GOOP Hints at the Cost of Living Like Gwyneth Paltrow

Jan. 14, 2011 — -- Have you heard the one about the busy mom who asked actress Gwyneth Paltrow for life advice and Paltrow said, "Get a personal trainer, a celebrity stylist, a $2,000 coffeemaker and you'll be just fine?"

That's essentially what happened in the latest edition of GOOP, Paltrow's weekly-ish newsletter that dispenses droplets of wisdom on how to eat, exercise, organize, and generally, be like her. After a reader e-mailed Paltrow about "finding a good balance between having a career and being a mom," the actress took it upon herself to document a "manic" day in her life and have two of her friends do the same.

Were her intentions good? Sure. Was her heart in the right place? Certainly. But here's the thing: Paltrow and her pals are not like everyone else. She is an Oscar-winning actress who is married to the front man of a major rock band. In 2009, they raked in $33 million.

Friend No. 1, Juliet de Baubigny, is a partner at a venture capital firm that invests millions in companies such as Google, Apple and Facebook.

Friend No. 2, Stella McCartney (daughter of Paul McCartney), is a fashion designer whose 2010 sales topped $23 million.

Their tips don't come cheap. Below, an approximate breakdown of how much it would cost to follow some of the life advice listed in the latest installment of GOOP:

"I've found that having a trainer come to my house on a Monday really motivates me -- she's knocking at the front door so going back to sleep is NOT an option." Average cost of an hour-long session with a personal trainer, according to the National Board of Fitness Examiners: $60 to $70.

"When I got downstairs this morning at the crack of whenever, the coffee machine said "ERROR 8" and wouldn't let me make the cup I had been dreaming about. This begs the question: is it odd to dream yourself to sleep thinking about the next morning's coffee?" Cost of the Jura Capresso Impressa Z5 Espresso & Coffee Maker, which is prone to flashing "ERROR 8:" $2,300.