Just realized the "$5 coffee" argument is missing the real point

Everyone keeps dunking on people who buy coffee out as if cutting that is the magic budget fix. But I tracked our spending for 3 months in Austin and found we spent $12 a month on coffee vs $180 on those convenience store snacks and drinks for the kids. The real killer is not one small habit it is those impulse buys at the register that add up fast. Nobody talks about the grab and go energy drink or the bag of chips every time you stop for gas. That is where the real money leaks if you actually look at your bank statement. Has anyone else noticed the "latte factor" advice is basically outdated nonsense?

2 comments

2 Comments

daniel5521mo ago

How much of that $180 was just stuff you grabbed because the kids were bored in the car or you were tired at the register?

jackson.jenny1mo ago

Oh man that "kids were bored" part hit me hard lol. I had a friend who swore up and down she was saving money by cutting out her morning Starbucks run. But I went to Target with her once and her two kids were whining in the cart so she grabbed a $4 bag of gummy bears, a $3 juice box each, and then a pack of those little character band-aids because the baby bumped his head on the shelf. That one trip probably blew her whole coffee savings for the week. The real problem is those meltdown-fueled impulse buys that you don't even think about until you see the receipt later.