María López, financial educator: “We think a lot if something costs $100, but not if we spend 10 or 15 throughout the day”

Financial expert and educator María López Robledo, known online as @lasfinanzasdemaria and followed by more than 330,000 people on Instagram, warns in her book ‘Ahorra como nunca’ (Save Like Never Before) about one of the most common habits that prevents people from saving: so-called “micro-expenses.”

In one chapter of the book, the author explains how small everyday purchases, such as a coffee, a subscription that is rarely used, or low-cost impulse buys, may seem insignificant on their own but can have a considerable impact when repeated day after day.

“We stop and think carefully when something costs one hundred euros, but not when we spend ten, fifteen, or twelve on different things throughout the day,” López explains in the book, where she explores how this kind of almost unconscious spending can end up limiting a person’s ability to save and even lead to debt.

How “micro-expenses” can destabilize your finances

According to the author, the main problem with micro-expenses is that they often go unnoticed. Because they involve small amounts, the brain tends to see them as harmless and justify them easily. However, over the course of a month, they can add up to a significant amount of money that could otherwise be directed toward savings or more important financial goals.

In Save Like Never Before, López also shares her own personal experience with these habits, recalling how for years she was unable to go for a walk without coming back with some unnecessary purchase. Through everyday examples and personal reflections, the author shows how this kind of behavior can become a difficult cycle to break if it is not recognized early.

Key takeaways

Throughout the chapter, the expert offers several simple strategies for identifying and curbing these expenses. Among them, she recommends writing down every daily expense for a month, no matter how small, in order to become truly aware of how much money slips away through impulse purchases.

She also advises setting a clear budget, limiting card use, and relying more on cash to keep better track of available money. According to López, this traditional method makes it easier to see how much is actually being spent.

Another key idea the author highlights is adopting alternative leisure habits that do not involve spending money, such as going for a walk, exercising, or spending time with friends. She also suggests sharing your savings goal with people close to you, since support from those around you can help you stay disciplined and avoid falling back into impulsive spending.

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