Ask the Readers: What Is Your "Latte Factor"?

My latte factor would be eating out. I eat out far more than I should. I am currently giving it up for savings and finding creative ways to eat out for free (and get paid) through mystery shopping. I currently am saving about $15 per week at my current rate.

My "latte factor" is a protein bar or shak eafter a hard workout. My gym has a smoothie and nutrition section right by the door as you go out and it's very hard sometimes not to do the easy way out and pick up a quick protein to go. The problem is they range from $2-4 and even doing 1 or 2 a week adds up quickly. Am now bringing a protein shake from home to drink in the car!

My latte factors--the little treats that add up--include the following:
1) Tall Starbucks house brew. I used to buy one for the road when making monthly 125-mile drives to visit friends and relatives. Now I take along my home-brewed coffee. I save about $24 a year.
2) Bottled water. I used to buy small bottles for taking along on hikes, car trips, etc. Now I use reusable bottles filled from my filtered tap at home. In three years, I estimate I've saved at least $600. I have also stopped home delivery of bottled water for a savings of $45 a month.
3) The treat cigar. I used to have a cigar on Sunday evening after dinner. I've stopped that for health reasons and to save a little money. Giving up this habit saves between $78 a year (based on mail-ordering the cigars) and $520 a year (based buying the cigars locally in California.)
4) Bi-weekly manicure. I used to have a simple manicure once every two weeks. Foregoing this treat and doing my own manicures saves about $500 a year.
Total estimated annual savings: approximately $1,500

My "latte factor" is eating out. I am trying to cut back on this.

I don't have any "latte factors" but I did cut cable tv. It was hard at first, but I like it now. I save at least $80 a month.

The Dunkin' Donuts across from my work! I've mostly cut back, but so tempting when I need an afternoon pick me up!

I'm a scrapbook and card making designer and to save money I stopped my high prices magazines saving about $92.00. I put myself on a spending freeze so I stop, think and then if I must spend money on my crafts.

My "latte factor" is quite literally an iced vanilla latte from Starbucks! I have cut back drastically since I got a Keurig for Christmas (so much more fun than a regular coffee pot!) and now only go to Starbucks about once a week as opposed to 4-5 times a week. When I do go to Starbucks, I make sure to use my gold card, which gets me a free drink after 12 purchases. I cannot give it up completely, and it's a small thing I treat myself to since I rarely go out for drinks or dinners.

breakfast sandwiches on the way to work... I'm not sure why idling in the drive-thru line and dropping $7 for a sandwich, hash browns and a coffee feels faster than the same amount of time spent putting it together in the kitchen! I'm a pretty accomplished frugalista, but drive-thru brekkie is my most stubborn remaining vice!

I used to do a Starbucks a day. We got a Keurig and now I go about once a month. Even with the cost of Kcups bought on sale and with a coupon, Im still up about $150 a month.

I buy chia tea in bulk, its spending more than I should because I used 4lbs a month but it is better than other things I could be buying instead.

My latte factor was cable/satellite tv. A year and a half ago, we were paying around $100/month for Dish Network. Now we use Apple TV, iTunes and Netflix, and probably save around $80/month, and find that we don't miss much, especially since we can find most of our news online, and watch television programs through various methods (Netflix, DVDs, stream through network website/apps).

I've started "splurging" on a $10 pound of coffee and make it fresh at home or work for a month or so. It's nice that $10 will go so far, instead of buying maybe 4 lattes with the same $10. That's not even a full week of drinks!

My "latte factor" was books; I love reading and feel great pride in seeing the books I love on my bookshelves. Now, I get books or ebooks from the library and only when I absolutely love a novel and know I'll read it again do I buy it - used of course.

Magazines. I try to compromise by subscribing (when I find a good deal) to my favorites (figure this is better than buying even a few full-price), as well as checking out older issues from the library.

I very rarely go out for coffee drinks. First, I think Starbucks coffee is horrible, and it's way overpriced. I make my own at home. We don't go out to eat much, and don't have much extra money for anything...

My latte factor is garden goodies. That includes plants, planters, outdoor furniture & throws! They really do make such a difference for the yard!

My latte factors are soda, chocolate, and baked goods. I used to smoke but quit almost 16 years ago, so I think junk food and sweets replaced cigarettes for me. I'm currently trying to stop buying these things for savings as well as health. It's hard, but I'm working on it!

I take my lunch to work almost every day and also drink hot tea or water from our cooler at work.

My "Latte Factor" is buying lunch or snacks at school to save the hassel of bringing/making lunch and washing dishes. Now I try to cook in bulk and have saved almost $100 a month.

Kindle books. I do use the library first whenever possible, but when that is not an option I am more apt to spend on than any other area.

Sweets/sweet snacks! There is a coffee shop next door to where I work that offers a 2-for-1 sale between 6 pm. and 7 p.m. every day...donuts, scones, cookies - I have to resist for my waistline almost as much as my wallet.

Mine is gaterade or other hydration drinks. So I started buying the powder and mixing my own.

I don't drink coffee or have a latte factor that I can think of off hand. Occasionally I indulge in chocolate but it's rare. Amazon holds a certain magnetism for me though.

Personal trainers, and figure competitions were my latte factor. About 2 yrs ago I stopped paying 400 bucks a month for a trainer, got my own ISSA training certification, and work out on my own now. Also quite competing due to extreme dieting and metabolism damage.

I've never really thought about it before, but I guess I've got a few:
- getting my toenails done when I get my nails done, which I gave up sometime last year and opted to do it myself. It was $15 just for the paint (not even a pedicure), and that was probably once every 2 or 3 months.
- soda bought individually . . . I still buy them, but I don't buy smaller than a 2-liter if I have an option (that's the cheapest option here). It's not giving it up entirely, but at the convenience store nearest my apartment this saves about $1.50 - $3 per day for any day I would have bought an individual bottle (not every day, but still - adds up!)
- restaurant meals used to be more of a norm - probably at least once every week or two and often more than once a week. AT $10-$20, that also adds up! I still go to restaurants, just not every week.
- getting my hair professionally cut and colored cost me over $400 last year *before* I gave it up part way through the year. My hair still looks good and it only costs me $4 per box of hair dye that I do myself. I'll probably go back once or twice this year to get the cut "fixed" though, lol
- one that I haven't given up is little snacks at the convenience store . . . . I do try to cut back (not every day!) . . . . oddly, it helps to buy them individually because it means I have to put in more effort (versus having a bulk purchase at home) and thus don't buy as much junk food. Good for my waist, not my wallet.

I stopped buying alcohol for home consumption years ago because of the price tag, and I rarely buy alcohol when I go out.

My latte factor would be magazines. I love to read through magazines and used to spend so much money each month on them. At about $5 each, they really add up! I now have subscriptions to the two that I enjoy most (saving money from buying directly from the shelf) and may occasionally buy one if something really stands out. I save $10-15 per month with this habit change!

I gave up cable. I miss live sports, but otherwise it's not so bad!

I still go out at least twice a week for Starbucks. I use coupons and family gives me gift cards, too. I just find that the coffee perk, the short walk away from my office, the camaraderie of talking to my co-worker during this time and the little feeling of having a splurge is priceless.

happy hour.

Our latte factor would be books, magazines and movies. The last year or so we have been borrowing from the library and friends more often. Downloading free books from Amazon and other sites and getting mags from RewardsGold.com.

Latte factor is clothes shopping - yes, can and have given up in order to reduce debt and save. I always tell myself - that article of clothing might make me feel good for a moment but the guilt will last much longer!

Mine is expensive hair and beauty products. I'm trying to ween myself off of department store stuff and find stuff at target. After some research and trial and error, I feel an odd sense of pride that I found a cheaper hand lotion and conditioner.

Getting a soda from the vending machine in my building. I don't do it that often, but I'm sure I'd save $10-$20 a year if I could resist the urge to buy one or remember to bring in my own.

My "latte factor" is a few dark chocolate covered almonds from the bulk bin at Sprouts every week. It's my one indulgence, both budget-wise and diet-wise. I enjoy every bite!

Spontaneous grocery shopping was my latte factor. I now plan out each trip and meals and stick to a weekly budget, which saves about $125 a month.

I rent 95% of my movies and TV shows from the library. No Netflix, very rarely do we get RedBox movies. We live next door to a public library and it has saved us hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

I gave up lunch purchases at work.

Now that I run my own art business from home, I don't have those daily temptations like I did working in an office. For example -- if the drink machine in the break room was freshly stocked, the chocolate milk called out to me, no matter what our budget was.

At home, it's easier to not have a latte factor, although I do love Oreos. And those are expensive. It's easier to just not buy them at all, get over the cravings, and keep the savings....but we cave occasionally. :)

My "latte" is the most important "factor" in my workday! Sometimes I feel guilty about the daily expense of a large indulgence (only a few cents more expensive that the medium, so surely that's a bit frugal??!!) but my work life is hectic, stressful and long on hours so a latte is my calming drug of choice!

mine latte factor is probably mascara.

Going out for lunch while at the office. It is very tempting to join everyone at the popular sandwich restaurant and get out of the office, but I have started making my own healthy lunch each day instead: mixed beans, hard boiled egg and a banana.

This gives me the protein, energy, fibre and iron that I need to stay sane and focuses in the afternoon WHILE saving me about 7$ a day at the office.

Shopping at Whole Foods. I like to have an organic diet, despite my low income. I'm now splitting groceries between Whole Foods and the regular grocery store, and it saves me a bit.

I had Starbucks as my 'latte factor' when I worked 1/2 block from one a few years back at my 'real' job. After that proximity died, I started making myself coffee every day - but the good stuff ~ $16/lb, going through about 2 lbs/month. It was still cheaper than starbucks, but I've managed to cut way back on the expense by ... drinking the office coffee at work 5 days/week and only brewing the good stuff at home on weekends.

I also gave up smoking almost two years ago, and I cringe every time I see someone smoking because I know what it can do to your finances, especially when it's my coworkers at my side gig as a cocktail waitress since I know how broke some of those kids are.

Right now, it would mostly be convenience food, which I'm getting better at little by little.

Wild caught salmon and my favorite brand of merlot are two of my latte factors. I can't give up either one to eat the cheapest fish and drink the cheapest wine.
However, one of the main reasons I quit smoking 20 years ago was to save the money from smoking six packs a week (of course I didn't smoke the cheapest brands of cigarettes either), and hopefully saving a lot of money in health care by having healthy lungs!

Ours were the top three: I am a tea drinker, my husband is a coffee drinker and we both used to eat at mediterranean deli with him used to eating lunch at work.

Now that I am working part time, I carry my tea bag with me where ever I go and my mug. I make him coffee and a bag lunch before he leaves for work along with feeding him a good breakfast, plus, I have learned to make falafel's from scratch and incorporated the basics of a mediterranean diet into our menu to eat at home. We also joined a local community garden and though I budget is tight, our grocery bill is small yet effective, not to mention that we are eating healthier. We have gone green and are saving green and adding to our health at the same time!

Magazine subscriptions

I definitely spend too much money on gum or mints. I never want to be caught with bad breath in a meeting, and sometimes i like to chew on gum to help me avoid some other type of food. Even just a pack of each a week adds up quick!