Life Is What You Make It

Would you rather lay on a beach in a tropical location, or eat a burger at a fast food place? How about watch a movie on your own brand new big screen TV or have a few beers at the local pub? I'm pretty sure everyone would want the trip and the TV, right?

Well, life is all about choices that we make everyday. Some people choose to smoke because they love smelling like an ashtray, coughing up phlegm when they laugh, and enjoy lowering their life expectancy. Did you notice I never mentioned anything about the costs of smoking? People who choose to smoke make their own, personal choice to pay money for something that they enjoy. It's their own right as a human being in a free society to do whatever legally makes them happy.

I choose not to smoke due to the health and financial implications. By choosing not to smoke, I make a conscious decision to not spend $15 a day on a package of cigarettes. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to see how fast $15 a day adds up to $5475 a year. That's a lot of money that could be spent on a nice trip or a very nice TV.



Right now I work beside a McDonalds and almost every day my co-workers grab fast food for lunch. They ask me why I never live a little and eat fast food like they do. I tell them I'd rather take my wife out for dinner each week then spend it eating grease with my co-workers. They just laugh and call me cheap, then complain the week after payday that they are broke and have no money. If eating fast food is living a little then man, I must be missing out!



It's the little things that we pay for each week, like a coffee or fast food, that will not add any real benefit to our lives but can add up to something more meaningful over time. Let's say you eat out for lunch each work day:


$10 a day x 5 days a week= $50 a week

You could go out for decent dinner each week for that amount of money or you could save that money:


$50 a week x 4 weeks= $200 a month


With $200 you could buy yourself some nice clothes or get tickets to a concert but you could always save it for something even better:

$200 a month x 12 months= $2400 a year

With $2400 a year you could go on a trip or save for two years and go on a nice trip somewhere warm. Imagine if you have kids how much of their education would be paid for:


$2400 a year x 18 years= $43,200 not including interest or compounding growth.

That sure is a lot of money to have instead of eating a burger or soup and sandwich everyday. I personally choose to look past small treats each day or week and look at a bigger, more rewarding experience down the road. If spending $2.00 on a coffee is what brings you joy then knock yourself out. If spending $6.00 on a beer and smiling at a pretty waitress makes you happy then by all means, enjoy it! If ordering pizza for your family every Friday is your favourite thing then all the power to you. If cutting out all the junk spending allows you to take your kids to Disneyland then hey, good for you!


By becoming more conscious of your spending habits, and focusing on bigger financial goals, then any reward is within your reach.