I used to spend hundreds - I shit you not, hundreds - of dollars at Starbucks. Because I don’t blog full time and am headed into an office every AM, it became so easy to just forget to pack a breakfast and pop into Starbucks on the way into the office. Not just for a coffee, but for food too. And don’t get me wrong, I love a good SBUX situation. But I was burning major cash.
Not to mention most of my fave Starbucks drinks are packed with sugar I cannot control.
Finally last fall I decided to get my life together and cut my Starbucks addiction BIG time. I bought a Nespresso and haven’t looked back. I think I’ve maybe only gone back to Starbucks 10 or fewer times since last November? So I’d consider this little experiment a major success.
Every time I post my AM latte on Instagram Stories ya’ll ask Q’s - so let’s break down my Nespresso machine and AM latte!
My Nespresso Machine
The Nespresso machine I own and am obsessed with is the Vertuo - this one specifically. The full retail price is somewhere around $200, but Williams Sonoma and Target always have amazing sales so seriously save this blog post and check back. As I’m typing this right now, it’s 50% off (so $99) which is bananas.
YES investing in your own nice coffee machine costs some cash up front. But let’s do the math…
I was stopping at Starbucks at least 3 times a week and spending just under $10 each time. Even if we’re lenient and say I was spending $8 a trip, that’s $24 a week, approx $100 a month, or like over $1K a year. GROSS.
I spent about $150 on my Nespresso (I was able to buy it on sale AND it included the milk frother) and each pod I buy is approx $0.80. If we amortize my machine over the year, that’s $8.33 a month. If we assume I’m drinking one pod a day (which I don’t always), that’s approx $16.80 a month.
Kelsey on the Starbucks train: $100/month or $1K/year
Kelsey on the Nespresso train: $25/month or $300/year
Total savings = $700 a year
My last shoutout to my love of Nespresso over all other coffee machines is that I think they do a great job of balancing cost and quality. I owned a Kuerig before Nespresso and honestly hated it. I like a good fancy latte, not a plain cup of coffee. I also felt like all the Keurig pods tasted…not great. Nespresso coffee I actually enjoy.
ALSO - Nespresso pods are recyclable! You can drop them off at a store OR mail them in.
My fave Nespresso pods
We do have a Nespresso store in San Francisco, but sometimes it’s a pain in the rear to get to, so most often I order my pods online. My machine takes these pods. Shipping is crazy fast - seriously I’m so impressed.
There are SO many different coffee options to choose from. I usually like to make myself a latte in the morning vs a cup of coffee. These double espresso pods are my pods of choice.
My perfect latte
A quick breakdown of my latte:
★ Insert pod into the machine and twist the little turney thing (once you use the machine, you’ll get what I mean lol) so that the machine is at the ready.
★ I LOVE a good latte. I pour fat free half and half into my frother and fire it up. I usually love an almond milk latte, but honestly it doesn’t froth that well, so fat free half and half is my next choice.
★ I pour a splash of sugar free vanilla cream into my mug. I like a flavored latte but do not want all the extra sugar!
★ Once my foam is ready, I pour that into the mug as well.
★ I stick the mug under the machine and brew my double shot espresso pod! I like having the foam in the mug FIRST and brewing my espresso over the top of it.
★ Stir stir stir to mix the espresso in with the vanilla.
★ ENJOY.
Okay seriously that’s it for my easy Nespresso latte I have almost every morning. If I’m feeling extra spicy I add a little collagen into the mix.
Thanks for reading, fam! ♥