A recent post in the Moms on a Budget Facebook group has sparked a heated discussion about everyday spending habits.
The post, titled “Frugal thought of the day,” read:
“How to waste $5,000 [$3,305 USD] a year…
Spend $13.70 [$9 USD] per day on things you don’t need.
Those daily coffees people buy – boom, $7000 [$4,628 USD] a year. Add buying your lunch, another $7000 [$4,628 USD] per year.
$14,000 [$9,255 USD] WASTED.”
This bold math equation quickly grabbed the group members’ attention. Some agreed with the mum, but others just didn’t see how it added up.
Then, some simply told her to leave their daily coffee intakes alone!
“We just choose to spend our funds on meaningful things to us”
Of the group members who agreed with her, one commented, “Absolutely! 🙌🏻 My family doesn’t splurge daily (each to their own). But when people find out we go overseas, they think we are loaded. No, we just choose to spend our funds on meaningful things to us.”
“Yesss!” another praised. “People don’t realise how these little things can add up because they just see the amount on the screen and tap.”
However, as we said, not everyone was convinced.
“$7000 divided by 365 is $19. No one is spending $19 a day on coffee,” one user pointed out.
Another quickly rebutted, “I know someone who buys three large coffees a day, boom.” And yet another added, “I know people who work in the city; they buy anywhere up to four coffees every day.”
The post also drew criticism from coffee lovers who defended their daily ritual.
One user passionately wrote, “Leave me and my coffees alone, it’s my guilty pleasure.”
Another chimed in, “You can be frugal, but don’t make life a drag. Think in the long term. If you are 85% frugal, you should be able to have 15% for a treat.”
Other members echoed this sentiment. “Not a waste if it makes your life a little happier,” one noted. Another shared, “I work bloody hard for my daily coffee.”
