Ever since college, I have been an avid coffee drinker. Having at least one cup a day, give or take. Now I know there are millions of other people out there who have the same addiction that I do. We are surrounded cafes, coffee shops and even Starbucks in our local grocery stores, which I have definitely been a customer at.
Because of my love for coffee, I decided to see how this expense is affecting my budget and how much I'm losing from my goal of being a millionaire.
During college, I definitely was a Starbucks girl. I rationalized in my head everyday that a $5 latte is totally normal and that I could afford it. Well, nothing like a cup of coffee slapping you in the face to realize that is ridiculous. Since then, I have pretty much broken up with Starbucks and am now an avid Tim Hortons fan. Which my wallet is happy with, but I tend to go overboard.
I'd say I go to Tims and get a medium double double about 3 times a week, having coffee at work the other days. So...
$1.64 (which I think is what I pay every time) x 156 coffees in a year = $255.84
I'm actually shocked with that number. For some reason I thought it would be more. Regardless, that is $255.84 that could be going into savings. So, because I own a Keurig coffee machine, I wanted to price out what it would cost per year if I used strictly that and never bought coffee at Tims again.
The kind of Keurig K Cups I normally get are $13 for a box of 18 on average, which means each cup of coffee costs me $0.72.
$0.72 x 156 coffees in a year = $112.32
That is much more reasonable. Telling me that obviously I don't need to waste time going to Tim Hortons, as much as I LOVE roll up the rim right now... haha! Not to mention the gas that I'm using to get there, when I can just make coffee in the comfort of my own home.
I could be saving $143.52 a year from cutting out Tim Hortons! Now don't shake your head, I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but any bit counts. Especially with the goal that I have!
So coffee from home it is! I really hope I can stick to this actually, it will be tough, but if anyone see's me with a Tims in my hand, feel free to get mad at me! I'm sure there will be a few exceptions from the rule, but cutting the majority out will definitely help in my journey. Seems like a positive to me :)
Becoming minimalist
February 27, 2013
Becoming minimalist is a fairly new concept to me. I have always heard it, but I never fully understood what it meant, which may sound silly, but judge not my fellow readers! To me that just meant being organized and not having a lot of stuff. Now although that is correct, I always considered myself to have those qualities. Yet, who am I kidding?! I'm far from minimalist, but I would slowly like to get there.
The topic of minimalism definitely relates to my drive to me a millionaire before I'm 30. Cutting down on useless products and stuff will help keep me organized as well as keep my life on track in terms of my spending. I don't want to buy things that I don't use or that just take up pointless space in my apartment.
I read somewhere that 80% of our activities are completed with only 20% of our things! Now I'm sure those numbers aren't set in stone, it depends on the person, but I feel like that statement has definite validity.
Let's back track a little though on how my life is now. I've always considered myself to be average or above average in the 'clean & tidy' category. My apartment is pretty much always clean and organized, but I have little areas that are cluttered and I am running out of room for my stuff. Which in my mind, isn't a reason to get a bigger place, it means I have some major spring cleaning and organizing to do.
Do I really need 22 bottles of lotion? no.
Do I need 136 different pens and pencils? no. (I do have an obsession with office supplies though, specifically pens! But that's a post for another day!)
Do I need old magazines and old text books? no.
Do I need a closet full of drawer organizers and boxes when they aren't being used? no.
These are all areas that I need to work on, and hopefully start to organize and whittle down to only what I need, not what I want or what's on sale on large quantities, *cough* body lotion. That way I can efficiently function in daily life without getting lost in a clutter abyss.
Is anyone else working towards becoming minimalist?
The gym - The place we love to hate
February 25, 2013
We all have a love/hate relationship with the gym, am I right? I don't think there is a single person out there that doesn't want to be healthy. But, the gym can be a scary place and not to mention expensive!
Tonight I decided to go for a late night run and workout in the gym in my building. I like to consider myself semi-fit, and I try to get to the gym as often as I can. Lately, that has been less that I would like, but that is besides the point. I started to think how lucky I am to have a gym in my place of residence. If I didn't, the cost of a gym membership elsewhere would definitely hinder my drive to workout, in an official gym at least.
Now, I realize I am paying for the gym in my rent, so it really is a cost to me. What that cost is, I guess I will never be able to figure that out. Depends on how often I use it I suppose. That intrigued me to take a quick look and what gym memberships cost these days. Lets take an annual membership for example:
City of Edmonton - $524.00 (Average of 3 levels of facility you go to)
YMCA: $718.25 (This one blew my mind!)
Okay to be honest, I looked up a bunch of other gyms as well (Gold's Gym, Spa Lady, World Health, Goodlife Fitness) and none of those places had their prices anywhere online. So, that doesn't help me at all! Shesh!
Regardless, no matter what gym you go to, it can be very expensive. Unfortunately, from experience, I have seen a lot of people commit to a gym membership, give their all for 3 weeks, then quit or get busy and let their money go unused. So one tip, just make sure you are dedicated and planning ahead so you don't have this expense become a waste. Even better, just go for a run outside, create a workout group with your friends in someones basement, or even do yoga by DVD at home.
It's expenses like a gym membership going unused that can help hinder people from becoming financially stable and one step closer to being debt free. I know it seems small, but expenses like this make a difference in the big picture.
Can anyone else think of an expense that is often overlooked like this one?
Tonight I decided to go for a late night run and workout in the gym in my building. I like to consider myself semi-fit, and I try to get to the gym as often as I can. Lately, that has been less that I would like, but that is besides the point. I started to think how lucky I am to have a gym in my place of residence. If I didn't, the cost of a gym membership elsewhere would definitely hinder my drive to workout, in an official gym at least.
Now, I realize I am paying for the gym in my rent, so it really is a cost to me. What that cost is, I guess I will never be able to figure that out. Depends on how often I use it I suppose. That intrigued me to take a quick look and what gym memberships cost these days. Lets take an annual membership for example:
City of Edmonton - $524.00 (Average of 3 levels of facility you go to)
YMCA: $718.25 (This one blew my mind!)
Okay to be honest, I looked up a bunch of other gyms as well (Gold's Gym, Spa Lady, World Health, Goodlife Fitness) and none of those places had their prices anywhere online. So, that doesn't help me at all! Shesh!
Regardless, no matter what gym you go to, it can be very expensive. Unfortunately, from experience, I have seen a lot of people commit to a gym membership, give their all for 3 weeks, then quit or get busy and let their money go unused. So one tip, just make sure you are dedicated and planning ahead so you don't have this expense become a waste. Even better, just go for a run outside, create a workout group with your friends in someones basement, or even do yoga by DVD at home.
It's expenses like a gym membership going unused that can help hinder people from becoming financially stable and one step closer to being debt free. I know it seems small, but expenses like this make a difference in the big picture.
Can anyone else think of an expense that is often overlooked like this one?
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