffee when I can make more than 100 cups on my on for the same price.
I might buy a coffee from Mcdonald’s on occasion. I can get a really good iced coffee in a large size for $3 after tax. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s way better and cheaper than Starbucks, which I basically refuse to support these days anyway. I actually just bought a little cold coffee maker for $15 on amazon. I can make a few glasses in a carafe for almost nothing. It’s about .50 a glass compared to $3. Yay for me. I save at least $1200 by not going to starbucks. However, I still eat too much fast food.
We love to go to coffee shops as a family and I love my daily latte (not starbucks as not available here) but we see it as a treat to be savoured rather than just part of life. We almost never eat out at restaurants and very rarely get take out so cook at home every day- I think balance is the key and being intentional about what you buy and choose not to buy!