Starbucks Is Getting Expensive: Here’s How to Make Your Own at Home

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Joie Warnke, Reporter

Starbucks Coffee Company is undeniably one of the most famous and popular corporations in the nation, if not the world. People adore Starbucks for their coffee, tea, pastry items, breakfast sandwiches, and much more. However, in recent months, consumers have noticed that their prices have increased exponentially. According to an article published on CBS written by reporters Kate Gibson and Aimee Picchi, Starbucks prices have increased 20% on average since 2021. Not only are the prices of the items themselves rising, but it is also becoming more costly to add in flavorings or substitute milk options. 

For example, when considering an Iced Caffe Latte, to add in Vanilla syrup costs an $0.80 cent upcharge, and to substitute oat milk for the regular 2% milk costs a $0.70 upcharge. In addition, maybe you would want to add some vanilla sweet cream cold foam, but only for an upcharge of $1.25. These upcharges can be frustrating to customers, especially those who are lactose-intolerant or vegan. 

Along with this price increase, Starbucks is also changing how their rewards system works. For those unfamiliar, Starbucks rewards you with a certain amount of “stars” (or points) for the dollar amount of your purchase. Currently, if you pay with a reloadable Starbucks gift card, you are rewarded with two stars per $1.00. The rewards that you can attain vary from the amount of stars, and become more valuable as the amount of stars increase. When you have the adequate amount of stars for a certain reward, you can redeem your stars to get the reward for free. Currently the rewards system is as follows: 

 

25 stars: Drink customizations such as dairy substitute or flavor syrup

50 stars: Hot coffee, tea, or pastry item

150 stars: Handcrafted drink, breakfast item, or parfait

200 stars: Lunch sandwich, protein box, or salad

400 stars: Select merchandise or at-home coffee

Starting February 13, 2023, Starbucks will be upping the amount of stars for what was previously the 50, 150, and 200 star items. Those items will be increased by 50 stars, meaning the new rewards model will be 25, 100, 200, 300, and 400 stars.

In order to save yourself from spending an irrational amount of money on Starbucks this year, it is extremely cost effective to make your own coffee at home. 

For those who love a good latte, you would be surprised at how simple it is to craft your favorite drink. An espresso machine is needed for a latte, however in the long run, the purchase is most certainly worth it. After brewing your espresso (the amount of shots varies depending on the size of your cup), you can pour in the milk of your choice. You can even add your own flavorings, as Starbucks sells the pump bottles for you to purchase. If you view the receipts of any of your old drinks on the Starbucks app, you can easily see the measurements of each component that are added to your drink. Lastly, if you would like some cold foam on the top of your drink, you can purchase a frother that will turn the milk of your choice into a thick and fluffy cold foam.