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Gérald Genta was a Swiss watchmaker best known for creating heavy hitters like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus, two expensive and highly sought-after timepieces.
However, Genta also designed the Cartier Pasha, a sleek, Art Deco–inspired watch that’s relatively affordable.
The Pasha happens to be one of my favorite watches, and one I wear regularly. You can often find it used on eBay for around $1,200. That’s not exactly a bargain, any Casio or Timex offers far more features for a tiny fraction of the price, but it’s fairly inexpensive for a “luxury timepiece.”
What does any of this have to do with saving money?
A lot, actually. I bought my Pasha during the pandemic using money I’d saved by not eating at restaurants or going to coffee shops.
Recently, I was wearing the watch while sipping from a thermos of home-brewed coffee, and it got me thinking about the power of saving small amounts of money consistently over the course of a year. Or, more specifically, what would happen if you saved $3 per day.
What could you buy with that money?
And how much could it grow if you invested it?
Saving $3 per day would total $1,095 over the course of a year. Here are a few things you could buy with that money:
Over 180 used paperback books
PADI Open Water Diver certification
A base-model M4 MacBook Air ($999)
Two years of beehiiv’s “Scale” subscription plan
Any number of Lenovo or Acer laptops ($250–$500)
A round-trip international flight to Europe, South America, or Asia
Three to four months of rent in many parts of Southeast Asia or Latin America
A variety of second-hand watches (including the aforementioned Cartier Pasha)
Saving $3 a day by making coffee at home or not impulse buying snacks could, in aggregate, buy you a lot of cool stuff or interesting experiences.
More importantly, this simple habit could give you the start-up capital to launch a small business or learn critical new skills, two activities that offer massive ROI. On a more quantifiable level, here’s how that $1,095 would have performed if you’d invested it in the S&P 500 a decade ago.
From February 1, 2016, to February 1, 2026, the Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF (VOO) delivered an average annual total return of 15.54%.
Commission-free trading wasn’t something most brokers offered until 2019, so this figure is slightly skewed. Still, a one-time $1,095 investment compounding at 15.54% annually would now be worth $4,642.35.
In other words, you would have more than quadrupled your original investment
Conclusion
Spending a few dollars a day on impulse purchases, like a bag of chips or a takeout coffee, may not seem like much. And sometimes, the convenience and experience are 100% worth the money. But these small purchases add up over time.
Many people could buy a new laptop or take a vacation “on the house” with the money they’d save by cutting just one small expense for a year.
Likewise, when people say they don’t have money to invest, $3 per day put into the S&P 500, something that’s easier than ever thanks to commission-free trading and fractional shares, can still generate incredible returns over the long-run. Even if the market returned just 8% annually over the next decade, an investor would still double their initial investment.
You don’t have to pinch pennies or eliminate all your discretionary spending. But sometimes it’s worth reexamining your impulse purchases and asking whether that money might be better used elsewhere.
Amazon Prime members: See what you could get, no strings attached
If you spend a good amount on Amazon, this card could easily be worth $100s in cash back every year. And — even better — you could get approved extremely fast. If approved, you’ll receive an insanely valuable welcome bonus deposited straight into your Amazon account, ready to use immediately.
You also don’t have to jump through any hoops to get this bonus. No extra work or special spending requirements. Get approved, and it’s yours.
This might be one of the most powerful cash back cards available, especially considering how much most people spend on Amazon each month. It gives you the chance to earn cash back on the purchases you’re already making, turning your routine shopping into something that actually pays you back.
If you shop at Amazon or Whole Foods, this card could help you earn meaningful cash back on every purchase you make. But this offer won’t last forever — and if you’re an Amazon Prime member, this card is as close to a no-brainer as it gets.
Amazon Prime members: See what you could get, no strings attached
Disclaimer: This article is for entertainment purposes only. It is not financial advice, always do your own research.
