Hot take: I gave up my $6 latte habit and my grocery bill went UP

I always figured skipping my daily coffee run would free up cash, but after tracking it for 6 weeks I found out something different. Spending that $6 at the shop near my office in Sacramento kept me full until lunch, so without it I started grabbing snacks and a second breakfast and spent $40 more a week on food. My coworker Dana told me to just pack a thermos instead of buying nothing, and that actually worked. Has anyone else had a budget change backfire like that?

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julia_lee27d ago

My old view was that cutting a small treat is always a win for the wallet, but your story shows it can cost more in the end. A latte that holds you till lunch is doing real work, and replacing it with snacks adds up fast. Packing a thermos sounds like the smart fix since you keep the full feeling without the daily six bucks.

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