The Latte Factor: Why I Started Buying Lattes Again And Why I Don’t Feel Guilty | Mad Money Monster (2024)

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When David Bach first introduced the Latte Factor in his book The Automatic Millionaire, people everywhere (including me) applauded and started embracing the idea of cutting small expenditures from the budget in exchange for becoming a millionaire. I mean, who wouldn’t want to become a millionaire by just cutting out a morning coffee, c’mon. But, after putting this into practice for the past couple of years, I’ve been inclined to reject this so-called path to wealth and started buying lattes again. Let’s take a look at my caffeinated journey from deprivation to indulgence.

What Is The Latte Factor?

Just in case you missed it, the Latte Factor is the concept that little expenditures that occur on a frequent (read: mostly daily) basis have the potential to keep you from building significant wealth over the course of years.

Bach used a latte as an example because, let’s face it, a lot of people can relate to grabbing a cup of coffee or fancy latte for a few bucks each morning without even considering the cost. #guilty

I can remember picking up a copy of The Automatic Millionaire when it was first published back in 2005. At the time, I was young and fresh out of college and looking for guidance to start my life off on the right financial foot.

I thought the concept of setting up financial savings and investments to be automatic was great advice and did so as soon as I had a decent job that allowed for some wiggle room in my budget.

Since I didn’t drink lattes, I didn’t need to cut them out. I failed to realize, though, that I was spending an inordinate amount of money in other categories like eating out, clothes, electronics, etc. These things were my Latte Factor but I didn’t put the two pieces together.

So even though I was saving automatically, I wasn’t cutting out on the other fun stuff to save even more. And I will gladly use my youth and financial inexperience as an excuse for this past behavior :).

The Latte Factor: Why I Started Buying Lattes Again And Why I Don’t Feel Guilty | Mad Money Monster (1)

Embracing The Latte Factor

As I got older, I got better. Despite some really bad money moves due to a failed long-term relationship (you can listen to the details in this podcast), I stayed abreast of things in the personal finance space.

Around this same time, I started to drink lattes. #growingup

After pulling my life together and rebooting my emotional and financial life, I started to embrace frugality and I realized that I was, in fact, spending money on coffee most days – indeed, I had an actual Latte Factor.

So what did I do? I swore off spending money on anything that wasn’t necessary to increase my bottom line. Lattes were one of the first luxuries on the chopping block, along with eating out, cable, and a huge mobile data plan. My sister even bought me my very first coffeemaker to help me with the frugal transition.

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And Then, I Started Buying Lattes Again

After a few years of living a frugal lifestyle, I have decided I love it and want to continue it. However, I have also decided that living an extremely frugal lifestyle is not for me. Frugality has its place in our overall financial plan and we’re fortunate enough to be able to choose frugality instead of being forced into it.

With that said, I have started buying frequent lattes again without guilt. Yes, according to the Latte Factor calculator, I could easily have an extra $50k in my nest egg in 30 years if I forego my lattes and invest the money instead. But I have also learned that there is no prize for having the biggest nest egg when you die. And in the grand scheme of things, life with lattes is better.

By minimizing our major expenses (think: house, car, vacations, etc.), we have been able to maximize our savings. And that has afforded us financial flexibility.

Since we don’t spend a lot on the BIG stuff, compared to others in our income range, we have reached a level of wealth that easily covers our monthly living expenses. In addition, we’re also on track to meet our future financial goals. In my opinion, that’s justification to enjoy as many lattes as we’d like.

The Latte Factor: Why I Started Buying Lattes Again And Why I Don’t Feel Guilty | Mad Money Monster (2)

Balance Is Best

The bottom line, balance is best. I’m not dropping money every single day on lattes or throwing caution to the wind and spending money like there’s no tomorrow.

In fact, I still carefully consider how much money I spend on everything – even on lattes – and move forward only if the purchase provides enough enjoyment to justify the expense. Yes, I am still dazzled by $20 and you should be too.

My financial future is still paramount and living a frugal lifestyle is still my modus operandi. But tossing in a fancy latte here and there is something I do actually enjoy and something I will continue to enjoy and spend money on.

So if you’re anything like me, keep calm and coffee on.

What do you think about the latte factor? Is it a means to a wealthy financial end? Or just unnecessary deprivation?

The Latte Factor: Why I Started Buying Lattes Again And Why I Don’t Feel Guilty | Mad Money Monster (3)

The Latte Factor: Why I Started Buying Lattes Again And Why I Don’t Feel Guilty | Mad Money Monster (2024)

FAQs

What is the lesson of The Latte Factor? ›

Here's how author David Bach explains it: The Latte Factor® is based on the simple idea that all you need to do to finish rich is to look at the small things you spend your money on every day and see whether you could redirect that spending to yourself.

What is The Latte Factor summary? ›

The Latte Factor is a concept popularized by author David Bach (Opens in a new Window). The idea behind it is that the little things you regularly purchase can cut into your budget more than you might realize. For example, the $5 you spend on a latte today may not seem like much, but $780 over 12 months is.

What is The Latte Factor rule? ›

David Bach first introduced “The Latte Factor” in his best-selling book, “The Automatic Millionaire.” Simply put, it says that if you stop spending money on unnecessary everyday luxuries, like drinking coffee every morning and buying bottled water, fast food and soft drinks — then you'll accumulate enough to save up ...

What are the three secrets in The Latte Factor? ›

The three secrets to financial freedom outlined in The Latte Factor are: pay yourself first, make it automatic, and live rich now. By implementing these principles, you can redirect your money towards savings and investments, leading to greater financial freedom.

What is the symbolism of the latte? ›

The latte possibly symbolized a sacred space for the CHamoru who buried the dead between the stones as part of that construct of space made sacred. It should also be noted that the deceased were also buried within the house, on each side of the house and, especially, on the ocean side of the house.

What is your latte factor? ›

David Bach, a financial author, assigns a memorable phrase to this phenomenon. He describes the small amounts we spend here and there as the Latte Factor®. It comes from the notion that if we added up the cost of our daily lattes and saved it or invested it, we could build up wealth significantly faster.

Is The Latte Factor a good book? ›

The Latte Factor does a good job of demonstrating the value of saving over time and compound interest, it shouldn't be taken as hard financial advice like Dave Ramsey's baby steps might be. At best, it's a cheeky financial concept that encourages you to think about saving money.

What does pay yourself first pyf mean? ›

Pay yourself first (PYF) means to redirect a portion of the income you receive to retirement savings, emergency savings, or some other type of savings as soon as you receive it, and before you pay any other bills. In other words, the first bill you pay each month should be to yourself.

What is the personality of a latte coffee person? ›

If you drink Latte, then drinking latte coffee personality type says that you are a laidback, agreeable, happy-to-go with the flow kind of person.

What is the rule of 752? ›

Rule of 752 explained

It is an easy calculation where you multiply your weekly expense(s) by 752 to determine the true cost of that expense that would have earned 7% over 10 years.

What is the latte method? ›

Listening to the customer. Acknowledging their complaint. Taking action to resolve the problem. Thanking the customer for bringing the situation to their attention. Explaining to the customer why the problem occurred.

What is the factor rule? ›

The first rule to factoring is to find the greatest common factor (GCF) of each term in the polynomial. If there is any factor in common in the polynomial, divide each term by that factor. Then, rewrite the polynomial using the distributive property with the common factor on the outside of the parenthesis.

What is the plot of The Latte Factor? ›

The Latte Factor is a personal finance book that challenges the traditional notion that you need to earn a high income to achieve financial freedom. Through a fictional story, the book illustrates how making small, daily changes to your spending and saving habits can lead to big financial results over time.

How can you apply the concept of The Latte Factor in your own life? ›

To embrace the Latte Factor in your life, begin by tracking your daily expenditures. Understand where your money is flowing and pinpoint areas where you can cut back. Then, channel those savings into investments that can grow over time. Remember, the Latte Factor isn't about deprivation but intention.

What makes latte unique? ›

A latte or caffè latte is a milk coffee that boasts a silky layer of foam as a real highlight to the drink. A true latte will be made up of one or two shots of espresso, steamed milk and a final, thin layer of frothed milk on top.

What is the purpose of latte art? ›

In conclusion, latte art is important for a variety of reasons. It adds an aesthetic element to coffee, serves as a quality assurance tool, indicates temperature control, allows for personalization, and showcases the skill and artistry of baristas.

What is the key to latte art? ›

The key to great latte art is perfectly steamed milk. Good steamed milk should be rich with microfoam and mixed evenly–there shouldn't be separate layers of thick foam and hot milk. Pour the milk about a finger's width under the spout of the pitcher and submerge the steam wand under the surface of the milk.

What is the latte approach? ›

(Tears were common.) Starbucks implemented institutional habits for baristas, called the LATTE method: listen, acknowledge, take action, thank the customer, and explain why the problem occurred.

What is the meaning of latte latte? ›

noun. lat·​te ˈlä-(ˌ)tā plural lattes. : espresso mixed with hot or steamed milk : caffe latte. You can't go wrong with a classic latte.

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