Most of us prefer to think of spending money in ways that don’t make us cringe. I suppose that’s only natural. If we could truly see how every little purchase adds up in the grand scheme of things, maybe those “just a little treat” splurges wouldn’t feel quite so harmless.
Take a page from Howard Schultz’s book—literally. In “Pour Your Heart Into It,” the Starbucks founder noted that the average Starbucks customer used to drop $3.50 per visit and show up 18 times a month. Fast-forward to 2024, and those numbers have shifted where the average customer spends about $5 per visit and shows up around 16 times a month. Now, I’m pretty sure these folks think of that as a series of harmless $5 coffee dates rather than a $960-a-year relationship with their barista. But, oh, how those little indulgences do add up when you’re not looking.
