Managing Your Finances Like a Lady

It’s a tough world out there for single women, especially single unemployed women. You have to maintain your appearance to attract potential partners and to look representable for job interviews. Work wear is expensive and today’s job market requires you to look your best. So how do I manage without a job and a boyfriend to pay my rent, bills, feed my cats, feed myself, buy clothes, make-up and do my hair?

When your future looks uncertain, it is very important to keep your budget intact and save some money for the future. The unfortunate part of being unemployed is that you have no idea when you will get your next job. It might take a month, six months or even SEVEN years like in my case.

Who will buy me shoes when you have no income or a boyfriend? Who will even look at me if I can’t afford to buy make-up and do my hair? Do I need to go live with my parents again? Rob a bank? You get stressed and anxious, but sometimes you have to do things that aren’t that awesome. No, I don’t mean you should do porn, but find quick ways to cut your fixed expenses first. Here are 30 things I have done in the past seven years of my unemployed single life to save a buck:

1. Lived with my dad for two years.
2. Lived with random (WEIRD) roommates I found online in four different apartments in NYC and Finland. Communists, hipsters, bullies and one fashion model who only had jam and beer in her side of the fridge…and several more!
3. Lived in an apartment hotel with random roommates.
4. Lived in an apartment in a building that was under construction work (cheaper rent) and I didn’t have a window for six months.
5. Bought make-up from the sales section.
6. Bought clothes from second hand stores.
7. Met people in a library instead of a café.
8. Haven’t taken a vacation/ traveled abroad in 2 YEARS.
9. Used coupons to buy food.
10. Asked help from the church.
11. Talked to my cats instead of paying 120 euros/session (average price) for a therapist.
12. Cycled 44km in one day just to save 13 euros in travel costs.
13. Asked for a ride from neighbors/ friends to save a bus ride fair 2,80 euros.
14. Cut down on alcohol and going to bars. I didn’t go to a single bar for 8 MONTHS.
15. Gone on a date with a douchebag to get free food.
16. Attended random events to get free food, such as a tech company’s training event for coders (I’m NOT a coder).
17. Volunteered in random events to get free food.
18. Complained about something to get a discount on food/ a cocktail. (Real reasons though, sick of paying from my pennies just to get crap)
19. Taken sugar, salt and pepper home from restaurants.
20. Fixed my old shoes instead of buying new ones.
21. Cut and died my own hair. (After I got sick of vicious bullying hairdressers DELIBERATELY ruining my hair after I paid FULL price, SEVEN incidents in Finland!!)
22. Stopped wearing nail polish.
23. Left an empty bottle in a public toilet and after the event took the bottle for recycling to get 0,20e.
24. Took my jewellery to the pawn shop to get money to buy one of my cats.
25. Considered putting my rental apartment on Airbnb, but then realized it’s illegal (breach of contract). You could do this though if your contract allows it and stay with your relatives, friends for 1-2 months to save rent money and use that money to take a vacation!
26. Learned how to change a light bulb/ clean pipes/ install washing machine instead of paying the maintenance guy to do it.
27. Changed a gym membership to an fitness app and worked out from home/ outside (saved 40e per month).
28. Learned how to cook at home instead of buying ready meals/ ordering from restaurants.
29. Utilized free trials for pretty much everything available, such as LinkedIn, Adobe, a local newspaper etc. Just remember to CANCEL on time!!
30. Actually have WORKED! Done different part-time, freelancer work 1-4 days a week (NOT every week though so I would actually have enough money to live), such as sold yoghurt in supermarkets, sold Oreo cookies in supermarkets, was a substitute teacher in an elementary school, sat in a church eight hour per day for two months waiting for tourists to stop by, and helped startups with social media marketing. Everything except work worth my MSc in International Business Management and prostitution. 😝

This is all for today,  more money saving tricks coming up later! 

I tried to collect some of the funniest things, but of course there’s nothing funny about my situation. However, all the entrepreneurs I have met so far, have had similar money saving tricks. So I guess there’s still hope for me. 😃👍🏼