Starbucks Coffee

My brother introduced me to Starbucks coffee in the late 1990s when our father was in the naval hospital in Norfolk, Virginia.  I don't recall the price, but he was buying so it really did not matter. 

I would suspect that it was much less than $5 then probably around $2.50 or $3.  

However, it was delicious.

Today, a large Vanilla Cappuccino at Starbucks is between $5.50 and $6.50 depending upon one's location.

I WOULD NEVER in my wildest dreams pay that much money for a cup of coffee...  UNLESS, I was in possession of a gift card.

I have been asking for Starbucks gift cards for several years now for my birthday and Christmas...  The reason why I am even talking about this is that I used one of those cards today, to get a large Vanilla Cappuccino.

After using the card and getting a receipt to keep track of how much was left, I asked my wife, who is the caretaker of these cards, how much I had left not including this card.

She informed me that I had $80 left in a variety of cards ranging from $5 to $25.  While that may seem like a lot, $80 will only buy me about 13 cups of coffee, maybe 14/15 depending upon how much is left on the card that we just used.

So, depending upon how often I get a large Vanilla Cappuccino at Starbucks, these cards will last me 6 to 18 months.  However, there is a birthday this month and Christmas in two months after that so I am sure my Starbucks gift card wealth will increase.

I might be able to extend the longevity of these cards if I reduced the size cup, I get but I have gotten so used to drinking the large that a smaller size would seem like I was cheating myself.