Dear David and folks at FinishRich:
My Latte Factor for Friday, April 16 was: $10.55
A cappuccino at the gas station, which is less than a coffee house: $1.05
1 USA TODAY, I didn’t put the newspaper as wasted Money, its important: . 50
2 Lotto tickets: You have to play to win. OK wasted: $2.00
1 pop/ chip/ candy at lunch, employee owned pretty cheap: $1.00
Dinner, why is Quizno’s the most expensive sub shop?: $6.00
Total: $10.55
Obviously, I don’t eat out every night, but several times I buy for a family of 4 and easily $50/week is spent on dining. I hate to lose the ability to dine out at least once a week.
I noticed that I spend quite a bit more than necessary at the grocery store. I used to clip coupons and save anywhere from $20- $30/week. This is a mixed blessing. If I end up buying things just because I have a coupon and it’s on sale then I’m falling into a trap. However if I can contain myself to just those items which I need that are both on sale and/or I have a coupon I’ll be better off. Sometimes I need to skip the top notch brand and perhaps buy the store brand.
I think I can find ways save a lot of cash if I become more disciplined. It won’t be easy but I need to. And not just to put away for retirement. I already pay myself first. But I just bought a new home and payments are going to be such that it is going to force a restructuring of spending. We’ll see how it goes.
