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Earlier this year, an interview with Lissette Calveiro from New York revealed how she sank herself into USD$10,000 debt from trying to live an Instagram-worthy life.
$10,000 is not a small sum, especially not for something you would think so harmless as social media. Is that even possible?!
You just have to post photos of your newest haircut, or the HaiDiLao feast that you’re having….but as we found out, there’s way more to it than that.
TL;DR: How much does it cost to lead an instagrammable life?
Our community responded:
“300ish to thousands depending on the content you are curating for your social media platforms…Not counting the number of hours to write an article, edit pictures and videos.”
“It costs real relationships, the feeling of never eating hot food, and missing out on actual conversations.”
We took to Instagram to analyse the latest and hottest trends being posted by people aged 21-30 who exhibit characteristics of leading an instagrammable life and here are our findings.
Image credit: Common Man Brunch
($104 for all food and coffee pictured)
- If something is too mainstream, people would pay a little higher to try new places. E.g Starbucks VS Common Man Coffee Roasters
- A whole series looks better than a stand-alone. E.g Getting the whole range of Urban Decay products (not sponsored!) so it makes for a great flatlay
- Lots of items are actually purchased just for props, and they cost quite a bit. E.g Flower bouquets and arrangements to glam up the photo
- Wear outfits only once and never again so outfit photos are not repeated
| Category | Item | Type | Price (avg.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | Bali | Budget | $280 |
| Japan | Mid-range | $750 | |
| Europe | Luxurious | $1,800 | |
| Food | Steamboat | HaiDiLao Hotpot | $50 |
| KBBQ | I'M KIM BBQ | $30 | |
| Acai | Project Açaí | $14 | |
| Coffee | Dutch Colony Coffee | $6 | |
| Cafe dessert | Lady M | $20 | |
| Lifestyle/Health | Yoga | GuavaPass | $170 |
| Partying | Entrance Fee + Drinks | $60 | |
| Cab fare | To and fro locations | $45 | |
| Flowers/Bouquets | The Bloom Room | $93 | |
| Concert tix | JJ Lin Concert | $288 | |
| Branded items | Luggages | IUIGA | $85 |
| Shoes | Fila Disruptors | $268 | |
| Handbags | Chanel Boy Cavier | $8,000 | |
| Drones | DJI Mavic Pro | $1,100 | |
| Mobile Devices (the latest release) | Samsung Galaxy S9 | $1,200 | |
| Fashion | Monthly shopping | $300 | |
| Make up products/ palettes | NAKED Palette | $83 | |
| Accessories | Earrings, necklaces etc. | $50 | |
| Perfume | Bvlgari Men | $160 | |
| Watches | Michael Kors Smart Watch | $599 | |
| Photography | Decent cameras + lens | Sony RX100 | $1,500 |
| Lighting | Ring Light | $318 | |
| Filters for editing pictures | Lightroom presets | $35 | |
| Video editing software | Premiere Pro subscription | $26 | |
| Domain | Paying to bump posts | FB ad campaigns | $100 |
| Website hosting | Wix, squarespace, wordpress | $85 | |
| Nice cutlery | For flat lay / aesthetic photos | $50 | |
| Entrance fee to GBTB for photos | Seasonal | $20 | |
| TOTAL | $17,585 |
“Costs” that can’t be determined by monetary value:
- Instagram boyfriend
- Reputation (for requesting for sponsorships)
- Hours spent editing/curating the photos and videos
- Never eating hot food
- Loss of actual conversations
- Strained relationships
- Strangers coming over to take photos of my table of food
- Borrowing luxury items
Some of the above-listed items recur throughout the week/month, and it all adds up.
Imagine the amount you could possibly SAVE AND INVEST if they weren’t spent on living it up on social media?
Would you dedicate a big proportion of your money just to curate a covetable life online?
Let us know your thoughts!
