Feel Like A Loser? Your Micro Money Adds Up

It’s easy to go online, see people making millions of dollars, and then feel like a loser. When this happens, take a step back and put your own activities into perspective.

Even if you aren’t making much, here’s how far your money will go:

• $50/month — this is buying a small, non-essential but useful life upgrade. I like traveling and recently used my Kindle royalty money to buy a Le Creuset pour over coffee maker that I can take anywhere. You could also save up for a few months and use your use your side income for a new laptop. Or, invest the whole $600 into the S&P 500 and grow your balance to $3,362.65 over the next 20 years. You could also treat your friends/family to lunch.
• $100/month — According to research, the average woman spends $545 per year on clothes. While the average man spends $326. At this point, you have enough side money to cover bigger purchases like your annual wardrobe. Putting your $100 per month into the S&P 500 for a full year would also net you $6,725.29 over the next 20 years. Or, you could use that money to take a small vacation.
• $500/month — This is enough to cover rent in much of the world. You could live in the beautiful Brazilian beach resort city of Balneario Camboriu, “on the house.” Investing this money into the S&P 500 for a year would also compound to…