It’s All About Choices!

As the contemporary poet and scholar Lizzo said, “Truth hurts.” And it’s true when it comes to your daily coffee habit. You probably already know it’s cheaper to make coffee at home; it’s simple buying-in-bulk-versus-single-item economics, with a sprinkle of consumer versus DIY culture in the mix. But if you’ve ever wondered just how much you can save by making your own coffee compared with buying it from Starbucks, I’ve done the math.

Coffee from a coffee shop can be satisfying. Whether it’s the smell that greets you without having to wait for coffee to brew, the comforting bustle of coffee shop culture or just knowing for sure that your half-and-half won’t be past its expiration date. But desperate financial times may call for desperate financial measures, even for something as sacred as the daily brew. How much money can you actually save by making coffee at home? I didn’t especially want to do this math — truth hurts, remember? But for the greater good, I’ve crunched the numbers. 

Given that Starbucks is the most ubiquitous coffee shop in the land, where an awful lot of us get our coffee, the price comparison here is based on cheap, middle-range and expensive Starbucks orders, with their equivalent ingredients calculated for the DIY versions. The verdict? Depending on your coffee order, you’ll save as much as $736 by making your coffee at home every day. Below is a full breakdown of the potential savings lingering in your pantry. 

Starbucks coffee versus making it at home