Does anyone actually get Starbucks every day?

[Anonymous]

Starbucks helps me focus and work better, so I can thank them for my raise and I reinvest by buying Starbucks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"You can't latte yourself to bankruptcy. The bladder won't stand for it" - Katie Porter in Helaine Olen's Pound Foolish

I'm generally a pretty frugal person and avoid unnecessary expenses, including Starbucks. But I can't be too judgmental on those who choose to indulge. If your morning latte is the thing that gets you through the day, or one of the few things you reliably enjoy and look forward to, I don't think it's nearly as destructive as some people imply.

Let's say you spend $5 at Starbucks every day of the year. That's $5x365, or about $1,800 per year, or about $1,300 if you only go on weekdays. I don't want to imply that's a trivial amount of money. But it's not going to make or break your household finances. It's the big lifestyle decisions - car, houses, vacations, schools - that determine your big picture finances. Latte's aren't quite small enough to be dismissed as a rounding error, but they're definitely at the margins of your financial health.

It kills me to see my millennial staff do this. They are in their mid-20s and that $1300 put into an IRA would be worth so much in 10, 20, 30 years!

I was talked into EE savings bonds in my 20s for $50 a pay period or $25 a week. 15 years later I cashed them in and was able to buy a house because I had the down payment. A small amount of money saved routinely and dollar-cost-average invested over time with compounding is like magic.

I remember how the older people at work nagged and nagged me to take advantage of my 401K. I wasn't making much at the time and I felt like I couldn't afford it. I'm glad that I listened to them now though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the specilaty drinks as much as anyone. But have you ever looked at their nutrition chart? Forget the money. The calories! Some of those drinks are like 400 cal for a small. When I see people chugging the bigger drinks, I always wonder at how they are fine with ingesting 1000 calories in their drink.

I'm sitting here reading this thread and completely jealous that people can drink lattes and frappes every single day and not gain weight or have other health issues.

I don't drink at Starbucks often, but when I do it's typically a brewed coffee or Americano.

It's not exactly that simple. I dronk a grande latte every morning, but I only get one pump of syrup and no whipped cream. The rest of my breakfast os a kind bar or Heritage Flakes. Then I don't eat until lunch. Don't assume people are drinking 1,000 calories per day and not gaining weight. There is more to the story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the specilaty drinks as much as anyone. But have you ever looked at their nutrition chart? Forget the money. The calories! Some of those drinks are like 400 cal for a small. When I see people chugging the bigger drinks, I always wonder at how they are fine with ingesting 1000 calories in their drink.

I'm sitting here reading this thread and completely jealous that people can drink lattes and frappes every single day and not gain weight or have other health issues.

I don't drink at Starbucks often, but when I do it's typically a brewed coffee or Americano.

It's not exactly that simple. I drink a grande latte every morning, but I only get one pump of syrup and no whipped cream. The rest of my breakfast of a kind bar or Heritage Flakes. Then I don't eat until lunch. Don't assume people are drinking 1,000 calories per day and not gaining weight. There is more to the story.

Fixed your spelling.

[Anonymous]

I get a coffee from a local shop every day. Yep, it's about $4/day and we're on a budget, but I am a firm believer that you need to do something for yourself or you will go crazy. We don't have a car, I never get manicures/pedicures/massages, I buy cheap/consigned clothes, we don't vacation, and we're generally kind of frugal.

While I realize $1500 I spend of coffee per year could buy us a modest vacation, I'd rather have a treat every day that enjoy one week a year... especially since I have young kids so vacations aren't even fun yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the specilaty drinks as much as anyone. But have you ever looked at their nutrition chart? Forget the money. The calories! Some of those drinks are like 400 cal for a small. When I see people chugging the bigger drinks, I always wonder at how they are fine with ingesting 1000 calories in their drink.

I'm sitting here reading this thread and completely jealous that people can drink lattes and frappes every single day and not gain weight or have other health issues.

I don't drink at Starbucks often, but when I do it's typically a brewed coffee or Americano.

It's not exactly that simple. I drink a grande latte every morning, but I only get one pump of syrup and no whipped cream. The rest of my breakfast of a kind bar or Heritage Flakes. Then I don't eat until lunch. Don't assume people are drinking 1,000 calories per day and not gaining weight. There is more to the story.

Fixed your spelling.

Np: no, you didn't - should be "is" not "of" in the third sentence. And we knew what the poster is trying to say without your corrections.

[Anonymous]

My DH does every day, makes me mad as hell. He buys lunch too. I bring my lunch, pack my kids lunch and never ever buy over priced coffee. But he spends way more than me on everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the specilaty drinks as much as anyone. But have you ever looked at their nutrition chart? Forget the money. The calories! Some of those drinks are like 400 cal for a small. When I see people chugging the bigger drinks, I always wonder at how they are fine with ingesting 1000 calories in their drink.

A grande latte with skim milk is 130 cal. Think about it, it is just a 16 oz glass of milk plus 2 oz of water plus a tiny amount of coffee bean particles.

With whole milk it is 220 cal and so filling that it can be your entire breakfast, as it is for many in Italy where it was invented. I know a lot of slim/fit people (including myself) who have a large latte with 2 percent or whole milk for breakfast.

[Anonymous]

I always get a tall skinny vanilla latte (skim milk, sugar free vanilla, no whip cream). It tastes like a million calories but I was shocked to find out it is only 100 calories! Not too bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH does every day, makes me mad as hell. He buys lunch too. I bring my lunch, pack my kids lunch and never ever buy over priced coffee. But he spends way more than me on everything.

Does he earn more?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the specilaty drinks as much as anyone. But have you ever looked at their nutrition chart? Forget the money. The calories! Some of those drinks are like 400 cal for a small. When I see people chugging the bigger drinks, I always wonder at how they are fine with ingesting 1000 calories in their drink.

I'm sitting here reading this thread and completely jealous that people can drink lattes and frappes every single day and not gain weight or have other health issues.

I don't drink at Starbucks often, but when I do it's typically a brewed coffee or Americano.

It's not exactly that simple. I dronk a grande latte every morning, but I only get one pump of syrup and no whipped cream. The rest of my breakfast os a kind bar or Heritage Flakes. Then I don't eat until lunch. Don't assume people are drinking 1,000 calories per day and not gaining weight. There is more to the story.

That sounds both expensive and unhealthy.

[Anonymous]

Yes, thank you, businesses expenses!

[Anonymous]

Several people mentioned getting lunch out daily for less than $10. Where are you eating? Do you have cafeterias? I like healthy stuff and salads generally get very close to $10 or more if sit down. Personally I'd rather eat out once or twice a week at a nicer casual place than five days of something cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Several people mentioned getting lunch out daily for less than $10. Where are you eating? Do you have cafeterias? I like healthy stuff and salads generally get very close to $10 or more if sit down. Personally I'd rather eat out once or twice a week at a nicer casual place than five days of something cheaper.

Subway, Chiptole, Panera, Quizno's, that may be a starting point.

I don't eat out every day either, one day a week at most.

Regarding the person that says Starbucks is a business expense.....no it isn't. It if your choice. If every company allowed that, you would be significant layoffs more often than you already do.

[Anonymous]

Packing lunch is not free food. You either spend it at Giant or some local cafeteria.
If a cup of coffee is your enjoyment in life and you do not have time to make it every morning, or if you prefer it when you arrive at work, then go for it.
What is wrong with this?

I could save more by buying cheaper coffee for the house, making my kids drink water instead of fruit juice, not buying cheese, cooking meals with low quality sausage instead of real meat

But why must I? Food is going to cost, you need your little luxuries for enjoyment of life.

No need to judge anyone.
My parents struggled financially, but still had the newspaper subscription. Reading the morning paper was my dads joy in life. He could have heard the news through the radio, but so what?