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My neighbor's comment about his old truck made me add up my car costs | Budgeting Wins - Free To Speak

My neighbor's comment about his old truck made me add up my car costs

We were talking in the driveway yesterday and he said, 'This thing costs me about $80 a month, total, to keep on the road.' I sat down and added my own car payment, insurance, gas, and the repair I had last week... it was over $600. I never put it all together like that before. Has anyone else had a simple talk that made you see your spending in a new way?

4 comments

4 Comments

cameronp475mo ago

That math is always a scary wake-up call!

charles215mo ago

Yeah my buddy finally sat down and did the real math on his daily coffee habit. He was buying two fancy lattes every single workday, thought it was maybe fifty bucks a month. When he added it up for a year he almost fell out of his chair. It was more than his last vacation cost. He just stared at the number for like ten minutes, completely silent. Now he drinks office coffee and uses a French press on weekends.

ivan7744mo ago

Totally agree with your buddy there. I did the same thing with my soda habit last year and it was embarrassing. I was getting a 32 ounce fountain drink from the gas station every single day on my way to work. Thought it was like a dollar or two, no big deal. When I finally added it up for a whole year I was spending over $400 just on sugary carbonated water. I almost choked on my next sip when I saw that number. Now I just fill up a water bottle at the office and save the soda for a treat once a week.

davidkim5mo ago

Right? It's like you don't even feel the money leaving until you see the total. I mean, I did that with takeout last month. Just a burger and fries a couple times a week, no big deal, right? Then I looked at my bank app and it was almost my whole grocery budget. Cameronp47 is right, that math is scary. Makes you stop and actually think about what you're trading that money for.