We have read countless advices about the benefits to the growth of our net worth by reducing the number trips to Starbucks. Many of these articles assume that the daily trips to these coffee shops are for the sake of convenience. I agree that this is one of the reasons for some of us, but it certainly is not the reason for many others.There are many people who go to Starbucks and get that Frappucino because it is just good! They recognize the brand; they are subconsciously comfortable and approved of the taste so they what to expect before ordering; they feel like they were born with a taste for the franchise’s coffee; and they absolutely feel good waiting for that long line up (okay I added the last one which probably is not true, but you get the idea).

For those of us that feel this way, this is what I suggest: Run Your Own Starbucks!

We have to realize that every reason I gave out above is developed from the amazing marketing effort of the coffee empire. A quick look at the website says:

Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow.

A neatly packaged sentence from the marketing team that was not available when they opened their first store.

For those of us that still do not agree with how we developed our love for Starbucks and instead was born with it, Starbucks only had 17 stores by 1987! That certainly throws the argument of “they have been around forever” out the door.

Once you understand that our love for Starbucks is developed instead of inherited, that is when there is hope since we can build our own! You can make your own coffee, and learn to associate quality with your own brand. All the ingredients are available, and you can certainly try to mimic their taste. In fact, you will have more fun making your own taste and it could be better than the ones at Starbucks.

Here are some pictures of us trying to do this:

We actually prepare a whole container of ice coffee so we can drink it whenever we want. To be honest, my fiancée is the one that prepares this, and she is absolutely amazing at making quality drinks (See? Everything can be trained and developed :)).

We save the plastic cups and buy the straws, so we can bring them outside (to work, on trips etc).

The cost of a cup of homemade coffee is < $0.50 compared to $3.50 at Starbucks. Assuming it is $0.50 and you drink a cup everyday, you are saving $3 (at least) per day, or $90 a month. (For an analysis of the potential of saving $90 a month, compare it with $200 dollars per month becoming 1 million dollars here). If you absolutely love Frappucinos, you can get it by just blending this with any regular blender.

Just remember that everything can be developed.  If you are passionate about growing your net worth, practice simple frugal tips like these.