The Little Things Add Up
Here’s an interesting article I came across online. It’s amazing how the little stuff adds up. And the last item on this list? Shoot, I go out to lunch/dinner almost every day in some form or fashion. It’s hard to believe how much money you can save by making small changes. This article comes to you from the researchers over at Tesh.com
If you’ve ever wondered where all your money goes, even when you’re not a big spender, I’ve got the answer. It’s actually surprisingly easy to blow THOUSANDS - a few dollars at a time. Here are some tips from Bankrate.com to help you stop frittering away your hard-earned cash on little daily expenses. Avoid these money traps:
Your daily cup of coffee. The average price for a cup of brewed coffee is $1.38, which comes to almost $360 per year if you buy one every weekday morning. If you go for the fancier lattes and cappuccinos, your morning habit could easily set you back over a thousand dollars a year – for COFFEE! So save money by brewing your morning cup at home.
Cigarettes. Just in case you needed one more reason to quit, this has become not just a bad habit - but a really expensive one. If you’re a pack-a-day smoker, you’ll fork out almost $2,000 a year.
Bottled water from convenience stores. One bottle a day costs $365 a year. All that plastic costs the environment as well. The tap water in most areas is safe to drink, especially if you install a filter.
Car washes. Spending $10 every couple weeks to get your car washed will set you back $240 a year. Add in basic auto detailing twice a year and you tack on another $120. It’s better for the environment to go through a car wash than to wash your car in your own driveway. Just 30 minutes washing your car with a running hose will use more water than the average family uses in a day. To save money, only go to the car wash when you really need to.
Manicures. The average price of a manicure is about $20, which means this weekly indulgence will run you over a thousand dollars a year, ladies. So paint your own nails.
Your weekday lunch out. This one’s a biggie. If you figure $9 a day for a decent lunch, you’re shelling out about $2,400 a year! There’s a reason those little brown bags were invented.
Your grand total? Cut out all this frivolous spending and you’ll save $6,500 a year.
these are things most college kids know.(or that you learn when you have to make 5,000 dollars last from summer to summer)I hardly ever eat out. it’s true i don’t and if i do it’s with a gift card. i am a slave to the kitchen and to the dining halls at JMU because frankly i don’t have the money to eat out all the time. i recycle my vitamin water bottles, i don’t smoke,don’t drink coffee, i don’t get my nails done, i wash my own car. but i am shocked they don’t have things like iTunes, cellphone ringtones, clothes, movies, and dare i say it things you have to be 21 to buy. because really i think that’s where all our money goes. 99 cents per song adds up.
Yeah…one thing I look forward to about finding a job over near home is that I will cut back on eating out. Because I will be closer to hom and probably home alot more than I am now. Can you imagine how much money we spend on food, I mean like me and you that seem to eat out all the time…man. We have had this discussion before though…
I know first-hand how the little things add up! I recently started bringing my lunch to work each day. Every day I bring my lunch, I put $5 in an envelope since that’s at least how much I spend when I buy my lunch. I’ve been doing it since 9/17/07 and even though I haven’t brought my lunch every day, I already have $95 in my envelope. Give something like this a try and it really will help your budget go a little farther. Hey, I’d rather spend $95 on something I want than put that $95 in my stomach and have nothing to show for it but some extra pounds (bringing my lunch is helping me shed some pounds too!