Last semester, I spent enough money on coffee each month to fill my parents’ minivan’s gas tank not once, but twice. I had a mental map of every coffee shop on campus and knew how long I would have to wait in line for different drinks, which baristas burned their espresso and which locations gave me the most coffee for my money. By the time finals rolled around, I was drinking eight to 10 cups of coffee a day, in addition to tea and espresso drinks.

For those of you even half as reliant on the beautiful brewed drink as myself, it will come as no surprise that coffee can be a shockingly expensive habit. And once you have begun to consume coffee regularly, you subconsciously begin to get refills throughout the day, realizing neither the monetary cost nor the physical toll it takes on your body. Those grande half-foam no-water extra-hot soy cinnamon double dirty chais add up quickly, and while they are delicious, maybe it is time for us to exercise some self-control. Have you ever thought about cutting out two of your coffees each week and using the money for a better cause? A cause as noble and worthy as, say, yourself?

The 52-Week Money Challenge is a saving guideline created for students similar to us who do not have a lot of dispensable cash yet still manage to waste money without realizing why. I came across the challenge last month, and it could not be more straightforward. Each week, you deposit into a savings fund the amount of money the week represents. So if you are on week one, you deposit one dollar. On week two you deposit two dollars and so forth. With some diligence, at the end of 52 weeks you could find yourself with almost $1,400 in your savings fund, and boom! Just like that you have a Spring Break 2015 fund, enough money for all your textbooks or even a down payment on a car.

Where does this money come from, exactly? The loose change in your pockets, lunch money, holiday gift money, cash back rewards on a credit card or anywhere else you want. After finding no possible reasons with which to justify my coffee addiction, I’ve decided to allocate money from my coffee fund into the challenge.

Two weeks into January, I’ve saved a grand total of three dollars. Enough money to buy a small latte from one of my favorite campus cafés. And Monday morning I was tempted to spend it on just that, justifying it to myself as a delicious way to start the semester. I stared at the cash longingly, imagining the velvety latte it could bring me. But instead of heading to the line, I turned away from the elixir of consumption and walked to the bank and deposited the money in my savings account.

Sure, by the end of next week I’ll have enough money in my account to begin experimenting with the Starbucks Secret Menu. When March rolls around, I’ll have enough money to buy a new espresso machine. In June I will be able to afford gourmet coffee club memberships. I’ll be tempted to give in, withdraw the money and spend it on my vices.

But I won’t give in because $1,400 is a lot of money — and I’m determined to reach my goal this year, one cup of coffee at a time.

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