Small daily spends add up quietly. See what yours costs over a year and a decade, and the number that really lands: what the same money would grow to if you invested it instead.
Typical spend, the yearly total, and what it could become invested over 30 years at 7%.
| Habit | Typical | Per year | 30 yrs invested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shop coffee | $5.5/day | $2,008 | $189,630 |
| Takeout lunch | $15/workday | $3,900 | $368,397 |
| Energy drink | $3/day | $1,095 | $103,435 |
| Bottled water | $2/day | $730 | $68,956 |
| Cigarettes (pack) | $12/day | $4,380 | $413,738 |
| Vape | $6/day | $2,190 | $206,869 |
| Fast food | $12/time | $2,400 | $226,706 |
| Snacks & vending | $3.5/day | $1,278 | $120,674 |
| Lottery ticket | $5/time | $1,000 | $94,461 |
| Rideshare to work | $14/workday | $3,640 | $343,837 |
| Alcohol (a drink out) | $9/time | $1,350 | $127,522 |
| Delivery fees & tips | $8/time | $800 | $75,569 |
The idea, popularised by David Bach, is that small recurring spends cost far more than they feel like once you add up the years and the missed investment growth. The maths above is real; whether cutting the habit is worth it is your call. Redirecting even one daily habit into an index fund genuinely compounds into a large sum over decades.
Seven percent is a common estimate for the long-run average annual return of a broad stock market after a rough allowance for inflation. Some years are much higher, some negative. It is an illustration, not a promise, and your real result depends on markets, fees and taxes.
You rarely have to quit. Making coffee at home instead of buying it, or batching lunches, keeps most of the enjoyment for a fraction of the cost. Our coffee cost breakdown shows pod coffee costs up to eight times more per cup than ground.