Starbucks

The Deal:  $5 for $10 at Starbucks.** 

This may be the greatest deal I’ve ever found.  I don’t like Starbucks.  I think it’s insanely over-priced, way too busy, and the coffee tastes burnt.  It’s not good.  Worse, once Sarbucks became so popular, everyone else started charging way too much for their coffee, because they can.  I am primarily a mocha drinker, and there is something very wrong with the chocolate they use.  I’m not the only one who thinks so.  (Thanks to my best friend for pointing out that their non-chocolate drinks might not make me ill.  Unfortunately, I only like mochas and regular coffee.)  Oh, and the drinks I do like?  Have roughly 400 calories, which means that I have to choose a mocha or lunch. 

I know what you’re thinking - why would you buy this, if you hate Starbucks?  Because everyone else in the entire world loves them.  My best friend goes there at least once a day.  My boyfriend goes there all the time.  People are constantly wanting to meet at Starbucks, stop at Starbucks, etc.  Plus, I travel fairly frequently, and they’re everywhere. In my hometown, it’s the only convenient place for getting work done when necessary.  I can’t avoid the place - as much as I hate it, and as much as I make the effort to look for smaller, privately owned coffee shops I can go to instead, So, if I’m going to be forced to go to a coffee shop that I can’t stand, I might as well get the coffee for half-price.  I guarantee I'll use the $10 without even trying.  So, thank you, Living Social, I am extremely grateful.

I do have the Starbucks app on my phone, because I get gifts from other people sometimes, and this deal loaded right onto the app, no problem.  It just lists two cards now, instead of one - $10 from this deal, and $4 left from a gift I got from Christmas last year (like I said, I don't go there often).  Just need to pick the right one to make sure this $10 gets used before March, and I'm good.  Easy.  Yay for saving on (mediocre) coffee (that I have to buy, anyway)!

Cost:  $5.00
Value:  $10.00
Savings:  $5.00
Total Estimated Deal Savings, to Date: $1,289.92

** Living Social doesn’t let me link to their vouchers, and I can’t see the deal itself, so I hope you enjoy this Forbes article about it.