It’s time to turn the tables. Now it’s your turn to share your stories with me. I need your help.
I have a close friend who is hopelessly addicted to Starbucks. It seems like every time I meet up with her, we end up there. Sometimes we go even if she’s already been there that day. I’ve even heard stories of her going to Starbucks three times in one day.
Photo by ctarda
What worries me is that I know my friend has been struggling to get a handle on her finances. She’s in her early thirties and wants to settle down soon. She has talked about buying a house, but she can’t seem to find the discipline to save any money.
It’s difficult for me to listen to her talk about buying her own place, because I know she really wants to do it. I really want her to do it too. However, I hear about her daily Starbucks fix and all of the gifts she buys for her friends, and her words and actions just don’t match up.
I want to help her, but I’m not sure how. She will go through phases where she cuts back on coffee and sells things she doesn’t need, but then it’s right back to her old habits. The changes never seem to stick.
I’m guessing most of us have someone like this in our lives (or maybe I just described you). So my question is:
How do you help someone who is hopelessly addicted to Starbucks?
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s going to sound insane, but -I- had a Sbux addiction. Get her an espresso machine and the beans for it (ground, preferably). If she can do it at home, she can do it for about $4.61/cup cheaper than if she went down and bought it.
Echoing the previous comment: I switched to exclusively black coffee and bought myself a thermos. Six cups of coffee for about a quarter.
So easy — just don’t meet her at the Starbucks.
When she starts carping about her troubles, simply say
“This worked for so and so, maybe you could give it a try”. At that point change the subject. If she wants your help she’ll ask about “the plan”. If she follows said plan, good for both of you, if not you’ll still be her friend
Thanks for the great ideas. I’m pretty sure my friend already has her own coffee maker, but the problem is that she’s always traveling. She’s a flight attendant, so it’s part of her job. In a sense, airports are like her second home, and they’re filled with Starbucks.
Carol, thanks for the tip. I’ll have to try it the next time I meet up with my friend.
When making a purchase like coffee or some other item I don’t really need, I look at it in terms of how many minutes of my life it cost to buy the item. If I realize that this stupid cup of coffee cost me 15 or 30 minutes of my life to earn the money to buy it, it usually keeps me from doing it.
Have your friend check out the calculator from the My Money Blog. You put in the price of an item you’re considering buying, the rate of return and the number of years and it tells you exactly how much the item costs you then. Each cup of coffee bought now is worth 17.29 in 30 years at an 8% return. If you’re drinking 3 cups of coffee every day, thats almost 350 dollars a week after 30 years. As you know, saving a little bit every day or week begins to add up!
Here is the link:
My Money Blog Calculator
Thanks for the link, Alan. I’ll have to share it with my friend. Your comment got caught in my spam filter, which is why it wasn’t showing up.
I have a friend with a similar problem. But like your previous comments have suggested, she bought herself an espresso machine and let me tell you, that sucker runs good!!! She whipped up some great cappuccinos the last time I visited her…better than Starbucks (I know that’s a bold statement but it’s true). And having worked at Starbucks many years ago, I taught her how to make her daughter’s favorite coffee, a Caramel Machiato!
So if she’s seriously considering buying a home, buying an espresso machine would be well worth the investment. Just make sure she get’s a kitchen with enough counter space for the espresso machine.
In economics the term Budget Constraint is used in studying the link between spending and income and what people can afford. It’s our natural tendency to want to spend more and our spending is ultimately constrained by our income…
An excellent way to monitor our spending is to buy a “Cash Receipts” book. Being self-employed, this has served well in my business! You set goals for yourself and you monitor your budget. Spreadsheets work well too but the book comes in handy (maybe I’m old fashioned).
I really liked Alan’s comment and will be sure to check out his calculator.
I use another type of calculation — how much better off will someone else be with that money.
I try to save it to tithe, send to an organization that I believe in or buy something for someone in need.
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