Actually “saving” money by going where you spend even more often!

I love this one.  It’s one of the items I mentioned to help you stop living paycheck to paycheck in 56 days or less! 

It takes a lot of discipline and a little creativity, but I actually made money in college and grad school by going where I was most likely to spend money four to five days a week. 

This one is controversial and at least a little counter intuitive.  Here is my story.  (Note that I am-not advocating for any specific profession.  Mine may be controversial or worse to some people.  Yours could be anything – stores, malls, etc.  Mine is bars.)

I started college in the fall of 1996.  I went to a large university in a major city.  There were parties everywhere.  And everyone wanted to get into bars (“even if they couldn’t drink”).  After three weeks of $5 red cups just to get in (I’ve never been a huge “drinker” but that was the cost of getting into parties), I found a better way.  I asked everyone I knew if they had any connections for jobs working at any local bars.  I wanted to have fun.  I wanted to meet people.  But I didn’t want to spend money to do it.  Within a month I found a job as a “bouncer” (which, if you knew me was not because of any “intimidation factor”…). 

Bam!  I was working 4-5 nights per week as a bouncer.  I started off making $7 per hour (plus the money I did not spend at parties).  It was a couple hundred dollars per week, give or take, to start.  I then grew up into doing coat check ($9 per hour PLUS TIPS – which were between $100 and $200 more per night).  It was great.  After two and a half years I started bartending.  Cha ching!

So there you have it.  With bars, in my opinion, you need to be really careful.  Many of my friends or acquaintances got “into” the lifestyle.  They’re still working there (although some are successful owners).  Not me.  I was there to make it work for me until I got through grad school.  I wanted to get through school with minimal student loans (My education and room and board cost about $300,000 and, with scholarships, grants and working I came out with about $100,000.  Not bad.  Not ideal.  And I would probably try and come out with even less if I were to do it again, 14 years later.  But it worked for me so far).  Plus, those student loans are “going bye bye” soon anyhow!

The takeaways:
This one can be dangerous, so be careful. You need to leave your money at home so you don’t spend (or maybe you shredded your credit cards, so you may be ok). It is great because “where you spend” is often somewhere you like to hang out. So if you spend $100 per weekend racing go-carts, get a job there. Even volunteer.

Working when and where you otherwise spend (and leaving your money at home) reduces your “shopportunities” and could get you the “fix” you may “need.”

The key is turning a spending time and opportunity to either “no spending” or “a profit center.” It can be a double benefit if you get paid even a little to be there.

Notice I didn’t mention employee discounts.  I did this on purpose (until now, I guess…).  That can certainly be a benefit too, reducing the cost of something you buy anyhow.  But that is often used as an excuse to spend the same amount of money on more “stuff.”  I could go on and on about employee discounts, but now is not the time. 

So think about getting a job where you spend.  Not hiring?  Ask them if they want a volunteer.  Being there may get you your “fix” without spending money.  And, of course, put your credit card down and slowly step away from the mall!