Everyone knows that once the clock strikes twelve on Jan 1., the most asked question is, “What’s your New Year’s resolution?” or “What are you going to do differently this year?”
I’ve always loathed this question because I never know what to say. I never really do New Year’s resolutions, as I prefer different kinds of challenges.
If you didn’t already know, I love Starbucks. Conveniently, there’s one just three minutes away from my house, feeding my addiction.
If I don’t have time to make breakfast in the morning, Starbucks is my go-to. Even if I do have breakfast, I’m more than happy to stop by for a drink. The baristas even know my name and order at this point.
I don’t enjoy coffee, so my personal favorite drink is a Grande Strawberry Açai Refresher with lemonade, no berries. Considering how much I love Starbucks, I figured I could make a resolution out of this for the new year.
My resolution was to give it up for the entire month of January. Dry January! (Starbucks Edition)
I’m currently refraining from going to Starbucks as it is still January, and so far, it’s made me realize just how many positive health and financial benefits there are to not going.
Let’s start off with money. If you’re like me and go about five times a week, you might want to read this. A Grande Refresher (my go-to order) is $5.75, which comes to $6.21 with tax.
You may be reading this and thinking, “It’s only six dollars–not a big deal.” That was exactly my mindset too, until I started doing the math.
If you go five times a week, you’re spending $31.05 in one week. With 52 weeks in a year, you’re looking at $1,615 annually. Yikes! All this money for one grande beverage– and let’s not forget, a large portion of that is the ice Starbucks puts in the cup.
As I mentioned prior, I will also get food occasionally. That would essentially be doubling the price, aka, spending way too much on microwaved food.
Starbucks is something that can easily deceive you with how much you’re spending. Being a senior in high school, this is valuable information to learn going into college.
College is a time to learn how to be increasingly independent and a big part of that is being financially independent. While I’d love to promise I’ll cut back in college, I’ll probably still ask my parents to pay for my Starbucks once I get there…
Even if you’re just trying to save money, this might be an area where you didn’t realize a significant portion of your money was going.
Starbucks not only is a hit on your wallet, but also to your health. Added sugars will sneak up on you. A Grande Refresher is 32 grams of sugar, getting very close to the daily sugar intake recommendation of 48 grams.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, one of the leading sources of added sugars in the U.S. diet are sweetened beverages. The American Heart Association recommends an “added-sugar limit of no more than 100 calories per day” (about six teaspoons or 24 grams) to decrease obesity and heart disease.
Clearly, these refreshers are out to get us with how much sugar they have in them.
This one-month Starbucks-free challenge was more than just giving up my favorite drink. It was an easy way to save money and cut back on unnecessary sugar, even if it tastes good. This is also just a friendly reminder that I can resist temptation…for a month.
Although, I will admit, even after all of this research, I am more than excited to go to Starbucks on Feb 1.
