There's a narrative I hear a lot: "You're not rich because you pay for Netflix and Spotify."
It's a lie. And it's guilt-inducing.
You work to live, not just to survive. If Netflix makes you happy, buy it without guilt. If you want to go to the cinema every month, go. If you're a member of a sports club, perfect.
That's not the problem. The real problem is something else.
The real enemy: expenses you don't see or enjoy
The real enemy is micro-spending. Those small expenses you don't worry about because "it's just 5€" or "it's 2€ a day." But by end of month, end of year, they become real money that vanishes.
Worst part: most of the time you don't even enjoy them.
My story: I found €50 monthly in wasted spending
A while back I decided to review my bank statement. Not to feel guilty. Just to see where my money was going.
I found a Twitch channel subscription I'd been paying for months. €5 a month. The problem: I hadn't watched that channel in months. But because "it was just 5€," I kept putting off canceling it.
Result: I paid €25 extra.
That was just the start.
I reviewed all my subscriptions. I found:
- Forgotten subscriptions: ~€150 annually
- Day-to-day spending I did by habit, without thinking: fast food during work breaks (€2 per day)
- Small purchases I forgot to count
The culprit: spending by habit
Here's what matters: it's not the money. It's the habit.
I bought junk food every day at work. Two euros. Without enjoying it. Without thinking. Pure habit.
If I'd stopped to ask "do I really want this? Do I actually enjoy it?", the answer would've been no most of the time.
That's micro-spending. Not Netflix. It's money disappearing for no reason.
The method: review your bank statement
You don't need complicated apps or spreadsheets. Just this:
- Download your last month's bank statement
- Read each expense
- Ask yourself: "Did I really need it? Did I really enjoy it? Would I do it again?"
If the answer is no, that's micro-spending.
When I did this, I found about €50 monthly in expenses I could eliminate or reduce. And I'm not even someone who spends a lot.
Imagine someone who does.
The difference: conscious spending vs habit spending
Here's the key:
Conscious spending: "I pay for Netflix because I watch it, it gives me value, makes me happy." ✓
Habit spending: "I buy this coffee every day without thinking. Without savoring it. On autopilot." ✗
One is a choice. The other is money that simply disappears.
What I changed (and what I didn't)
After the review:
I canceled:
- Subscriptions I wasn't using
- Daily expenses without purpose (fast food out of habit)
- Small automatic purchases
I kept:
- Netflix (I actually watch it)
- My cinema subscription (I enjoy it)
- Money to enjoy whenever I want
The point is: it's not "zero spending on entertainment." It's "spend only on what really matters to you."
Why it matters
Those €50 monthly I found won't make me rich. I won't "get wealthy" by cutting out a coffee.
But €50 × 12 months = €600 annually. Invested in the stock market long-term, with compounding, that's thousands.
But more importantly: that money was disappearing without me noticing.
It's the difference between "money I consciously spend" and "money that just evaporates."
The real advice
Don't feel guilty for living. Don't stop going to the cinema because "it makes you poor." Enjoy life.
But do this once:
- Review your bank statement
- Identify which expenses don't make you happy
- Eliminate the ones you can
- Keep the ones that really matter
You'll probably find €30-50 monthly in expenses you didn't even know you were making.
That money, invested over years, is worth more than any coffee you didn't enjoy.
And that does make a difference.