Found out my daily coffee habit cost $1,400 a year

I always thought my $5 coffee stop was no big deal. Then I added it up over a whole year and almost fell out of my chair. That number came from a budgeting app I downloaded last month that tracks small expenses. It really changed how I see those little daily buys now. Has anyone else had a shock like this from adding up a small habit?

3 comments

3 Comments

lily7022d agoTop Commenter

My friend told me about a book called "The Latte Factor" that talks exactly about this. It sounds dramatic but small daily purchases really do add up to huge amounts over time. $1,400 a year for coffee is wild when you break it down, that's a flight or a nice weekend trip just gone. I started bringing a thermos from home and it saved me over $800 last year according to my own tracking. Making coffee at home takes five minutes extra but the savings are totally worth it. Did the app help you figure out other small spending leaks too?

jamesroberts22d ago

Heard basically this same story from my buddy Mike. He used one of those apps and found out his morning pastry and coffee was like $1,600 a year. He was so mad he started just eating oatmeal at home instead. I mean, he still complains about it but at least he's not spending that much anymore.

kim_johnson5122d ago

lily70 you mentioning "The Latte Factor" is spot on, but it got me thinking. Did the app really help you spot other leaks too or did it just make you feel bad about the coffee? Because for me, once I saw that number, I started looking at everything differently. Like my daily snack from the vending machine at work, that was another $400 a year I didnt even think about. Those apps can be a real eye opener but they also make you paranoid about every little thing. Did you change anything else besides the thermos or did you just fix the coffee and call it good?