The overwhelming majority of innovations in technology are geared toward making it easier for people to consume. In this era of online shopping we have the ability to buy whatever we want whenever we want which does, in some respects, makes life easier. Buying groceries online and having diapers delivered at regular intervals is certainly more convenient than dragging two small children to the store. One cannot fault parents for trying to make their lives a little less stressful.

However, the ease with which we can buy things does make it harder to be financially responsible. The mantra is to live more consciously, to be more deliberate in our choices. Technology makes it harder to do that. It so easy to use our laptop or phone to impulsively buy something we don’t need or even want. We are relentlessly urged to consume; it makes us feel important, like we are part of something, we are contributing.

But it all adds up.

Here are somethings to maybe consider about spending:

1. Maybe “earning” money from shopping isn’t what it seems. The site Rakuten states that you get a $10 Cash Bonus for signing up. Direct quote: “Every three months you’ll get a Big Fat Check in the mail or a PayPal payment just for shopping.” Maybe that is true but you are still spending more money than you “earn”. Sites such as Honey and Drop use the phrase “getting paid to shop”. It sounds like employment. It isn’t. It is just a come on to get people to buy things. “The more you shop the more you save.” Sort of but not really. An Instagram post summed it up well: If you spend $500 on an outfit that was “marked down” from $700, you still spent $500.

2. Consider the difference between need and want. Psychology Today discussed the idea of advertisers “creating a need”. How is a “need” created? Either you need something or you don’t. But these folks are very clever at convincing us that we need a new car, a new phone, more furniture etc. Do we need it or just want it?

The experts say to look at the things we already have and then make a decision. (I took a look through my closets and dresser drawers and realized how many clothes I had that I never wore so they almost seemed new to me.)

Hey, if you really want something, fine. Just be conscious of your choice.

3. Food delivery. Yes, we all need to eat and technology has made this much easier, and more expensive. The standard fee for Door Dash is $5.99. I know people who pay Door Dash to deliver two cups of Starbucks coffee. They are paying 6 dollars for coffee to be delivered on top of the cost of the coffee, which is another 8 dollars at least. Uber Eats used to charge $4.99. Now their fee is based on distance.

Apart from contributing to the overall apathy and sloth of the American people, all this adds up and we don’t really think about it. It all goes on the credit card, there is no cash involved so it doesn’t seem like money is spent. It is so easy to spend money and not even realize it.

4. Coffee. How much do we spend on coffee? We all need our little comforts to get us through the day. Sometimes, a stop at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts is the only thing keeping us from driving our car into oncoming traffic. But, just consider what it costs every week or every month. I see people with gallons of iced “signature drinks” (which are basically watered down crap with tons of sugar) and it is not an inconsiderable expense. The price of a cup of Starbucks coffee just increased by 20 cents, putting it at between 2.30 and 3 dollars.

Like everything else, it adds up.

5. Netflix is great. There are so many shows and movies that I could not possibly watch them all, even if I didn’t have a job. It runs me about $12 a month and I think it is well worth it. I know people who have multiple subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBOGO and others. All that is fine; we need our entertainment. But it is something else that we tend to not be very conscious of; the cost just comes off the old debit card and we don’t think about it. Maybe consider what you watch and don’t watch and think about cancelling it. Sure, it may be only 10 bucks a month but…

It all adds up.