Starbucks'  Pumpkin Spice Frapuccino

“OMG! It's fall. You know what that means? Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING!!!”

Starbucks serves up some delicious drinks year round, and their Pumpkin Spice line, which includes the Pumpkin SpiceFrapuccino, may be one of the most popular flavors they offer seasonally. Their use of scarcity marketing tactics (i.e. limited time availability) can prompt you to overspend on these sweet, pumpkin-y delights until you “fall” in love only to have you heart broken once they are no longer available.

Have you ever wondered if it'd really be more cost effective to make your own Pumpkin Spice Frapuccino at home? Or is it worth it to purchase one each day it's in season? Read on to find out if this treat is easier on your wallet when it's store bought or homemade.

Starbucks Price Breakdown

Depending on the strength of your coffee habit, some serious damage can be done to your wallet if you're a frequent visitor to Starbucks for their Pumpkin Spice Frapuccino. Here's what this seasonal favorite runs:

Let's say you MUST have at least one Grande size per week.

You're looking at spending about $20/month to satisfy that craving, PLUS whatever tax is where you live and the gas it takes to get to your nearest Starbucks location.

• Savings hack: If you buy discount Starbucks gift cards you can save 6-10% on every Starbucks purchase you make.

Homemade Copycat Recipe

Skip the line at Starbucks and make your own delicious concoction at home. All you need is a blender (something like a Nutri-Bullet works too!) and the following recipe.

Ingredients:

½ cup pumpkin (canned)
¼ cup sugar
1 cup of coffee (strength is to your preference)
3 cups of ice
1 cup of whole milk
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions:

1. Combine hot coffee and sugar. Stir until coffee is mostly or fully dissolved then add milk.
2. Pour coffee mixture into blender and add pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and ice.
3. Blend together to desired consistency. Add more ice to thicken mixture.
4. Pour into glass and enjoy! You can add whipped cream and some pumpkin pie spice to garnish if you'd like.

Homemade Price Breakdown

Making a homemade Pumpkin Spice Frapuccino will cost approximately $1.68* each time you make one at home. The amount yielded from the recipe above is between the Grande and Venti sizes so you're getting a little extra bang for your buck by making it at home.

If you don't already have some of these ingredients at home, it'll cost about the same as a month's worth of Grande fraps from Starbucks to get you started AND you can make more than 4 frapuccinos. You'll be able to blend at least 6 or 7 frappuccinos before you'll need another 15 oz. can of pumpkin at the very least.

Which Saves You More?

When it comes to cost effectiveness, the homemade version of this cool treat beats visiting Starbucks. Imagine all the time you can save along with that money! No more waiting in line or strategically picking which Starbucks is the least busy. AND now you can indulge all year long! Maybe you can use those savings to invest in a good blender or fun tumbler to hold your homemade beverage.

Written by Lauren Stewart

*Ingredient prices are based on Walmart.com on 11/23/17