How Much is your Latte Factor* Costing You?

I have to admit to something: the one thing I like to indulge on is good coffee. We do make good coffee at home every morning. But for the last year my friend and I have made it a habit to stop by a local coffee shop and grab some coffee while our kids play. It’s twice a week and we take turns paying.

So how much would I have in the bank if I had saved that money instead? $122.
I used this very handy calculator to come up with the number. To calculate the cost of home brewing our own coffee I estimated that I use 1 oz of whole bean coffee to make two cups of coffee at home. The ounce costs me $0.66. How much will it cost me to continue doing this for another year? Lost savings of $251.

I used this calculator to show my husband how much bringing his own can of soda saved us, instead of getting it at the vending machine.

Here’s another one: How much is not packing your own lunch costing you? Use this calculator for that.

PS. My husband would like me to clarify that one ounce of whole bean coffee makes 6 cups of coffee per our coffee maker’s carafe measure. However, for us this translates into 2 mugs of coffee we have with breakfast plus another one I may or may not have later in the day. We use big mugs, what can I say.

*The latte factor is a term coined by David Bach (of the Finish Rich Book series and The Automatic Millionaire) and used to demonstrate how the little things you spend money on everyday can make the difference between staying broke or becoming wealthy.