Assuming a combined daily cost of \(\$12\) for a coffee and toast over 30 years, you would save
\(\$131,400\)in pure cash. If you invested those daily savings in an index fund with a conservative 7% annual return, compound interest would grow that amount to roughly
\(\$386,000\). [
1,
2]
Here is how the breakdown looks depending on what you do with the money over that 30-year span:
1. If you just put it in cash under a mattress
- Daily Cost: \(\$12\) per day
- Yearly Cost: \(\$4,380\)
- 30-Year Total: \(\$131,400\)
- The Verdict: You have exactly what you saved, minus the long-term effects of inflation. [1]
2. If you invest the money (Compound Growth)
By putting the \(\$12\) day (\(\sim \$365\)/month) into investments like an
S&P 500 Index Fund or long-term stocks, your money multiplies significantly through interest. [
1,
2]
- At a 5% average annual return: \(\sim \$265,000\)
- At a 7% average annual return: \(\sim \$386,000\)
- At a 10% average annual return: \(\sim \$692,000\)
- The Verdict: The power of compound interest turns a small daily luxury into a massive retirement nest egg.
Counterpoint: I have solved capitalism.
Instead of buying Starbucks and avocado toast every day, I buy a Jura E8 and a couple avocado trees.
Jura E8: ~$2,799
Avocado trees: call it another ~$240-ish
Total irresponsible millennial lifestyle infrastructure: ~$3,039
At $12/day for coffee + toast, that breaks even in about 8.3 months.
Then if I invest the avoided $12/day for 30 years at 7%, it grows to about $445k. Even after accounting for the opportunity cost of not investing the ~$3k upfront purchase, I still end up around $422k ahead.
So basically, the yacht outside Monaco is still on the table. It just has a built-in espresso bar and guacamole service.
Assuming a combined daily cost of \(\$12\) for a coffee and toast over 30 years, you would save
\(\$131,400\)in pure cash. If you invested those daily savings in an index fund with a conservative 7% annual return, compound interest would grow that amount to roughly
\(\$386,000\). [
1,
2]
Here is how the breakdown looks depending on what you do with the money over that 30-year span:
1. If you just put it in cash under a mattress
- Daily Cost: \(\$12\) per day
- Yearly Cost: \(\$4,380\)
- 30-Year Total: \(\$131,400\)
- The Verdict: You have exactly what you saved, minus the long-term effects of inflation. [1]
2. If you invest the money (Compound Growth)
By putting the \(\$12\) day (\(\sim \$365\)/month) into investments like an
S&P 500 Index Fund or long-term stocks, your money multiplies significantly through interest. [
1,
2]
- At a 5% average annual return: \(\sim \$265,000\)
- At a 7% average annual return: \(\sim \$386,000\)
- At a 10% average annual return: \(\sim \$692,000\)
- The Verdict: The power of compound interest turns a small daily luxury into a massive retirement nest egg.
Counterpoint: I have solved capitalism.
Instead of buying Starbucks and avocado toast every day, I buy a Jura E8 and a couple avocado trees.
Jura E8: ~$2,799
Avocado trees: call it another ~$240-ish
Total irresponsible xillennial lifestyle infrastructure: ~$3,039
At $12/day for coffee + toast, that breaks even in about 8.3 months.
Then if I invest the avoided $12/day for 30 years at 7%, it grows to about $445k. Even after accounting for the opportunity cost of not investing the ~$3k upfront purchase, I still end up around $422k ahead.
So basically, the yacht outside Monaco is still on the table. It just has a built-in espresso bar and guacamole service.