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Trent at The Simple Dollar posted a no-fuss, “path to weath” plan where anyone can become a millionaire by investing 5 minutes a day. 

In researching home business ideas, I’ve come across many scams and “get rich quick” schemes targeting those who want wealth without the effort.  There is NO program out there that delivers on this promise.  NONE.

You need to work in order to earn.  If it is legitimate work, it takes time.

Trent’s advice is to take 5 minutes a day and analyze your spending habits, look for ways to save, and then examine how you can grow your savings by investing.

Back in October, Dad and I decided to kick the Starbucks habit and saved $230.  I am taking that $230 a month and applying it towards our home equity line of credit (in addition to the regular payment).  This will enable us to pay off the balance faster and save money in interest.  Once the HELOC is paid, I will take that monthly payment and sock it into our high interest savings account.  We are looking at ALL areas of spending to see where we can cut back and save even more. 

I plan on taking it one step further by increasing our income through a home business and funneling that money into our debt repayment.

Will the simple step of cutting back on daily spending make us millionaires?  If we are consistent on saving and investing, I believe it will. 

Wash, rinse, repeat…it’s really that easy.

You don’t even have to spend $899 on that “Turn-Key-No-Work-Get-Rich-Now” system!

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When you have six kids, you learn what baby gear is essential (like a car seat) and what really is not necessary. For instance, we never bought a changing table. My changing area is any flat surface, such as the floor, covered with a blanket. We use common sense and never leave our babies unattended. Another item we passed up purchasing was a baby monitor. Our babies are kept in a sling or within arms reach when they get older. I never had a real need for a monitor before.

I awoke earlier than normal this morning. I wanted to work downstairs and enjoy my home-brewed coffee with Dad, but the baby was still asleep. I could see how a baby monitor would come in handy.

I remembered our cordless phone system had “room monitoring” capability. I left a handset next to Baby A, and took one downstairs with me and activated the room monitor feature.

Success! We now have a functional baby monitor and it didn’t cost additional money!

Dad and I had coffee together, and I was able to bang out a few hours worth of work. What a cool tool for this work at home mom!

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Two weeks ago, I decided to break up with Starbucks.

Our relationship started back in 1999 when I landed a consulting gig in Chicago. In the lobby of the Sears Tower, there was a Starbucks tucked away in the corner.

I’ve been a coffee lover since I was little and enjoyed a home-brewed cup or two with breakfast. The lure of trying something new enticed me into that Starbucks shop the second day on the job.

I remember feeling slightly overwhelmed by the offerings on the menu board, so I decided to play it safe and ordered a plain latte. It was decent.

The next day, I tried a fu-fu drink. It was a caramel macchiato. From the moment I saw the barrista lavishly drizzle caramel onto the latte’s foam, I was hooked.

Macchiatos, Mochas, Lattes, Oh My!

It did not help that a co-worker was obsessed with Starbucks too. Before long, we made it our daily ritual to take a break, go down to the lobby, and get an afternoon pick-me-up.

My love affair continued long after my consulting contract ended. A new store opened within blocks of our home, and it had a drive-thru to make it more convenient! Dad was hooked too.

I’ve had coffee aficionados tell me that Starbucks coffee isn’t really that good. Some say the espresso is bitter, others have said it has a burnt taste. For me, none of that mattered. You see, it wasn’t the coffee or the caffeine I was addicted to.

I was in love with my daily ritual.

When you work full-time and have kids, six in our case, Mom and Dad don’t have a lot of alone time. After work, our older daughter would watch the littles for us. We would take a quick trip to Starbucks for coffee and a few minutes of catching up. I so enjoyed this time with Dad.

Insanity.

My addiction came at a price. First, it was $4 a day. Then the prices went up and my favorite drink cost $4.20. Now I think it’s to $4.35. Sometimes I would go in the morning, and then again with Dad in the evening. I’m embarrassed to admit that this addiction was costing upwards of $70 a week.

All for the “good feelings” that come from enjoying a cup of coffee with my husband. The funny thing is, the service at Starbucks hasn’t been stellar lately, and sometimes the coffee tastes so-so. Not worth the money.

So, we quit cold turkey (well…we are trying).

We started a new ritual. Dad and I sit on the patio together in the morning and enjoy our home brew. When I feel like having coffee in the afternoon, I whip out the Bodum coffee press and in minutes I’m indulging in a great cup of coffee for a fraction of the cost.

Breaking up is hard to do.

I did find out that Dad “cheated” last week when he was waiting for an oil change. There was a Starbucks within walking distance so he indulged. I also caved when I was out shopping with my daughter. I tried to keep the cost down by ordering tall hot chocolates.

Two visits in two weeks is a great start, considering we were going almost daily before. The goal is ZERO visits this week.

I am keeping track of how much we’re saving by not going, and I plan on sharing that here at end of the month.

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