Smashed Avo or House?
Who would have thought that a trendy breakfast would be the topic of so many finance related articles?! Well, I am going to add 1 more to the list!
Many readers would be aware of the article in The Australian insinuating that youngsters would be able to afford a house if they would forego some luxuries, namely the $22 Smashed Avo breakfast.
This trivialises the very real issue of the cost of housing. It is more difficult to enter the housing market than ever. However, it does initiate another interesting conversation, are we wasting our money on things like Smashed Avo at the expense of our future?
Regular spending on things like daily coffees, gym memberships and, dare I say it, Smashed Avo breakfasts all add up. Spending $4.50 on coffee each day equates to $1,638 pa, whilst a weekly $22 Smashed Avo ends up costing $1,144 pa. If we think about all our regular treats, all of a sudden we start to see where our money goes!
Spending money on small luxuries is not necessarily a problem holding back our financial future, but if not managed, can certainly become one quickly. A key element to building financial security is being aware of spending habits, knowing exactly where our money is going and making conscious decisions on what is important to us.
If going out for breakfast with your friends is an experience that you really enjoy, then the $22 Smashed Avo is probably money well spent. On the other hand, if you are forking out $22 because you couldn’t be bothered making breakfast yourself and you get no real satisfaction from the overall experience, it could well be a waste of money. All spending is a matter of perspective and priority.
If you know where your money is going, you are able to prioritise the things that are most important to you. It then becomes easier to identify the areas of spending you are able to cut out and sacrifices you are prepared to make in order to build wealth. We have a number of tools that help with this process.
It is ok to spend money on things we enjoy, including Smashed Avo. However, limiting our discretionary spending to the things most important to us makes it more likely that we will achieve our future financial goals.