[pjohri]

as an immigrant who came to the US with nothing and having held high paying software jobs for the past 20 years, I still find it unacceptable to drop $5 on lattes.

the reason has little to do with whether one can afford the $5 latte or not.

the $5 latte/day or multiple lattes as most of my Starbucks card toting colleagues go for even when we have gourmet free coffee in the office is a symptom of something else.

usually, it is a classic symptom of consumerism - and not having one’s overall finances in order. of not having a plan in place to save first and spend later.

when one drops $5/day on a latte when a 50c coffee at would do, one drops similar amounts on most everything else - an expensive shampoo instead of a basic one, branded shoes and clothes, ... and so on

at least that is where I find myself today - my habits have changed over the past two decades - from being able to find happiness in simplicity to getting addicted to consumerism.