Hi all! Coming back to camming after 2 years and I've always wanted to say a big thank you to every girl here who has generously lent their expertise, tips, inspiring successes, learning experiences, and just general support. I honestly would have been too overwhelmed to start if I didn't have pages and pages of help and support.
So with that in mind, I wanted to try to give back just a bit of value as a thank you.
Everyone knows that life these days is getting more and more expensive and sometimes it can feel like it's all work, work, work just to barely get by. Today I want to show you some ways that I can still get (almost) everything I need for free or very low cost, and some easy ways to make money your friend instead of enemy.
At about 3,100 words, this is a long post, but I hope that it is of some use to you guys.
FITNESS
You don't need to shell out hundreds of dollars a month in order to feel healthy and strong. In fact, you don't even need expensive equipment, an in-house gym, or weights.
Here are some great apps and things to check out:
- 8fit - This is a great app that makes personalized body-weight exercises depending on your goals. No weights or workout equipment required.
For cheap (I think $5/mo), you can even get customized meal plans that will account for your particular diet as well as any allergies or dislikes.- Couch to 5k - This is an app for runners, that promises to help you go from couch potato to running 5k (~3mi) straight in just over 8 weeks.
- MyFitnessPal - This app helps you track calories in and out to help manage your weight. You can also add friends for some friendly competition or support. You can also log workouts to track your progress.
- Glow - Track your fertility and menstruation with Glow. Track symptoms, moods, sleep, etc. to see if you notice patterns from cycle to cycle. I especially like it because it estimates your ovulation date and gives you a percent chance of getting pregnant each day. As someone who largely relies on natural family planning and barrier methods, this saves me a lot of math.
- YouTube Yoga - There are so, so many channels on youtube for different yoga routines. Back hurting? They have you covered. Want to turn into a human pretzel? They got you too. Checkout "Yoga with Adrienne".
- AllTrails - Live in an outdoorsy state? AllTrails will help you scope out hiking trails in the area. Has reviews too, so people can warn you about safety concerns, bugs, tourists, etc.
- Zero - I'm sure many of you have heard of intermittent fasting. This app will help give you a timer to help you stay true to your fast, for however long you like to go. Includes links to the science of fasting for your reading pleasure.
SOCIAL MEDIA
As a SW, marketing is half the battle. Make it easier with the right tools.
- Buffer - This service allows you to schedule your posts across a variety of social media services like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Their paid plan gives you more leeway, and I think it runs $15/mo. But the free works just fine too.
- Hootsuite - Similar to Buffer, works for just Facebook and Twitter though, I think.
- Canva - Make beautiful social media graphics on your own, even if you're not a designer. Extremely drag-and-drop, and has plenty of free pics.
- Vectr - Like canva, but has more wiggle room and editing is easier. More font choices too, last time I checked.
- Pixabay - Free graphics (more adult-oriented pics than Unsplash, in my experience)
- Unsplash - Free graphics
TIME-SAVING/PRODUCTIVITY
Time is money. Save time, increase your productivity, and watch your earnings go up while your stress goes down.
- 30/30 - App that allows you to make a timed schedule. I use it for the pomodoro technique when not camming, and to hold myself accountable to my hours while camming.
- LeechBlock - Do you ever try to be productive, only to waste all day on Facebook or Netflix? Leechblock will let you block those sites for a period of time, forcing you to not procrastinate.
- Creating a Foundational Schedule - Working on your own time has its perks. But it can be easy to have a free-form schedule that gets little done. If you can create a foundational schedule (got this from the Miracle Morning), you can maximize your productivity by having at least a roughly routine week. Plus, we all know that regulars who expect us at a certain time everyday can become our bread-and-butter.
- Miracle Morning - This is a book rather than an app, but the essence of it is to make your mornings a sacred routine. Whether we admit it or not, almost all of us are the most "on the ball" during our first two hours of the day, and if we use it to improve and take care of ourselves, then the rest of our day is set up to be extremely productive and meaningful. A supremely helpful book, and one that has helped immensely.
FOOD
We all need to eat. Save time and money in one go with these apps.
- Walmart Grocery App - Grocery shopping sucks and wastes hella time. You forget the milk, have to stand in line, and generally be seen in public. Save yourself the headache and make someone else grocery shop for you. For free. Download the Walmart app, punch your groceries in, and pick them up. Some stores even deliver. Best part is? You can add to your grocery cart from wherever, whenever. No more grocery lists.
- Allrecipes App - Like to cook, but hate managing all those grocery lists and recipe cards? Not only can you find literally any recipe just about ever, but you can compile a grocery list from all your recipes in one click. Then just transfer that list to the Walmart app and you're set.
- Ibotta - Instant rebates basically anywhere you shop online. You just snap a pic of your receipt and you get money back. Beats coupon clipping a million times over.
CLOTHES
You don't need to spend big to look like the goddess that you are.
- Rich Goodwills - Yeah, I know. Goodwills can be pretty busted. BUT, not if you go to the swanky side of town. I've seen designer jeans with the tags still on, Loubitons (sp?), real gold jewelry, all that. Especially you go there on the deal days, you can pay pennies on the dollar for barely-used clothes.
- Charlotte Russe/Forever 21/etc - Take this one with a grain of salt because I have no taste, lol. But I do tend to notice that those teen-oriented shops you usually find in the mall have cute clothes for decent prices, and I very rarely find them at sub-par quality. I know that Charlotte Russe's website generally always has a sale of some sort. I got OTK boots for $4.41, and that's not an anomaly.
MENTAL HEALTH
No matter what you do as a SW, it can drain your energy, heart, and mental health. Please, please never forget to love and take care of yourself, most especially when you're in this line of work.
- Youper - Youper is almost like a bot-therapist. It asks you to record your mood, explore the origins of your moods, and handle them in a healthy, constructive way. There is no judgement, fee, or human involved, so you are completely free to be yourself. It even allows you to get screenings for various things like anxiety, depression, PTSD, and things of that nature. It records your moods and the causes of your moods over time, so you can learn in a more objective way how your mind works. And again, while there is no human it does offer you resources to get help if needed.
- Calm - It's no secret that meditation is good for your whole mind, body, and spirit. There are a variety of free meditations to help you calm your mind, release tension in the body, and find forgiveness towards yourself and others. Not a fan of meditating? That's fine. You can start with just one minute.
- You Can Heal Your Life - This is a book rather than an app, but I can't recommend it enough. You know how it feels to take a hot shower after being dirty for hours? It's like that, but for your soul.
EDUCATION
Knowledge really is power. The more you know, the more opportunities and agility you have. Stay on top of the game without breaking your bank.
- Kindle Unlimited - Kindle is an eBook service offered by Amazon. With Kindle Unlimited, you pay $10/mo to read virtually ANY book you want on amazon. That's an endless supply of knowledge on ANYTHING you want. Making more money. Saving money. Different skills that can get you out of SW (if that's what you want). How to buy a house, love yourself, invest, write a book, start a biz, learn LOA, lose weight, WHATEVER. For $10. And you can learn all those things right from your iPhone while you're taking a bath or waiting in line at the DMV.
- Udemy - Prefer video/audio lessons? With Udemy, you can also learn ANYTHING on the cheap. I've personally taken courses on language, travel hacking, web design, investing, blogging, and god knows what else. Look up coupon codes for when they're not having course sales.
SAVING
It's not always how much you make, it's how much you keep. Learn how to keep those greenbacks in your purse and still get what you want.
- Sling - Love to watch TV? Why pay $200+ a month for those stupid channels you never watch? Go a la carte with Sling and watch your bill slice in half.
- Acorns - From small acorns mighty oaks grow. With this app, every bit of leftover change is saved and auto-invested into stocks. So if you buy a coffee for $1.50, then that other $0.50 goes towards stock. Seems lousy, but it adds up!
- YNAB (You Need A Budget) - Ugh, budgets. Luckily YNAB makes it (slightly) painless by helping you make an easy, adaptable budget. I'd say that out of all the apps and doodads on here, this is my #1 must-try. It is paid, but you get a 30-day free trial and it is so, so worth it. Honestly even if you're scraping by, it helps you do magic with your money and STOP STRESSING ABOUT CASH FOR ONCE.
- LetGo - If you need something, chances are that someone is dying to get rid of it. Seriously, I've seen some nice-ass desks, TVs, couches, and beds go for FREE. It's like Craigslist, but with less of that murder-y aroma.
THANK YOU GUYS!
I know that was a behemoth, but I just wanted to give my little piece of help where I could. Let me know if you guys need links, have questions, or have anything you'd like me to add.
Next post is on EARNING AND INVESTING since, this one was too long to post the whole thing.
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