Profile

I am thirty years old and I was a stage manager/lighting director for a show out on tour until about a week ago. I have no rent and no real bills. I made $700 a week with an additional $30/day per diem. I live life on the edge with no health insurance and am currently looking for freelance stage managing and writing work until I go back to work with this last company in September.

Saving & Spending

This month actually turned out fine, which was interesting since the first three weeks of it continued that weird schedule of two or three long days of work and then several days just hanging out at a hotel.

I managed to put $1,200 into my IRA this month, which leaves me at $800 to go for the year. That’s good news since I think IRA contributions are probably on hold until September now.

Although who knows? I may turn out to be a bad a$$ hustler this summer.

All of my little savings goals got added to this month. The down payment account is up to $500 out of the $2,000 I’m aiming for this year.

The new car account is on track at $500, since the goal there is just $100 a month until I need a new car – hopefully about 7 years from now.

The new computer account is also on track at $500, with the goal of being able to buy a new Macbook in January or February.

The brother’s graduation gift fund is also fully loaded and ready for use. Not only that, but I thought it was going to come in a little low, but I actually found some Groupons I’m hoping to use on this crazy sky diving project, so that number should be just about right.

I’ve also broadened exactly how I see these accounts now as a freelancer. When I started them, they were only ever for what they are labeled for, and ideally, they’ll stay that way, but in a pinch, they’re really extra savings buckets that can be raided in an emergency.

I did not manage to put an additional $100 in my emergency fund this month – mostly because I forgot about it until I just checked it today, and I’ll probably do it after I make sure all my bills are paid for the month (which you will notice from my net worth statement, should be a cakewalk) – but also because I fully expected to have to withdraw about $1,000 from it for my car insurance payments and it turns out I’m not going to have to touch it at all thanks to finally getting my security deposit back from my last apartment.

So at this about halfway point through the year, I think I’m doing ok.

In other news, I said good-bye to the Dinosaur Train last week, which was actually pretty sad. It’s been a long time since I worked a job I enjoyed so much with such a great group of people.

I’m really looking forward to going out again with the producing company on Clifford the Big, Red Dog in September, but I’ve also been around long enough to know that when the stars align and you get to do a job you like, with a bunch of people you like, with a decent travel schedule, for the first time with a new company when all the little things aren’t going to bother you yet… it’s likely to only go downhill from there.

But then again, maybe I’m wrong, my favorite contract working for the cruise line was the third one.

I had a job interview to stage manage part time in the city this week for a show I would love, love, love to stage manage. The show is fascinating and the pay is actually reasonable. I also love that it would only be 2-3 days a week and is scheduled to run to the end of June but is likely to extend, so I could have some cash coming in, stay busy and still manage to visit friends and devote more time to brokeGIRLrich than I’ve managed over the past few months.

So cross your fingers for me, guys!

As far as spending goes, this month really was pretty tame. There was the usual gigantic amount of spending on eating out that comes with tour life. I was actually so excited to come home to some home cooked meals only to find my parents are renovating their whole house and are currently on the kitchen – so we’ve been eating a lot of take out here too.

One of those nights we found a cool little speakeasy in Tampa that needed a secret password to get into. When we called to find out the password, I was warned about the strict dress code, which was definitely a red flag on how expensive it would be, but it was worth it. The place was so cool.

We were also super classy and ate a taco truck before going over, so we just wound up paying for the fancy drinks. And by super classy, I mean awesome, thrifty budgeters.

Hustling

Probably one of my best months so far over here at brokeGIRLrich and I plan to add eBay back into the hustling mix for next month.

brokeGIRLrich: $303.08

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

My Favorite Post to Write This Month: To Collect Unemployment or Not?

Elsewhere on the Web: How to Save on a Girls’ Night In at U.S. News & World Report

How to Take a Frugal Camping Vacation at U.S. News & World Report

Ouro Preto: City of Black Gold (and Baroque Architecture) at Travel Blue Book

Goals

1.) Max out my IRA… totally just realized my ability to do math is previous months has been completely wrong, because despite the $1,200 contribution, I’m now at $800 to go.

2.) Contribute $1,000 to my emergency savings… whoops, missed a month.

3.) Buy $1,000 of stock.

4.) Save $100 a month for a new computer. May – check.

5.) Save $100 a month for a new car (I’m hoping the current one will make it to roughly 2021). May – check.

6.) Save $2,000 for a house down payment. Only $1,500 to go.

7.) Find a job for when the current one ends at the end of May… so, not so successful, but still working on it.

8.) Side hustle and credit card reward my way to FinCon15 – it actually looks like I may be able to make it to this, which now makes me a little depressed I didn’t get the early bird tickets, since that was definitely the most expensive aspect last year.