mabjustmab | Poor Mab's Guide To Being Poor

I started this as a response to a friend's journal, and it grew a little long. instead of hijacking his entry, I figure I would make my own.

I have been thinking about this a lot recently, given that I do not have any kind of regular income. how the hell have I survived all this time? luck? or savvy?

I'm going to go with "practice". and I figure I will share some of the things I have learned on how to survive without any money.

Poor Mab's Guide To Being Poor

some of these tips may seem rather simple. that's because they are. the idea is every little bit adds up. next thing you know, you are making this months rent and have a few bucks saved up for next month.

some of these tips may seem rather harsh, and that is also because they are. in this world, landlords and bill collectors do not accept "goodwill" or "warm feelings" as payment. for me, my primary concern is making enough money to live. I have developed a different set of rules to survive. after a while, when things are less hard, the rules can evolve. it's the way life works.

that said, on to the tips. (they are listed in no particular order, most just jotted down as I thought of them.)

- don't eat out. ever. period. don't do it. I know when you are away from home and hungry, things loose perspective. that's why I keep what I lovingly refer to as "bag food" in my car, my satchel, etc. a $.89 cliff bar is cheaper and better for you than a $.99 jr. bacon cheeseburger (and not all jr. bacon cheeseburgers are $.99 these days too!)

- give nothing away/do not volunteer
this may seem counter intuitive, but you would be surprised how many people would pay you to do something they just asked you to volunteer for. you are not making enough money to live, so you cannot afford to give anything away, and that includes your time.
that said, there are, of course, exceptions to the rule. it's a personal choice. but remember, the time that you are spending doing something for free, you could be doing something for yourself that would be helping you out of the black hole of not making rent.

- don't buy/drink sodas. drink tap water. in my mind, these are the most over price things and the biggest waste of my money. that included diet coke, and vitamin water. if you don't like the way tap water tastes, put it in a pitcher and slice up a few pieces of ginger or lemon (or both). keep it in the fridge. it's free.

- buy the cheapest food you can stomach. ya. it sucks. organic free range hormone free chicken is more expensive than tysons. it's crap, I know, but sometimes I don't have a choice. I can eat pigs in a blanket for a week, or have spanikopita for one night.
but keep an eye out. sometimes, the healthier option is in fact cheaper! shop around.

- shop at the Asian grocery store. for some reason, produce costs a fraction of what it does at a regular supermarket. it's just as good, and sometimes even a little bit better!

- make a pot of coffee and put it in a pitcher in the fridge. that way, you can have coffee anytime of day!

- use the public library. it's free entertainment!

- burn cds for friends. mix cds make great gifts. it's a way of being generous when you are poor.

- cut out all spending money for entertainment. no cable, no netflix, no concerts, no movies, etc.
now, just because I cut out all spending money on entertainment, does not mean that I am not being entertained. I know enough folks in the biz to get in to most shows. if you don't know folks, make friends with some.

- stay in. instead of going out, stay in and make something.
I crochet, and weave, and paint, etc while listening to a audio book I checked out from the library. it's very entertaining! and I end up with something that I can sell on ebay, or give away.

- if you have to sell stuff, offer it to your friends first. this is a win win win situation. 1. they get to help you with out making you look needy, 2. you get some money, 3. if it's something that you might miss, if a friend has it, they might give you visiting rights ;-)

- do not buy clothes, shoes, etc (unless you absolutely have to - in my case, a costume item that I can't make)
heck, this rule can really read "do not buy anything you don't have to"

- be nice to everyone. what goes around, comes around. you never know who out there will be the one to pull you out in your time of greatest need. and being nice is free.

- never turn down a gig (unless you have a ~really~ good reason)
good reasons include but are not limited to:
no pay
pay is less than gas money
the even coordinator owes you money, or kills puppies for amusement.

- barter with friends
I really need a promo video, and I can trade all kinds of stuff with whoever can do it for me. I can paint houses. :-)

- make friends with a bartender in the interest of full disclosure, I have to confess one thing that I do spend my money on, that I probably shouldn't....beers at the palace. I do what I can to keep the costs down. I get 2 free drinks when I gig there, and sometimes I'm lucky enough to perform with other artists who don't drink, who are often willing to give me their drink coupons. :-) plus, I usually know the bartender and she hooks me up with a deal. (I try to tip her well from the money I make in the evening)

- rotate which bills you are late on. that should ease the burden on your credit rating. I think they report bills that are past 30 days due. (that's an extra month)

more tips as I think of them.