Mom highlights small daily costs including coffee, that add up to thousands, sparks debate

Budgeting is an essential skill for sustainable living, and one mom is passionate about being mindful of small expenditures. She shared her tips for managing monthly household expenses on a Facebook group called "Mums on a Budget - Australia," sparking a heated debate about everyday spending habits. In her post titled "Frugal thought of the day," she listed things people often spend money on unnecessarily, showing how these small costs can add up to a significant amount annually, according to The New York Post.

She wrote, "How to waste $5,000 a year...spend $13.70 on things you don't need. Those daily coffee people buy - boom, $7,000 a year. Add buying your lunch, another $7000 per year. $14,000 wasted." The mom's math led to people talking about how they handle their expenses. Some agreed with the woman but many were critical of what she shared. One person commented, "Absolutely! My family doesn’t splurge daily. But when people find out we go overseas, they think we are loaded. No, we just choose to spend our funds on meaningful things to us.” Another one wrote, "Yesss!" "People don’t realize how these little things can add up because they just see the amount on the screen and tap.”

Some mothers were not happy about coffee being included in the list. One mom expressed, "Leave me and my coffees alone, it's my guilty pleasure." Another person shared, "You can be frugal, but don’t make life a drag. Think in the long term. If you are 85% frugal, you should be able to have 15% for a treat.” Other group members had similar thoughts. A mom said, "Not a waste if it makes your life a little happier." Another added, "I work bl***y hard for my daily coffee." Though the mom shared her views about managing the expenses, it is obvious that everyone is not going to agree with it because they have their set priorities. Also, it is important to note that every household has a different income and what they want to spend on is their personal choice.

A woman, Breanna McClarey shared on TikTok about her parents' frugal ways of living despite having come out of poverty. She spoke about how growing up she found a lot of things normal but later was amused. The first thing she said was how her family used to hang dry clothes outside. Her family rarely used the dryer. Her parents never let her take battery-operated car rides in the malls during her childhood. Also, her family never ordered any appetizers or drinks at restaurants, they would just order the main course. Moreover, they never checked in their baggage at the airports. The first time she ever checked in her bag was when she was 17 years old. 

Their family also sneaked snacks or popcorn to the movies instead of buying them. She added that her dad had a big bag of snacks under his coat which they would eat at the theatres. Lastly, she shared that her family hardly went to the movies and if they did, they were the matinee shows because they were cheaper. She said, "It was kind of funny growing up realizing that other people just never considered going to a matinee time. It was always a night-time thing." The post was captioned, "Growing up and looking back, these things are funny but I've honestly adopted many similar tendencies."

You can follow @bremcclarey on TikTok for more lifestyle content.