hmmm....where to begin

After many months, actually maybe it has actually been a few years of 'thinking' about creating a blog here I am finally doing it.
I am going to try to stick to mostly real estate related fun and useful information but I cannot promise that I won't go off on other tangents.  Sitting here trying to decide what the first thing is I am going to write about or I guess I should say blog about and I think I will start with the “latte factor”
I love the latte factor.  I am a big fan of its creator and the author of a number of great books- David Bach.  I don’t love the title of his books though “automatic millionaire” and some others that sound kind of like fake get rich quick schemes.  In this case you cannot judge a book by its name..because I think they are actually quite the opposite.  They are common sense ideas and things that make me go WOW.  Basically the latte factor makes you look at some of the little things you spend money on like a $5 starbucks latte for example.   One of these delicious coffees a day can add up to over $1900 a year
If you are in your 20's right now this $5 a day if invested could add up to $1.2Million by the time you are 65.
The latte factor can also be used for cigarettes, the 3 magazines you throw in the grocery buggy and all those meals you eat out.
Now I am not saying you should give up your starbucks, or your weekly purchase of People magazine or BC fishing if its something you really cannot live without, but if you are wanting to save money for something or just simply cut costs and/or if you think that you don’t have any extra money you would be amazed if you really think about all those little things you buy, and chances are there is something out there that you can cut out even if its just cutting out one coffee a week or one less lunch out a week and you may be surprised how that $ can add up
I think its so important to realize that how much money we make is not nearly as important as how we spend that money.  We usually only worrying about the big ticket items we are buying, but we don’t seem to think about the fact that in one busy day we may have a $5 coffee and a $3 muffin for breakfast on the run, lunch out because we forgot to pack something, but that’s only $7 for a wrap and $2 for a drink right?, then groceries on the way home grab some gum and a couple magazines while in line, get home don’t feel like making dinner.. order in!  well some days like this are unpreventable, but the part that gets me so excited about all of this is that the average joe that feels like they are never getting ahead can usually find one item that they can use as their ‘latte factor’ and with some quick math realize that they could be using that money for something much more rewarding whether it be a $2000 holiday or saving for a down payment on a home.  Google the latte factor calculator and get excited yourself!