In the past two days, my colleague Xiao A told me with a smile that because the city buses are free, he finally gave up taking a taxi every day and took the bus instead.

I silently settled an account for him.

One way is 15 yuan, two trips a day, a total of 30 yuan, 30 days per month, which is 900 yuan, which is 10,800 yuan in a year.

You know, wages in small cities are low. This colleague’s monthly fixed income is only more than 3,000 yuan.

Is taking a taxi really necessary?

In fact, it's just a matter of waiting for the bus, getting off the bus and walking for a few minutes.

This unnecessary expense is the famous "latte factor."

The "Latte Factor" originated from a Western story about a couple who must drink a cup of latte coffee every morning.

At this time, a friend who was familiar with financial management told them that if they drank less than two cups of coffee a day, they could save 720,000 yuan in thirty years.

Since then, the "latte factor" has become a unique term in the field of financial management, referring to non-essential expenses in life.

For example, the daily taxi fare of Little A in the above article; two unsatisfactory T-shirts bought during the discount sale in the mall; various products purchased online for 9 yuan and 9 with free shipping; the milk tea snacks that girls must buy when shopping;

Various bits and pieces of gadgets... These may not seem expensive, but the cumulative amount is enough to make your jaw drop.

What is your “latte factor”? After settling the score for my friend, I began to reflect on my own “latte factor”.

Soon I discovered that the accounting software showed that I bought 8 pairs of shoes in 2016, and the Taobao purchase record faithfully recorded that I bought 10 mobile phone cases after switching to IPHONE6.

Do I really need so many pairs of shoes?

Does my phone need to be dressed up every day?

This kind of unnecessary expense turns out to be lurking in my daily consumption.

Friends around me have various "latte factors".

A new bakery has opened downstairs in Little B's house. He used to make a simple and practical breakfast in the morning, but now he just buys bread downstairs and leaves. Little B's expenditure on snacks has suddenly increased.

Little C is a well-known foodie in his circle of friends. He is usually busy with work and does not open fire at home for a long time. On weekends, he will always look for delicious food in the corners of the city. He is always worried about not being able to save money.

Little D just bought a new car, and he loves it so much. He bought a lot of decorations on the car, including four sets of seat cushions. He said that different car decorations should match different moods.

Little E is very particular about the mood of her life. She wants flowers at home every day. A bouquet of flowers can cost tens of yuan at least. Her husband advised her to raise a few pots of her own, but she said bouquets are more beautiful.

How expensive is the "Latte Factor"? In terms of personal management, there is a view that "people always overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what they can do in a year." In the field of financial management, it is easy for people to

Underestimating the amount of money you spend on "drinking coffee" in a day will also underestimate the total amount of "drinking coffee" in a year.

As mentioned above, Xiao A’s annual taxi expenses exceed 10,000 yuan. In addition, he also has hobbies of smoking and drinking. I don’t know the specific expenses.

But his family has always been a member of the Moonlight clan, and everyone knows that.

Little B has just started working, and the salary is not high. The monthly salary is only 2,500 yuan. A piece of bread is not expensive, ranging from 5 yuan to 10 yuan. A rough estimate of 70 yuan a week, 280 yuan a month, 10% of the monthly salary disappears quietly.

Little C usually doesn't open fire, so the money he saves by eating in the canteen a week is not enough to spend on a meal out on the weekend. A meal in a hotel now costs at least 200 yuan, which is 1,000 yuan a month, and 12,000 yuan a year.

As for Little D, he bought an inexpensive car, an affordable car, which cost over 100,000 yuan, but now he spends more than 3,000 yuan on the car every month, including cars, maintenance, and all kinds of car accessories he loves.

, 30,000 yuan a year is not enough.

Xiao E’s family has a relatively high salary level. The couple’s monthly income is nearly 20,000 yuan. But in addition to loving flowers, Xiao E also likes cosmetics and skin care products. She keeps stocking up at home, including 200 facial masks. Regarding beauty expenses, Xiao E spends every year

They are all 50,000 and up.

Optimize your "latte factor" You may say, I don't smoke or drink, what's wrong with eating a piece of bread and buying a bouquet of flowers?

People who smoke and drink may say, I don’t engage in whoring or gambling. The work pressure is so great, what’s wrong with smoking a small cigarette and drinking a little wine?

There is nothing wrong with that.

Everyone’s “latte factor” is different, but you can optimize it.

There was a popular joke on Weibo: "With an iPhone 4, you can travel to Yunnan; with an Hermès, you can travel to Europe and the United States; you can travel all over the world without spending the money of a sports car; at that time

, your world view has also changed. Life lies in experience, not in famous brands; wealth lies in perception, not in luxury. We can tell our stories to future generations in our old age; not in the outdated famous brands you have owned.

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