Re:Why Don't People Manage Debt Better?
by Ocerge on Friday February 19, 2016 @01:12PM
(#11135265)
Absolutely. I fully recognize my $2.50 americano every morning could be a couple of cups of free office coffee, but I look forward to it every single day. I also drive a 10-year-old but reliable car, so I don't have any huge monthly expenditures outside of rent and my $150 student loan payment. I'll take the $100 or so hit every month in exchange for me starting my mornings on a positive note. It's not going to positively change my life enough to not have that americano every morning.
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Playing devils advocate here: you're spending $1200 a year on coffee. With that money you could not only buy a really nice coffee machine and make it yourself every morning, but also have a bunch of money leftover to put towards your loans, invest, put towards a nice vacation, etc.
The idea is that those small daily expenses tend to add up, and there may be a lot more of them than you realized.
Re:Why Don't People Manage Debt Better?
by billmalarky on Friday February 19, 2016 @05:19PM
(#11137104)
Reminds me of the old joke:
"If you had stopped smoking 10 years ago you could afford to be driving around in a Ferrari right now."
"Do you smoke?"
"No."
"Then where's your Ferrari?"
Point is don't sweat the small things. Sure they add up, but you should dedicate a portion of your cash flow towards investments at the start of the pay cycle, not "what's left at the end." Then the rest can be spent on anything arbitrarily with a clear conscious.
Re:Why Don't People Manage Debt Better?
by joverholt on Friday February 19, 2016 @02:56PM
(#11136128)
Also, buy a coffee roaster and roast your own beans. There are lots of ways to get started on the cheap (popcorn air roaster), and unroasted coffee is around $5-$6 a pound. It's a very rewarding hobby. http://sweetmarias.com is a great place to get started.