I deserve this

I was going to call this entry "The Comfort Trap" but that will be a much bigger post, lets look at the "I deserve this" concept and how it can hurt your early retirement.

I've been guilty of this, and on occasion, still am. However, I'm retired and yes, I deserve this.

Starbucks and other higher end coffee houses have done a great job in bringing the daily beverage into the the destroying early retirement sweepstakes. In a world of expense, the two or three dollars we spend on a daily coffee, or a bottle of fancy water can seriously affect our chances of retiring early.

Oh, don't be silly, it's only a couple of bucks and lets face it, we work hard and by golly we deserve it.

Oh yes, you do, it's true, and well, don't deny yourself of anything.

I'll harp back to the days of my father, when mother would brew a thermos full of tea, or coffee, for his morning break. It would be a relaxing moment, cracking open that flask, pouring a slightly tinny flavoured beverage into a slightly plastic flavoured cup, perhaps not as hot as he liked, but nevertheless, a welcome break from the morning.

He deserved it.

It's something we all can do now, and with todays materials, home brewed coffee can taste just as good an hour or so later, and if we do our research, can taste better than anything the exotic coffee houses can serve up. If you like the bottled water, get into the habit of using filtered or bulk buy spring water and use a trendy container.

And the cost?, well, after the initial ten dollar outlay for your flask or stainless steel water bottle, your custom coffee or filtered water can cost just pennies a day.

Pennies a day, saving dollars per day.

I like that concept.