Super Savers- Keep Buying Those Lattes!

[accolay]

Some basic frugal ideas here, but still pretty weak.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/the-no-1-thing-people-with-fat-savings-accounts-scrimp-on-that-you-likely-dont/ar-BBVnrQ6?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout


1. You'll only save $1500 per year if you cut out those lattes.
2. "the average American household spends a total of roughly $60,000 per year" holy shit, really?
3. If you save more than 20% of your income, does that make you a super duper saver?

[dragoncar]

2. "the average American household spends a total of roughly $60,000 per year" holy shit, really?

That's about their entire paycheck so... probably

[Prairie Stash]

Poorly worded but a sound point. THe difference between a super saver and a regular saver isn't just Lattes. The difference betwen a regular saver and a non-saver is Lattes; which is a lot of people.

Non-saver - blows entire check
regular-saver - cuts Lattes
Super-saver - no more McMansions

They did a poor job on explaining how lattes fit in, I think the idea was how to get from regular saver into super saver. Hopefully, its not lattes at that point.

[slugline]

In a binary world where option 1 is getting housing/transportation spending wrong and option 2 is a lousy latte habit, I'll take #2 all day long. Of course, the real world doesn't force this binary choice. . . .

[Freedomin5]

I thought the thesis statement in the article was that the number one thing super savers scrimped on was housing. The author talked about how American housing has gotten larger over the years and that we don’t actually need all that space most of the time. That’s actually a pretty Mustachian concept.

Then the author argues that scrimping on lattes every single day is harder because of decision fatigue, and the end result is that you save less than $1500 per year, whereas making one housing decision could save you several thousand per year. So the most optimized way to proceed is to spend your time finding ways to lower your housing expense. That also makes a lot of sense to me.

Why is this in the Antimustachian section? The author may not be as hardcore as some people on this forum, but I don’t think the ideas presented are ANTI Mustachian. Am I missing something?

[jinga nation]

In a binary world where option 01 is getting housing/transportation spending wrong and option 10 is a lousy latte habit, I'll take #10 all day long. Of course, the real world doesn't force this binary choice. . . .

<offtopic>
FTFY. Because you can't quote binary and make statements in base 10. Pedantic, I know.
</offtopic>

[dragoncar]

In a binary world where option 01 is getting housing/transportation spending wrong and option 10 is a lousy latte habit, I'll take #10 all day long. Of course, the real world doesn't force this binary choice. . . .

<offtopic>
FTFY. Because you can't quote binary and make statements in base 10. Pedantic, I know.
</offtopic>

Cmon man, you don’t start counting at 0b00?

[daverobev]

In a binary world where option 01 is getting housing/transportation spending wrong and option 10 is a lousy latte habit, I'll take #10 all day long. Of course, the real world doesn't force this binary choice. . . .

<offtopic>
FTFY. Because you can't quote binary and make statements in base 10. Pedantic, I know.
</offtopic>

Jesus, dude.

As they say - there are only 10 types of people in the world: those that understand binary, and those that don't.

[jinga nation]

In a binary world where option 01 is getting housing/transportation spending wrong and option 10 is a lousy latte habit, I'll take #10 all day long. Of course, the real world doesn't force this binary choice. . . .

<offtopic>
FTFY. Because you can't quote binary and make statements in base 10. Pedantic, I know.
</offtopic>

Cmon man, you don’t start counting at 0b00?

don't put your hex on me.

[nereo]

It's a sad commentary on our society that anyone who saves more than 20% of their incomes can be labeled a "super saver".

I remember one of the first financial concepts my parents taught me was that 1/3 of every paycheck went into savings.  Sad that such a concept is considered beyond extreme.

[slugline]

In a binary world where option 01 is getting housing/transportation spending wrong and option 10 is a lousy latte habit, I'll take #10 all day long. Of course, the real world doesn't force this binary choice. . . .

<offtopic>
FTFY. Because you can't quote binary and make statements in base 10. Pedantic, I know.
</offtopic>

Ha! Although I think I'm starting my count from 0 if I am riding this logic train all the way!

[Kazyan]

I thought the thesis statement in the article was that the number one thing super savers scrimped on was housing. The author talked about how American housing has gotten larger over the years and that we don’t actually need all that space most of the time. That’s actually a pretty Mustachian concept.

Then the author argues that scrimping on lattes every single day is harder because of decision fatigue, and the end result is that you save less than $1500 per year, whereas making one housing decision could save you several thousand per year. So the most optimized way to proceed is to spend your time finding ways to lower your housing expense. That also makes a lot of sense to me.

Why is this in the Antimustachian section? The author may not be as hardcore as some people on this forum, but I don’t think the ideas presented are ANTI Mustachian. Am I missing something?

I like this favorable interpetation. Indeed, there's a sort of meta-rationality that one has to consider, if they're like most people in the first world and don't yet have the mental energy to keep up with highly fulfilled people. It makes sense to put efforts where they give the biggest payoff first.

[Montecarlo]

In a binary world where option 01 is getting housing/transportation spending wrong and option 10 is a lousy latte habit, I'll take #10 all day long. Of course, the real world doesn't force this binary choice. . . .

<offtopic>
FTFY. Because you can't quote binary and make statements in base 10. Pedantic, I know.
</offtopic>

You don't know he's in base 10.  Could be ternary.

[LennStar]

Just use Unicode you suckas! Unicode can do everything!!

It's a sad commentary on our society that anyone who saves more than 20% of their incomes can be labeled a "super saver".

I remember one of the first financial concepts my parents taught me was that 1/3 of every paycheck went into savings.  Sad that such a concept is considered beyond extreme.

You have to be fair. Especially in the US with the health care problematic. If you are on minimum wage and still saving 1/3 that is pretty badass if you ask me.
If you are single, getting six figure and still can't save 33K ayear, than you are a badass idiot.

[nereo]

Just use Unicode you suckas! Unicode can do everything!!

It's a sad commentary on our society that anyone who saves more than 20% of their incomes can be labeled a "super saver".

I remember one of the first financial concepts my parents taught me was that 1/3 of every paycheck went into savings.  Sad that such a concept is considered beyond extreme.

You have to be fair. Especially in the US with the health care problematic. If you are on minimum wage and still saving 1/3 that is pretty badass if you ask me.
If you are single, getting six figure and still can't save 33K ayear, than you are a badass idiot.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'health care problematic' - if you are minimum wage your health care is likely subsidized.
The statement above holds, though and is fair  - as I'm talking about the population not about any particular individual.  Regardless, i'm referencing the 20% threshold listed in the article, not 1/3.

[YYK]

20% - Super Saver
30% - Pariah
50% - Awoken
75% - Ascended
90% - Illuminati




95+% -  ̶͋ͤ̿̾ͤ͑̒̀̆ͥ͌̉̆̂͑ͯ̚͏̧͚̰̞͉̀Hͩ̿̆͊͒ͪ̔̐̌ͦ̋ͥͣ̔̅̃͏̘̟̳̰̦̳̬̻̠͖͚͔͡e̸̴̛̯̖̦͚̪͍̖̮̳ͦͩͭ̍ ̸̧̟̩̞͇͈̂̇ͬ͊́͋͋͛̀̎ͪ̏̊̾̚̕w̡̛̛̪̰͔̮̝̮̻̆̈̀͊͌ͮ̿̈̔̍ͬ̈̚͢ȟ̸̪̱̟̮̣͓̤̗̱̱̳̗̀̅̾̎́͝o̧̞̫̥̳̹̪̱̜̮͈̥̻͈̗̣ͬ̏̌͂̏̇̕͢ ̨̯̼͔̰ͥ͗̓͊͐ͫ̾͑̀͟͞͝W̷͔̘̹̻̬̠̜͎̝͕͍̞̑̉͑͋͋͋́͜͡͠ͅaͩ̿̉ͥ͒̓͆̅̈͌̈́͐̅͌ͭͭ̈̎̃͏̸̨̢̯̞̱͉̻̲̬̜̫̟̦͍ỉ̠̣̦̼̫̘̰̬̻̙͔̮̘̭̙̖͊͊̽͛̓̔̔ͭͩ̏̕͢͝ͅț̵̛̣̯̲͎̝͚͙͇̘͖͉͉̮̟̣̈́ͫ͌ͥ͌̃ͣ͊͊̀s̶̶̵̪̞̻͔̲̭̬͙͉̯͈̜̱̊̽̋ͧͥͬ̊̓͊̅͘͜ ̷̧̥̩̻̼̻͍̹̦̭̖̃̔̽ͣ̒̈́̍ͨ̃͋ͨ̿̈́͒ͅͅͅB̵̯͉̗̰͔͈̼̮̗̺̗̭̗̝͍̠̯̫̈́ͬ̐̈́̔ͦ̀́̚̕ë̯̭̲̪̜͇̺͍̪̲̬̳̭̠͈̲̖́ͤ͒ͯͨ̒͑̎ͯ́ͬ͢͜͝͝h̨̺̭̮̘͈̤̮͔͉̱̹̤̩̠̪͋̈́ͬͤ͐̆͒͛̄͆͊̔̑̄̏͝i̶̡̩̥͈͉̜̬̫̣͉̜̦̙̩̱̟̗̒ͭ̉ͤͨ̎ͯ͛̒̊͛ͤ͗̾͛̄͡n̷̶̡̛̹͎̞͎̫̭̟̩̦̟͔̣̰̦̘̪ͯ̃̑̌̌̿̈́d̒͂ͯͩ͂ͩ͐ͪ҉̸̶̢̗͎̤̗̣̞͔̫̮̰͎̬͚̀ ̸̸̸̗̩̣̝̩̰̻̰̜͖͖̜̖͒ͩ͆ͬ̊̅̈̄͑̿̾ͭ̋ͥT̓̈͗͛͏̠̥͓̖͕͢ͅh̡͈̖̭̝̮̖͈͇̪̮̪͓̱̹̫͉̟̤͆̄ͪ̔ͣ̔ͭ͆ͬ͗͊ͨ͜ë́̅̔̔ͮ͛ͭ̆҉̶̢̛̖͙̫͈͉͍̤̹̯̳͍̤͈͈̫̙̫ͅͅ ̲̫̼̩̟̠̙̥ͧ̊̾̐̿͘͠W̶̳͉͍̟̗̯̹̖͉̮̣͓͖̤͙̬ͦ͛ͦ̓̇̄̌̃̃ͦ̃̌a̧̛͍̮͔̟͚͖̺̥̣̦̤͖̝̣ͤ̀͆̿̏͒͑͑̽́ͮ̾̃̒̀l̷̺͔̘͓̦͍͍̱̣̤̥̝̼̹̳̤̐ͯ̋ͦ̃ͬ̓ͨ̾͊̿͆̍̓͋͛ͨͯ̈́ͅͅͅl̡̛ͮ͛͊̋̓͋͗ͫ̀͏͎͎͉͇͙̰̥̺̳̲̟̞̘̙͕͔̱.̨̡̙̼̜͕̞͚̥̗̱͇̗̗ͮ͑̊̔͊̈́́ ̨͊ͯ̀ͣͯ̆ͦ͊̽̐́͠͠҉̼̠̺͕͕̥͎̣͕̠͇̫̬̗Z̧̧͕̟͍̱̻͎̮̃ͦ̒ͨ̉͋͗̇͒̇ͧ̈́̊͟A̵̢͇̦̥̞̹͍̓̾̆̾̅ͪ͑ͭ͊͌̕͟͜Ľͦͧ͠҉͉͓͈̟̥͙̰̙̺͍̫ͅG̷̷̢̙͖̮̪̘̹̐ͯ̏̚Ó̤͇̞͈̯̫̟̫̳̥͇͐̎̀̔͛ͫ̐͛̕ͅ!̶̧̢̫̻͙̫͎̠͖̫̩̯̙̤̣̽ͨ͐͂͞͡
̡̦͍̬̘̝͉͠

[dragoncar]

20% - Super Saver
30% - Pariah
50% - Awoken
75% - Ascended
90% - Illuminati




95+% -  ̶͋ͤ̿̾ͤ͑̒̀̆ͥ͌̉̆̂͑ͯ̚͏̧͚̰̞͉̀Hͩ̿̆͊͒ͪ̔̐̌ͦ̋ͥͣ̔̅̃͏̘̟̳̰̦̳̬̻̠͖͚͔͡e̸̴̛̯̖̦͚̪͍̖̮̳ͦͩͭ̍ ̸̧̟̩̞͇͈̂̇ͬ͊́͋͋͛̀̎ͪ̏̊̾̚̕w̡̛̛̪̰͔̮̝̮̻̆̈̀͊͌ͮ̿̈̔̍ͬ̈̚͢ȟ̸̪̱̟̮̣͓̤̗̱̱̳̗̀̅̾̎́͝o̧̞̫̥̳̹̪̱̜̮͈̥̻͈̗̣ͬ̏̌͂̏̇̕͢ ̨̯̼͔̰ͥ͗̓͊͐ͫ̾͑̀͟͞͝W̷͔̘̹̻̬̠̜͎̝͕͍̞̑̉͑͋͋͋́͜͡͠ͅaͩ̿̉ͥ͒̓͆̅̈͌̈́͐̅͌ͭͭ̈̎̃͏̸̨̢̯̞̱͉̻̲̬̜̫̟̦͍ỉ̠̣̦̼̫̘̰̬̻̙͔̮̘̭̙̖͊͊̽͛̓̔̔ͭͩ̏̕͢͝ͅț̵̛̣̯̲͎̝͚͙͇̘͖͉͉̮̟̣̈́ͫ͌ͥ͌̃ͣ͊͊̀s̶̶̵̪̞̻͔̲̭̬͙͉̯͈̜̱̊̽̋ͧͥͬ̊̓͊̅͘͜ ̷̧̥̩̻̼̻͍̹̦̭̖̃̔̽ͣ̒̈́̍ͨ̃͋ͨ̿̈́͒ͅͅͅB̵̯͉̗̰͔͈̼̮̗̺̗̭̗̝͍̠̯̫̈́ͬ̐̈́̔ͦ̀́̚̕ë̯̭̲̪̜͇̺͍̪̲̬̳̭̠͈̲̖́ͤ͒ͯͨ̒͑̎ͯ́ͬ͢͜͝͝h̨̺̭̮̘͈̤̮͔͉̱̹̤̩̠̪͋̈́ͬͤ͐̆͒͛̄͆͊̔̑̄̏͝i̶̡̩̥͈͉̜̬̫̣͉̜̦̙̩̱̟̗̒ͭ̉ͤͨ̎ͯ͛̒̊͛ͤ͗̾͛̄͡n̷̶̡̛̹͎̞͎̫̭̟̩̦̟͔̣̰̦̘̪ͯ̃̑̌̌̿̈́d̒͂ͯͩ͂ͩ͐ͪ҉̸̶̢̗͎̤̗̣̞͔̫̮̰͎̬͚̀ ̸̸̸̗̩̣̝̩̰̻̰̜͖͖̜̖͒ͩ͆ͬ̊̅̈̄͑̿̾ͭ̋ͥT̓̈͗͛͏̠̥͓̖͕͢ͅh̡͈̖̭̝̮̖͈͇̪̮̪͓̱̹̫͉̟̤͆̄ͪ̔ͣ̔ͭ͆ͬ͗͊ͨ͜ë́̅̔̔ͮ͛ͭ̆҉̶̢̛̖͙̫͈͉͍̤̹̯̳͍̤͈͈̫̙̫ͅͅ ̲̫̼̩̟̠̙̥ͧ̊̾̐̿͘͠W̶̳͉͍̟̗̯̹̖͉̮̣͓͖̤͙̬ͦ͛ͦ̓̇̄̌̃̃ͦ̃̌a̧̛͍̮͔̟͚͖̺̥̣̦̤͖̝̣ͤ̀͆̿̏͒͑͑̽́ͮ̾̃̒̀l̷̺͔̘͓̦͍͍̱̣̤̥̝̼̹̳̤̐ͯ̋ͦ̃ͬ̓ͨ̾͊̿͆̍̓͋͛ͨͯ̈́ͅͅͅl̡̛ͮ͛͊̋̓͋͗ͫ̀͏͎͎͉͇͙̰̥̺̳̲̟̞̘̙͕͔̱.̨̡̙̼̜͕̞͚̥̗̱͇̗̗ͮ͑̊̔͊̈́́ ̨͊ͯ̀ͣͯ̆ͦ͊̽̐́͠͠҉̼̠̺͕͕̥͎̣͕̠͇̫̬̗Z̧̧͕̟͍̱̻͎̮̃ͦ̒ͨ̉͋͗̇͒̇ͧ̈́̊͟A̵̢͇̦̥̞̹͍̓̾̆̾̅ͪ͑ͭ͊͌̕͟͜Ľͦͧ͠҉͉͓͈̟̥͙̰̙̺͍̫ͅG̷̷̢̙͖̮̪̘̹̐ͯ̏̚Ó̤͇̞͈̯̫̟̫̳̥͇͐̎̀̔͛ͫ̐͛̕ͅ!̶̧̢̫̻͙̫͎̠͖̫̩̯̙̤̣̽ͨ͐͂͞͡
̡̦͍̬̘̝͉͠

Your eldritch savings rate has broken my mind.

[roomtempmayo]

I thought the thesis statement in the article was that the number one thing super savers scrimped on was housing. The author talked about how American housing has gotten larger over the years and that we don’t actually need all that space most of the time. That’s actually a pretty Mustachian concept.

Then the author argues that scrimping on lattes every single day is harder because of decision fatigue, and the end result is that you save less than $1500 per year, whereas making one housing decision could save you several thousand per year. So the most optimized way to proceed is to spend your time finding ways to lower your housing expense. That also makes a lot of sense to me.

Why is this in the Antimustachian section? The author may not be as hardcore as some people on this forum, but I don’t think the ideas presented are ANTI Mustachian. Am I missing something?

I like this favorable interpetation. Indeed, there's a sort of meta-rationality that one has to consider, if they're like most people in the first world and don't yet have the mental energy to keep up with highly fulfilled people. It makes sense to put efforts where they give the biggest payoff first.

Agreed, but I'd go further to say that the common focus on conspicuous but small frivolity like getting coffee or lunch out is often a defense mechanism to avoid addressing the big lifestyle issues, i.e. "I pack my lunch and coffee every day, so I am thrifty."  Pay no attention to the clown house and clown car that are the real savings killers for many/most.

[ChpBstrd]

I thought the thesis statement in the article was that the number one thing super savers scrimped on was housing. The author talked about how American housing has gotten larger over the years and that we don’t actually need all that space most of the time. That’s actually a pretty Mustachian concept.

Then the author argues that scrimping on lattes every single day is harder because of decision fatigue, and the end result is that you save less than $1500 per year, whereas making one housing decision could save you several thousand per year. So the most optimized way to proceed is to spend your time finding ways to lower your housing expense. That also makes a lot of sense to me.

Why is this in the Antimustachian section? The author may not be as hardcore as some people on this forum, but I don’t think the ideas presented are ANTI Mustachian. Am I missing something?

I like this favorable interpetation. Indeed, there's a sort of meta-rationality that one has to consider, if they're like most people in the first world and don't yet have the mental energy to keep up with highly fulfilled people. It makes sense to put efforts where they give the biggest payoff first.

Agreed, but I'd go further to say that the common focus on conspicuous but small frivolity like getting coffee or lunch out is often a defense mechanism to avoid addressing the big lifestyle issues, i.e. "I pack my lunch and coffee every day, so I am thrifty."  Pay no attention to the clown house and clown car that are the real savings killers for many/most.

This.

When will we see McFinance articles about kids sharing bedrooms, avoiding HCOL areas, carpooling, and investing in stocks rather than granite countertops?

[dragoncar]

Granite doesn’t have to be particularly expensive anymore.  I’m curious what the granite haters would rather use?  Plywood?  I think the cheapest alternative would be some kind of laminate but once you factor in longevity I don’t think it’s even cheaper over the long term.  Biggest thing is if you have existing counters that maybe aren’t the trendiest color don’t just rip them out if they are functional

I for one vow to give up my daily granite purchase

[myrrh]

Lol dragoncar, but there are people who spend $50,000 every decade or so completely redoing the kitchen because it's "outdated".

I still can't get over $1500 per year for lattes. At $5 a pop, that's 300 lattes. There are approximately 261 working days (assuming no holidays, vacations, sick days, etc.) I guess it's possible if you buy more than one a day, or buy for a coworker who never pays you back? And you always go to a fancy coffee shop and don't own a coffee maker at home? Or maybe that also includes the "limited edition" fancy mugs and holiday gift cards. Anyway, just wow that's a lot.

[Just Joe]

$1500 would buy a really fancy home coffee machine wouldn't it?

[LennStar]

Lol dragoncar, but there are people who spend $50,000 every decade or so completely redoing the kitchen because it's "outdated".

Spending 50K for a kitchen, or replacing stuff just because it's outdated - that is SO outdated!!

$1500 would buy a really fancy home coffee machine wouldn't it?

Nah, you would get a fairly decent "professional" one I think.

[accolay]

Granite doesn’t have to be particularly expensive anymore.  I’m curious what the granite haters would rather use?

I'd go with laminate. Very affordable and it's not the same stuff from 1985. ~$500 vs thousands and maintenance. OTOH granite is ok if you buy something classic looking and use it for a long time instead of putting it at the curb in 10 years. What a waste.

[flipboard]

$1500 would buy a really fancy home coffee machine wouldn't it?

Only a basic home machine. Fancy starts at 3k, pro starts at 4-5k.

I'm fortunate in that the landlords here all seem to install granite countertops nowadays so I won't need to argue about that, the replacement cycle seems to be about 30-40 years though.

[ixtap]

$1500 would buy a really fancy home coffee machine wouldn't it?

Only a basic home machine. Fancy starts at 3k, pro starts at 4-5k.

I'm fortunate in that the landlords here all seem to install granite countertops nowadays so I won't need to argue about that, the replacement cycle seems to be about 30-40 years though.

Around here that is the replacement cycle for laminate over chip board in the commercially available apartments. We consider ourselves lucky to get into a 20yo condo with those hideous tile countertops: they may be a pain to clean, but the chipboard doesn't crumble a little bit every time you touch it.

[roomtempmayo]

Granite doesn’t have to be particularly expensive anymore.  I’m curious what the granite haters would rather use?

I'd go with laminate. Very affordable and it's not the same stuff from 1985. ~$500 vs thousands and maintenance. OTOH granite is ok if you buy something classic looking and use it for a long time instead of putting it at the curb in 10 years. What a waste.

We've talked about doing "butcher block," which is really just softwood strips laminated with food safe clear, to replace our laminate from the early 90s that's swelling from humidity inside.  It's not super durable, but it's an easy DIY and it's cheap.

I can't see putting big money into a kitchen.  Trends change too fast to get suckered into a 30+ year product, unless you have a track record of living with old trends for 30 years (in which case, more power to you).  Kitchens seem to resist the "buy for life" approach for lots of folks.

[dragoncar]

Granite doesn’t have to be particularly expensive anymore.  I’m curious what the granite haters would rather use?

I'd go with laminate. Very affordable and it's not the same stuff from 1985. ~$500 vs thousands and maintenance. OTOH granite is ok if you buy something classic looking and use it for a long time instead of putting it at the curb in 10 years. What a waste.

We've talked about doing "butcher block," which is really just softwood strips laminated with food safe clear, to replace our laminate from the early 90s that's swelling from humidity inside.  It's not super durable, but it's an easy DIY and it's cheap.

I can't see putting big money into a kitchen.  Trends change too fast to get suckered into a 30+ year product, unless you have a track record of living with old trends for 30 years (in which case, more power to you).  Kitchens seem to resist the "buy for life" approach for lots of folks.

I love the look of butcher block, but thought it was relatively expensive.  Just looked it up and I guess it runs around $40/sqft minimum and granite is around $45 minimum, so not really that different.  Laminate is $40.  I just don't see the hate for granite when it doesn't have to be significantly more expensive.  I do agree that people like to change things and if you are redoing your cabinets you probably aren't saving your old granite countertops.  I do think if I picked something myself I would BIFL.  I still listen to a lot of music I liked in high school so I guess my tastes don't change much and I don't really care what's trendy as long as what I have is acceptable.

[dude]

I'm a super saver and I have a latte every single day. Probably costs me $0.40 ea. I buy a can of Medaglia d'Oro espresso grind from my local grocery store for $5.99/can. I use my Bialetti stovetop espresso maker, and one of these bad boys for frothing my whole milk:

https://www.amazon.com/HIC-Cappuccino-Stainless-14-Ounce-Capacity/dp/B000X7GF40/ref=asc_df_B000X7GF40/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198060165080&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1303656116535430139&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007525&hvtargid=aud-643565131866:pla-320204718671&psc=1

and goddamn, they're good! Only buy an occasional latte when I'm traveling or on the weekends if I want to hang out at my local grind shop.

[Bloop Bloop]

I thought the thesis statement in the article was that the number one thing super savers scrimped on was housing. The author talked about how American housing has gotten larger over the years and that we don’t actually need all that space most of the time. That’s actually a pretty Mustachian concept.

Then the author argues that scrimping on lattes every single day is harder because of decision fatigue, and the end result is that you save less than $1500 per year, whereas making one housing decision could save you several thousand per year. So the most optimized way to proceed is to spend your time finding ways to lower your housing expense. That also makes a lot of sense to me.

Why is this in the Antimustachian section? The author may not be as hardcore as some people on this forum, but I don’t think the ideas presented are ANTI Mustachian. Am I missing something?

I agree with this post. We all only have so much willpower. Some things have better bang for buck than others - and a lot of people (not me) just love their coffee.

Talk to your bank manager about cutting the rate on your mortgage - a one-time fix might save you $1,000 per year, compounded.

Shop around to get a better rate from your property manager - as above.

Find the best way to maximise your deductions - as above.

Talk to your account about how to reclassify your car as a business vehicle (there are loopholes) - as above.

I think structural changes like the above are easier and longer-lasting than sustained, small, willpower-laden daily deprivations (again, presuming you love coffee). It takes no energy to call your bank manager and threaten him to go elsewhere.