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Last edited by BohemianSiren; 10-30-2008 at 12:41 AM.
I'm in the same boat. I just keep telling myself that I need to go to work happy and give it all I have. At my club we are on a schedule, so I always try to get my 3 shifts a week, and they know that if anyone calls in to call me and I will be there.
Neither can I. I knew I qualify for money from the GI bill, I just wasn't sure how much so I called today and found out that I qualify for $1100 a month. It's not much, but it's something.

I think to truly get ahead it's a lifestyle change (for me anyways) and I try to cut corners wherever I can. I make sure to turn off & unplug anything that doesn't need to be plugged in (like a fridge) while I'm out of the house to help with my power bill. I try to stretch everything...once my hand soap is starting to get like 1/2 way empty Ill add a little water to give it a little bit of a longer life. I'll also cut dryer sheets & baby wipes in half to make sure I get as much use out of them as possible. Just little things like that that will help save me a few extra bucks to put towards CC debt or whatever. Also, I will only buy VS bras when theyre on sale (like the semi annual sale-who needs a ton of bras more than 2x a year anyways?). It really depends on just how much youre behind, but for me I see the best results when I really stick to a certain money "plan" to try to minimize variable expenses. Maybe you could look at your expenses and find ways to save money? I mean, I'm not saying its a quick fix by any means...but it's better than no fix at all I suppose![]()





Yep. I hear ya. My mom's senior day care will TRIPLE in price in a couple months, it's the damn price of gas & inflation.![]()
MANY MEN WANTED TO LAY ME DOWN, BUT FEW WANTED TO LIFT ME UP
-Eartha Kitt





^^ Sorry, I meant that needed to be plugged in like a fridge while you were out of the house.





Story of my life: If it's not one thing it's a-fucking-nother. And the shittiest part is that my bf and I work our asses off just to be where we are. Don't get me wrong, it could be worse, and we're grateful for what we have. But it seems like no matter how much more money we're making, and how big of payments we're making towards debt, something's always standing in the way. Probably the fact that we're completely incapable of budgeting. I make a budget, but my bf won't stick to it, so I say fuck it and it never works.
But I know where you're coming from. I think the ideas about scrimping and cutting corners (and coupons) is probably a good one. Even if it's just a few cents here and there, it all adds up.





It's nice to know I'm not the only dancer in this boat. I always feel that I'm doing something wrong or just not cut out for this job sometimes because once I pay off a bill another is in the mail waiting for me. Rent, Electric, phone, cable, groceries, etc..Then the cycle starts over![]()










I feel the same way. And I don't drink or do drugs. I work and pay my bills.
Is there interest being paid on your CC? If not then you might be paying some crazy interest every month like $25, $50, or more.
If not then something that might help is getting a CC with a 0% APY for the first year on any balance transfers and minimal fees.
Put the balance on the CC.
Then CUT UP THE CARD. COVER IT IN DUCT TAPE (that's what I do. It is hello kitty duct tape). PUT IT IN A BOWL OF WATER AND FREEZE IT. DO SOMETHING CRAZY SO YOU CANNOT USE IT.
Now you need to pay at least $375 a month in order to get that done.
You can do it. You really can.
The dental bill... give them a call. Explain that it's going to take time. If I recall it takes like 2 or 3 months before they really get on your case. *This works* -- ask if, if you put down a certain amount NOW, if they can reduce the overall amount that you owe. *This works a lot.*
Go to your local library and get any book by Dave Ramsey. Read it. He's a really good motivator and he writes exactly for these kinds of situations and can help you get your plan of attack.
You have a part of yourself that thinks you can't get ahead. The crafty part of you has to hustle that negativity out.
You can do it.
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I have been using that strategy. I thought it would take me a year to get rid of all my CC debt. it's been 3 months and I am half way done. I've stopped shopping for fun... seriously, whenever I feel like I want something, I just put $$ toward my CC debt. It sounds boring but it feels good!
yeah...i just started dancing and i'm making great money, but am still broke! i still need a car and a place of my own and i don't even have a dollar saved! it's ridiculous!
"fatE wilL ultimatEly leaD yoU tO yoUr desTinY!"
"originaL tilL i DiE"
Any of you still making decent money in the industry..remember this if you know NOTHING else.
SAVE...INVEST. DO NOT blow it on purses or crap...because one day out of nowhere the money will just <<poof>> go away. Either the industry will crap out in your area, or you will get hurt or sick or something or just burnt out and not be able to do it anymore.
Have a backup plan. ALWAYS have a backup plan. KNOW what you will do when you cant dance anymore.
Dont go with the flow like a lot of us did....the flow dries up sooner then you think and you are left high and DRY!
Thank goodness I'm not the only one praying for $200 a night. It's not nearly what I used to clear, but there have been too many negative nights for me to knock getting 200!
I got a 1300 dollar bill from MedEmerge the other day and almost had a heart attack. hopefully when they file with insurance (because insurance claims they haven't received any claims) the bills will be slightly lower.![]()
Easy steps to get ahead:
1. Start a savings account. This is vital for getting ahead. Even if you can only start with $25, having a savings account for emergencies will make all the difference in the world. Work to get this account up to $1000 as quickly as possible. Even if you can only pay the minimum on your credit cards while building up this account, having that money will totally save your ass.
2. Pay off your debts. Start with your highest interest credit card and pay as much of the balance as you can each month while paying the minimum on your other debts. Once you've paid that one off, continue to apply the full payment that you've been paying, plus the minimum on the next most expensive debt. Keep doing this until all of your debt is paid for. Start with your unsecured debts (credit cards, lines of credit), then pay secured credit (car payments, house payments), then pay off student loans. Continue to put money in your emergency savings. Don't forget to pay yourself first, even if you've got your $1000 keep adding to it!
3. Expand your emergency savings account. You want to have 6-9 months worth of living expenses in savings. This is for really big emergencies (like getting laid off).
4. Build up your fun fund. This is savings for the fun stuff in life like vacations, shopping sprees, spa trips etc. Build this account up while expanding your emergency savings. What's the point in having money if you can't enjoy it? Plan some fun!
5. Get insurance. Any kind you may need. Life/ Health/ Disability/ Auto/ Homeowners/ Umbrella/ Veterinary or whatever.
6. Start a Retirement account. Aside from having money in your golden years, there are tax benefits to having a retirement plan.
7. Investing for profit. Now you are ready to really start making some serious cash from your savings. Whether you are into real estate, stocks and bonds, starting a business, now you've got some money to play with!
Promote yourself and earn more money! This is a business that is owned by strippers for strippers. Let's make that money!





Heh, I started a similiar thread about this a few days ago. It seems that once I've got all of my shit together and I can begin to stash some cash, something(s) stupid happens. The NBA Playoffs fucked up my money BIG TIME last month. I received 2 speeding tickets in one week. Mother's Day, Father's Day, my nephew's birthday... SIGH! Right now I'm behind on all of my bills because of all of that crap! I'll be playing catch-up for at least the next couple of weeks.![]()




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BS- Paris gave some decent general guidelines- however, some priorities can move up or down on chart depending on circumstances.
For more specific guidance on prioritizing putting your $$, remember the "RULE OF 72". Thats a "gauge" for determining roughly how long it will take to double your money(or debt) for most interest rates that you're likely to encounter. You divide "72" by the applicable interest rate & that will give you the number of years it will take to double your money. As interest compounds, "straight-line division/multiplication" doesn't work.
Paris post put savings account at #1. You'd do well to get anything>2% with a modest ammount of money. If you put $$ into acct. yielding 2%, you'd double your money in 36 yrs. (72/2=36).
OTOH, I'm gonna guess that your CC rate is between 12-18%. If CC allowed you to ignore debt indefinitely, you'd DOUBLE your debt in 4-6 yrs. (72/18=4,72/12=6).
Avoid doubling debt in 4-6 yrsvs doubling savings in 36 yrs
would suggest the following short term steps.
1) Pay down CC debt
2) Track expenses, and cut back on type of future purchases that caused CC debt to get to the level it did in the 1st place. (no use crying over spilled milk, just don't spill it again.)
3) Crank up offense (more income $$)- Earlier post mentioned working 3 shifts/wk. Consider working additional shift, or if that burns you out, another job. (I think I recall you were student working on advanced degree, so non-strip job has limited viability). Any chance of you being dancer some nights, waitress/bartender other nights ??
4) Restructure debt- Prior poster mentioned getting 0% intro rate card. IMO, thats just a bandaid that keeps needing to be changed if you don't have some focus on #2. If you own car outright, or have outstanding loan<50% of blue book value, I'd take out a loan on car (no more than 70% of car value), and earmark xtra cash towards paying down CC debt. The kind of rate you'd get on such loan is likely less than the CC rate you're paying.
Anyway, best of luck, and remember "72" every time you make a deposit, or get a loan/credit card.
Minnow, you make some excellent points!
I put savings at the top, because something like a $490 windshield repair (happened to me today!) could really fuck up a person's life if you aren't prepared.
I got my windshield fixed, and I won't be late on any bills and didn't have to charge the repair on a credit card.
The emergency savings account isn't meant to be an earning vehicle. It is there to cover your ass in an unexpected emergency. I get 3% on my liquid savings account through ING Direct. The money gets automatically transfered twice a month from my checking account. I don't think about my emergency savings unless, well, I have an emergency.
That account has saved my ass more times than I can count. It has helped me get out of awful bookings at sleazy whore houses pretending to be strip clubs. I was able to make a down payment on a new car when my old car took a dump on me while I was doing road bookings (couldn't take any down time for more auto repairs). It has helped me to take needed time off when the burnout got too bad to work anymore. Broken pipe in the wall? No problem, got it fixed right away. Emergency trip to sit with a sick (dying) relative? I had the money and went.
If you can only get an emergency saving account going, that will put you a long way towards getting ahead. The unexpected is going to happen. It is good to be prepared.
Promote yourself and earn more money! This is a business that is owned by strippers for strippers. Let's make that money!
^^^ Excellent advice.
Somewhere sometime the thinking became credit is to be the emergency account. But that is one expensive emergency account. Most people don't have money to pay off the emergency account in the first place because they have no money for a self-funded emergency account. (Let that sink in a bit.)
These days I look at credit as a simple means to exchange money with a merchant and the reporting tools on the account to help with budgeting. I pay the account off every week.





^^^ have a look at the Crap 1 thread ... where recent posts are discussing the fact that a lot of banks have recently taken unilateral action to simply cut off additional HELOC and credit card credit lines. Thus a lot of people who were counting on the availability of pre-approved unsecured credit 'loans' to cover emergency expenditures are now totally screwed.
As you point out independently, another long standing financial 'assumption', i.e. that credit will always be available to cover emergencies thus the building up of cash savings for emergencies is unnecessary, has now bitten the dust ... in exactly the same way that the long standing financial 'assumption' that housing values can only go up has already bitten the dust ! Actually, the reason for both failures is exactly the same ... a re-evaluation of actual lender risk.
Scrimping and coupons work (the Sunday paper is the best) We all have to make sacrifices right now! Keep a log of how much you save and you'll be amazed.
When I first met my husband, he hated the idea of coupons. He said they embarrassed him and thought they make you look poor or cheap.
Then once we started to hit hard times and he realized how much money we save with them, he humbled up!
I hate having to buy cheap brands of stuff and cheap food. I hate not having my plethora of fun beauty products in the bathroom. I miss being able to afford nice dinners like fresh fish, buy a good bottle of wine, etc....but it's either sacrifice of not eat all all. I'd rather eat!
I'm glad I'm not the only one out there with the problem of being car-less. If I had a car my life would change completely. Transportation is essential.
This is the one piece of advice I cannot stress enough. I made the mistake of blowing the money I made when I first started and now I am kicking myself in the ASS. I went crazy...clothes, accessories, makeup, shoes, tattoos....
All that stuff isn't helping me at all right now. I'd trade it all for just a piece of crap reliable hooptie-mobile
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