If you pay taxes honestly about 50% of what you earn goes off in various taxes – income, service, securities transaction, etc. Now take away another 28% in housing EMI, then another 7% in building maintenance etc. It means your government, and your house have taken away 85% of what you earn. So the 15% that you are left with has to go long enough for you to provide for your current needs, children’s needs, parents needs and your own retirement needs. So every paisa that you spend (which is part of that 15%!) has to go towards your goal….so that extra samosa, or that soft drink, or that McDonalds trip which goes to the waist takes you that much further away from your goal. So take care of every rupee (nay paisa) that you are spending. Much of that expenditure has nothing to do with your goals!