Miserly Math

I love this article! It really goes to show how the little things do add up.

Miserly Math
by Rebecca Underwood

Who said that you shouldn't sweat the small stuff?

We all know that little things can add up in a hurry. But, often we fail to realize just how much the small stuff is costing us. As a junior high math teacher, it's always fun to shock my students by having them work up a few calculations like the ones below. I can always hope they'll become frugal adults someday!

- A $1 soda every day for a year = $365

- If you must have that $3 latte instead, your annual cost =$1095

- Paying just one bill with a $3 late fee every month for ayear = $36

- Over the course of a 50-year adulthood, that late fee =$1800

- One fast food meal ($16 for a family of 4) per week for a year instead of quick hotdogs at home (about $4) = $624

- If your family usually prefers the local buffet for $28, those annual hotdog savings would = $1248

- If you buy a bag of ice for $1 every two days instead of making your own, your annual ice cost = $182.50

- Keep buying that ice for 50 years of your adult life, and its cost = $9125

- If you discard half a gallon of spoiled milk per week at $2.30 per gallon, in a year your waste will = $59.80

- Keep wasting that milk for 50 years of your adult life, and your loss will = $2990

- If your family buys half a pound per week of $5/lb. deli cheddar cheese instead of $3/lb. American slices, your annual cost = $52

- If you keep buying the cheddar for 50 years of your adulthood, its extra cost = $2600

- If you mail five bills per month at a cost of about 40 cents each instead of using free online banking, your annual cost =$24

- If you continue to mail your bills for 50 years, your cost =$5200

- If you buy four new books per year at an average cost of $15 each instead of buying used at around $4 each, your annual added cost = $44

- Keep buying those new books for 50 years, and your cost =$2200

- If you rent one new release video per week at $3.50 for a year, your cost over borrowing from the library = $182

- Keep renting those videos for 50 years, and your cost =$9100

- If you buy the premium cable package at an additional $35 per month, your annual cost over basic cable = $420

- Keep buying that premium package for 50 years, and your cost over basic cable = $21,000

- If you carry a credit card balance of just $1000 for a year at 18% annual rate, your annual interest = $180

- If you keep the $1000 balance for 50 years without ever paying it off, your interest = $9000