Next time you take the family out to dinner, give your school-age children the following choice: they can get a drink with dinner for about $1.50 or they can get water for free and you’ll pay them $1.50 in cash. If your child opts for the latter two lessons will be learned. One, water is healthier than pretty much everything else on the drink menu. Two, after dinner your kid will still have a buck-and-a-half for a better investment. If your family goes out to eat a couple time a week or per month those “drink allowances” will add up over time.
The same can be said for you brown-bagging your lunch at work. It could even accumulate to $10,000.