SavingsVine.com

So we’re all feeling the pinch of this economy / recession and we’re all looking at ways to save. A friend of mine and I were talking the other day and he was complaining to me how expensive everything is and how he wants to buy a new digital camera but can’t seem to afford it. I asked him how he was saving for it and he replied that he really hadn’t saved for anything in a long, long time.

I pointed to the Starbucks cup in his hand, and said maybe you should start with that! He looked down at his cup of Cafe Mocha and laughed “I can’t give this up! I love this stuff!”

This is a small part of the problem that a lot of folks have who would like to save money but refuse to give up anything to do so. Here’s a fact: You can’t get something for nothing! You’re gonna have to cut back in order to save.

Let’s do some thinking about this and see just how much my friend (we’ll call him Tom) can save if he gives up his daily habit:
Tom buys his Cafe Mocha or similar drink every day, sometimes twice a day. If he purchases the smallest cup of Cafe Mocha from Starbucks, that amounts to approx $4. Let’s say he only drinks this once a day and only on Monday thru Friday. $4 x 5 days = $20 weekly!

I’m not including taxes nor the amount he pays the meter for parking, nor the gas he uses to get to the Starbucks before going to work, or the fact that he might be buying a snack. I’m also not factoring in the fact that he could possibly be drinking more than one a day. Just cutting out the store bought coffee can save him at MINIMUM $20 a week! That’s money in your pocket and money he could be saving for toward his digital camera.

This isn’t rocket science and I know that it’s probably something we all know but don’t want to admit we “should” give up in order to save. But hey, let’s face it: If we’re trying to save money then we’ll have to cut back and sacrifice some things. Take a look at your spending patterns. Even if you don’t go to Starbucks everyday, what can you do to save a few $$ here and there?

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have any! Feel free to comment below.