Time/money saving tips and ROI hacks
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Hey all,
So we all know that the whole EN philosophy involves getting the biggest bang for your buck, and I'm curious about all the ways that everyone makes the most out of their time and money in their training (or life in general). I'm talking about all those little habits and things that we do that make life a lot easier. Here are some of mine:
- I work on a college campus, and my office building happens to be right next to the gym (with a pool and track). I keep my swim stuff and a pair of running shoes in my office, so getting a workout done after work is easy.
- I have a drawer in my office desk filled with food. That is, energy bars, nuts, raisins, apples, etc. (healthy-ish stuff for pre-workout nutrition). I get most of my training done after work, so that way I'm never unmotivated to train because I'm running on an empty tank.
- Cooking only happens once a week. I spend an hour or two on weekends making a week's worth of food, put it all in tupperware, and microwave it one meal at a time throughout the week. Cooking tends to have really high admin time in terms of actual cooking, prep and cleaning, so I try to minimize that by cooking as little as possible. I guess it also helps that I have a really simple diet (still healthy though
), so I don't have to get all fancy when I cook for myself. - Netflix + computer = endless entertainment on the trainer for $8 a month
- I purchased both my road and tri bikes during end of year sales at my local bike shop (when they're clearing out all their previous year's stock), and ended up getting 40-50% off the retail price for a new bike.
- Discounts are great, but sometimes you can save even more money on something just by doing some extra work searching on the internet. For example, I've gotten some pretty sweet deals on stuff by ordering from small, random bike shops (Google Shopping is a good place to start).
- New running shoes are expensive, so I tend to buy older models. For example, I love the Asics GT-21xx series, but instead of dropping $100 on a pair of 2160s, I can usually find a pair of brand new 2140s or 2150s online for almost half that cost (and I find they feel just as good as the newer make).
Okay, now share your tips!
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- I often find myself doing the trainer rides while watching educational/training videos, and while outlining (using a tape recorder) the training classes that I am responsible for teaching (I am a regional trainer on my firm's planning philosophy and techniques).
- I rarely listen to music on the run - again, it is some kind of 'growth-oriented' material. I love listening to sermons by Andy Stanley (podcasts).
- Netflix - agreed. I prefer to rent and watch seasons of shows as they help me stay on the trainer longer and give me little sections to focus on for the zone three time (stay on for one more episode, or ride z3 to the next *what would have been) commercial break, etc.)
- I buy most of my gear through EN and through my local club - cheaper than most of the other stuff out there, and I really like it (esp the EN stuff). I utilize about 4 different pairs of running shoes to make them last longer - and my most recent pair were purchased mack in May, and I still have a lot of life left in them. Multiple shoes makes each pair last a lot longer.
Side note - it sounds like the new iPhone voice recognition software might make work doable (between z4 intervals of course) while on the trainer - I am tempted to upgrade and check that out!
You seem to have a lot of efficiency in your life - I like it!
-Ultegra, tops. Sorry, but you don't need DA on a tri bike.
-ditto a new model year bike. The 'car model year' model for tribikes is bogus, and if you replace a 2009 p3c with a 2011 p3c, you have too much money.
-the myth of buying the "best bike you can afford." Fit first. There are a lot of dudes / dudettes riding bikes that were designed to be ridden very agressively, riding in very iffy positions.
-long rides = supplement clif bars / gatorade base with banannas, and pit-stop cokes & snickers.
-learn basic wrenching. (I need to do this.)
-clean your chain.
-Trisports anniversary sale is something like mid-April (I have it come up as a reminder on Outlook)
-wiggle.co.uk / probikekit.co.uk. I make a chain, cassette, tires & tube order at the end of OS/beginning of in-season, and I'm good.
-EBay: dealers, LBS's and sponsored athletes seem to get Craft product samples around January or February, and a lot of of them then sell the 'new with tags' stuff. I will normally break the bank for good bike shorts, so it's even sweeter when I pay pennies on the MSRP dollar.
-if someone can point out the difference between a $200 wetsuit and a $700 wetsuit, I'm listening. Until then, basic model.
-Walmart compression wear.
-patch your tubes.
-Foot Locker has a perpetual "buy one, get the second half off" on 21XX's. Except at the beginning of spring and christmas.
-PT wheel with wheel cover.
Personally, my biggest time saver is to prep the coffee pot the night before and have it kick on 5 or 10min before I get up. Having that ready first thing is HUGE.
While I don't have the $700 version, I can say that the difference between my $200 wetsuit and my $400 wetsuit is that my shoulders don't get tired after 10 swim strokes in the $400 suit........Just sayin'
Great stuff guys, keep it coming!
A few random things that I just remembered:
-Buy decent stuff on the best sale you can find. The cheap stuff never seems to last (see the bike shorts I bought on clearance at Sports Authority!). I realized yesterday that the pair of Pearl Izumi Attack bike shorts I bought 6 years ago are still going strong.
-corollary to the above: nobody needs cycling kit more expensive that the Pearl Izumi stuff.
-Self-wrenching has easily saved me $1000 in the last year alone. I received a kick-ass Park Tool set (MSRP ~$300) as a gift, and even if I'd bought it, it would have paid for itself very quickly. That plus the Park Tool book on bike repair is enough for most folks to figure out what's what
-Training nutrition = Fig Newtons, 2 before the workout, then water with most workouts (occasionally gatorade if long and hard). 1 package lasts 2 weeks of training. Hard to buy sports nutrition for $3.00 to last through 10 sessions
-Treadmills typically go on big sales around October, as the previous year's inventory (and sometimes entire brands) are exchanged out at some of the big box stores (Dicks, etc). Go to treadmilldoctor.com, do your research, and then sit and wait for the big deal. I bought a $1200 unit for under $700. That said, if you're going to buy a unit for $1500, just go buy the Sole. It never seems to go on sale...
-Occasionally, Felt runs a "team program" in the spring, where they sell bikes to 'licensed racers' (either USAT or USAC) for phenomenal discounts (like 30% off). I think this is only at certain shops, but worth looking around at.
-Never, ever pay retail for bike components. Needed a new shifter to upgrade my roadie from 9sp to 10sp (didnt' want to switch the cassette every time I swapped the PT wheel). A single 105 shifter retails for about $200. Prowled ebay, eventually snagged one for $70.
-Nobody needs a running watch nicer than the Garmin 305, which is currently $169 at Amazon (occasionally less than $150). Yes, 310 is much nicer, but not 2x the price nicer.
-A Joule would be nice. But my LYC does just fine, thank you very much. Oh, and my wired PT without ANT+ tells me power just as well as a wireless one, but could probably be bought on ebay for under $500.
-Runningwarehouse.com discount codes. Google them, and you'll pretty much always find 15-20% off somewhere. Once, I had to pretend I was part of the Houston track club...
-Rudy Project helmets and glasses - great products, frequently offering 50% off discounts for their top of the line stuff, so keep an eye out. I friggin love Oakley, but since their stuff never goes on sale, I may end up having to try RP glasses next time I sit on mine.
... and I know that rule won't stand up to scrutiny when I go to buy a Desoto this spring.
X2 on the last year's model running shoes: last shoes I bought from Kellyrunningwarehouse.com and went to retailmenot.com to get 2 coupon codes (check this out for other sites too) and got an additional $15 off and free shipping. I suppose it would be even more cost effective if I didn't think I needed new shoes so often...
@ Dave - don't forget our DeSoto discount runs out at the end of the year (altho we should hope Emilio and Rich continue it into 2012.) I just replaced my 2005 DeSoto wet suit bottom for IM AZ, getting a First Wave (top o' the line) at Black Pearl (one step down) prices.