From f369a770e098943e3736dd43bd1c46abbc47ccbd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Alexander Goussas Date: Sat, 2 May 2026 12:41:46 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] feat: add posts on how i reduced my expenses --- ...how-i-cut-my-expenses-by-a-freaking-lot.md | 68 +++++++++++++++++++ public/index.html | 1 + 2 files changed, 69 insertions(+) create mode 100644 posts/2026-05-01-how-i-cut-my-expenses-by-a-freaking-lot.md diff --git a/posts/2026-05-01-how-i-cut-my-expenses-by-a-freaking-lot.md b/posts/2026-05-01-how-i-cut-my-expenses-by-a-freaking-lot.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f844192 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/2026-05-01-how-i-cut-my-expenses-by-a-freaking-lot.md @@ -0,0 +1,68 @@ +--- +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 could 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 really 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 very special ocassions. You might try and gaslight yourself +into believing that you need 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. diff --git a/public/index.html b/public/index.html index 9008a7c..769c70b 100644 --- a/public/index.html +++ b/public/index.html @@ -41,6 +41,7 @@

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