Nostra- I tried to track all my expenses through a spreadsheet, but I found it too laborious and that it really didn’t shed any light for me. But good for you and I hear friends who do it find it therapeutic or enjoyable….much like cleaning is for others.
I agree with the Starbucks thing – I believe its called the “latte factor” from the book The Automatic Millionnaire. Instead of focusing on the $1 here, $1 there, I have simply adapted a lifestyle where after I figure my fixed costs – rent, insurance, car, etc…I then decide how much I want to save…and I’ve made it fairly automatic. The rest I can do whatever I want with. I’ve made food a variable cost as I can choose to eat only perishables that are on sale, splurge on food, etc.
On the bottled water topic – if you have babies – think about the toxins from the baby bottles!
