SmartyPig®

Whether it's a latte from the coffee shop or an MP3 song download that turns into an entire album. The temptation to spend money without blinking surrounds us. It's just a few bucks, right? Maybe not.  

Take for example that $4 latte. Five lattes a week at four bucks a pop is $80 in one month. Over the course of a year, that adds up to be $960. I didn't believe it at first. Almost one thousand dollars! All the possibilities $960 holds: a vacation, home improvement, or just boosting your emergency fund.

I know first hand how hard not spending money at the drop of a hat is. My vice is that latte - hot, caffeinated, frothy, freshly brewed safety net that kick starts me in the morning while kicking me in my pocketbook. Now, I haven't given up on the morning Joe completely. I've traded the trips to the coffee shop for coffee brewed at home. The saving is substantial. Instead of spending $80 a month on caffeine, I'm putting a little more than $70 into my SmartyPig account each month. With that money, I'm planning a great vacation at the end of the year. And since SmartyPig has partnered with top retailers like Apple Vacations, Pleasant Holidays, Royal Caribbean and Sandals, I'll get an additional boost on the cash I've already saved. Most importantly, I'll own the trip when I get back. No credit card bills, no hassles. 

Are there charges in your financial life you don't give much thought to? Incremental dollars spent out with colleagues for lunch or an after-work cocktail that could satisfy you so much more down the road? Imagine if you eliminated that spending, or just cut back a little on certain things you don't necessarily need and socked that money away for a new computer or family trip or even an umbrella for those rainy days? The reward for more common sense would really pay. 

And while some mornings I really wish I had a latte in my hand, I simply snap out of it and into the dream of white sandy beaches and bright blue water as far as the eye can see. I'll gladly trade that Joe for the promise of paradise any day.