I once had a boss who proclaimed “take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.“ Absolute nonsense, of course. If we take care of the big expenses, the little things are unnoticed. A wealthy person never cares about trivial daily expenses.
All my life I’ve tried to take care of the dollars _ overestimate expenses for example, always round up. Expect big ticket items to cost (a lot) more over time. And _ for sanity’s sake _ have a lower limit _ $1, $100, whatever depending on my financial circumstances _ below which I don’t worry nor care at all.
I apply the same rules to my health and particularly to rampant ecology memes. No, my recycling food waste will not affect the future of the planet. Picking up bottles or plastic bags as I walk does not save wildlife. The gas mileage of my car is inconsequentially polluting compared to airline trips of millions of other people.
It’s not cynical. Because big problems require big solutions, and mostly those must be achieved by organizations, including government. A ban on plastic bags does make some difference. But saving pennies never bought a house or (these days) even a slice of bread
Taking care of pennies is simply an obsessive waste of time letting one mistakenly feel virtuous.
HuntingtonHarborThoughts 