How To Save Money on Starbucks

I love frugality. Especially as a tool to gain financial independence. But I’m not going to tell you to stop enjoying your favorite coffee. It can be enjoyed as an occasional, relatively inexpensive treat, a cheap date with your honey, or a reward for sticking to your financial goals. Instead, I’ll share a few tips on how to save money on Starbucks.

My fourth child, homeschooling outside at Starbucks.

An occasional coffee is an inexpensive treat. One of our family’s favorite frugal outings is browsing bookstores with a coffee in hand. We take notes of books we want. Then I add them to our library hold list, PaperBackSwap wishlist, or buy them used on Amazon.

If you buy a daily $5 fat-and-sugar-bomb, then yes, you’ll probably pour way too much money down the drain. You’ll also pack on some major poundage. But back to frugality.

At the moment, I go to a nearby coffee shop every morning, 5-6 days a week, to write, plan, think – and generally get away from my house and 7 kids and do something I love. This is essential to my mental health and wholeness as a person. It’s what saved me from debilitating anxiety and depression I suffered after the birth of a 27-weeker preemie.

I order a short coffee. $2. Worth it, because I’m basically renting a co-working space, and I would feel weird about sitting at Starbucks using their air conditioning and wifi without buying something.

When I was a broke Gen-X youth, I often couldn’t afford a meal out, but I could afford to meet friends at Starbucks and enjoy a $1.75 coffee. I even worked as a barista for a few years. Starbucks brings back warm feelings for me, and I suspect it does for many.

That said, there are a few hacks you can employ.

Here’s a few tips on how to save money on Starbucks.

Get yourself a Starbucks card and register it. They’ll give you a free drink occasionally (one upon registering it, one on your birthday, others periodically as you earn points). You also get free refills on regular drip coffee and tea. That means you can order a short coffee for around $2 and enjoy a free refill.

The card is useful for keeping yourself on a budget. Load the card monthly or weekly with the amount you’ve allotted, and always use your card so you gain points for freebies. It’s ok to budget for little treats! It helps keep you motivated to stay on your budget, even if you’re getting out of debt.

Learn to love regular drip coffee or Americano. I’m inspired by French women who don’t drink a 20 ounce fat-and-sugar bomb every day. Pas de tout! Jamais! Instead, they drink a little coffee after a meal. Or a shot of espresso after dessert. Drip coffee or a shot of espresso are pretty cheap at Starbucks.

But what if coffee isn’t your thing?

Ok, here is where I’m going to suggest you learn to make your fancy-pants drinks at home. Those are double or more the cost of regular coffee and really add up fast.

If you love mochas: You can buy the Starbucks Mocha Powder online. A cafe mocha consists of a small amount of strong coffee (or a shot of espresso) in your cup, with mocha syrup (which is just mocha powder plus hot water, mixed thoroughly), then hot foamy milk. I have one of these neat milk frothing wands that makes a beautiful head of foam. You simply heat your milk then use the wand to froth it. Fun!

If you love lattes: A latte made with a shot of espresso and hot, foamed milk using my frothing want. These are so easy to make at home. Even my 11 year old knows how to do it.

If you love flavored coffees: You can buy your own flavor syrups, if those are your thing.

Find copycat Starbucks treat recipes online. My oldest loves those seasonal pumpkin cream cheese muffins, so he found a copycat recipe for those: Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffins. There’s even a sugar-free copycat pumpkin cream cheese muffin recipe!

To make espresso-based drinks (like lattes, mochas and such), buy an espresso maker. You can find one still in the packaging at thrift stores for $10. A Craigslist search will pull up listings for around that price too. IKEA sells a stovetop espresso maker for $20 that will last forever.

Buy your Starbucks beans at the grocery store when they go on sale. Walmart generally has the best price on Starbucks coffee – $6.99 a bag, and use those $1.50 off coupons that occasionally show up in the Sunday paper. Other stores sometimes have great deals on Starbucks coffee beans too.

Don’t forget to use the star code on the coffee bags you buy at the grocery store. They’ll add points to your Starbucks card.

Always use your reusable or travel mug when you go to Starbucks. The barista gives you a .10 discount for using your own cup. Don’t forget to avail yourself of the free refills on coffee and tea as a registered card holder.

Learn tricks for paying less for your favorite drinks. For example, ordering two shots and a cup of ice is much cheaper than an iced coffee or Americano. Add milk and sweetener at the condiment bar. More tricks for not spending too much at Starbucks here.

If Starbucks coffee is too strong for you, ask for a short coffee in a tall cup and ask for added hot water.