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.

"I'm currently obsessed with the Tracy Anderson Method and do the Perfect Design DVD three times a week. I even take the DVD traveling!" Cost of the Perfect Design DVD set: $79.95.

"I bring my iPad and use the Flipboard app to curate my social media (Facebook, Twitter and categories that are important to me: business, technology, style, design, fashion)." Cost of an iPad: $499 to $829.

"I have acupuncture at 9.30pm at night. It's a wonderful end of the day." Average cost of an acupuncture treatment, according to the Society for Acupuncture Research: $60 to $100.

"If I'm really in a rush I have a Shaklee vanilla shake." Cost of Shaklee's vanilla shake mix: $57.55.

"A great time saver is to have a weekly blowout. This means that you don't need to wash your hair each day -- the time that you save with a blowout can save you minutes in the morning." Average cost of a blowout in New York City: $60.

"I was given an amazing present of a makeup lesson with Wallet Lubrich. She taught me how to do my daily makeup in 5 minutes. No joke, I can dress, do my make up and be out the door in 15 minutes." Average cost of a lesson from a makeup expert in New York City: $100.

"Got home and had a fitting with super stylist Elizabeth Saltzman for the upcoming Nashville trip (what to wear, what to wear?) from 1-2." Average cost of an hour-long session with a celebrity stylist: $200.

Estimated average cost for a portion of the GOOP life: $3,606.50.