All that glitters...

I recently discovered that if you register your Starbucks gift card online you earn one "star" for every purchase you make with it. After 5 stars, you get free syrup and soy milk (usually 60 cents).
After 30 stars you get a gold card with your name on it!

Sign me up!

 

I don't know why, but I really want that card!

I got a Starbucks card for my birthday and transferred the balance onto this beauty:

The (STARBUCKS)RED card, designed by Jonathan Adler

For every purchase made with this card during 2011, Starbucks will donate 5 cents to the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. So I'm earning stars AND donating 5 cents.

How very First World of me.

The only problem is, while I like the idea of earning stars and getting that golden ticket to exclusivity and perks, I don't particularly like coffee. (Let's be honest, black coffee is just gross.) I do, however, like coffee drinks - lattes, mochas and macchiatos - which can only lead to trouble.

Let me break it down for you with a few of my favorites:

1. Weight Watchers PointsPlus Values (PPV)*

• Tall white chocolate mocha** - 10 PPV (!)
• Tall mocha - 8 PPV 
• Tall cinnamon dolce latte - 7 PPV
• Tall cinnamon dolce latte (no whipped cream) - 5 PPV
• Tall caramel macchiato - 5 PPV
• Tall nonfat vanilla latte - 4 PPV

I won't even bother with any Frappuccinos, am I right ladies?

2. Cash Money

• Tall white chocolate mocha - $3.55
• Tall mocha - $3.15
• Tall cinnamon dolce latte - $3.55
• Tall caramel macchiato - $3.45
• Tall vanilla latte - $3.15

prices may vary by location

3. Conclusion

While not completely horrible as an occasional treat, Starbucks coffee drinks are a waste of money and PointsPlus Values when consumed on a regular basis.

And it doesn't help that Starbucks keeps reminding me to buy, buy, buy:

"Only" 23 stars to go! Doesn't that progress bar just make you want to scream?

Even if I got the cheapest thing on my list, 30 x $3.15 = $94.50, and you know it won't stop there.

(Oh, did I mention that to keep your gold status you must continue making 30 purchases per year each consecutive year? Might be time to rethink my priorities...)

I needed to find a low-cost, low-PPV drink, and fast! And drip coffee is out of the question!***

4. New Drink Options

This is what I came up with:

• Tall skinny vanilla latte - 2 PPV, $3.15
• Tall shaken iced tea - 2 PPV, $1.50
• Tall iced coffee with milk (any kind) - 2 PPV, $1.95

The skinny drinks, while low in PPV, are not any cheaper than their fat counterparts.
I'm not the biggest fan, anyway; I think the syrup tastes like chemicals.

I may switch over to iced tea when it starts getting warmer out, but I find that I drink iced tea much more quickly than coffee, because it's so sweet. The bitterness of the coffee reminds me to slow down and savor what I'm drinking rather than mindlessly sucking down empty calories.

For now I have been ordering the tall iced coffee with soy milk (which is free since I have over 5 stars). Even sweetened and with 2% milk it's still only 2 PPV, and the soy gives it a little extra flavor. And at $1.95 a pop, the iced coffee presents a much more reasonable yearly budget for both my wallet and my waistline.

What is your favorite drink at Starbucks? Do you dare calculate the PointsPlus Value??

*In case you are not familiar with the new Weight Watchers PointsPlus program, participants are allowed a set number of PPV per day, the lowest possible allowance being 29 - which is, of course, MY total daily allowance.
**All drinks built as-marketed unless otherwise specified. 
***Although I find it too disgusting to drink, black drip coffee is 0 PPV. Hooray!