Want to retire early? Everyone dreams of it but few people are willing to make the sacrifices that it takes to reach this goal. Well, what if I told you that you can literally nickle and dime your way into an early retirement? You can.
Take a look at just a few of the small changes that you can make now that can add up to big money in the bank later for retirement.
Make Your Own Coffee
If you love coffee, that is great, but you should be making it yourself. Store bought coffee is a big “No No” if you want to retire early. It can cost nearly $5 a cup for a premium coffee chain store drink. Even if you only get one a day, during the work week, that adds up fast.
A cup a day Monday through Friday means that you could be spending $25 a week on coffee. That is $1300 a year or $39,000 over the course of 30 years. A big chunk of change and this does not even take into effect compound interest.
$1300 a year is $108 a month. Take that $108 a month and put it into an investment account for 30 years. At a nominal growth of 5%, you would have just over $90,000 in 30 years.
That is not a bad return for just making your own coffee. Add to that all the time you save by not standing in line all those years and you have quite the deal.
Take Your Lunch To Work
Do you get fast food every day? Well, if you do, you are hurting more than just your waistline. You are also hurting your chances to retire early.
The average fast food meal is around $8 and you can take your lunch to work for around $2. This is a savings of $6 a day or $30 a week. Multiply that over a 50 week work year and you have $1500 a year or $45,000 over the course of 30 years. A lot of money, for sure, but with the power of compound interest, it is far more.
Take that $1500 a year and divide it out to get $125 a month. Put that in the same investment account earning 5% and you would have over $104, 000 in 30 years.
Obviously, taking your lunch to work has a huge financial benefit. Consider the fringe benefits as well though. Obviously it would be healthier, but you would also be able to eat in just 15 minutes without the need to drive to a restaurant. That gives you an extra 45 minutes every work day. What could you accomplish with nearly 4 hours of extra time each week.
Drive An S Instead Of An SL
Do you really need all those bells and whistles on your car? Probably not, but you are paying a small fortune for them and getting little in return. You could be saving an easy $100 a month on your auto payment by going with a lower trim level.
$100 a month is $36,000 over the course of 30 years and in an investment account, it could easily exceed $80,000. Are heated seats worth $80,000? Nope.
Besides, all those little extras are going to be the first thing that depreciates. Just go to a used car appraisal website like NADA and enter look at the model you drive. Compare the price for a base model and a deluxe and just see how quickly those expensive extras lose value.
Get A Side Gig
Chances are good that you probably have more time on your hands than you know what to do with. This is very likely true if you are in your 20’s and fresh out of college.
Even if you are doing okay, now is the time to sock extra money away and let the interest accrue. Make it a point to take on some extra work for just 10 years and then let the money ride. Take a look at the numbers.
Pick up a part time job and work just one 8 hour shift a week. That will likely earn you $100 a week or $5200 a year. That is $52,000 over the course of just 10 years. With compound interest, it is oh so much more.
$5200 a year is $433 a month. Take that money and invest it and, at 5%, you will have over $67,000 in 10 years. Now, quit that job and just let that money accrue interest over the next 20 years. In 20 more years, you will have over $180,000. Doing just a little part time work for 10 years can get you over $180,000 at the end of 30. Not a bad deal.
Summing It All Up
These are just a few of the small changes that you can make now that can add up big in the future. The power of compound interest is very evident and the earlier that you start taking advantage of it, the better.
With a little discipline, there is no reason that a person in their 20s can not retire by the time they enter their 50’s. Just with the four changes above, you could accumulate over $450,000 in savings for retirement.