Last semester, one of my personal finance students, Treat Swarstad, created a screencast to show how your choice of coffee could cost tens of thousands of dollars. 

It was part of an “Opportunity Cost” project to show how small decisions can have huge financial impacts over time.

Where I work, there are employees in their 50s (with children) who are millionaires. There are employees in their 50s (without children) who are broke. 

Teacher’s salaries, at my school, are relatively consistent. But small financial decisions create inconsistent levels of wealth.

Treat Swarstad shows such possibilities with his screencast below. 

Trim costs where you choose to.  The impact could be huge.