Many of us spend considerably small amounts regularly on treats like bought lunch, take away coffees, after work drinks and so on. These seem like reasonable decisions about relatively small expenses, but sometimes we forget how much they can add up to.

The reality is that each dollar that you spend today won’t be available to you tomorrow.
For example, if you like indulging in take-away flat whites on a daily basis, it can end up costing you over $1640 per year – and that’s if you have just one a day.

Do you really need to buy magazines every week/month? With so many websites, blogs, Instagram accounts dedicated to all possible topics of interest (cars, interior design, celebrity gossip, fashion, or whatever else you are interested in) it’s easy to find any information you may be looking for, for free – and as soon as it happens.

Are you a big fan of bought lunches? Although it’s often so much easier to just buy food because that doesn’t need the organisation required to prepare and bring lunch from home, consider this: according to HeraldSun.com.au, an average Australian full-time employee spends $733AUD a year on lunches! There are no New Zealand statistics available, but it would be fair to assume the cost is probably about the same, considering that a sandwich and a soft drink on average cost $7 – add an occasional snack and an energy drink, and the cost goes up even more.

There are many more unnecessary little things we spend money on every day, week, month: such as books that you can access for free at a library; manicures that you can really do yourself at home, going to a local dairy because we are too lazy to drive to the supermarket, and so on. You have to keep in mind that trimming your everyday budget can often add up to sizeable savings, and it can be the first step on the way to being more financially secure.