Cold turkey

I've been going to Starbucks a lot in the past lil while, and I started to realize something.

The drinks just aren't that special anymore. Starbucks wasn't a treat. It was just... expected. I went there because I was used to it, and I felt like it was what I needed.

So, only 16 22 days ago, I stopped going. And I decided to see how long I could hold out. Instead of Starbucks, I got my coffee fix every morning at Tim Horton's... $2.24 for an X-Large with 3 creams and 1 sugar (actually, I tried 5 creams at first, until I realized that was almost half my drink).

I went one week without Starbucks. The company then introduced their "$5 for $10" deal on Living Social, so I grabbed it. Thinking that it was a good deal, I went down to my local Starbucks and got an Earl Grey Tea latte (I had to pay full price, as I forgot my tea bags at home). I figured that maybe my body was too used to coffee and that a tea-based drink would hit the spot.

So, I took a sip... and realized I made a mistake in going to Starbucks... and getting that $5 card.

I then bought a 1/2 sweet white mocha... and got the same feeling. And recently, I got another white mocha Americano misto and felt the same. So, yes, in the last 22 days, I've been 4 times (I tried a mocha frap this morning, to see if it would hit the spot, and sadly, it hasn't).

Ever since then, I haven't been back. I know it hasn't been a long time, but two four disappointing drinks in a row have taught me that I don't need Starbucks. How is this relevant to you, Mr. / Ms. Reader?

The people that peruse this blog are primarily interested in saving money at Starbucks. But it seems to me that the best way to save at Starbucks is to simply not go there. At least, not while you can get a comparable drink for half the price at Tim Horton's or some other regular Joe coffee shop. For the foreseeable future, that's what I'm going to do.