With spring break approaching fast, nothing is more helpful than a little extra cash in your pocket before you hit the road! I must admit, my biggest spending vice is undoubtedly Starbucks coffee. For years I was paying face value on all of my favorite drinks—huge mistake! Here are my go-to hacks to save major cash on caffeine.
1) Light Ice
Do you ever feel like you take two sips of your venti iced tea or iced coffee, and four dollars later, it’s gone? It’s because you’re paying for ice! Get the most bang for your buck by requesting “light ice” when ordering your drink. It’s a life-changer.
2) Don’t pay a lot for a latte…
A latte is one of the priciest drinks on the menu at Starbucks because of all of the espresso shots, steamed milk and flavor pumps that go into it. Don’t compromise on caffeine! Make a two dollar iced latte by ordering three espresso shots in a venti cup over ice and adding milk yourself!
3) Size matters
Everyone knows the three main sizes at Starbucks: tall, grande and venti. Something not everyone knows is that there are two more sizes NOT listed on the menu: short and trenta! The eight ounce short is super cheap, and perfect for the few instances when you really want just that one cup of coffee. The giant 30 ounce Trenta is available for iced tea and iced coffee for only cents more than the Venti.
4) Cheap Refills…Really!
If you finish your drink in-house, you can choose any hot coffee, iced coffee, hot tea or iced tea of the same size for only 50 cents! You can get this refill even if your original drink wasn’t one of these. Also, water is FREE! Don’t ever waste cash buying that bottled water on the way out.
5) Starbucks Rewards
Just for downloading the app, you get a welcome reward for any free drink or food item!