How much money does it cost to 'get by' living as a writer?
$15,000 a year I think is 'perfect'.
If you drive a scooter, don't have children or a mortgage, are thinking about potentially purchasing a cat, and visit the dentist regularly, $15,000 is more than enough to cover a year's expenses.
To be happy you only need to have a certain amount of money, and spend that money wisely. $15,000 is about right I think.
The 'right' things to spend money on are:
- 'high quality' basic organic staple foods
- a few basic clothes that make you look extremely sexy but will not 'date' quickly
- housing in a 'vibrant' community with access to a beautiful park or garden
- an Apple laptop
- a few pieces of nice-looking furniture (some Ikea furniture looks nice)
- 'deeply meaningful' books, magazines, and films
- six different sorts of tea
- alcohol, cigarettes and recreational drugs (these are optional extras)
If you own a few high-quality possessions, then you are able to take the time to appreciate what you have. If you own too much, then you aren't able to properly appreciate what you have and everything just seems like a 'lot of shit'.
Never buy what you can get for free. Use Bittorrent to download movies and music and computer applications. Read literature and newspapers and magazines online where possible. If you like a band or a director or a computer programmer or a writer, then send them an email and ask them how you can send them money directly. Buy t-shirts second-hand. Do not use central heating. Switch off at the powerpoint. Don't buy cafe coffee. Carry a flask around with you whenever you go out to avoid having to pay for overpriced drinks. Use eBay sometimes maybe.
Being frugal does not mean being a 'boring tight-ass shit who never has any fun'. Being frugal means only spending money on things that will maximise your enjoyment of life.
"But this is how Paris was in the early days when we were very poor and very happy."
-- Ernest Heminway, The Sun Also Rises
9 comments:
i like and agree with this
the other thing is that you should not go to college and accrue student loan debt because then maybe you will be forced to earn more than $15,000 because your loan officer calls you every hour and threatens to put your mother in jail. or like, i guess if you're one of those smart kids a college will let you go for free. that's good too.
venom, we have this thing in australia called HECS where you only have to pay back your uni fees as soon as you earn a certain amount of money a year. i think it is $40,000 a year.
loan officers sound awful.
controversial hamsters
yes ryan manning yes.
people censor controversial hamsters.
i got my group payment summary the other week. guess how much i earnt last year?
your life is pretty much perfect chloe.
i mean, 'exclamation mark'.
i just got two pairs of very reasonably priced second-hand boots and they make me happier than all the other shoes i've ever had, dead or alive and i will have these boots until forever
australia is awesome.
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