If you find yourself in a Starbucks nearly every weekday morning, well, you’d realize you’re actually pretty normal! It’s fast, it’s simple, and damn, it’s delicious. What a lot of us don’t realize is how expensive your morning Starbucks habit is!

Wait a second. I should have spotted another addict. Uh, gotta love the ‘bucks!

Michael Scott

How Expensive is it Really?

I find it helpful to figure out how much money I’m spending over time, it really helps put things into perspective. And to think about that, we need to break down spending by looking at average cost and frequency. If buying morning coffee is a recurring cost for you, make sure to keep reading!

We’re going to generalize here, so make sure to compare our assumptions to what you normally spend and how often you go!

For this math problem, we’re going to assume that you go to Starbucks every workday (not on weekends). That means that you’re visiting the store about 250 times a year!

We’re also going to assume that you’re buying a specialty drink, not just the $2 black coffee. On average, we’re going to guess that’s about $5 after tip and taxes.

Simple math tells us that our morning habit costs us about $1,250 per year. Now that we have that number, let’s look into it a bit!

Does That Mean I Should Stop Drinking Coffee?

No! Obviously not. Despite what baby boomers tell millennials, cutting the morning habit will not:

  • Somehow magically pay off your student loan debt
  • Suddenly allow you to buy a four bedroom house
  • Make the difference between buying a new Tesla or a used Camry

Frankly, that’s bullshit. What we advocate for is cutting back, not cutting out. Instead of going to Starbucks every day, how about every other day? Brewing your own coffee every other day could save you $500+ per year.

This is all about knowing yourself, knowing what is important, and knowing what fits in to your lifestyle! Methods like drip brewing and pour over brewing are pretty fast, if that’s your concern.

Besides Money, Why Else Would I Cut Down on Starbucks?

Again, it all depends on what you normally get!

If you get specialty beverages, there’s a chance you’re taking in 300+ calories, along with fats and sugars. Either way, make sure you’re away of the nutritional information on any coffee you purchase! See our article on making healthier coffee to learn actual ways to make your routine better for you!

If you’re willing to spend $5 per cup on beans, you can buy some pretty expensive beans! Even our favorite, the geisha, would be well within your budget.

Before You Go!

Hopefully you found something here that you liked? Whether you did or you didn’t, we appreciate you supporting our site! Our efforts here are fueled by you and a healthy dose of coffee. Feel free to check out our other articles, guides, lists, and more!