What ₹1,200 a week of food delivery adds up to
Three orders a week at ₹400 is about ₹62,400 a year. Over 20 years, with prices rising 6% a year, that's about ₹22.95 lakh. Invested instead at 12% a year, it could become about ₹76.61 lakh.
Tip: count delivery fees, platform fees and tips too. They often add 20 to 30% to the menu price.
How to use it
- Pick a habit or choose “Something else” and type your own amount.
- Say how often you spend it: every day, every week or every month.
- See what it costs in a year, and what the same money could become if you invested it instead.
You get three answers, not one: a careful guess, a likely one and a hopeful one. Nobody knows future returns, so a range is more honest than a single big number.
How it works
We turn your spending into a monthly amount (₹300 a day is about ₹9,125 a month) and treat it like a monthly SIP. If the habit gets pricier every year, the monthly amount rises with it. Then we show what that money could have grown to, and what it would be worth in today's money once prices have risen.
The “real past” figure uses actual month-end prices of the oldest Nifty 50 index funds, averaged. Over the 10 years to 2026-10 they grew about 10.9% a year after their costs, and about 9.6% a year over 20 years. That's real market history, including the falls of 2008 and 2020, not a guess.
Enjoy what you love
Life is for enjoying, every day. If your chai, your coffee or a meal out makes you happy and fits your budget, keep it. The point is only to see the trade-off clearly, then choose what matters most to you. Some people keep the habit and trim it a little, and invest the difference.
Money experts call this the “latte factor”: small, regular spends that quietly add up to a large sum over time.
Frequently asked questions
How can I spend less on food delivery without giving it up?
Order one time less each week, pick up instead of delivery, or cook in bulk on weekends. Even one order less a week adds up to lakhs over 20 years.
Is it really worth giving up a small habit?
It depends on how much joy it gives you. This calculator only shows the trade-off. Many people keep the habit and simply spend a little less on it, investing the rest.
What growth rate should I use?
We use 12% a year as the likely case, with 8% and 15% as careful and hopeful guesses. Share-based funds in India have grown roughly 10 to 13% a year over long periods, but some years they fall sharply. Change it under “More options”.
What does “in today’s money” mean?
Prices rise every year, so ₹1 crore in 20 years will buy much less than ₹1 crore today. “In today’s money” shows what that future amount would feel like at today’s prices.
Where does the “real past” number come from?
From the actual month-end prices (NAVs) of the oldest Nifty 50 index funds, averaged. It shows what investing the same money every month would have given you, using real market history.