Wasted $120 on a coworking membership I barely used

I signed up for a coworking spot in Medellin last month thinking it would force me to be productive. Paid $120 upfront for a month of access. Turns out I only went there like 5 times because the wifi was spotty and the chairs were uncomfortable. Ended up working from my apartment most days anyway. The whole thing felt like I was paying for the idea of being a digital nomad rather than actually needing it. Now I just hit up cafes with good reviews for free or buy a coffee. Has anyone else thrown cash at a membership they thought would change their habits?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake_walker1mo ago

Found a quiet cafe near my route with $2 coffee and never looked back. Bought a portable hotspot for $40 and it pays for itself in a month. Coworking spaces are a scam unless you actually need to print stuff or take video calls in a quiet room. Spent $150 on one in Austin once and went maybe 3 times before I realized a library with free wifi did the same thing.

nina_hall1mo ago

It's funny you say that, I just read a blog post saying coworking memberships are basically paying for a fantasy lifestyle!

leohart1mo ago

Nodding along with you @nina_hall, I get where that blog post is coming from. A lot of those places are super instagrammable and feel more like a set for a "hustle culture" photo shoot than an actual workspace. You walk in, see the exposed brick, the fancy coffee machine, and suddenly you're supposed to feel like a big deal. It's a trap though, some of them are just glorified coffee shops with a monthly fee and zero real community. I've been to a few where nobody even talks to each other, so the whole "networking" part is just a lie. Feels like paying for a vibe more than a solution.