Local Authors > Stephanie Fowers
Starving Artist Guide
stacer:
--- Quote ---Oh, and z eats e, we're called the institute crashers here. Well, seriously, you can never starve if you go to every activity, FHE, institute, birthday parties, any party. And on the up side, you get to be social.
--- End quote ---
I'm not sure that gemm (z eats e) knows what Institute is, not being LDS. But he has the mooch thing down, it sounds like. ;)
42:
--- Quote ---how 'bout this? Get a real job you freaking Hippies.
--- End quote ---
Cause Night Auditing is a real job? ::)
So something helpful...
You can always stay in school and live off of students loans, scholarships and grants until you hit it big or they make you a professor.
JenaRey:
Learn to budget. It's important to know exactly how much income you can expect and what costs have to be paid out each month. Don't forget things like car insurance and anything that you have on autopay.
Cook from scratch, this is usually much less expensive, particularily if you menu plan based on sales items for the week at the grocery store. When you have a little extra pick up a can or two of staples and put them into storage for the weeks when there is no extra.
Work with temp services. They may not be your favorite jobs, but generally you can find at least stop gap jobs to keep the bills covered. The pro with temp services is that you're not tied down to a job if you have a school schedule that makes normal full time work difficult. If you're attending school see what's possible at the university for work. They tend to have flexible schedules, split shifts, etc.
Learn the power of numbers. IE: Carpool, share an apartment, split groceries and cooking duties, etc.
Delienate between need and want. Most wants will wait until you're in a more stable financial place, needs require immediate attention. Once you've narrowed these lists then prioritize.
Stay away from debt as much as possible. Your credit card may solve a short term problem but can turn into a long term one.
Look for freelance work. There are a lot of places that hire writers for short articles and such that can bring in a little extra cash without costing a ton of extra time.
Use your time wisely. I personally hate talking to people who complain about being a starving artist, but when you ask what they accomplished in a given day they didn't get out of bed until noon and then watched three hours of soaps before even approaching anything productive.
My .02.
~J
Tink:
--- Quote ---Kill your Tivo. Stop paying for cable. go back to dial up internet. Cancel your magazine subscriptions.
--- End quote ---
I'd add cell phones to this list (or at least cut it down to one cell phone, which is normally the same cost as a land line with unlimited long distance). If you get free high speed internet, totally get Vonage. With taxes it's $27.50/mo and you have unlimited calls anywhere in the US and Canada. That's cheap!
And I totally get the magazine thing, but I'm keeping my Ensign subscription. :)
guitarbabe:
--- Quote ---how 'bout this? Get a real job you freaking Hippies.
--- End quote ---
Ha, got one, but it isn't exactly high class: assistant in kindergarten (I fit in really well), special ed tutor and recess supervisor...which I love btw, and since I'm writing on the side, I'm biding my time before I have to get a second job to make ends meet. Ugh, I'm a hippy, aren't I?
Anyhoo, good tips. Here's another one. Be sure to look down! We inherited some cereal when some roommates moved out and I ate a half a bowl of weevils before I looked down and saw what wonderful protein I was consuming. The funny part was that I had actually considered eating the rest. Ha ha!
And another...get some guts. Work on your bartering skills. I learned that in the Philippines. It works at DI and even at the regular stores. If there's something wrong with the clothes...or anything. I got twenty bucks off one of my brother's Christmas presents that way (we draw names 'cause there's ten of us). You just point out the defect and ask how much of a discount you can get if you buy it and generally they'll barter with you. It doesn't hurt to ask.
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