There are several ways books and professionals tell you to save money or cut your spending to pay off debt or save for retirement. The one that really burns me is when they tell you to stop getting fancy coffee or breakfast on your way to work. Give up your latte and all your money troubles will be solved, they say.

Why does it bother me so much? Because I don’t drink coffee, at all, ever. I don’t feel like that is realistic advice because I feel like if you are struggling financially you never had the money to do something that extravagant to begin with. Then, as I was talking it over with someone else who has struggled with money (an also doesn’t drink coffee), it hit me that while I never have lattes, there might be other little extravagances in my life (or your life) that could be given up or cut back a bit to free up some cash flow.

Coffee/Latte Substitutes:

It seems I am better at finding the little things that eat away at a budget for other people than I am for myself so I will point out a few that I have noticed in hopes it will help some of you save some money for whatever it is you feel the need to save for.

• Manicures
• Pedicures
• Hair Treatments (color, perm, extensions, expensive hair products, etc)
• Pets (the more you have the more the costs add up for food, bedding, treats, clothes, vet bills, replacing the carpet, bedding, vacuums and other things that get stained, ruined or worn out by having pets)
• Car Washes (do you pay the monthly fee to come as often as you like?)
• Car Upgrades (spoiler, shiny wheels, leather seats, etc)
• Shoes
• Clothes (I get that you get tired of wearing the same thing all the time, buy used)
• Purses and other accessories
• Makeup (God made us all beautiful, without it)
• Jewelry
• Fast Food (your body will thank you)
• Fancy bottled drinks (especially water)
• Meal Kits delivered to your door
• Grocery delivery
• Uber Eats/Door Dash (if you are trying to save money eating out is already more than you need to spend, so go pick it up yourself)
• Subscriptions to boxes delivered to your door monthly (StitchFix, Ipsy, etc)
• Books, Videos, Music that you could get free from the library
• Prepackaged small portion packs (Chips, pudding cups, applesauce, etc)
• Paper Plates, Cups, Plastic Cutlery (you probably already have a dishwasher, so use the real stuff)
• Eating out more than twice a week
• Signing kids up for every sport or activity (which makes you so busy you end up eating out, not to mention the fees and cost of uniforms, lessons, team photos, etc)

Coffee Confessions:

Now that I have found a few ideas for where you might be able to cut back, I should share some ways I have found to cut back. Here are some ways I save a little extra regularly (my coffee confessions):

• Cutting veggies for snacking, even carrots
• Packaging your own mini bags of chips/pretzels
• Using various snack sized bags (did you know there are 3 shapes?)
• Not eating lunch out (I work hard I deserve it)
• Basic clothes then mix and match
• Shop for more unique clothes second hand (Goodwill 1st Saturday sale)
• Generic Brands
• Refill bottles with my own drink from home
• Bring your lunch to school or work with you
• Cook at home (if you can read and follow instructions, you CAN do it)
• Batch cook (this can be as easy as making a big pot of something on the weekend and eating it up during the busy weeknights) Try these recipes
• Buy things you use often in bulk when they are on sale (toilet paper, paper towels, meats, soups, etc)
• I use the library constantly (who has money to buy all the books and space to store them)
• Use vinegar and microfiber cloths to clean instead of various specific use cleaners and paper towels)
• Use vinegar instead of liquid fabric softener
• Buy generic on everything I can (laundry detergent, paper goods, over the counter meds, foods, you name it)

Do you have some things that might be your “coffee or latte”? What are the little extravagances you allow yourself? How could you save some extra money without depriving yourself? The books tell you to give your coffee or latte up, I say just make do with a cheaper version and save the difference. You might appreciate the “real” thing more if you don’t get it very often. Tell us your top tricks and how much they have saved you in the comments below.