kai839•20d ago

Stumbled on a stat about coffee shop spending that blew my mind

I was looking at my bank statements last week and noticed I was dropping like $45 a month just on coffee runs. Then I found this article from The Simple Dollar that said if you invest that $45 monthly into a basic index fund at 7% return, after 30 years you'd have over $54,000. That really hit me because I always thought of coffee as a small treat, not a retirement killer. I'm not saying give up coffee totally, but has anyone else looked at their regular small spending and been shocked at the long term numbers?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielowens20d ago

Wow man, "retirement killer" really hit me hard because I do the same thing. I grab a latte almost every morning on the way to work and never thought twice about it until now. Seeing that $45 a month turn into $54,000 is honestly a gut punch, lol. I sat down and actually added up my coffee spending for the last year and it was like $540 gone just like that. Makes me want to at least cut back to a couple times a week instead of daily, even if I can't give it up completely.

kelly.margaret19d ago

Good for you for actually checking the numbers. What worked for me was switching to a french press at home, saves me time and money in the long run. Hope that helps you find a balance too @danielowens.

ray6137d ago

Start by asking yourself if you even enjoy that morning latte or if it's just a habit you've fallen into. I think a lot of people get stuck on the fancy coffee thing because it feels like a reward for waking up early. But @kelly.margaret is onto something with the french press idea, and what nobody's saying is that you can make a better latte at home for like 50 cents after you buy a cheap frother. The real killer isn't the money itself, it's that you're training yourself to need that daily treat to function. Cut it to twice a week and you'll probably appreciate those lattes way more anyway, plus have an extra $400 a year to throw at something that actually matters.