With soaring gas prices, rent spikes, and food at a 9.4% increase, many Americans are struggling to stay afloat this year.
To compensate, more people are trying to cut back on indulgences, opting out of unnecessary purchases and reigning in frivolous spending.
If you’re one of those Americans looking to cut back, a new calculator tool could help you put things into perspective. Surety First, a California-based bond contractor, recently created something called “The Indulgence Calculator,” an interactive tool that you can use to figure out if those frivolous things are eating away at your savings.
All you need to do is select a common indulgence you know you could cut back on, how frequently you make that purchase, and enter the total amount of your savings goal. The calculator will do the rest by telling you how much faster you could be reaching your savings goals.
The calculator includes those common indulgences that can add up over weeks, months, or years. Such items include happy hour drinks, going out to eat for lunch, movie tickets, Uber rides, and even marijuana and vaping upkeep.
If you’re willing to see just how much those unnecessary purchases are affecting your savings account, give the calculator a try. But be wary: Just because you could reach your savings goal faster doesn’t necessarily mean those items are invalid. Sometimes, frivolous spending can help us celebrate the tinier wins in life, and sometimes give us the push we need to continue our hard work.
You can check out the interactive calculator tool here.