David Bach popularized the “latte factor” term. The concept emphasizes the long-term cost of small, everyday purchases such as coffee, cigarettes, magazines and so on. There are lots of debates in the PF community as to whether this concept is valid. I personally believe it is, to some extent.
The very first post I wrote was about the cost of eating-out. I had estimated that someone eating 3 meals out five days a week will spend over $ 8 000 per year on food. For simplicity, let’s say this amount never changes for a period of 25 years. The cost will be $ 200 000. I sure could find a lot of better uses for that amount of money!
For simplicity again, let’s say that half of it is invested, i.e. $ 100 000, for 25 years at a conservative 5% interest rate. At the end of the 25 years, it would turn into close to $ 194 000. I don’t know many people who can pass up $94 000. Do you?
No, the latte factor won’t make you a millionaire, but it can certainly help your financial goals. That being said, in order for this to work, you need to actually save and invest the money. If you spend it somewhere else, it will get you nowhere financially.
You also need to look at bigger expenses, namely house and car. Don’t buy too much of these, they can drain your accounts in no time and prevent you from replenishing them. It is also a good idea to review and compare insurance quotes or call your cable to company and ask for a discount. You will be surprised at how much money you could save by doing all the aforementioned.
To put together a successful financial plan, you need to look at the bigger picture and at other elements such as your income – does it exceeds your expenses?-.
Spending an occasional $ 4.00 on a fancy latte will not derail your retirement plans. Spending $ 8 000/year on take-out or taking on a too large mortgage might.
The Money Savvy Blog 
1 Comment