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I am thirty two years old and I am the Production Stage Manager for the national tour of FAME. We’re currently in rehearsals, which is paid out as a stipend in two payments in September ($2,000 each payment) and once we actually hit the road, I’ll make $700 a week and get a $300 per diem stipend.
Saving & Spending
This whole summer has really just been a blur… as a matter of fact, 2016 as a whole is shooting by. I was just thinking that I finished up my first week of rehearsals on my fifth show of the year – which for some folks is no big deal, but I’m used to long runs, so this feels like a lot.
I started out the month finishing up Into the Woods JR in Virginia. I’m really glad that show gave me some serious perspective about how I feel about working with children (no, thank you), but also how much I really did like mentoring my ASM.
Peace out, Roanoke.
That, and a growing urge to maybe not be a gypsy traveler for much longer, has got me thinking about going back to school again. I’d really like to get my PhD, but it is seriously freaking hard to get into a doctorate program. I don’t feel like I’m any sort of stand out student that schools would really desire.
Nonetheless, I shelled out some cash to take the GREs. I don’t totally understand whether my scores are good or not – they seem pretty average. I felt like if I got a 5.5 or 6 on the writing, I would definitely at least apply to the schools I’m interested in, but I got a 5… which leaves me very on the fence about the entire thing.
I have a 10 day layoff in October from FAME, so I’m thinking about going to visit the 3 schools I’ve been looking into and seeing if they’d let me sit in on a class.
So the GRE and some study materials were some of my bigger expenses this month – along with good old commuting into NYC again for rehearsals. I freaking hate that commute.
I also spent several days in Washington, DC with my family and then a weekend in Ocean City, MD for one of my best friend’s bachelorette party – though several of those expenses came out of the savings I set aside for her wedding.
This is Spike, our bachelorette party mascot, and maybe he’s at a pole dancing class. #adventureswithspike
Overall though, I think I weathered my lowest income month of the year pretty well, although I will not be sorry to see that first half of my rehearsal stipend show up in my bank account next week.
I also got to see one of my bucket list bands perform this month and they were as amazing as I thought they would be – actually, they were more amazing than I thought they would be!
My spending breakdown this month:
- Gym – $10.70
- Food – $434.73
- Stage Management Expenses – $69.85
- Healthcare – $389.63
- LUSH – $30.88
- Car – $83.95
- Entertainment – $42.39
- Education – $226.40
- Commuting – $221.50
- Wedding Expenses – $137.51
- Miscellaneous – $22.83
Total Spending in July – $1,670.37
Hustling
My income this month was made up of my last Into the Woods JR paycheck, brokeGIRLrich and freelance writing. And for the second time in the history of brokeGIRLrich, that income beat my stage management income… which is never a good sign for my stage management income.
- Stage Managing – $317.15
- brokeGIRrich – 900.90
- Freelance Writing – $200
Income This Month: $1,414.05
Net Worth: August 2016
Most Popular Post of the Month: What Is Sightbox?
My Favorite Post to Write This Month: 10 Bad A$$ Female Personal Finance Bloggers
Entirely Unrelated to Personal Finance
Speaking of band bucket list – check ‘em out: Here Come the Mummies. This one is my favorite song.
Goals
- Contribute $1,000 to my Emergency Savings Account– Done.
- Max out my Roth IRA– Done.
- Contribute $3,000 to my Down Payment Fund– Still at $1,525 to go.
- Contribute $2,000 to my New Car Fund– Yeahhhh done and done.
- Have a $1,000 Best Friend’s Wedding Fund– Done. Actually, it’s almost entire spent.
- Buy $1,000 of stock– Done.
- Develop 2 new resume skills– I remember thinking I’d have time for this in August. Hahaha.
- Track all the time I spent on my computer outside of work for 1 week and then go without a computer for a week and see how I use that time– yup. That’s still a goal…
- Go on a vacation with a friend
- Look for a big show to stage manage– Done.
- Run a 5k– This will pretty much take a miracle.
Mel, if you go for the doctorate, what do you think you’ll do with it? I’m asking from my own perspective, so take it for what it’s worth:
I did a PhD program straight from college and had very unrealistic ideas of what academic life was like. I realized that research and writing academic papers wasn’t for me, because I’m a better student than scholar…at the end of the semester, I want to be done. I dropped out when I realized a PhD wasn’t going to get me to a career I had any interest in.
So, is a PhD going to get you the life you want? Do you know other PhDs in the same field that will give you a window into their lives so you can see if it’s what you expect? What are the career options? What options can you pursue with your Master’s that are different than what you are currently doing?
Emily @ JohnJaneDoe recently posted…Meal Plan B: Easy Dinner Ideas When You Can’t or Don’t Want to Cook
I want to be a college professor at a small liberal arts school – ideally, where I went to school – and the professor whose job I want is retiring in about 4-5 years.
But even if I don’t get that job, then I’d be happy to work in any small college or even a community college so I could have a slightly more normal life than I have now.
I also really enjoyed studying when working on my Master’s degree.
Okay, a PhD would help, but you may be qualified already for many jobs with your Master’s and work experience. You might try hooking up with the job listings now so you have an idea of how many openings a year are available, and how many are adjunct vs tenure track. It might be good to have an idea of the job market before you commit to a PhD.
Emily @ JohnJaneDoe recently posted…State of the Blog, August 2016
Really interesting comments! I have a doctorate too and taught at a very small liberal arts college. It was fun for a little while but I didn’t stay. Too many politics and such wasteful spending – and crazy low salaries. It was definitely a “step down” from my other jobs in terms of salary, but the schedule was awesome. I too have no interest in doing research (much more of a clinical faculty member). Glad I hit FI and can choose what I want to do now 🙂
Vicki@Make Smarter Decisions recently posted…Your Playbook for Tough Times…Or Anytime!
The schedule is really a major draw to me. I feel like continuing to grow my online presence combined with teaching would bring in enough salary and give me more lifestyle freedom than I have now. I also just really like studying weird, experimental theater and there aren’t too many ways to get paid to do that. 😛
Can you tell me about how you’re generating income here? Is it all affiliate income? I don’t see you doing big brand sponsorships, which is why I’m confused.
Emilie Burke (@burkedoes) recently posted…Reading Roundup // August
It’s largely from selling links and sponsored posts – though some is also from Amazon and sidebar ads.
As soon as I saw you were considering going to graduate school, my mind went to the same place Emily’s did. Sounds like you have a nice plan in mind to combine with your online activity.
Gary @ Super Saving Tips recently posted…The Stock Market: Should You Invest in It?
I fully understand your desire for a more normal life. Do you have an “in” for the job of that retiring person? I just say that because it seems that academic jobs are awfully hard to find these days with so many people switching to adjuncts. Have you considered high school or community college? They’ll hire you with a masters and if you have that….
I’ve heard that one reason for the persistant wage gap between men and women is that men tend to apply for higher-paying jobs if they aren’t happy wit their current pay; women tend to get more education and hope somoene hires them for a higher paying job, and then maybe they will apply for a higher-paying job.
RAnn recently posted…Why I’m Not Making (Much) Money Blogging
That’s interesting about the wage gap.
I do have an “in” – though it still would depend on who applies, etc. I wouldn’t mind teaching at a community college, but I have no desire to teach in high school.
I can count on one hand the number of concerts I’ve ever attended. I see friends on FB at awesome concerts, and it always looks like so much fun! I should put together my own bucket list for after the #yearofno.
Jamie @ Medium Sized Family recently posted…5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week 47
Totally – not all concerts are all that expensive either. It was like $35 to see the Mummies and we had excellent seats.
Is a PhD absolutely necessary to teach stage management in college? In my college theatre department, not all of the professors had PhDs. This was especially the case for the more hands-on and skill-based courses.
ZJ Thorne recently posted…Net Worth Week 21 – Tacos Trucks On Every Corner
If I only wanted to teach stage management, then no, I could go get an MFA – which also takes about 3 years and would honestly teach me an awful lot of what I already know. I want to be able to teach theater history and literature and I’d like to be able to apply for tenure track positions, a PhD is a better fit for that.
Hi Mel, I hope you figure out whether further studying is right for you! It’s good that you’re thinking about the future and what you want want out of life in 4 or 5 years time. Being a college professor teaching a subject you’re passionate about sounds like a great career to me, although I’m not familiar with the salaries. Well done on the blog income, I had a really slow August for that side of things, hoping it will pick up soon.
Hayley @ Disease Called Debt recently posted…Life Update: From £41K ($55K) Down to £50K ($67K) Up
Yeah, we’ll see. I go back and forth between being optimistic and thinking I’ll get into a program and being realistic and thinking it’s hopeless. 😛