I’m at the beach home.  I’m just hanging out doing my normal things.  Exercise, Relax, Compute, Observe, Repeat.

Observation

I notice a common, consistent thread—young women often travel in clusters and very frequently have a clear cup with an ice beverage that slips away through their straw.

I’ve noticed this consistency over the past few years when I wonder about the beach towns.  I usually think, “Man, these kids have a good life.” 

Spendingability

I have gotten much better at spending freely over the past couple of years.  The area where I really notice this freedom is buying a kombucha at the convenience store.  (Yes, I’m aware of the two frugal crushing points in that last sentence—convenience store and unneeded kombucha)

I can honestly say that I am VERY aware of the price of the bottle, especially as they now are $4+ each. 

How Much?

When I was in Hermosa Beach and rode my ebike to Santa Monica and Venice Beach, I did the slow hangout schedule in a few different places.  One location was Café Gratitude, where it was too expensive to eat anything—I think the sandwiches and meals were $18-25.  So, I just grabbed a bottled drink.  After paying some strange California employee percentage fee, my 12-oz drink was $8.32.  Café Crazy.  But I had a nice, relaxing people-watching 30 minutes on their patio.

I was then in Venice Beach and had always ridden by a juice/smoothie shop a block from the beach.  I decided to get a protein (and sweetness) smoothie.  I was surprised it was priced reasonable for either $10 small or $11 larger.  That’s a great deal in the high-spending LA beach area.

While I feel the sting of a $10ish drink purchase a couple times per trip, it got me thinking the next couple of days about the young women spending that much—in all probability—more frequently than I do.

Swallowing life costs

I thought about the total costs of the iced drinks over a month.  I bet it’s in the hundreds of dollars range.

I then thought about the lifestyle spending habits and instincts being instilled in these young people.  Do they just think “I’m treating myself?” or “It’s no big deal” or “everyone’s buying these” or do they not even give it a single thought about the excessive price and/or its impact on the financial stability/future of the paying party?

I feel the hit for these frivolous drinks on my account.  I can take the hit because of decades of past sacrifice or deference.  But are others just blasting their money straight out of their accounts?  What would the $10 from an iced ABC be in a few decades if deferred?

I’ve heard so many people recently slam David Bach’s “Latte Factor” as small and irrelevant.  I think he was spot on for so many people.  The “small” slippage of $10 here and there adds up to REAL money in the future. 

Another way to look at it is, saving that money from skipping each beverage could build some serious financial security in a household’s finances right now, and in the near-term as well.

Question of Perspective

So, my observational question is: “Does our highfalutin society have a drinking problem?”  Or, to invert “Do I have a drinking problem?”

I was going to title this post “Putting your Future on Ice,” but I think Drinking Issues was a little better.

*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice.  I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be.  You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice. This post is not a piece of literary mastery, just a random thought I had.