Leading national financial education nonprofit provides consumers with advice on how to budget for small daily expenses that can add up to become costly annual expenditures
Boston, MA – August 20, 2014
National nonprofit American Consumer Credit Counseling wants to take time to give consumers advice about how to avoid letting small daily expenses turn into costly annual expenditures. To most, ordering take-out for lunch, daily coffee purchases, or buying a candy bar and a magazine at the convenience store seems insignificant. However, whether or not a consumer can really afford these simple luxuries and other unnecessary items depends on his or her personal financial situation.
“People spend money on little things almost every day without a second thought,” said Steve Trumble, President and CEO of Newton-based American Consumer Credit Counseling. “Often times, these purchases are simple and small indulgences, but consistently spending small amounts of money can come at a large cost to unprepared consumers and leave them scrambling for cash at the end of each pay period.”
The average cost of a take-out lunch is roughly $10. While $10 may seem like a small price to pay for not having to spend time packing a lunch, a consumer that orders take-out five days a week will have spent $2,600 by the end of the year.
When it comes to purchasing a few drinks at a bar, the cost on average is between $12 and $33, which means that going out for drinks only one night a week will result in a hefty yearly tab anywhere between $624 and $1,716 over the course of a year.
Daily coffee, a staple for most people, can also come at a significant cost. The typical coffee drinker consumes three cups of coffee per day and the average price of a cup of coffee is $1.38. Over the course of one year, a coffee drinker can spend over $1,500 at coffee shops.
ACCC suggests that consumers take time to consider the effect their small daily expenses will have on their personal financial situation. Some Americans can afford to consistently spend money on simple luxuries, even though those small expenses will add up. Others may benefit from creating a monthly budget so that they are aware of exactly how much they can afford to spend on unnecessary items. Consumers should also try to take advantage of rewards programs so that they can have their small indulgencies without hurting their wallet. Other consumers may be best suited cutting out some of the little things all together, saving the money they would have spent, and spending it elsewhere.
ACCC is a 501(c)3 organization, that provides free credit counseling, bankruptcy counseling, and housing counseling to consumers nationwide in need of financial literacy education and money management. For more information, contact ACCC:
- For credit counseling, call 800-769-3571
- For bankruptcy counseling, call 866-826-6924
- For housing counseling, call 866-826-7180
- Or visit us online at ConsumerCredit.com
About American Consumer Credit Counseling
American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC) is a nonprofit credit counseling 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering consumers to achieve financial management and debt relief through education, credit counseling, and debt management solutions. ACCC provides individuals with practical debt solutions for solving financial problems and recognizes that consumers’ financial difficulties are often not the result of poor spending habits, but more frequently from extenuating circumstances beyond their control. As one of the nation’s leading providers of financial education and credit counseling services, ACCC’s certified credit advisors work with consumers to help them determine the best plan of action to get out of debt and regain financial stability. ACCC holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and is a member of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies. For more information or to access free financial education resources, log on to ConsumerCredit.com or visit TalkingCentsBlog.com.
