Profile

I am thirty two years old and I am the Production Stage Manager for Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical at the Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute. I make $400 per week with no per diem. I also only started this gig at the end of the month, so for the rest of March we can say I was an unemployed stage manager or a full time blogger? I like the latter title better. 

Saving & Spending

Well, this month was a little crazy. It just shot by. I think I kind of settled into unemployed life a little more. Some of the tedium really set in earlier in the month, but I managed to do several activities to stay busy as well.

And I have some good news! I’m working again. I just started a really quick little job stage managing a fun musical in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The show is only about two weeks long, but I’m excited to have something to do (and to work on my tan a little once the show opens).

From Tenderly, I’m heading back to Roanoke, Virginia for a few weeks to work for an opera company there as an Assistant Stage Manager/Props. I’m excited to learn more about opera (because I really don’t know much about how run a proper one) and I like Roanoke. I suspect I’ll like Roanoke even more now that I’m not trying to stage manage 30-some high schoolers.

Then I have a few weeks off and I start a full time job stage managing at Sleep No More in New York City. I’m contracted through the end of August, but as long as I don’t do a horrible job, I can renew that contract in three month intervals for as long as I want (or as long as I can stand staying in one place or as long as the show lasts, but I think it’s got a nice long run ahead of it).

Cirque du Soleil still hasn’t come knocking on my door (seriously, Cirque, I’m awesome, you’re missing out on a highly skilled stage manager here), but life is pretty much back to normal.

I worked through most of the core Pro-Blogging Secrets course. I haven’t started the supplementary Pinterest course yet though.

I saw a really cool show in NYC with some friends from Fame called The Strangest, which was awesome. If you like experimental theater and live near there, I highly recommend it (though it closes on April 1st). We also ate at Cheeseboat in Brooklyn and if you like cheese, you need to eat there.

Of course, that evening out with friends in NYC was as expensive as two days and a hotel stay in Albany, NY with one of my most frugal ship friends. We met up there since it’s halfway between both of our homes. We tried to escape a room and a failed, had drinks at a cute little bar in Troy, watched a lot of The Big Bang Theory at our hotel, hiked to some of Saratoga Spa State Park’s springs and then ate some really good BBQ the next day before going our separate ways.

My largest spend is a real weird one that will either be my stupidest credit card churning mistake – or it will be totally fine. I tried to open a bank account using my newest card, a method that worked last year when I was trying to churn my way to Hawaii, and got rejected.

So I sat here, thinking about what I could do to manufacture about $2,500 in spending to get the $400 travel credit and some Googling led me to Kiva loans. Now, I like the idea of microloans to help people a lot – though some further Googling led me to find that they don’t help quite as much as I’d hoped. That being said, Kiva loans do work as a way to charge a lot of money on your credit card if you don’t mind that it’s going to take about 2 years to get all the money back and if you acknowledge you may not get all the money back.

Anyway, it might be nuts, but I went for it. So… look forward to that brokeGIRLrich post circa March 2019 when I report back fully on what a foolish (or brilliant) idea this pans out to be.

• Gym – $10.69
• Food – $251.48
• Healthcare – $182.00
• Postage – $41.94
• Notary Expenses – $44.36
• Clothes – $23.51
• Toiletries – $9.82
• Stage Management – $58.96
• Commuting – $131.75
• Entertainment – $141.85
• Blog – $77.67
• Albany Trip – $120.52
• Gas – $85.44
• Kiva Loans – $2,300

Total Spending in February: $1,179.99 without Kiva and $3,479.99 with Kiva

Hustling

My income this month was kind of unexpected. I had a lot of opportunities to make money with brokeGIRLrich and I wrote a lot more than usual for other sites. I did some brand ambassador work through an app called Piñata. I got paid for stage managing in DC for a day last month and worked as stage crew down where I went to college for a few days.

• Stage Managing – $162.48
• brokeGIRLrich – $1,227.76
• User Testing – $40.00
• Pinata – $135.25
• Freelance Writing – $685.00
• Stagehand Work – $393.02
• eBay – $70.46

Income This Month: $2,713.97 

Most Popular Post of the Month: 114 Side Hustles: Ways to Make More Money

My Favorite Post to Write This Month: A Day in the Life of a Non-Equity Touring Stage Manager

Elsewhere On the Web: Alternative Insurance Options: Healthcare Sharing Ministries at Money Under 30

4 Extreme Ways to Pay Off Student Loans at Money Under 30

The 10 Most Popular Check Cashing Stores That Buy Gift Cards at First Quarter Finance

Where to Buy Colored Chalk Powder for Color Runs at First Quarter Finance

Horse Insurance Costs at First Quarter Finance

Soft Pull Credit Cards: The Long List at First Quarter Finance

Entirely Unrelated to Personal Finance

I’ve been reading on the train on the commute into the city for rehearsals and I read The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. I highly recommend it. The foreword alone was pretty resonant in today’s political climate, with everyone disagreeing with each other. It’s a very easy read, but it does make you think.

Goals

• Max out my IRA. – $3,628 to go, a little ahead!
• Buy $1,000 in stock.
• Contribute $2,000 to my New Car Fund – $1,499 to go. Currently on track.
• Contribute $5,000 to my Down Payment Fund – $3,749 to go. Currently on track.
• Contribute $1,000 to my cousin’s wedding fund. – I’m sure this will magically work out somehow. Hopefully.
• Develop 2 new resume skills – One to go.
• Do something really fun with my brother.
• Write a journal or magazine article.
• Hike something.
• Master making macaroons.