Inconsequential spending

…is actually very consequential.

Consider, for example, how many deposits I made at Starbucks since this time last year:

$8.16, $6.24, $2.07, $2.07, $2.07, $7.63, $9.35, $2.70, $6.57, $15.85, $2.15, $2.60, $2.05, $2.07, $4.16, $2.07, $2.07, $2.21, $4.16, $2.21, $2.05, $4.90, $4.16, $4.72, $7.10, $7.84, $7.85, $2.48, $2.28, $15.85, $2.28, $2.28, $2.28, $4.51, $2.17, $6.78, $2.28, $2.28, $7.21, $6.57, $2.70, $2.37, $2.28, $2.28, $9.80, $2.37, $2.28, $4.51, $2.28, $2.28, $2.28, $4.02, $3.25, $2.28, $2.60, $2.37, $3.13, $4.72, $2.37, $4.02, $14.79, $2.37, $2.28, $3.13, $2.37, $4.02, $4.02, $2.37, $4.02, $2.28, $4.19, $2.37, $6.40, $2.81, $2.81, $2.28*

That’s a lot of java.

On the surface, $2.28 or even $4.51 aren't much. Which is exactly the rationale behind what made me to make all these ostensibly innocuous purchases.

Of course, just as with compounded debt, small charges combined over time can amount to a lot.

I didn’t mean to spend over $300 this past year on coffee alone…but I did (and that’s just this year). I did because what seems small and trivial can become very big very fast when added together.

It works both ways. Small spending (combined with compound interest) can create an enormous burden, while small-incremental-savings can make you rich for life (literally, and figuratively).

Alas, it helps to know what bucket you're adding to on the daily. And to be aware that seemingly small, inconsequential changes, when taken together, add up.

*From my bank account (10/3/2018-10/3/2019).