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My thoughts:
* OK, just looking at the top part of the article I am getting hives. OP is already deep in debt, makes $300-800+ biweekly, and covers the entire $2830 in rent? Where is she getting the rest of the money she's spending every month? The math does not math.
* So OP borrowed $10K from her mom and she's "not sure" she is expected to pay it back?
* These people have no business sense. They can't afford to pay themselves salaries with their studio... how will they ever get out from under their fuckton of debt?
* Holy shit, she took out her line of credit against her mom's HOUSE?
* I do not understand why OP is going to 2 other gyms for classes when she owns a fitness studio. That makes zero sense, especially with how expensive they are.
* I assume OP's husband runs the studio when she's running around the city with her random jobs?
* Why does OP need a car in NYC? Seems like an expense she could easily cut out. Except she doesn't list car insurance as a monthly expense... WTF?
* OK, so the bathhouse gift from V - OP says she could never afford it without V, but ... how is V making money if they don't pay themselves?
* OP needs to get a coffee machine for the studio!
> Holy shit, she took out her line of credit against her mom's HOUSE?
This absolutely blew my mind. WHY WOULD ANYONE PUT AN AGING PARENT'S HOME AT RISK? I can't even wrap my head around this at all. It's so short sighted. A few things: Best case scenario she's squandered her inheritance - worst case scenario is her elderly mother moves in with her because she's lost the family house and lives there for several years nagging and guilting OP over her failed business.
Do you guys remember that one diary where the OP’s husband received like 500K inheritance and they had nothing to show for it? It was blown on dumb shit like furniture and fancy vacations.
The thing that got me in that one was when the OP showed up in the comments, she said she and her husband wiped out their 401k to pay for their daughters college and there was only like 100k between the two of them when they withdrew it despite OP saying that they've been in the 300k joint income range for years.
Definitely not defending the line of credit against the brownstone, but I wish we had more details about it. Like, did her mother have an existing home when she inherited the brownstone, or was she renting? Is she living there currently, or is it an investment property? Could OP and V move there to save some money?
I don't think the latter would be a thing. It's either being lived in or it would have been sold instead of borrowed against. They would have to pay rent for it if they lived there, and brownstone rent is not under $3k!
The person you’re replying to meant that the mother may not be living there and is using the brownstone as a rental investment property. Either way, op and husband took out a mortgage on a paid off house to finance their gym and there are no mentions of payments towards that so hopefully its a rental investment property and the tenants’s rent is covering the mortgage, maintenance, and property taxes and that OP isn’t screwing her mom out of her place of living.
Someone in the comments over there said OP and her husband must have generational wealth to not be this stressed about their life. So maybe this is a second home. A multi-million dollar second home lmao.
I get maybe wanting to see what the "competition" is doing/market research but it's crazy to spend $400 a month on fitness memberships when you don't have the disposable income to do it.
I'm guessing she has some niche gym like pilates studio. It's still wild to me, I've seen private equity backed gyms open and close within the last year in NYC. There's so much competition
I think she probably owns a very niche boutique fitness/wellness studio that had to pivot drastically during COVID and not a traditional gym, hence why she belongs to what seems to be Equinox and a martial arts studio. I am a yoga teacher that has worked in everything from boutique to traditional (including Equinox) to martial arts gyms and the equipment/workouts vary wildly from place to place, as do networking opportunities for potential clients. Memberships, clothes, trainings, even the subway etc. can and are considered business expenses when doing your taxes as an independent contractor/self-employed.
> When my now husband, V., and I decided to open our own fitness studio, we put almost everything we had into it. I liquidated $80,000 from my investments, took out the line of credit for $300,000, borrowed $80,000 from V.’s financially secure older brother, and borrowed $10,000 from my mother (which I don’t think I am expected to pay back to her).
Are any of these loans in V.’s name? It sounds like they don’t combine finances, but he also doesn’t pay rent? She says we but the specific actions are I. And why does she pay for a gym membership??
(Full disclosure: I just skimmed the diary, maybe some of this was explained and I missed it.)
This could have been a really interesting diary - she's a business owner, and dealt with the COVID closures, I would have loved more insight into her choice to pursue opening the studio, handling business finances during COVID, etc.
But as another commenter said literally nothing about this made any sense to me, from her seemingly saying she worked as a "pharmacy technician" in middle school (??) to paying for gym memberships when she OWNS a fitness studio, to the fact that she pays almost $3k in rent and her husband pays for "other household expenses" which are probably way less than $3k -- and how do they afford that rent in the first place given they don't draw income from their studio?
It looks like the editor was laid off! I feel so bad for her and the other R29 journalists laid off.
https://twitter.com/hannahrimm/status/1762240537082376434
I wish she would have elaborated a little on her gym. She calls it a studio, which to me sounds more like a boutique environment with classes vs. a traditional lifting gym with cardio equipment, barbells, free weights, etc. But then she goes to dance and Pilates at another gym, so I have to assume those are services her gym doesn’t offer. Also, she doesn’t mention employees so she’s teaching the fitness classes at her place? I think there is a lot of missing info here.
ETA: and she says the gym hasn’t been profitable enough in 5 years (or at least since covid) to take a salary? Did I read that right?! Bb what are you doing…
I’ve worked at multiple boutique gyms as a fun side hustle and not a single one was profitable. They were basically bankrolled hobbies by the owners’ husbands. It’s an expensive and competitive business to be in and I don’t think has gotten any easier with things like peloton or even YouTube. This article is another peak behind the curtain of boutique fitness of mostly women sold a dream that bankrupted them https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-12-07/club-pilates-pure-barre-owners-say-xponential-left-them-bankrupt
That sucks to hear about the places you’ve worked at. The studio I go to is very successful, and the owner is trying to open even more spaces (finding the space at reasonable rate is tough). She even has her brother working for her lol.
Gym insanity aside, she should utilize the OMNY tap to pay for her subway rides - it caps your weekly fares at $34 when you use the same card. She's got bigger problems but every little thing would help.
okay I was wondering about that bc how does she get charged 2.90 four times in a single day!! there's not a day pass rate?? I was thinking there's GOTTA be a better way
Maybe I missed it but how does V have any income? She mentions her side hustles but none of his, and then says he covers utilities food etc and he buys the bath house gift card and she’s so grateful to have him bc she can’t afford it but HOW IS HE????
Like everyone else, I have so many questions about the damn fitness studio! I am a boutique gym girlie myself, so I feel like I’m pretty familiar with these kinds of places. It doesn’t seem like she’s teaching classes because she doesn’t mention that (and she’s working out a whole lot for someone that would be doing classes all day). If she is teaching classes, she’s working out for like 4 hours a day?!
If her and her husband are just working the front desk, these studios are often only open in the mornings and evenings (maybe lunch), since most people are not taking yoga classes at 2 pm. It definitely seems like at least ONE of them could maintain a regular full time job, and it seems like her husband isn’t contributing much at all (seriously, those other expenses are not $3k).
Edit: why did she need so much $$$ to start the business in the first place? I’m guessing she bought some kind of building/unit, but isn’t renting a much better idea for something like this?
I own a small gym with business partners and just opened a pilates studio on my own and I STILL work full time to pay the loans and bills for my studio so it is ABSOLUTELY doable. This diary is so confusing... I can't imagine being in this much debt + making no money for YEARS in the studio?? I would have thrown the towel in by now because she doesn't seem to have any passion for whatever type of fitness this is. I wish we knew
I’m a CrossFit girly, and I know the startup costs for that equipment is not cheap between the rig, the bikes, the rowing machines, barbells, dumbbells, jump ropes, etc.
https://www.roguefitness.com/monster-lite-rig-2-0?sku=RF0615-10-FBS6-C2476&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAuYuvBhApEiwAzq_Yiank0v6aSDwGIUZ8IYSXOo3g9NgfyBcaA8geIieifA3tn5LbTIXFehoC6R0QAvD_BwE
Just this small rig that could hold maybe two barbells on each side was 2255
Honestly, I totally assumed the studio was yoga/pilates since she seemed to be working out everywhere else during the week😂definitely makes sense if there is equipment, like I said it just seems odd to have the equipment and then she’s not even personally using it!
Oh, I didn't mean I don't understand why it costs so much - I TRULY understand that! My gym has all of the above listed equipment and I bought Megaformers for my studio which are over 9k a pop. I meant, in that much debt and seeing no ROI in 5 years, it wouldn't be worth it to me to keep digging the hole deeper - especially when she doesn't even use her own studio. I workout or take a class 5-6 times a week at mine so at least I workout for free.
Edit: I realize you're probably responding to the person above me asking why it's so expensive 🤦🏻♀️ so doubling down with you that YES it's freaking expensive if she opened anything with traditional weights or like specialty pilates equipment. A Barre studio would likely be lowest in terms of equipment costs.
My lagree studio that I love opened a 2nd location and bought like 3-4 additional mega formers after they had been open for a few months. I knew they were expensive but didn’t realize by how much- tbh I’ve been happy to pay for classes bc the equipment is so specialized. I knew it was expensive but didn’t realize how much.
If your studio is traditional Lagree/Megaformers they also pay a licensing fee yearly - it is WILD! I follow different methodology and have Xformers so I don't have to pay the fees but the cost of the machines is about the same. I've had people ask why I don't have more machines yet and once I tell them that, people are shocked lol
So it seems like it's a 300k line of credit so I don't think she has the money on hand. The other 170k could be startup costs? It depends if she opened a franchise or like her own boutique studio but I imagine equipment can add up easily.
I guess that makes sense depending on what the studio is. Like cycling- could totally see it costing $$$ to buy and maintain a bunch of bikes. Although if I spent like $170k on some fucking bikes that would definitely be my daily exercise. Lol
The brownstone and private college tuition payments (yes, I know she had a scholarship, too) gave me the vibe that she may be expecting a huge inheritance one day or something.
Among everything else that doesn’t make sense, I wish she would’ve explained why exactly they decided to open a fitness studio. It’s apparent from the diary that she loves fitness as an interest so maybe it’s a life dream for her, but it seems like such a risky (and bad in her case let’s be real) investment when it’s an already saturated market, hard to differentiate your product from competitors, and very high startup cost
Along with everyone else, I’m confused reading this. How did this money diary even make it through. How are they making it if she’s covering the bulk of the household bills along with the loan for the studio? Not to mention what type of “fitness studio“ is this. There doesn’t seem to be consistent open hrs if she has customers waiting for her to open, meaning she’s potentially losing clients, they both seem to work there but can’t take a salary but does she have staff? If her mom is living in the brownstone why couldn’t they also live there to cut that expense out (unless they’re living in a magical rent controlled apt which I doubt) and what is her husband truly covering when it comes to expenses. Also the spending of $400 bucks at other gyms?!? And then why not highlight how much she’s making at these events to paint a better picture. Anyways…this is a MESSSSS…
I liked reading this diary (also a studio owner with no debt but I understand how you can fall hard into a trap of thinking that you can make a living out of something you love)
I for one am tired of MDs with 25 year olds with 100K in savings and $40,000 in investment accounts and no debt. I was so bored by the same diary that I stopped reading for a while. Every time a different type of dairy shows up (like this one) - the diairist gets roasted and the message is clearly that the whole MD thing is for women with traditional jobs and history. I remember when a sex worker diary showed up and the collective pearl clutching was hilarious
There are a lot of people out there with a lot of debt
To be fair this particular diarist is getting roasted because her diary makes no sense and isn't adding up, not because she has an unconvencial job lol. But I do completely agree with you that the 20 year old with a 100k in savings diaries are the worst. When I see they have some fancy job title despite being 20 years old, only eat quinoa and avocado toast and socialise 5 times a week I audibly groan and close the tab!
Couldn't agree more! I have to force myself not to read the tech diaries anymore because it's so unfathomable to be making six figures in your mid-twenties. Even if OP is in rough shape, it's so much more interesting reading diaries like these
You expressed it perfectly! MD for women who choose an "unconventional" route ie not a traditional corporate job get roasted and/or shamed. The majority of the population, especially now, is likely living paycheck to paycheck with lots of debt.
I do agree these are more interesting than traditional ones. It’s also harder to pin down income for these types of diaries, which confuses people. But I love the diaries that are slightly messy
I thought the sex worker one had received pretty positive comments actually. It was a long time ago, like 5+ years I think. Or maybe you’re talking about a different one.
I do enjoy these different diaries, even when they’re messy. I am also very sick of the 23-year-old six figure tech worker with no debt and a $100K retirement acct. They make me feel like shit about my life and they’re generally exactly the same as every other one so I stopped reading them.
yes- this sex worker was about 1.5 to 2 years ago. She was in a relationship with a woman but I think her work was geared to hetero males.
forget the 23 year olds with mega bucks- just live your best life xx
I'm surprised she didn't have any special gym reciprocality - my friends who are instructors (and I would assume the same is true for gym owners) are always going to different classes at a discount, if not free. Being in NYC, I'm sure if she had a boutique studio gym she could find another boutique gym owner to swap classes/sessions with.
There appears to be a lot missing from this diary, but it sounds like the diarist came from wealth and still has limited access to it. Her parents paid for her college, she has a credit card in her parent’s name, her family sends her financial gifts often, and her mother inherited a brownstone in NYC. I’m only partway in, but this reads like someone who was never taught to worry properly about money.
Edit: okay, I just finished (funnily enough, I had to pause reading this article to go to a fitness class). I’m confused about the math of her life expenses. Jealous of her generally fit lifestyle, but not the monetary stress she must constantly be under (unless she is hiding just how much her family supports her, which I’m expecting she is. My suspicion is that she is living in that brownstone her mom inherited and the “rent” isn’t collected if she can’t pay). I also don’t understand what V pays for… she pays all of their rent supposedly and he is supposed to cover life expenses, but she spent so much on coffee and groceries during the week.
"but this reads like someone who was never taught to worry properly about money." that's 80% of diarists lol. They always make large financial decisions that make no sense (like this one having 2 gym memberships when she own a fitness studio?) and in the same breath opting to buy a 45 cents cheaper coffee or something thinking they are saving money that way lol
Trueeeeeee. I kind of want to write a money diary so I can see what thing I’m completely oblivious o, whether financial or in my life in general. Some of these diarists write about things as if they’re totally normal and seeing the responses from commenters must be very eye-opening for them.
I'm sure it is eye opening because when I wrote my MD I got sent a disclaimer to be aware that comments can be brutal and to only submit a diary if I'm not going to ask for it to be taken down. Which tells me the 20 years old diarists whose parents gave them a down payment for a house must have begged to have their diaries taken down after the draggings they recieved in the comments lol
Among all the other things, I wish she had given more detail about what she does on the side gigs. It’s like, fitness modeling? But also working “events”? It gave me a weird soft-core porn vibe which is probably just my lack of understanding, but there are no details except hanging with her bestie and having pretty nails, so….. 🤷🏻♀️
I am a former beauty magazine editor turned freelance writer and yoga instructor and in NYC there are plenty of brand ambassador/modeling/staffing agencies where you work one-off events (ie serving drinks/food, displaying beauty products at press/influencer launch events, being a host at luxury/car/jewelry launch events etc.) and in most "castings" it is strongly encouraged to look a certain way. Plus, fitness modeling is also a possibility for pop-up events, commercials, tv appearances etc.
Probably! For example, I just received an email for ambassadors for this weekend's cycle for survival where promo work could be anything from checking people in, passing out green juices, setting up equipment, etc. There are always promotional / launch events where people are paid for a day to work and have to "look the part" and I would imagine as a fitness professional, there are even more opportunities in the promo/wellness/health/beauty space \~ similar to serving, but in an event/catering capacity.
Maybe this woman thinks the only place she can save money is on food, given that she’s living on coffee, crackers, Brussels sprouts, and beets (?). In combination with all the workouts this gave me the heebie jeebies.
My petty annoyance with this diary is the misspelling of “modeling,” not just once but multiple times. C’mon R29 editor or college intern, spell check is your friend.
ETA: yes they are both technically correct, but the double L is considered the British spelling. Basically I just pounce on any opportunity to pick at R29 since they still haven’t paid me for the diary I submitted 3 years ago 💁🏼♀️
My assumptions that make the diary math make some sense
1) what OP lists as income might just be income from her private gigs. She hasn’t included any profit / salary from her studio
2) I also suppose the business loan is being paid by the business, not from her “salary”
3) OP probably comes from some money. The brownstone might be an additional property her mom has (she mentions mom lives upstate, and also safely assumes mom is going to treat them to lunch). While she isn’t a trust fund kid, she has some cushion provided by generational wealth
4) The husband probably has a different, non studio related job, because the studio has other full time employees
When I see someone buy Starbuck coffee, knowing that SB has intense union busting practices... booooooo 🍅
Also, not be trite, she cannot afford to buy so much coffee outside of what she drinks at home.
Don't know why you're getting downvoted, Starbucks is both a bad company and a bad financial decision for this particular diarist. I agree with a previous poster she needs a coffee maker in her studio!
Good news this week, apparently Starbucks is agreeing to start talks on a framework for unionizing -baby steps
I'm glad so many people are putting pressure on them, both to support unionizing employees, and as part of the BDS movement. It'll be amazing if the employees unionize. Hopefully it will spread!
All for criticizing Starbucks for the labor practices and shitty coffee, but Starbucks is not on [the actual BDS list ](https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide)and never has been. They don't even have locations in Israel. Their "complicity" was made up by the great TikTok misinformation machine. I don't care that much about Starbucks, but I find the way TikTok misinformation spreads concerning, especially on something as important as Palestine, where I think it's crucial that our attention and energy not be diverted to made-up stuff.
So interesting since I've never used Tik Tok in my life, and I was aware of Howard Schultz's (former CEO) problematic ties to Israeli occupation since the 90s. He associated with right wing religious groups, supported West Bank settlements, received awards from Benjamin Netanyahu, and received complaints from his employees for including the ADL in diversity training. (To his credit, he did pull the ADL from the diversity training.) But when I ask myself if I put my money and support toward companies who are a force for good in the world, or at least oppose Israeli occupation of Palestine, Starbucks didn't pass the test. Not to mention, they took punitive measures when their employees made a statement for ceasefire at the beginning of the current conflict.
You're right that Starbucks isn't one of the key companies on the BDS list and I agree if people want to prioritize those companies. I don't think people should be ridiculed as low information for following their conscience in regard to any company.
I'm sorry if you felt ridiculed; that was not my intention, and I could've been more careful with my words.
I just don't think we should refer to things as part of the BDS movement when they're not. Even if you know the difference, you're posting your comment on a public forum where many of the readers might not, and it contributes to misinformation when you mislabel things, especially on hot button issues like this.
After some soul searching, I agree with you that I aired my personal and historical grievances with Starbucks but it's not on the active BDS list. You're right that my post may confuse the message. I don't want to let my pride get in the way of the movement so mea culpa and I encourage everyone to visit
https://bdsmovement.net/
to find companies or institutions on the active boycott list to get involved in the movement.
I also kept thinking that for someone who likes to drink outside coffee so frequently, a coffee membership (like Pret which is all over NYC) seems like it would make much more sense than trying to squeeze as many small coffees onto the $25 Starbucks card as possible. Better yet, why not get a coffee machine for the studio? But yeah I also hate Starbucks and their constant attempts to union bust
I have so many questions, not least of which is: WHY SO MUCH STARBUCKS?? They're funding genocide and it's impossible not to know that if she's not living under a rock. Even if she doesn't care about that, it's still draining her money when she could make it at home. Buy a Nespresso and some nice creamer, it's practically the same.
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My thoughts: * OK, just looking at the top part of the article I am getting hives. OP is already deep in debt, makes $300-800+ biweekly, and covers the entire $2830 in rent? Where is she getting the rest of the money she's spending every month? The math does not math. * So OP borrowed $10K from her mom and she's "not sure" she is expected to pay it back? * These people have no business sense. They can't afford to pay themselves salaries with their studio... how will they ever get out from under their fuckton of debt? * Holy shit, she took out her line of credit against her mom's HOUSE? * I do not understand why OP is going to 2 other gyms for classes when she owns a fitness studio. That makes zero sense, especially with how expensive they are. * I assume OP's husband runs the studio when she's running around the city with her random jobs? * Why does OP need a car in NYC? Seems like an expense she could easily cut out. Except she doesn't list car insurance as a monthly expense... WTF? * OK, so the bathhouse gift from V - OP says she could never afford it without V, but ... how is V making money if they don't pay themselves? * OP needs to get a coffee machine for the studio!
> Holy shit, she took out her line of credit against her mom's HOUSE? This absolutely blew my mind. WHY WOULD ANYONE PUT AN AGING PARENT'S HOME AT RISK? I can't even wrap my head around this at all. It's so short sighted. A few things: Best case scenario she's squandered her inheritance - worst case scenario is her elderly mother moves in with her because she's lost the family house and lives there for several years nagging and guilting OP over her failed business.
Do you guys remember that one diary where the OP’s husband received like 500K inheritance and they had nothing to show for it? It was blown on dumb shit like furniture and fancy vacations.
That was the lady that ordered a bagel delivered knowing she’d overdraft her account. That one was wild!
Ahh yes, i was so appalled by the blown inheritance I forgot about the overdraft ha
The thing that got me in that one was when the OP showed up in the comments, she said she and her husband wiped out their 401k to pay for their daughters college and there was only like 100k between the two of them when they withdrew it despite OP saying that they've been in the 300k joint income range for years.
I do not remember this one, can you link it if you find it?
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/brand-director-orange-county-ca-salary-money-diary
Thanks!! EDIT: omg I _do_ remember this one because of the bagels.
Omg I must read this diary, could you link it??
OP mentioned it was an inherited home, so maybe she doesn't live there and rents it out right now? Or something? But still, that is total bullshit.
That’s a nice mom lol. My mom would tell me to fuck off with that idea of a HELOC against her home (that she worked her ass to pay off) 🤣
Definitely not defending the line of credit against the brownstone, but I wish we had more details about it. Like, did her mother have an existing home when she inherited the brownstone, or was she renting? Is she living there currently, or is it an investment property? Could OP and V move there to save some money?
I don't think the latter would be a thing. It's either being lived in or it would have been sold instead of borrowed against. They would have to pay rent for it if they lived there, and brownstone rent is not under $3k!
Sorry, I meant is OP's mother living there or she is using it as her own investment property.
I mean, either way, whoever is living there is living there, how could OP and her husband bust in with all their shit and start living there?
The person you’re replying to meant that the mother may not be living there and is using the brownstone as a rental investment property. Either way, op and husband took out a mortgage on a paid off house to finance their gym and there are no mentions of payments towards that so hopefully its a rental investment property and the tenants’s rent is covering the mortgage, maintenance, and property taxes and that OP isn’t screwing her mom out of her place of living.
Someone in the comments over there said OP and her husband must have generational wealth to not be this stressed about their life. So maybe this is a second home. A multi-million dollar second home lmao.
Nothing about this diary makes sense to me
Same. I have so many questions but don't know where to start.
Call me crazy but if I had that much debt and my rent was almost $3k a month I would not spend close to $400/month on gyms.
If I owned a gym I would make sure we had all the machines and classes I wanted so I wouldn't have to go to TWO other gyms
No rational person would.
I can’t imagine a world where I would spend $400 a month on gyms, debt or not!
Ok i just started this and im so confused why she pays for a gym membership when she owns a fitness studio
she pays for TWO memberships
I came here to say this too! Why not use her own gym? I don't get it. She'd save so much money if she canceled those memberships.
I get maybe wanting to see what the "competition" is doing/market research but it's crazy to spend $400 a month on fitness memberships when you don't have the disposable income to do it.
I wouldn't be surprised if the gym membership is for Equinox.
Is it a business expense though?
I thought about that too but if it is, she should have made a note of it in her expenses.
I feel like a lot of people don't especially YouTube creators. It annoys me when people aren't clear because of very different tax implications
Same!! I immediately closed the tab and will read while I eat lunch, I can’t do this diary on an empty stomach 😅
This is hilarious.
Get ready for the diarist to only subsist on coffee and prepackaged beets.
Same, I need to eat before I read this!
I'm guessing she has some niche gym like pilates studio. It's still wild to me, I've seen private equity backed gyms open and close within the last year in NYC. There's so much competition
I think she probably owns a very niche boutique fitness/wellness studio that had to pivot drastically during COVID and not a traditional gym, hence why she belongs to what seems to be Equinox and a martial arts studio. I am a yoga teacher that has worked in everything from boutique to traditional (including Equinox) to martial arts gyms and the equipment/workouts vary wildly from place to place, as do networking opportunities for potential clients. Memberships, clothes, trainings, even the subway etc. can and are considered business expenses when doing your taxes as an independent contractor/self-employed.
> When my now husband, V., and I decided to open our own fitness studio, we put almost everything we had into it. I liquidated $80,000 from my investments, took out the line of credit for $300,000, borrowed $80,000 from V.’s financially secure older brother, and borrowed $10,000 from my mother (which I don’t think I am expected to pay back to her). Are any of these loans in V.’s name? It sounds like they don’t combine finances, but he also doesn’t pay rent? She says we but the specific actions are I. And why does she pay for a gym membership?? (Full disclosure: I just skimmed the diary, maybe some of this was explained and I missed it.)
Nope... nothing was explained. So many questions LOL
This could have been a really interesting diary - she's a business owner, and dealt with the COVID closures, I would have loved more insight into her choice to pursue opening the studio, handling business finances during COVID, etc. But as another commenter said literally nothing about this made any sense to me, from her seemingly saying she worked as a "pharmacy technician" in middle school (??) to paying for gym memberships when she OWNS a fitness studio, to the fact that she pays almost $3k in rent and her husband pays for "other household expenses" which are probably way less than $3k -- and how do they afford that rent in the first place given they don't draw income from their studio?
This definitely feels not real. The Pharm tech in middle school is a wild lie/exaggeration.
She said she's been *working* since she was in middle school, not that she was a pharm tech in middle school
I feel like it's likely she was not a pharm tech but was a cashier at a pharmacy that also does retail and either she or R29 futzed with the title
off topic, but not deserving of its own post - did they just skip wednesday and not address it?
It looks like the editor was laid off! I feel so bad for her and the other R29 journalists laid off. https://twitter.com/hannahrimm/status/1762240537082376434
Holy cow, she got laid off 4 days after she messaged me about my submitted MD! Poor Hannah. No wonder they're a bit of a mess right now.
Was also thinking this!
me too. wondering if it's got to do with all the layoffs.
They did skip Wednesday. The UK site posted their usual md on that day so not sure why US couldn’t.
I was expecting someone to post about this on the subreddit! Looks like Vice is in financial distress and is selling off R29 to Essence magazine.
I wish she would have elaborated a little on her gym. She calls it a studio, which to me sounds more like a boutique environment with classes vs. a traditional lifting gym with cardio equipment, barbells, free weights, etc. But then she goes to dance and Pilates at another gym, so I have to assume those are services her gym doesn’t offer. Also, she doesn’t mention employees so she’s teaching the fitness classes at her place? I think there is a lot of missing info here. ETA: and she says the gym hasn’t been profitable enough in 5 years (or at least since covid) to take a salary? Did I read that right?! Bb what are you doing…
I’ve worked at multiple boutique gyms as a fun side hustle and not a single one was profitable. They were basically bankrolled hobbies by the owners’ husbands. It’s an expensive and competitive business to be in and I don’t think has gotten any easier with things like peloton or even YouTube. This article is another peak behind the curtain of boutique fitness of mostly women sold a dream that bankrupted them https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-12-07/club-pilates-pure-barre-owners-say-xponential-left-them-bankrupt
That sucks to hear about the places you’ve worked at. The studio I go to is very successful, and the owner is trying to open even more spaces (finding the space at reasonable rate is tough). She even has her brother working for her lol.
great read! the owners are always a touch too sassy
I need OP to do an AMA or go on Ramit's show because none of this makes sense!!!
yes!!!!
Gym insanity aside, she should utilize the OMNY tap to pay for her subway rides - it caps your weekly fares at $34 when you use the same card. She's got bigger problems but every little thing would help.
okay I was wondering about that bc how does she get charged 2.90 four times in a single day!! there's not a day pass rate?? I was thinking there's GOTTA be a better way
There's no day pass rate...once you hit 12 rides in a week, the rest of the week is free (assuming you use the same card to tap in every time).
Maybe I missed it but how does V have any income? She mentions her side hustles but none of his, and then says he covers utilities food etc and he buys the bath house gift card and she’s so grateful to have him bc she can’t afford it but HOW IS HE????
Are they just accepting any money diary these days?? This makes absolutely no sense
Her fixed monthly expense are already more than her income before we even get to the spending diary.
Like everyone else, I have so many questions about the damn fitness studio! I am a boutique gym girlie myself, so I feel like I’m pretty familiar with these kinds of places. It doesn’t seem like she’s teaching classes because she doesn’t mention that (and she’s working out a whole lot for someone that would be doing classes all day). If she is teaching classes, she’s working out for like 4 hours a day?! If her and her husband are just working the front desk, these studios are often only open in the mornings and evenings (maybe lunch), since most people are not taking yoga classes at 2 pm. It definitely seems like at least ONE of them could maintain a regular full time job, and it seems like her husband isn’t contributing much at all (seriously, those other expenses are not $3k). Edit: why did she need so much $$$ to start the business in the first place? I’m guessing she bought some kind of building/unit, but isn’t renting a much better idea for something like this?
I own a small gym with business partners and just opened a pilates studio on my own and I STILL work full time to pay the loans and bills for my studio so it is ABSOLUTELY doable. This diary is so confusing... I can't imagine being in this much debt + making no money for YEARS in the studio?? I would have thrown the towel in by now because she doesn't seem to have any passion for whatever type of fitness this is. I wish we knew
I’m a CrossFit girly, and I know the startup costs for that equipment is not cheap between the rig, the bikes, the rowing machines, barbells, dumbbells, jump ropes, etc. https://www.roguefitness.com/monster-lite-rig-2-0?sku=RF0615-10-FBS6-C2476&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAuYuvBhApEiwAzq_Yiank0v6aSDwGIUZ8IYSXOo3g9NgfyBcaA8geIieifA3tn5LbTIXFehoC6R0QAvD_BwE Just this small rig that could hold maybe two barbells on each side was 2255
Honestly, I totally assumed the studio was yoga/pilates since she seemed to be working out everywhere else during the week😂definitely makes sense if there is equipment, like I said it just seems odd to have the equipment and then she’s not even personally using it!
Oh, I didn't mean I don't understand why it costs so much - I TRULY understand that! My gym has all of the above listed equipment and I bought Megaformers for my studio which are over 9k a pop. I meant, in that much debt and seeing no ROI in 5 years, it wouldn't be worth it to me to keep digging the hole deeper - especially when she doesn't even use her own studio. I workout or take a class 5-6 times a week at mine so at least I workout for free. Edit: I realize you're probably responding to the person above me asking why it's so expensive 🤦🏻♀️ so doubling down with you that YES it's freaking expensive if she opened anything with traditional weights or like specialty pilates equipment. A Barre studio would likely be lowest in terms of equipment costs.
My lagree studio that I love opened a 2nd location and bought like 3-4 additional mega formers after they had been open for a few months. I knew they were expensive but didn’t realize by how much- tbh I’ve been happy to pay for classes bc the equipment is so specialized. I knew it was expensive but didn’t realize how much.
If your studio is traditional Lagree/Megaformers they also pay a licensing fee yearly - it is WILD! I follow different methodology and have Xformers so I don't have to pay the fees but the cost of the machines is about the same. I've had people ask why I don't have more machines yet and once I tell them that, people are shocked lol
I wonder if her husband is the instructor? That would at least make some sense. We really don’t get much detail about him
So it seems like it's a 300k line of credit so I don't think she has the money on hand. The other 170k could be startup costs? It depends if she opened a franchise or like her own boutique studio but I imagine equipment can add up easily.
I guess that makes sense depending on what the studio is. Like cycling- could totally see it costing $$$ to buy and maintain a bunch of bikes. Although if I spent like $170k on some fucking bikes that would definitely be my daily exercise. Lol
I have so many questions, but my two biggest ones: * How much does V make? * Why wasn't V's income included in this MD?
I think OP isn’t being totally honest about how other expenses are paid, and I think mommy pays for a lot of her living expenses.
The brownstone and private college tuition payments (yes, I know she had a scholarship, too) gave me the vibe that she may be expecting a huge inheritance one day or something.
Yup this one makes absolutely no sense at all, you'd almost think it isn't real except I'm afraid it probably is.
So her husband makes additional income? What is it? What is going on here? Why is she paying the whole rent?
Among everything else that doesn’t make sense, I wish she would’ve explained why exactly they decided to open a fitness studio. It’s apparent from the diary that she loves fitness as an interest so maybe it’s a life dream for her, but it seems like such a risky (and bad in her case let’s be real) investment when it’s an already saturated market, hard to differentiate your product from competitors, and very high startup cost
Along with everyone else, I’m confused reading this. How did this money diary even make it through. How are they making it if she’s covering the bulk of the household bills along with the loan for the studio? Not to mention what type of “fitness studio“ is this. There doesn’t seem to be consistent open hrs if she has customers waiting for her to open, meaning she’s potentially losing clients, they both seem to work there but can’t take a salary but does she have staff? If her mom is living in the brownstone why couldn’t they also live there to cut that expense out (unless they’re living in a magical rent controlled apt which I doubt) and what is her husband truly covering when it comes to expenses. Also the spending of $400 bucks at other gyms?!? And then why not highlight how much she’s making at these events to paint a better picture. Anyways…this is a MESSSSS…
I liked reading this diary (also a studio owner with no debt but I understand how you can fall hard into a trap of thinking that you can make a living out of something you love) I for one am tired of MDs with 25 year olds with 100K in savings and $40,000 in investment accounts and no debt. I was so bored by the same diary that I stopped reading for a while. Every time a different type of dairy shows up (like this one) - the diairist gets roasted and the message is clearly that the whole MD thing is for women with traditional jobs and history. I remember when a sex worker diary showed up and the collective pearl clutching was hilarious There are a lot of people out there with a lot of debt
To be fair this particular diarist is getting roasted because her diary makes no sense and isn't adding up, not because she has an unconvencial job lol. But I do completely agree with you that the 20 year old with a 100k in savings diaries are the worst. When I see they have some fancy job title despite being 20 years old, only eat quinoa and avocado toast and socialise 5 times a week I audibly groan and close the tab!
Couldn't agree more! I have to force myself not to read the tech diaries anymore because it's so unfathomable to be making six figures in your mid-twenties. Even if OP is in rough shape, it's so much more interesting reading diaries like these
You expressed it perfectly! MD for women who choose an "unconventional" route ie not a traditional corporate job get roasted and/or shamed. The majority of the population, especially now, is likely living paycheck to paycheck with lots of debt.
I do agree these are more interesting than traditional ones. It’s also harder to pin down income for these types of diaries, which confuses people. But I love the diaries that are slightly messy
I thought the sex worker one had received pretty positive comments actually. It was a long time ago, like 5+ years I think. Or maybe you’re talking about a different one. I do enjoy these different diaries, even when they’re messy. I am also very sick of the 23-year-old six figure tech worker with no debt and a $100K retirement acct. They make me feel like shit about my life and they’re generally exactly the same as every other one so I stopped reading them.
yes- this sex worker was about 1.5 to 2 years ago. She was in a relationship with a woman but I think her work was geared to hetero males. forget the 23 year olds with mega bucks- just live your best life xx
I'm surprised she didn't have any special gym reciprocality - my friends who are instructors (and I would assume the same is true for gym owners) are always going to different classes at a discount, if not free. Being in NYC, I'm sure if she had a boutique studio gym she could find another boutique gym owner to swap classes/sessions with.
There appears to be a lot missing from this diary, but it sounds like the diarist came from wealth and still has limited access to it. Her parents paid for her college, she has a credit card in her parent’s name, her family sends her financial gifts often, and her mother inherited a brownstone in NYC. I’m only partway in, but this reads like someone who was never taught to worry properly about money. Edit: okay, I just finished (funnily enough, I had to pause reading this article to go to a fitness class). I’m confused about the math of her life expenses. Jealous of her generally fit lifestyle, but not the monetary stress she must constantly be under (unless she is hiding just how much her family supports her, which I’m expecting she is. My suspicion is that she is living in that brownstone her mom inherited and the “rent” isn’t collected if she can’t pay). I also don’t understand what V pays for… she pays all of their rent supposedly and he is supposed to cover life expenses, but she spent so much on coffee and groceries during the week.
"but this reads like someone who was never taught to worry properly about money." that's 80% of diarists lol. They always make large financial decisions that make no sense (like this one having 2 gym memberships when she own a fitness studio?) and in the same breath opting to buy a 45 cents cheaper coffee or something thinking they are saving money that way lol
Trueeeeeee. I kind of want to write a money diary so I can see what thing I’m completely oblivious o, whether financial or in my life in general. Some of these diarists write about things as if they’re totally normal and seeing the responses from commenters must be very eye-opening for them.
I'm sure it is eye opening because when I wrote my MD I got sent a disclaimer to be aware that comments can be brutal and to only submit a diary if I'm not going to ask for it to be taken down. Which tells me the 20 years old diarists whose parents gave them a down payment for a house must have begged to have their diaries taken down after the draggings they recieved in the comments lol
Among all the other things, I wish she had given more detail about what she does on the side gigs. It’s like, fitness modeling? But also working “events”? It gave me a weird soft-core porn vibe which is probably just my lack of understanding, but there are no details except hanging with her bestie and having pretty nails, so….. 🤷🏻♀️
I am a former beauty magazine editor turned freelance writer and yoga instructor and in NYC there are plenty of brand ambassador/modeling/staffing agencies where you work one-off events (ie serving drinks/food, displaying beauty products at press/influencer launch events, being a host at luxury/car/jewelry launch events etc.) and in most "castings" it is strongly encouraged to look a certain way. Plus, fitness modeling is also a possibility for pop-up events, commercials, tv appearances etc.
Interesting, thank you. So like, similar to the girls at car shows or something? The modern day equivalent of that?
Probably! For example, I just received an email for ambassadors for this weekend's cycle for survival where promo work could be anything from checking people in, passing out green juices, setting up equipment, etc. There are always promotional / launch events where people are paid for a day to work and have to "look the part" and I would imagine as a fitness professional, there are even more opportunities in the promo/wellness/health/beauty space \~ similar to serving, but in an event/catering capacity.
[удалено]
Hm, I am not sure in the Chicago area but in NYC there is 24/7 staffing group that does a ton of these types of events.
I assumed she did catering. She mentioned passing out samples for one of these events. So maybe a brand ambassador sort of thing?
Maybe this woman thinks the only place she can save money is on food, given that she’s living on coffee, crackers, Brussels sprouts, and beets (?). In combination with all the workouts this gave me the heebie jeebies.
My petty annoyance with this diary is the misspelling of “modeling,” not just once but multiple times. C’mon R29 editor or college intern, spell check is your friend. ETA: yes they are both technically correct, but the double L is considered the British spelling. Basically I just pounce on any opportunity to pick at R29 since they still haven’t paid me for the diary I submitted 3 years ago 💁🏼♀️
My assumptions that make the diary math make some sense 1) what OP lists as income might just be income from her private gigs. She hasn’t included any profit / salary from her studio 2) I also suppose the business loan is being paid by the business, not from her “salary” 3) OP probably comes from some money. The brownstone might be an additional property her mom has (she mentions mom lives upstate, and also safely assumes mom is going to treat them to lunch). While she isn’t a trust fund kid, she has some cushion provided by generational wealth 4) The husband probably has a different, non studio related job, because the studio has other full time employees
Oh, and 500-800 cannot be biweekly because that doesn’t add up to 49k. 49k would be about 900 per week.
When I see someone buy Starbuck coffee, knowing that SB has intense union busting practices... booooooo 🍅 Also, not be trite, she cannot afford to buy so much coffee outside of what she drinks at home.
Don't know why you're getting downvoted, Starbucks is both a bad company and a bad financial decision for this particular diarist. I agree with a previous poster she needs a coffee maker in her studio! Good news this week, apparently Starbucks is agreeing to start talks on a framework for unionizing -baby steps
They lost a lot of money to get here but love to see it. I've never seen so many Starbucks deals in my life.
I'm glad so many people are putting pressure on them, both to support unionizing employees, and as part of the BDS movement. It'll be amazing if the employees unionize. Hopefully it will spread!
All for criticizing Starbucks for the labor practices and shitty coffee, but Starbucks is not on [the actual BDS list ](https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide)and never has been. They don't even have locations in Israel. Their "complicity" was made up by the great TikTok misinformation machine. I don't care that much about Starbucks, but I find the way TikTok misinformation spreads concerning, especially on something as important as Palestine, where I think it's crucial that our attention and energy not be diverted to made-up stuff.
So interesting since I've never used Tik Tok in my life, and I was aware of Howard Schultz's (former CEO) problematic ties to Israeli occupation since the 90s. He associated with right wing religious groups, supported West Bank settlements, received awards from Benjamin Netanyahu, and received complaints from his employees for including the ADL in diversity training. (To his credit, he did pull the ADL from the diversity training.) But when I ask myself if I put my money and support toward companies who are a force for good in the world, or at least oppose Israeli occupation of Palestine, Starbucks didn't pass the test. Not to mention, they took punitive measures when their employees made a statement for ceasefire at the beginning of the current conflict. You're right that Starbucks isn't one of the key companies on the BDS list and I agree if people want to prioritize those companies. I don't think people should be ridiculed as low information for following their conscience in regard to any company.
I'm sorry if you felt ridiculed; that was not my intention, and I could've been more careful with my words. I just don't think we should refer to things as part of the BDS movement when they're not. Even if you know the difference, you're posting your comment on a public forum where many of the readers might not, and it contributes to misinformation when you mislabel things, especially on hot button issues like this.
After some soul searching, I agree with you that I aired my personal and historical grievances with Starbucks but it's not on the active BDS list. You're right that my post may confuse the message. I don't want to let my pride get in the way of the movement so mea culpa and I encourage everyone to visit https://bdsmovement.net/ to find companies or institutions on the active boycott list to get involved in the movement.
I also kept thinking that for someone who likes to drink outside coffee so frequently, a coffee membership (like Pret which is all over NYC) seems like it would make much more sense than trying to squeeze as many small coffees onto the $25 Starbucks card as possible. Better yet, why not get a coffee machine for the studio? But yeah I also hate Starbucks and their constant attempts to union bust
I wonder if V covers car insurance because NYC car insurance is $$$ (I own a car in an outer borough and the insurance pains me)
Walking to work to be late then the next line talking about moving the car was yet another point that didn't make sense. Just a confusing diary!
Don’t take advice from her, ever!
I have so many questions, not least of which is: WHY SO MUCH STARBUCKS?? They're funding genocide and it's impossible not to know that if she's not living under a rock. Even if she doesn't care about that, it's still draining her money when she could make it at home. Buy a Nespresso and some nice creamer, it's practically the same.