I used to spend $6-7 every morning at Starbucks on my way to work. Did the math recently and realized I was spending over $1,800 a year on coffee. Three weeks ago I bought a $25 french press and started making coffee at home. Takes literally 4 minutes, tastes better than what I was buying, and I've already saved $126 this month.
The hardest part wasn't learning to make coffee – it was breaking the routine. I actually missed the social interaction with the baristas more than the coffee itself. Now I put that extra 15 minutes toward reading before work instead of standing in line.
Anyone else have a daily habit that was secretly eating their budget alive? Looking back, I can't believe I didn't do this sooner.
Finally broke my coffee shop addiction and it's life-changing
byu/gunsrock222 inFrugal
Posted by gunsrock222
22 Comments
Grats. One step at a time
I’ve done the same.
I will say, don’t ignore the third place social interaction; that has value. I’d suggest you find a substitute.
Makes quitting the coffee shop more sustainable in some respects.
Someplace (a park or something maybe) you can take the coffee you make at home?
Take it for a 15 minute walk in the AM and say hi to neighbors?
It pains me how much I spent on coffee when working in the city, and it wasn’t even just the coffee, it’d be the pointless little extra snacks I’d usually buy in there as well. At least twice a day every day. Well done on your savings!
I’m always surprised that people who buy coffee every day are real
Working towards quitting this too. Picked it up after my wife accidentally destroyed my Moka Bialiatti and needed a quick caffeine fix before work. Now it’s like every day and it drives me crazy but it is such a pain to stop
Two years ago I stopped drinking alcohol of any kind and buying coffee out. I’m pretty much a millionaire (jk) now from the money I’ve saved on that alone.
I’ve never understood why people waste so much money at SB.
Making your own coffee is immensely satisfying.
I used a French press for years, then one day I found an espresso machine at a flea market for $1
It recently died, so back to my French press. You can buy a little hand held wizzer thingy to make your own froth with cream.Fun
My espresso maker was legit game changer when I got it 8 yrs ago. I make my own flavored syrups too. I just finished making maple syrup crystals for maple crunch lattes. I’ve probably saved thousands over the years making those drinks at home. Plus they taste better.
Girlies this is an ai post are we really all falling for an ai post
I broke the habit of using Keurig k-cups and went back to making coffee with ground coffee. I buy whole beans, grind them myself and brew that. Way cheaper than k-cups. I brew to the 3 cup marker on the carafe and that equals 2 mugs of coffee in the morning. If I crave coffee after that then I switch over to tea. Those k-cups sure add up, even if you buy them on sale it’s pricey over the course of a year.
Human interaction! I think we all need that… sigh
I went through periods of buying coffees daily but made the switch to making it at home too and have saved so much. Also not buying lunch at work but bringing it instead. Used to cost me about $10 now I make a much healthier lunch at home for under $3.
I kicked the Starbucks habit and used the saved money to buy a super fancy automatic espresso machine. It’s paid for itself several times over and the espresso & coffee drinks taste amazing!
Also learned to make all my favorite take out dishes during the pandemic thanks to YouTube chefs. Takes me less time to make it myself, stuff tastes better bc I’m making it how I like, and it’s so much cheaper!
I game or look at Reddit and occasionally do some other personal tasks on my phone in the morning while drinking my coffee. I also started to get up a little bit earlier and get up consistently. Some mornings I wake up and can’t go back to sleep, because my body is just used to waking up in the morning.
Breaking the habits has been motivated by really wanting to move to a bigger house. I’ve realized that by having better habits and saving money literally in a savings account, that I’m actually able to spend the $$$ on organizing and decorating my current house how I want it. Why wait until moving? Why not do this now and improve my life and mental health and home functionality? We can take everything with us in the move!
I was a barista for many years. Believe me, I knew that every single customer was there for the human interaction, and I tried to give them their money’s worth. But it worried me deeply when I saw the people putting their giant drinks and expensive sandwiches on their credit cards daily. Oh how I wanted to give them a gentle nudge into financial responsibility. I am so glad that you have shifted into a new pattern!
Conversely, I’ve developed daily habits that HELP me be frugal.
Like, I won’t buy fast food without some “deal” to get me in the door. Or, I won’t go grocery shopping without a specific offer they have (there’s plenty of food at home…)
Works both ways!
Not enough people do the math. “Oh, it’s only $6 a day.”, “Oh, it’s only $20 a month.” That shit adds up fast.
Like those “deals” that day, “Sign up for only $1 a day.” Yeah? That’s $365 a year MFer!
I didn’t have a daily habit, but a couple of times a week I would walk down to Starbucks with my coworkers for a drink. Now instead we just go for a walk, with no destination, and you know what? It accomplishes the exact same thing without costing any of us a dime.
I feel like too when it becomes routine you don’t appreciate the treat aspect of it. My favorite thing with coffee shops is to drop in on friends or family and offer to pick up coffee from somewhere. It happens maybe once or twice a month instead of daily, and I find the coffee trip much more personally rewarding. I get to have a sweet treat, but also be generous and treat my loved ones.
We’re trying to break our snack addiction. We’re both obese and neurodivergent so snacking is a mental comfort more than it’s about the eating. It’s killing our budget and keeping us fat. The only temporary relief I have found is if I’m working on a project that keeps my hands busy.
Introverts ftw. Talking to a barista is a reason for me to avoid going into a Starbucks
yes.. literally the hardest part of any change is the “breaking a known routine” and why making something a routine/habit (that doesn’t require much if any thought) is the key to an easy life. *choose your habits wisely.*