I was shocked a few years ago when I added up how much it cost for my husband and I to venture out to Starbucks once, sometimes twice a day. Between the two of us, drinking the smallest size (“tall”) lattes, it was a whopping $2,971.10 a year. I started to wonder how much I’d save if I made my coffee at home.

Here’s how I broke my Starbucks habit

I bought a Starbucks brand espresso/cappuccino maker.

I got lucky – I found a brand new $500 Starbucks espresso/cappuccino machine at a yard sale for $65. The woman had bought it for her boyfriend but he was too lazy to use it. My gain! It was a gamble since I didn’t know the person I was buying it from and I could’ve gotten screwed. But it works like a dream. I have had it for about ten years now. You can probably find something similar on sale, on Craigslist or on eBay.

I buy Starbucks ground coffee at the grocery store.

It is often on sale at Target for $12.99 for a 20oz. bag of ground coffee and at Walmart for $11.98, same size. Bonus: When I finish a bag of coffee, I can bring the empty bag into Starbucks for a free coffee or money off a fancier drink. Technically, Starbucks ended this policy, but some baristas still honor it.

I buy flavored Syrup.

I love Torani flavored coffee syrup. I’ve seen it as low as $3.99 if you buy it in bulk. And a little goes a long way. They even offer some sugar-free flavors.

Other “perks” to making your lattes at home:

• As much as I love an eggnog latte during holiday time, I don’t love the calories. Making my own saves me money and calories when I add lowfat eggnog (Starbucks offers only the full-fat variety). And I think it tastes just as decadent.
• If you’re like me and you opt for soy, the price of your drink goes up. Buy your own soy milk and save.
• If you use a less expensive brand of coffee, you will save even more money.

Try our recipe for Starbucks drinks you can make at home.

Including a salted caramel mocha. Mmm…

How much am I saving making Starbucks at home?

• A tall soy vanilla latte costs $4.05 with tax at my local Starbucks.
• The one I make at home costs approximately $2.25 (using XXX oz. coffee grounds, 4 oz. soymilk, 2 ml. syrup.)
• Yearly cost for 2 people once a day at Starbucks: $2,971.10.
• Yearly cost making my Starbucks lattes at home: $1,642.50.

My yearly savings: $1,328.60.

Even if I include the cost of the espresso machine I picked up at a garage sale for $65, over 10 years I’ve saved: $13,221.00.

Are you a Starbucks Lover? Then you’ll love this hilarious video spoofing Taylor Swift’s hit song “Blank Space.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FrBS2pPcak

How do you save money on coffee?