We are Mel and James Clarkston from El Paso, Texas and we are surviving on a limited income!
James is a classical guitarist for hire/ teacher, and I am an artist/ graphic designer who also teaches private painting lessons. The economy over the last few years has adversely affected many people’s income and job security; those in creative fields have been hit particularly hard. So,in the course of the last few years we saw our income decrease significantly. So, being the creative people we are, we started looking for ways to cut back, but not cut “out” things we enjoy!
When James gets hired to play at restaurants, he is usually able to make dinner for two part of the deal. I understand that not everyone is a musician, and therefore cannot get free meals at restaurants in this same way; but there are other ways. We also take part in surveys that some of our favorite places offer, like Chik-fil-A and Panda Express!
As artists and musicians, there is something else that is important to us : our unique look! Something like having my hair colored in a salon was a luxury I thought I needed to give up. So I did briefly… Then I discovered the wonderful ITS Academy at the mall right near my home. Highlights and lowlights that cost well over a hundred dollars in a regular salon cost me around twenty five at the academy. James even started experimenting too!
I am also a big fan of thrift stores for clothing and purses, among other things. I shop at a Savers store that is in a neighboring town. This is a college town, so I’ve found some great,VERY gently used clothes there; I attribute this to the fickle nature of young women, who probably wore the things once or twice and then got rid of them!
Some bigger ways we cut expenses may not be for the faint of heart! We share one car, which works for us because we work primarily from home (except for gig nights), and we are together all the time. Another way is by not paying for cable or satellite television. How many times has someone said ” I have three hundred channels and still there’s nothing on?”. We’ve been without cable/satellite for over four years, and honestly NEVER miss it!
There are many other ways we are able to spend less- these are just a few!
Other Content by Mel Clarkston: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9064011/the_halloween_party_of_the_century.html?cat=44