Profile
I am thirty years old and I am a stage manager/lighting director for a show out on tour. I have no rent and no real bills… although there’s a good chance I should actually invest in some health insurance. I’m not 100% sold on that idea yet though. I make $700 a week with an additional $30/day per diem. I have no benefits whatsoever with this job – except workman’s comp, should I electrocute myself or something awesome like that.
Saving & Spending
Life has gotten pretty weird lately. I live in hotels. Seriously, if you’ve never done it, it’s a really strange experience. Stuff like wandering around in your pajamas doesn’t seem shameful at all. You get really excited when the continental breakfast has hardboiled eggs… or waffles shaped like Texas. And you know you’re somewhere classy when there’s shampoo AND conditioner, not just a 2-in-1.
This means that my eating out budget… is essentially my entire budget.
No. That’s a lie. I have an eating out budget, an alcohol budget and a sightseeing budget. Geez, my life is rough.
Free Roadside Attractions – always a win!
I managed to add $1,300 to my Roth IRA this month. I also added $100 to my emergency savings and opened a new savings account with Barclays that I was able to subdivide for my smaller goals – the new phone, computer, car and house down payment. So I put $350 towards those goals as well.
Also, my Acorns account, which I always forget I even have, is up to $89.37. Not bad for doing nothing.
My big spend this month was caving in and getting Dropbox for the year for $99. If only I were tech savvy enough to really utilize it, but it’s nice to not freak out when our director requests recordings of the show and I have to figure out how to delete all of my stored files to clear up enough space to get them to him.
Hustling
Turns out that trying to keep up with a blog and even the minimal freelance writing I’ve got going on while on tour is really delightful. My roommate thinks I’m a psychopath who doesn’t sleep – or that I hate her since I wake up early, sneak out of our room and spend hours sitting in the hotel lobby working on my blog. Or regular work stuff.
That being said, I still managed to make a few dollars again over here.
brokeGIRLrich: $305.26
Nothing else worth reporting on that front.
Net Worth – January 2015
*~**~*~**~*
Most Popular Post of the Month: 114 Side Hustles: Ways to Make More Money (although for the first time it had a real contender with Sometimes a MacBook is a Frugal Decision)
My Favorite Post to Write This Month: Mini Money Challenges
Inside the Artist’s Wallet: Episode 4: Realizing Trade Offs & Carving Alternative Plans
Elsewhere on the Web: And You Thought Your Taxes Were Frustrating at Block Talk
How to Save Money Just By Asking at U.S. News & World Report
5 Reasons to Reconsider Groupon and LivingSocial at U.S. News & World Report
Entirely Unrelated to Personal Finance
I heard a version of Wrecking Ball that doesn’t make me want to gouge my eardrums out.
I have become a master of driving a 15 passenger van. No, for real. It’s going on my resume now. The other night I was driving through Wyoming, in the dark and 100% using my mirrors without thinking twice about it. I felt like queen of the world, but it was too dorky to tell my cast.
FYI – Wyoming likes to park empty cop cars along the median of their Interstate. This is both brilliant and terrifying. I should probably add a saving goal for the tickets I am likely to amass this year.
Goals
1.) Max out my IRA… well on the way.
2.) Contribute $1,000 to my emergency savings… only $900 to go.
3.) Buy $1,000 of stock.
4.) Save $100 a month for a new computer. January – check.
5.) Save $100 a month for a new car (I’m hoping the current one will make it to roughly 2021). January – check.
6.) Save $2,000 for a house down payment. Only $1,900 to go.
7.) Find a job for when the current one ends at the end of May. Nailed it. I received an offer to go work for P&O Cruise lines this week. Just waiting on info for the exact on date. I’m not 100% sure I’ll actually do it, but I love knowing I will not starve to death because I took my current job.
8.) Side hustle and credit card reward my way to FinCon15 – if my work schedule allows… which is looking less and less likely ;o( But I won’t know for sure until much closer.
9.) Figure out what to do if I manage to surpass all my savings goals…
This is all so great! I’m going to pick up on a silly point: the van. Driving those things made me feel *so* butch back in my indie-movie days. Even more so, the 14′ trucks which I also drove. I can parallel-park those things, even! I still get to do it when I move or help someone else move, and successfully parallel-parking a 14′ truck in Brooklyn in front of your friends makes you feel even more like a rock star, trust me. 🙂
C@thesingledollar recently posted…I Have What I Need, and That’s Hard to Remember
I am one of the people who are supposed to drive our 26′ box truck, but I’ve only done one shift in it so far. I drive the van nearly every day.
I love reading about your life because it’s so different from mine, but here we are with the same types of goals–ah, it’s refreshing! Also, I wish I had the gumption to walk around the hotel in my PJ’s at 28, but I think I lost that around the age of nine…vicariously living through your hotel hopping life 🙂 it’s a kid’s dream come true!
Brittany @ Fun on a Budget Blog recently posted…Tax Time: Refund or No Refund?
So true. The kid in me still wants to steal all the shampoos and soap… the responsible adult in me is like – where are you going to put 5 months worth of that stuff?
…so I only steal the really awesome ones. Like the fancy soaps from Hotel Deco in Omaha. They were really cool and smelled so good.
That mash up does sound a little off. Seems like you are kicking a$$ and taking names. Lots of goals being hit, learning new skills, nicely done!
Brian @ Debt Discipline recently posted…Week End Round Up #67
Thanks, Brian! Yeah, it’s been a pleasantly wild ride of a month.
So you’re going back to the cruising lifestyle?? That is so exciting!! And I am sure it’s a HUGE relief for you to have something lined up already which means you can enjoy this tour even more. I can’t imagine living in a hotel every night it definitely seems like the experience would wear on you after a few weeks.
Shannon @ Financially Blonde recently posted…Happy Hour Session 1
Definitely. There are some days where I’m like “what state am I in?” “why have I done this?!?” But there are a lot more good days.
Sounds like a solid month. That’s so awesome that you have a job lined up, even if you don’t take it, it’s reassuring! I am so impressed that you’re basically able to save your entire pay cheque. That’s like the dream scenario.
Anne @ Money Propeller recently posted…Friday Jet Fuel #30
Your job seems really awesome and its great that you are enjoying it. Someday I plan on working in my pajamas for the day. I hope its soon. Only difference is I’ll have to make my own breakfast.
Petrish @ Debt Free Martini recently posted…Debt Progress Report – January 31, 2015
Haha, working in my pajamas for an entire day is definitely part of my freelancing dream.
Lets see. Milked cows this morning and stayed extra time to finish the stable work before heading home for breakfast. For the rest of the morning I was fuelled up, showered and finished typing my first blog post in six months. All the while in my PJ’s and listening to songs on the YouTube Audio Library which I’ll use to satisfy crazy (or not so crazy 😉 dreams of becoming a YouTuber. Can’t complain right now.
ThriftyHamster recently posted…Oh Hey, it’s 2015!
I laughed when I read about the cop cars in Wyoming. I just could imagine the van slowing down then speeding up.
You have such a great head on your shoulders about saving and spending. Have a great week.
vickie recently posted…Menu Plan for This Week 2/1/15 –Here We Go Again!
You’re doing great! 🙂 Congrats on the new cruise ship gig! Always good to know unemployment isn’t looming!
Chela @SmashOdyssey recently posted…Small Victories: Paying for Tuition with Real Money
I have never experienced living in hotels. I almost want to, just once, to know what it’s like. The comment about wearing pajamas everywhere reminds me of residence in school. Public and private places definitely become blurred in some cases.
Marie recently posted…I want ALL THE THINGS – Aka Lifestyle Inflation 101
Sounds like a good month overall. I’m glad you’re putting so much away for your future goals. 🙂 I wish I had done that during the 6-ish months where I had no bills to pay before my house was ready for me to move into.
Kayla @ Everything Finance recently posted…Worthwhile Financial Goals: Create a Budget
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