Money may not make the world go round (that would be love), but it sure does help with the journey.
There is a question that many of us face each month when it comes to money. Despite our best efforts and forward planning, a week before pay day (or even sooner if you are me) the question shouted out across the country is "Where did my money go?"
The intentions always start so well. You write down each of your bills, when they are due, figure out how much you can spend each week and yet somehow, it disappears.
I blame the bank account fairy.
For me it has to be make up and beauty products. You know how it goes. You wander into +Superdrug looking to buy a £1 MUA blusher because you are oh so thrifty. Somehow, you walk out £30.00 lighter with make up and products that seem absolutely essential, right up until the point when you get home and wonder what the hell you have bought.
Legal & General recently created a handy little tool, a habit cost calculator to see just how much you really do spend on those items that you forget about. Your weekly lottery, a coffee; half of the products in Superdrug, it all adds up.
I would say that I spend approximately £50.00 a month on makeup and beauty products. Let's see what that adds up to.
So, for the price I spend each month on makeup and beauty, I could buy a new laptop, go on holiday; put money towards a festival. An extra £600.00 pound to play with at the end of the year sounds like a great idea, although maybe lets look at something smaller to cut out.
£2.00 a week on the lottery and £3.00 for your Monday morning coffee does not sound like a lot at all when you spend it.
Even the total cost of around £260.00 a year still doesn't seem so much when you weigh it all up.
When you look at the bigger picture however, cutting out these tiny luxuries starts to make more sense.
If I cut out my Monday morning coffee and stopped buying a lottery ticket, instead putting that money away, look at what you could buy. Over the course of 15 years that money would send you on 9 holidays or get you a car deposit. Hell, it could even buy you a car.
How is that morning coffee looking like now?
* In collaboration with Joes Bloggers
