You Could Save Up To $1,000 By Changing That Latte Habit
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Unsplash/Nathan Dumlao
We’ll be the first to back you up when you say those cappuccino splurges are necessary sometimes. Our love of coffee runs deeper than the caffeine coursing through our veins. But we also recognize that depending on what you typically order, the habit can suck up some serious cash. So, just how much could you save by switching up your coffee game? Spoiler alert: A lot.
We did the math so you don’t have to, breaking it down for you real easy. Let’s start with a latte. We chose Starbucks to keep it standard (and because we know you guys love your Starbys 😉). So, let’s look at how much you spend — and how much you could save — when it comes to your grande skinny vanilla latte routine if you purchase one five days a week over the course of a year (i.e. 240 days).
Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Latte, Grande: $4.15
5 days a week: $20.75
Monthly total: $83
Yearly total: $996
Hoooly crap, that’s a lot of money you could be spending on other stuff. Granted, if you’re not alarmed by the fact that you’re spending almost $1,000 on lattes alone, this article won’t speak to you. But we bet you’re #shook. That’s how much you could save if you cut out that latte for good.
Not into that idea? (We can’t blame you because who can just cut out caffeine cold turkey? Basically no one). We compared a Starbucks cup with a homemade cup. We took into account the cost of a coffee maker (this Amazon bestseller is only $22.93), the cost of coffee (30 ounces for $7.49, assuming you’d use 1 ounce per latte) and the cost of half-gallon of milk (which is $2.49 at Trader Joe’s and assuming you use a cup of milk per latte).
Over the course of those 240 days in the year that you brew, your coffee maker is costing you a little over 9 cents per serving. That 30-ounce tub of coffee will last you 30 servings, so in 240 days, you’ll need eight tubs of coffee, costing you a total of $59.92 per year and around 2 cents per serving. Finally, that half-gallon of milk is giving you eight servings, and in 240 days, you’ll need 30 half-gallons of milk, costing you $74.70 per year and 3 cents per serving. In total, you’re spending $157.55 for an entire year’s worth of homemade lattes.
Homemade Latte (using a recipe like this): $1.52 per serving
Unsplash/Nicole Honeywill
5 days a week: $7.62
Month total: $30.47
Year total: $365.59
Total savings: $630.41
Wanna say “To hell with the lattes!” and go for a simple cup of coffee from Starbucks instead? Good for you! You’ll save a little less than you can by just making coffee at home, but you’ll also spend a lot less than you did on those lattes while also still getting your Starbys fix.
Starbucks Freshly Brewed Coffee, Grande: $2.10 per serving
5 days a week: $10.50
Month total: $42
Year total: $504
Total savings: $492
Finally, if you wanna make your own standard cup of Joe at home, you’ll save a ton. Purchasing the same coffee maker (this Amazon bestseller is only $22.93) and the same coffee (30 ounces for $7.49 and assuming you’d use 1 ounce per cup) as with the homemade latte scenario, you’ll be spending a total of $82.85 per year on your coffee.
Homemade Coffee: 35 cents per serving
Unsplash/Janko Ferlič
5 days a week: $1.72
Month total: $6.90
Year total: $382.95
Total savings: $913.15
Did we just blow your mind? We know, it’s amazing. Are you ready save a-latte?! We sure are.
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