13 Tips For Extending the Life of Your Starbucks Products

Updated on 4/21/2015 at 3:00 PM

Flickr user rekre89

I spend a large portion of my annual income at Starbucks, and I can't be the only one. But there is hope for us Starbucks addicts now that a cottage industry has sprung up advising customers on how to save money at Starbucks through clever ordering hacks.

But knowing a secret menu isn't the only way to save precious dollars on your coffee run. By repurposing actual products from Starbucks, like grounds, cups, and sleeves, we can stretch our Starbucks money even farther. There's an added bonus in that the reuse of these items is eco-friendly, too. With Earth Day on April 22, we're unveiling the creative ways Starbucks fans are stretching those coffee dollars even farther.

Coffee Candle With Grounds

Follow the steps in this DIY coffee candle to repurpose Starbucks grounds and cups!

Wrap Gifts With a Bag

Reuse your Starbucks bag to wrap small gifts. Get bonus points for creativity by repurposing a sleeve into a cute decal!

Mix Grounds Into Compost

Your plants will thank you for recycling your Starbucks coffee grounds to use as compost, whether you add pure grounds to your plants as fertilizer or mix them into your general compost pile.

Use a Frappucino Glass as a Candle

Make an easy oil lantern from an old Frappuccino bottle that would otherwise end up in the recycling bin.

Use Cups as Easy Planters

Repurpose Starbucks cups as planters. The green in the company's logo will match your thumb!

Put Grounds in Soap

Coffee grounds can be used in a fun and easy DIY soap recipe.

Use Old Coffee Bags as Coasters

Give waterproof Starbucks coffee bags a second life by creating durable coasters.

Make a Wood Repair Solution From Grounds

Save Starbucks coffee grounds and use the leftovers to patch up wood furniture that has become nicked or tarnished over time.

Use Cups as Mobile Tissue Holders

Never look for napkins in the car again when you use a Starbucks cup to make a mobile tissue holder!

Use Grounds For a Body Scrub

Give Starbucks grounds a second life as a beauty treatment. Making a DIY coffee scrub will leave you feeling refreshed.

Use Grounds as a Dessert Addition

Starbucks coffee grounds can be used in a number of recipes. Add them to vanilla ice cream to quickly enhance a coffee flavor or to a batch of compost cookies.

Use a Sleeve as a DIY Valentine

For Valentine's Day, fold Starbucks cup sleeves so that they open like a card, and see where your creativity takes you!

Make a Unique Chaser With Grounds

Starbucks grounds can be used as flavoring on a unique chaser to tequila. Sprinkle sugar and grounds over slices of lemon for a flavorful experience.