Starbucks vs. the gas station—come on now. I never thought a French vanilla cappuccino could be SO GOOD from a gas station! And I’m not what you consider a coffee drinker, but once I discovered French vanilla cappuccinos I became addicted. But not anything like a person whose life would hang in the balance if they didn’t have one straight away from waking up. You know, the same kind of person you are forbidden from speaking to at the office until after 10:30am so the coffee can settle in. No, that’s not me.
But I soon discovered I couldn’t just walk into any place of business that sells coffee and order a French vanilla cap because they don’t all taste alike (yuck). No, sir! How was I to know? I’m not a real coffee drinker. But I soon found out after that fateful day.
After trying out many places (including the $4.49 with tax Starbucks 20oz), I found my absolute favorite at a local gas station (of all places). And if you’re nice to and get to know the owner and are a regular customer, OMG, you sometimes get them cheaper than what you normally pay or even free! Here—a 20oz French vanilla cappuccino from a BP gas station. Cost—$1.17 with tax. Say whaaat!
So, if you have nothing else to do today, try different gas station coffees until you find one you love for $1.17 with tax.
Take-Away Life Lesson: $4.49 – $1.17 = $3.32
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I think Starbucks helped raised the level of coffee awareness. Lots of places realized that they could cut in on Starbucks with good (if not necessarily excellent) coffee at lower prices.
One of my favorites for “outside” coffee is a convenience store called Circle K. Bring your own mug up to 24 ounces and it’s just 99 cents for a good dozen types of coffee, including a robust dark roast. I’ve noticed that truck stops have gotten in on the “better” coffee bandwagon. Makes sense since truck drivers drink lots of coffee and are tired of coffee-flavored water.
Even Burger King is getting in on this by using Seattle’s Best, which is a decent brand. And with the “senior coffee” being just 50 cents…
Not sure if you like wine. You may be interested in in my post about my journey to wine in 2006 after a trip to Spain.
Yeah, convenience stores are much cheaper and can taste just as good. That’s cool you can bring your own mug. And great wine post.