So for what I have gathered for monthly supp spending.
Surge Workout Fuel x2 = 90$
Flameout = 30$
Superfood x2 = 70$
Surge Recovery x3 = 100$
Metabolic Drive x4 = 120$
L-Leucine x2 = 45$
Total = 395$
Things like Surge Recovery and Metabolic Drive I only need too buy every couple months.
so yes when put into perspective it isn’t that hard to blow 400$ a month on supps.
[quote]chrisb71 wrote:
Buy the Millionaire Next Door or go to Fool.com and learn about the Power of Compounding Interest.
[/quote]
OMG that was over the top, I can’t stop laughing on that one.
Seriously though, if you’re getting your 4 squares a day, you’re covered with that and for the most part, it’s not too bad nutrition wise. Can it be better? Yup. But it’s a better than average start. If you can tap into the organic market for beef/chicken/turkey, that would rock (find a local butcher shop as they bring in the best quality).
Personally, I’d spend no more than $75 a month of quality supps. Get some Surge, Flameout, ZMA and that’s about it. I think $75 would get you about 2-3 months supply.
If you’re a young guy and can afford it (I think you can based on the $400 a month initial comment), I’d try to score some pharma-quality gear, that should put you around $150 a month tops.
Put another $150 a month (or more) in investments (with the “economy” in the toilet, now’s a great time to buy).
This leaves you with an extra $100 in your pocket to hire some women for “services rendered”.
You’ll be stacked, jacked, and relaxed.
I just want to say pistol pete has an amazing avatar…and buy Alpha Male. seriously
[quote]sundevil65 wrote:
I just want to say pistol pete has an amazing avatar…and buy Alpha Male. seriously[/quote]
Thread hi-jack! But I agree, but my money’s on sevenmoist
Each time I see it I could wash my car with the amount of saliva drooled.
[quote]sundevil65 wrote:
I just want to say pistol pete has an amazing avatar…and buy Alpha Male. seriously[/quote]
way to hijack the thread, and im 18… all think about is sex, working out, eating, and sleeping In that order I think my test levels are just fine.
[quote]Smallfry69 wrote:
chrisb71 wrote:
Buy the Millionaire Next Door or go to Fool.com and learn about the Power of Compounding Interest.
OMG that was over the top, I can’t stop laughing on that one.
[/quote]
The power of compounding interest compels you!
Seriously I never saved money till I was 27. That was ridiculously stupid of me. But that book (Millionaire Next Door) changed my life, I always recommend it (the first not the 2nd book). I thought saving just 10% was enough. I had my sister max out her 401k when she was in her early 20s and now she’s got a lot of dough (even with the downturn), so she is ahead of me when I was her age, even though I had a much higher paying job.
Eat your meals at chow hall. You’ll still need something before bed time. That’s 2 scoops of Low-Carb Metabolic Drive a day. For 30 days = 60 scoops.
That’s two cans, right? Isn’t that $60 or so?
How often do you train? You’ll need something post-workout. So one can of Surge a month. $30.
Fish oil. A bottle of Flameout lasts just under a month. That’s, what, $40?
One serving of Superfood means the can lasts a month. That’s $40 or so.
Rez-V is, what… $50 a month?
At your age you don’t need Alpha Male or any other “exoctic” supps.
Still, even just the staples add up.
Get a Roth IRA. Since you’re service, you can use USAA. Do all of your banking through USAA. I did that stuff at your age, and it served me well.
I also spent $250 a month on supplements. While a college student. I was self-supporting. It’s one reason I had a sky-high GPA while still being able to work 20+ hours a week in addition to do Army Reserve stuff.
High quality foods, organic, many superfoods, best whey protein, best multi vitamin, best joint care supps.
Thats for my needs
That $1650 is before SGLI, taxes, social security, and several other nickel and dime deductions from your paycheck. According to the pay chart, I make $2335 as an E-5 but I only see about $1950 out of it. Keep that in mind.
The poster already said he has savings taken care of. Why not add another 200 to that a month.
Even $200 is a lot for supps but half as ridiculous as 400.
[quote]Spencerulz wrote:
sundevil65 wrote:
I just want to say pistol pete has an amazing avatar…and buy Alpha Male. seriously
way to hijack the thread, and im 18… all think about is sex, working out, eating, and sleeping In that order I think my test levels are just fine. [/quote]
God this explains so much.
You are 18 years old, you don’t know shit about priorities.
Before even the money thing, at that age, you can eat a fucking pickle and squat a single rep and grow a pound of muscle. What in God’s name compels you to get L-Leucine, Superfood and Surge Workout Fuel when you have 150 lbs of lean mass on you? It’s like a burning definition of “overkill” and “unnecessary.”
$1600 is not a lot of money, especially when you cut out state, federal, medicare and social sec taxes. I made more on internships at 18 and I felt strapped (probably because I was paying for college). I stand by my point – no man, ever, under any circumstance, unless bodybuilding is his job (in which case he’s probably getting his supplements for free via sponsorship), should EVER put a quarter of his paycheck into supplements. If the only other things you think about are sex and eating, use that money to take a girl on a date or God forbid save some of it.
Given that, “budgeting” is a huge one you should add to your limited list of “all I think abouts”.
Seriously, stop refuting the advice we’re giving you…shut up and listen, you’ll thank us later when you have an extra $3600 at the end of the year you didn’t waste on swoling you up from 183 to a massive 188.
$400 extra in disposable income for supplements would be re-directed into purchasing better quality food, or if that’s taken care of, a round-trip ticket to see some friends.
Most supplements are a waste of money in terms of cost and effect.
All you really need is food and protein powder. Besides that, you’re getting cought up in the supplement marketing.
I was going to reply earlier, but knew the onslaught of those telling you how to spend your money would pop up.
I would stick with the basics
Creatine
ZMA
Metabolic Drive
Cheap Whey protein
Surge
Flameout
Superfood
won’t come to $400/month, but will not be cheap either.
People easily throw money away on stupid shit, let the guy do what he wants with his money, but good advice has been given.
get $1,000 in the bank,Make sure you have no debt, get 3-6 mo’s emergency fund in place, save 10% of your income.
More of the same from me:
Fish or Flax oil, better quality food/Groceries, Good quality Multi, Good quality Whey Protein, and maybe some Creatine. (Not listed in any specific order).
Why can’t people just answer the poor kid’s question. He’s 18 w/ extra cash, let him spend it however he wants. I bet there are some on this board that blow $400 a month at bars/nightclubs; spending it on supps is at worst equally wasteful.
I’d say go for ZMA, protein powder, Superfood, Flameout, Surge Workout Fuel and Surge Recovery, Metabolic Drive bars (for when u cant mix powder), Rez-V, and Spike. Also I’d get some melatonin for nights when u have trouble sleeping. Any leftover I’d put into a “getting laid fund.” Lets face it you can buy sex from chicks with expensive dates/presents- and nothing is better for lifting than sex.
and people wonder why the average savings rate in the U.S. is below zero…wow
[quote]dexslave wrote:
Why can’t people just answer the poor kid’s question. He’s 18 w/ extra cash[/quote]
Because he doesn’t have “extra cash.” the kid makes less than $20,000 before taxes. Would you ever tell someone with that kind of liquidity in funds (or severe lack thereof) to blow $400/mo on supplements? Would you allow your 18 year old son to blow a quarter of his paycheck on bullshit supplements? I wouldn’t tell anyone to blow $400/mo on ANYTHING unless it was the essentials (at that level).
Dude you are not his mom. This is a body-building site, not a personal finance site.