--- /dev/null
+---
+title: How I cut my expenses by a freaking lot
+date: 2 may 2026
+---
+
+Let's start with the why.
+
+I have no family, and, as of the time of writing, no university degree either.
+This means that were I to be fired from my current job, I'd have a hard time
+(probably, I don't really know) finding a new one, and that I'd have no where
+to go but the street. I <i>could</i> go to a friend's, but I would not want to
+bother them like that.
+
+Then, a few months ago I started seriously thinking about the role of AI in my
+area of work. I do not think AI can replace developers (I've seen it try and
+fail magnificently) but I am also aware of the fact that employers do think so,
+and, at least in my environment, have already started putting into action plans
+to cut personnel and replace humans with AI tools.
+
+This led me to have a little crisis. I thought about switching careers and more
+extreme things as well. As of today, I no longer have these feelings. I love
+programming and I will continue doing it in whichever way I can. At the same
+time, I was thinking: what is it that I really need to have a "happy" life? For
+me, the answer is books, coffee and someplace I can walk in peace while
+listening to podcasts and stuff.
+
+As you can see, I need barely any money for these things. And right now I am
+living in a city where I can do the latter. So, this realization led me to make
+a budget. Write down how much money I actually need in order to live. This
+resulted in a grand total of about 250 US dollars per month. Let's break it down.
+
+I spend around 120 USD a month in groceries, 20 USD in laundry, 8 for YouTube
+premium and ... well, that's it. I am excluding rent because I am in the
+process of moving, but I am aiming to go somewhere under 200 USD. Right now I
+am in a 500 USD apartment, but only because I took the first thing I found,
+since I came fleeing Guayaquil after being almost murdered in the street.
+
+What did I do in order to achieve this?
+
+First, groceries. I started <i>really</i> looking at the prices of stuff I was
+buying. I did not sacrifice quality for price. I found alternative products,
+and bought at cheaper replaces. I also set a hard rule of absolutely no eating
+out. Only in <i>very</i> special ocassions. You might try and gaslight yourself
+into believing that you <i>need</i> to eat out in order to socialize or
+whatever, but if you learned to cook well you could have friends at your house
+for dinner, for example. I say from the bottom of my heart that I like my food
+way more than a great deal of restaurants I've been to.
+
+Next, I stopped smoking. This one is self-explanatory. Cigarrettes are freaking
+expensive.
+
+The other thing is I started doing as much as I can online. So for example,
+books and classes for whatever are usually cheaper online. You don't have to
+pay for delivery or transportation this way either.
+
+Then, I started using the least amount of clothes possible. A week, I use 12
+pieces of underwear, 6 shirts, 2 short and 1 sweater. Also, the cloth needs to
+be as lightweight as possible. So, no jeans. This way, I took my laundry cost
+from ~8USD a week to ~3USD. I live in a pretty cold city, but surprisingly I've
+found that my body has adapted pretty well. I barely feel any cold anymore.
+
+That's basically it. Pretty simple, but effective. I honestly think we've
+gotten too lazy and used to the comforts of modernity, which is exactly what
+our capitalistic society wants. They want us to cOnSOom.
+
+I hope you got something useful from this, and I really encourage you to try
+and get out of the trap of consumerism. If you can afford it. And if you have a
+different perspective, please don't hesitate to share it.