Finances - Tumblr Posts
💸 lucky penny spell 💸
you’ll need -
penny
candle (preferably green)
financial boost sigil
optional -
pyrite (money associations)
runes dagaz and wunjo
cinnamon (financial associations)
strawberry or patchouli incense (finance, success)
ace of pentacles tarot card (material/financial success)
to cast -
if you cleanse your space and invoke/call upon deities or elements, do this now. do what you usually do at the start of each spell you cast!
then, carve your sigil into the candle (or draw it on with pencil). you can put the ingredients pretty much anywhere you like, but surround the candle with them. make sure the penny is under the candle. if you have more, place them around. if you’re using cinnamon, sprinkle it on the candle and your spellworking space.
light the incense, and here you can either say a chant or meditate on what you want - in this case, a cash boost. once you’ve done this, light your candle and leave for as long as you like.
after this, and once you feel you’ve done all you can, the penny under the candle will be a ‘lucky’ penny. carry it around with you while you work for some extra tips, or pass it along to someone you think might need it! this spell is meant to be customizable - if something doesnt resonate with you, don’t do it.
if you want to help my spell work, and help me stay in a safe place, click here and you’ll be taken to Pleiadic Tarot, where i offer cheap, in depth tarot readings, custom sigils, and handmade tarot bags and patches. thankyou for your support!
Eco-friendly tip: understanding & improving your financial health
That does NOT mean becoming greedy. Unfortunately, We Live In A Society that currently requires us to have money to survive. I am resentful of that fact. I bring up this topic for the same reason self-care is brought up: that we can only give what we are able to give. That we have to take care of ourselves so we are able to take care of each other.
And no, this is not a “bootstraps” post. Different people have different situations. “Bootstrap” mentalities are naïve at best, mean at worst (both equally ignorant to reality).
To me understanding your financial health is seeing where you are, what your needs are, and what your goals are. Doing the work to improve your financial health is determining the work you can do yourself vs what help you need. Remember: there is no shame in needing help!
I still have a long while to go before I hit my goals - which are to be able to sustain myself (stress free) and frequently give to the local community, mutual aid, etc. One of my favorite resources is @thefinancialdiet and their “20 point checklist for getting good with money” video on YouTube.
Anyway, nerd out time: I made some money worksheets that I think are adorable and I love them 🥰 I have more types that I need to make, like a bill tracker. If you would like these PDFs, DM me your email address ☺️ I print these out and keep them in a binder (pen to paper is better for me)
Not true though. 6.35*365*35 = 81,121$.
You’d need around a 12-15% yearly interest rate to have a million by the end. And even the highest savings accounts only reach around 1.5%.
If you started putting $6.35 in your savings account every day when you turned 30, you would be a millionaire by age 65.
You know, I've been trying to figure out for the past... year or so, now? how to use various eCommerce sites. It's continually fallen to the wayside, though, which is unfortunate because an income is something I sorely need at some point. I am floating the idea of doing art commissions, though, which just requires a lot of practice for whatever style I choose to do the art in... and some understanding of how best to price it.
you don't have to pay overdraft fees ever
the biden administration recently cracked down on overdraft fees which means banks cannot force you to pay them as they have become opt-in -- however you do have to call the bank (for example, paypal payments overdraft you even if you have opted out, as they function like checks.)
my experience is with wellsfargo but i imagine that most major banks may operate similarly:
if you have an overdraft fee, call the bank, you will get a machine. go through the autentification process with it but do not mention your issue when it asks you to (specially not the word overdraft -- this is a conspiracy theory i cannot prove but i swear to god they rewire you to more aggressive phone people if you tipoff the machine) instead say "i'd like to speak to a representative" the machine will be like "lol didn't get that" so you may need to repeat it a couple more times before it wires you to a real person
wait! i'd recomend calling as early in the morning as possible to avoid elevator music.
be nice to the customer service person who picks up (i make a point of thanking them for their help and calling them by their name, if i don't catch it the first time i ask them again for it)
my script is something along the lines of: "hi, i noticed there's an overdraft fee in my account that posted on [date]. i am calling to see if we (WE -- you and the representative are a team against the problem) could do something about it" (<- you may decide to be more direct, i just put my innocent hat on)
most if not all of what they say to you is a script. they will be like "i will check that for you with the automated process that takes into account you previous refund activity" BLAH BLAH BLAH. more waiting. if you have had any refunds in the past 12 months, they will be like "sorry the system says no (:" THOUGH, VERY RECENTLY, they have tacked on this question: do you have any thoughts on that / how do you feel about that / etc. though even if they do not prompt you, here's the next step:
say: thank you! i appreciate the automated review, however i do not agree/approve/consent to being charged a fee. is there any way you could check again / anyone else i could talk to / would it be possible to refund it regardless? etc.
they will check again, possibly more waiting, and then you will get an immediate refund! in the rare case they refuse to, here is the link to the FDIC website that you can refer to (note, this is for overdraft fees only):
8. i cannot emphasize this enough -- be nice !!!!!!!!!!! BE NICE! be cheerful, say "thank you" and "no worries" and "take your time!". it is NOT a confrontation, it is NOT their fault, and most of the time the customer service representative wants this to be as frictionless as possible. they are helping you, use the opportunity to make a moment of their day a lot less stressful than they expect it to be.
that is ALL -- i have been using wellsfargo for over eight years, and have lost hundreds of dollars to predatory overdraft fees charged as a punishment for having no money.
during the beginning covid, when they were momentarily suspended (you had to mention covid on the phone to get them back lol), i came to the realization that all of this time they could have been giving me my money back. there was no reason not to, except corporate greed.
do not let phone social anxiety let them take your money from you, now that it is easier than EVER to get it back. and if you need motivation to pick up the phone, remember this headline from a couple of years back lol:
DEATH TO CAPITALISM !!!!!!
please guys please learn how tax brackets actually work I can only take so many financially incorrect threats
want to be a ko-fi member for one of my favorite artists vs tuition and rent
fun facts about me part 3 I think: I learned what a 401k is in Spanish class my senior year of high school (we had to learn the Spanish words for it)
I want to live by myself when I move out of my parent's place but I'm really afraid of money problems? I'm afraid that the only place I can afford will be in the ghetto and it'll all be torn apart and I'll only be allowed to eat one granola bar a week. I'm really stressing out about this. I don't know anything about after school life. I don't know anything about paying bills or how to buy an apartment and it's really scaring me. is there anything you know that can help me?
HI darling,
I’ve actually got a super wonderful masterpost for you to check out:
Home
what the hell is a mortgage?
first apartment essentials checklist
how to care for cacti and succulents
the care and keeping of plants
Getting an apartment
Money
earn rewards by taking polls
how to coupon
what to do when you can’t pay your bills
see if you’re paying too much for your cell phone bill
how to save money
How to Balance a Check Book
How to do Your Own Taxes
Health
how to take care of yourself when you’re sick
things to bring to a doctor’s appointment
how to get free therapy
what to expect from your first gynecologist appointment
how to make a doctor’s appointment
how to pick a health insurance plan
how to avoid a hangover
a list of stress relievers
how to remove a splinter
Emergency
what to do if you get pulled over by a cop
a list of hotlines in a crisis
things to keep in your car in case of an emergency
how to do the heimlich maneuver
Job
time management
create a resume
find the right career
how to pick a major
how to avoid a hangover
how to interview for a job
how to stop procrastinating
How to write cover letters
Travel
ULTIMATE PACKING LIST
Traveling for Cheap
Travel Accessories
The Best Way to Pack a Suitcase
How To Read A Map
How to Apply For A Passport
How to Make A Travel Budget
Better You
read the news
leave your childhood traumas behind
how to quit smoking
how to knit
how to stop biting your nails
how to stop procrastinating
how to stop skipping breakfast
how to stop micromanaging
how to stop avoiding asking for help
how to stop swearing constantly
how to stop being a pushover
learn another language
how to improve your self-esteem
how to sew
learn how to embroider
how to love yourself
100 tips for life
Apartments/Houses/Moving
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 1: Are You Sure? (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 2: Finding the Damn Apartment (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 3: Questions to Ask about the Damn Apartment (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 4: Packing and Moving All of Your Shit (The Responsible One)
How to Protect Your Home Against Break-Ins (The Responsible One)
Education
How to Find a Fucking College (The Sudden Adult)
How to Find Some Fucking Money for College (The Sudden Adult)
What to Do When You Can’t Afford Your #1 Post-Secondary School (The Sudden Adult)
Stop Shitting on Community College Kids (Why Community College is Fucking Awesome) (The Responsible One)
How to Ask for a Recommendation Letter (The Responsible One)
How to Choose a College Major (The Sudden Adult)
Finances
How to Write a Goddamn Check (The Responsible One)
How to Convince Credit Companies You’re Not a Worthless Bag of Shit (The Responsible One)
Debit vs Credit (The Responsible One)
What to Do if Your Wallet is Stolen/Lost (The Sudden Adult)
Budgeting 101 (The Responsible One)
Important Tax Links to Know (The Responsible One)
How to Choose a Bank Without Screwing Yourself (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting
How to Write a Resume Like a Boss (The Responsible One)
How to Write a Cover Letter Someone Will Actually Read (The Responsible One)
How to Handle a Phone Interview without Fucking Up (The Responsible One)
10 Sites to Start Your Job Search (The Responsible One)
Life Skills
Staying in Touch with Friends/Family (The Sudden Adult)
Bar Etiquette (The Sudden Adult)
What to Do After a Car Accident (The Sudden Adult)
Grow Up and Buy Your Own Groceries (The Responsible One)
How to Survive Plane Trips (The Sudden Adult)
How to Make a List of Goals (The Responsible One)
How to Stop Whining and Make a Damn Appointment (The Responsible One)
Miscellaneous
What to Expect from the Hell that is Jury Duty (The Responsible One)
Relationships
Marriage: What the Fuck Does It Mean and How the Hell Do I Know When I’m Ready? (Guest post - The Northwest Adult)
How Fucked Are You for Moving In with Your Significant Other: An Interview with an Actual Real-Life Couple Living Together™ (mintypineapple and catastrofries)
Travel & Vehicles
How to Winterize Your Piece of Shit Vehicle (The Responsible One)
How to Make Public Transportation Your Bitch (The Responsible One)
Other Blog Features
Apps for Asshats
Harsh Truths & Bitter Reminders
Asks I’ll Probably Need to Refer People to Later
Apartments (or Life Skills) - How Not to Live in Filth (The Sudden Adult)
Finances - Tax Basics (The Responsible One)
Important Documents - How to Get a Copy of Your Birth Certificate (The Responsible One)
Important Documents - How to Get a Replacement ID (The Responsible One)
Health - How to Deal with a Chemical Burn (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting - List of Jobs Based on Social Interaction Levels (The Sudden Adult)
Job Hunting - How to Avoid Falling into a Pit of Despair While Job Hunting (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting - Questions to Ask in an Interview (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - First-Time Flying Tips (The Sudden Adult)
Life Skills - How to Ask a Good Question (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - Reasons to Take a Foreign Language (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - Opening a Bar Tab (The Sudden Adult)
Relationships - Long Distance Relationships: How to Stay in Contact (The Responsible One)
Adult Cheat Sheet:
what to do if your pet gets lost
removing stains from your carpet
how to know if you’re eligible for food stamps
throwing a dinner party
i’m pregnant, now what?
first aid tools to keep in your house
how to keep a clean kitchen
learning how to become independent from your parents
job interview tips
opening your first bank account
what to do if you lose your wallet
tips for cheap furniture
easy ways to cut your spending
selecting the right tires for your car
taking out your first loan
picking out the right credit card
how to get out of parking tickets
how to fix a leaky faucet
get all of your news in one place
getting rid of mice & rats in your house
when to go to the e.r.
buying your first home
how to buy your first stocks
guide to brewing coffee
first apartment essentials checklist
coping with a job you hate
30 books to read before you’re 30
what’s the deal with retirement?
difference between insurances
Once you’ve looked over all those cool links, I have some general advice for you on how you can have some sort of support system going for you:
Reasons to move out of home
You may decide to leave home for many different reasons, including:
wishing to live independently
location difficulties – for example, the need to move closer to university
conflict with your parents
being asked to leave by your parents.
Issues to consider when moving out of home
It’s common to be a little unsure when you make a decision like leaving home. You may choose to move, but find that you face problems you didn’t anticipate, such as:
Unreadiness – you may find you are not quite ready to handle all the responsibilities.
Money worries – bills including rent, utilities like gas and electricity and the cost of groceries may catch you by surprise, especially if you are used to your parents providing for everything. Debt may become an issue.
Flatmate problems – issues such as paying bills on time, sharing housework equally, friends who never pay board, but stay anyway, and lifestyle incompatibilities (such as a non-drug-user flatting with a drug user) may result in hostilities and arguments.
Your parents may be worried
Think about how your parents may be feeling and talk with them if they are worried about you. Most parents want their children to be happy and independent, but they might be concerned about a lot of different things. For example:
They may worry that you are not ready.
They may be sad because they will miss you.
They may think you shouldn’t leave home until you are married or have bought a house.
They may be concerned about the people you have chosen to live with.
Reassure your parents that you will keep in touch and visit regularly. Try to leave on a positive note. Hopefully, they are happy about your plans and support your decision.
Tips for a successful move
Tips include:
Don’t make a rash decision – consider the situation carefully. Are you ready to live independently? Do you make enough money to support yourself? Are you moving out for the right reasons?
Draw up a realistic budget – don’t forget to include ‘hidden’ expenses such as the property’s security deposit or bond (usually four weeks’ rent), connection fees for utilities, and home and contents insurance.
Communicate – avoid misunderstandings, hostilities and arguments by talking openly and respectfully about your concerns with flatmates and parents. Make sure you’re open to their point of view too – getting along is a two-way street.
Keep in touch – talk to your parents about regular home visits: for example, having Sunday night dinner together every week.
Work out acceptable behaviour – if your parents don’t like your flatmate(s), find out why. It is usually the behaviour rather than the person that causes offence (for example, swearing or smoking). Out of respect for your parents, ask your flatmate(s) to be on their best behaviour when your parents visit and do the same for them.
Ask for help – if things are becoming difficult, don’t be too proud to ask your parents for help. They have a lot of life experience.
If your family home does not provide support
Not everyone who leaves home can return home or ask their parents for help in times of trouble. If you have been thrown out of home or left home to escape abuse or conflict, you may be too young or unprepared to cope.
If you are a fostered child, you will have to leave the state-care system when you turn 18, but you may not be ready to make the sudden transition to independence.
If you need support, help is available from a range of community and government organisations. Assistance includes emergency accommodation and food vouchers. If you can’t call your parents or foster parents, call one of the associations below for information, advice and assistance.
Where to get help
Your doctor
Kids Helpline Tel. 1800 55 1800
Lifeline Tel. 13 11 44
Home Ground Services Tel. 1800 048 325
Relationships Australia Tel. 1300 364 277
Centrelink Crisis or Special Help Tel. 13 28 50
Tenants Union of Victoria Tel. (03) 9416 2577
Things to remember
Try to solve any problems before you leave home. Don’t leave because of a fight or other family difficulty if you can possibly avoid it.
Draw up a realistic budget that includes ‘hidden’ expenses, such as bond, connection fees for utilities, and home and contents insurance.
Remember that you can get help from a range of community and government organizations.
(source)
Keep me updated? xx
I want to live by myself when I move out of my parent's place but I'm really afraid of money problems? I'm afraid that the only place I can afford will be in the ghetto and it'll all be torn apart and I'll only be allowed to eat one granola bar a week. I'm really stressing out about this. I don't know anything about after school life. I don't know anything about paying bills or how to buy an apartment and it's really scaring me. is there anything you know that can help me?
HI darling,
I’ve actually got a super wonderful masterpost for you to check out:
Home
what the hell is a mortgage?
first apartment essentials checklist
how to care for cacti and succulents
the care and keeping of plants
Getting an apartment
Money
earn rewards by taking polls
how to coupon
what to do when you can’t pay your bills
see if you’re paying too much for your cell phone bill
how to save money
How to Balance a Check Book
How to do Your Own Taxes
Health
how to take care of yourself when you’re sick
things to bring to a doctor’s appointment
how to get free therapy
what to expect from your first gynecologist appointment
how to make a doctor’s appointment
how to pick a health insurance plan
how to avoid a hangover
a list of stress relievers
how to remove a splinter
Emergency
what to do if you get pulled over by a cop
a list of hotlines in a crisis
things to keep in your car in case of an emergency
how to do the heimlich maneuver
Job
time management
create a resume
find the right career
how to pick a major
how to avoid a hangover
how to interview for a job
how to stop procrastinating
How to write cover letters
Travel
ULTIMATE PACKING LIST
Traveling for Cheap
Travel Accessories
The Best Way to Pack a Suitcase
How To Read A Map
How to Apply For A Passport
How to Make A Travel Budget
Better You
read the news
leave your childhood traumas behind
how to quit smoking
how to knit
how to stop biting your nails
how to stop procrastinating
how to stop skipping breakfast
how to stop micromanaging
how to stop avoiding asking for help
how to stop swearing constantly
how to stop being a pushover
learn another language
how to improve your self-esteem
how to sew
learn how to embroider
how to love yourself
100 tips for life
Apartments/Houses/Moving
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 1: Are You Sure? (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 2: Finding the Damn Apartment (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 3: Questions to Ask about the Damn Apartment (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 4: Packing and Moving All of Your Shit (The Responsible One)
How to Protect Your Home Against Break-Ins (The Responsible One)
Education
How to Find a Fucking College (The Sudden Adult)
How to Find Some Fucking Money for College (The Sudden Adult)
What to Do When You Can’t Afford Your #1 Post-Secondary School (The Sudden Adult)
Stop Shitting on Community College Kids (Why Community College is Fucking Awesome) (The Responsible One)
How to Ask for a Recommendation Letter (The Responsible One)
How to Choose a College Major (The Sudden Adult)
Finances
How to Write a Goddamn Check (The Responsible One)
How to Convince Credit Companies You’re Not a Worthless Bag of Shit (The Responsible One)
Debit vs Credit (The Responsible One)
What to Do if Your Wallet is Stolen/Lost (The Sudden Adult)
Budgeting 101 (The Responsible One)
Important Tax Links to Know (The Responsible One)
How to Choose a Bank Without Screwing Yourself (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting
How to Write a Resume Like a Boss (The Responsible One)
How to Write a Cover Letter Someone Will Actually Read (The Responsible One)
How to Handle a Phone Interview without Fucking Up (The Responsible One)
10 Sites to Start Your Job Search (The Responsible One)
Life Skills
Staying in Touch with Friends/Family (The Sudden Adult)
Bar Etiquette (The Sudden Adult)
What to Do After a Car Accident (The Sudden Adult)
Grow Up and Buy Your Own Groceries (The Responsible One)
How to Survive Plane Trips (The Sudden Adult)
How to Make a List of Goals (The Responsible One)
How to Stop Whining and Make a Damn Appointment (The Responsible One)
Miscellaneous
What to Expect from the Hell that is Jury Duty (The Responsible One)
Relationships
Marriage: What the Fuck Does It Mean and How the Hell Do I Know When I’m Ready? (Guest post - The Northwest Adult)
How Fucked Are You for Moving In with Your Significant Other: An Interview with an Actual Real-Life Couple Living Together™ (mintypineapple and catastrofries)
Travel & Vehicles
How to Winterize Your Piece of Shit Vehicle (The Responsible One)
How to Make Public Transportation Your Bitch (The Responsible One)
Other Blog Features
Apps for Asshats
Harsh Truths & Bitter Reminders
Asks I’ll Probably Need to Refer People to Later
Apartments (or Life Skills) - How Not to Live in Filth (The Sudden Adult)
Finances - Tax Basics (The Responsible One)
Important Documents - How to Get a Copy of Your Birth Certificate (The Responsible One)
Important Documents - How to Get a Replacement ID (The Responsible One)
Health - How to Deal with a Chemical Burn (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting - List of Jobs Based on Social Interaction Levels (The Sudden Adult)
Job Hunting - How to Avoid Falling into a Pit of Despair While Job Hunting (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting - Questions to Ask in an Interview (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - First-Time Flying Tips (The Sudden Adult)
Life Skills - How to Ask a Good Question (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - Reasons to Take a Foreign Language (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - Opening a Bar Tab (The Sudden Adult)
Relationships - Long Distance Relationships: How to Stay in Contact (The Responsible One)
Adult Cheat Sheet:
what to do if your pet gets lost
removing stains from your carpet
how to know if you’re eligible for food stamps
throwing a dinner party
i’m pregnant, now what?
first aid tools to keep in your house
how to keep a clean kitchen
learning how to become independent from your parents
job interview tips
opening your first bank account
what to do if you lose your wallet
tips for cheap furniture
easy ways to cut your spending
selecting the right tires for your car
taking out your first loan
picking out the right credit card
how to get out of parking tickets
how to fix a leaky faucet
get all of your news in one place
getting rid of mice & rats in your house
when to go to the e.r.
buying your first home
how to buy your first stocks
guide to brewing coffee
first apartment essentials checklist
coping with a job you hate
30 books to read before you’re 30
what’s the deal with retirement?
difference between insurances
Once you’ve looked over all those cool links, I have some general advice for you on how you can have some sort of support system going for you:
Reasons to move out of home
You may decide to leave home for many different reasons, including:
wishing to live independently
location difficulties – for example, the need to move closer to university
conflict with your parents
being asked to leave by your parents.
Issues to consider when moving out of home
It’s common to be a little unsure when you make a decision like leaving home. You may choose to move, but find that you face problems you didn’t anticipate, such as:
Unreadiness – you may find you are not quite ready to handle all the responsibilities.
Money worries – bills including rent, utilities like gas and electricity and the cost of groceries may catch you by surprise, especially if you are used to your parents providing for everything. Debt may become an issue.
Flatmate problems – issues such as paying bills on time, sharing housework equally, friends who never pay board, but stay anyway, and lifestyle incompatibilities (such as a non-drug-user flatting with a drug user) may result in hostilities and arguments.
Your parents may be worried
Think about how your parents may be feeling and talk with them if they are worried about you. Most parents want their children to be happy and independent, but they might be concerned about a lot of different things. For example:
They may worry that you are not ready.
They may be sad because they will miss you.
They may think you shouldn’t leave home until you are married or have bought a house.
They may be concerned about the people you have chosen to live with.
Reassure your parents that you will keep in touch and visit regularly. Try to leave on a positive note. Hopefully, they are happy about your plans and support your decision.
Tips for a successful move
Tips include:
Don’t make a rash decision – consider the situation carefully. Are you ready to live independently? Do you make enough money to support yourself? Are you moving out for the right reasons?
Draw up a realistic budget – don’t forget to include ‘hidden’ expenses such as the property’s security deposit or bond (usually four weeks’ rent), connection fees for utilities, and home and contents insurance.
Communicate – avoid misunderstandings, hostilities and arguments by talking openly and respectfully about your concerns with flatmates and parents. Make sure you’re open to their point of view too – getting along is a two-way street.
Keep in touch – talk to your parents about regular home visits: for example, having Sunday night dinner together every week.
Work out acceptable behaviour – if your parents don’t like your flatmate(s), find out why. It is usually the behaviour rather than the person that causes offence (for example, swearing or smoking). Out of respect for your parents, ask your flatmate(s) to be on their best behaviour when your parents visit and do the same for them.
Ask for help – if things are becoming difficult, don’t be too proud to ask your parents for help. They have a lot of life experience.
If your family home does not provide support
Not everyone who leaves home can return home or ask their parents for help in times of trouble. If you have been thrown out of home or left home to escape abuse or conflict, you may be too young or unprepared to cope.
If you are a fostered child, you will have to leave the state-care system when you turn 18, but you may not be ready to make the sudden transition to independence.
If you need support, help is available from a range of community and government organisations. Assistance includes emergency accommodation and food vouchers. If you can’t call your parents or foster parents, call one of the associations below for information, advice and assistance.
Where to get help
Your doctor
Kids Helpline Tel. 1800 55 1800
Lifeline Tel. 13 11 44
Home Ground Services Tel. 1800 048 325
Relationships Australia Tel. 1300 364 277
Centrelink Crisis or Special Help Tel. 13 28 50
Tenants Union of Victoria Tel. (03) 9416 2577
Things to remember
Try to solve any problems before you leave home. Don’t leave because of a fight or other family difficulty if you can possibly avoid it.
Draw up a realistic budget that includes ‘hidden’ expenses, such as bond, connection fees for utilities, and home and contents insurance.
Remember that you can get help from a range of community and government organizations.
(source)
Keep me updated? xx
I want to live by myself when I move out of my parent's place but I'm really afraid of money problems? I'm afraid that the only place I can afford will be in the ghetto and it'll all be torn apart and I'll only be allowed to eat one granola bar a week. I'm really stressing out about this. I don't know anything about after school life. I don't know anything about paying bills or how to buy an apartment and it's really scaring me. is there anything you know that can help me?
HI darling,
I’ve actually got a super wonderful masterpost for you to check out:
Home
what the hell is a mortgage?
first apartment essentials checklist
how to care for cacti and succulents
the care and keeping of plants
Getting an apartment
Money
earn rewards by taking polls
how to coupon
what to do when you can’t pay your bills
see if you’re paying too much for your cell phone bill
how to save money
How to Balance a Check Book
How to do Your Own Taxes
Health
how to take care of yourself when you’re sick
things to bring to a doctor’s appointment
how to get free therapy
what to expect from your first gynecologist appointment
how to make a doctor’s appointment
how to pick a health insurance plan
how to avoid a hangover
a list of stress relievers
how to remove a splinter
Emergency
what to do if you get pulled over by a cop
a list of hotlines in a crisis
things to keep in your car in case of an emergency
how to do the heimlich maneuver
Job
time management
create a resume
find the right career
how to pick a major
how to avoid a hangover
how to interview for a job
how to stop procrastinating
How to write cover letters
Travel
ULTIMATE PACKING LIST
Traveling for Cheap
Travel Accessories
The Best Way to Pack a Suitcase
How To Read A Map
How to Apply For A Passport
How to Make A Travel Budget
Better You
read the news
leave your childhood traumas behind
how to quit smoking
how to knit
how to stop biting your nails
how to stop procrastinating
how to stop skipping breakfast
how to stop micromanaging
how to stop avoiding asking for help
how to stop swearing constantly
how to stop being a pushover
learn another language
how to improve your self-esteem
how to sew
learn how to embroider
how to love yourself
100 tips for life
Apartments/Houses/Moving
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 1: Are You Sure? (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 2: Finding the Damn Apartment (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 3: Questions to Ask about the Damn Apartment (The Responsible One)
Moving Out and Getting an Apartment, Part 4: Packing and Moving All of Your Shit (The Responsible One)
How to Protect Your Home Against Break-Ins (The Responsible One)
Education
How to Find a Fucking College (The Sudden Adult)
How to Find Some Fucking Money for College (The Sudden Adult)
What to Do When You Can’t Afford Your #1 Post-Secondary School (The Sudden Adult)
Stop Shitting on Community College Kids (Why Community College is Fucking Awesome) (The Responsible One)
How to Ask for a Recommendation Letter (The Responsible One)
How to Choose a College Major (The Sudden Adult)
Finances
How to Write a Goddamn Check (The Responsible One)
How to Convince Credit Companies You’re Not a Worthless Bag of Shit (The Responsible One)
Debit vs Credit (The Responsible One)
What to Do if Your Wallet is Stolen/Lost (The Sudden Adult)
Budgeting 101 (The Responsible One)
Important Tax Links to Know (The Responsible One)
How to Choose a Bank Without Screwing Yourself (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting
How to Write a Resume Like a Boss (The Responsible One)
How to Write a Cover Letter Someone Will Actually Read (The Responsible One)
How to Handle a Phone Interview without Fucking Up (The Responsible One)
10 Sites to Start Your Job Search (The Responsible One)
Life Skills
Staying in Touch with Friends/Family (The Sudden Adult)
Bar Etiquette (The Sudden Adult)
What to Do After a Car Accident (The Sudden Adult)
Grow Up and Buy Your Own Groceries (The Responsible One)
How to Survive Plane Trips (The Sudden Adult)
How to Make a List of Goals (The Responsible One)
How to Stop Whining and Make a Damn Appointment (The Responsible One)
Miscellaneous
What to Expect from the Hell that is Jury Duty (The Responsible One)
Relationships
Marriage: What the Fuck Does It Mean and How the Hell Do I Know When I’m Ready? (Guest post - The Northwest Adult)
How Fucked Are You for Moving In with Your Significant Other: An Interview with an Actual Real-Life Couple Living Together™ (mintypineapple and catastrofries)
Travel & Vehicles
How to Winterize Your Piece of Shit Vehicle (The Responsible One)
How to Make Public Transportation Your Bitch (The Responsible One)
Other Blog Features
Apps for Asshats
Harsh Truths & Bitter Reminders
Asks I’ll Probably Need to Refer People to Later
Apartments (or Life Skills) - How Not to Live in Filth (The Sudden Adult)
Finances - Tax Basics (The Responsible One)
Important Documents - How to Get a Copy of Your Birth Certificate (The Responsible One)
Important Documents - How to Get a Replacement ID (The Responsible One)
Health - How to Deal with a Chemical Burn (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting - List of Jobs Based on Social Interaction Levels (The Sudden Adult)
Job Hunting - How to Avoid Falling into a Pit of Despair While Job Hunting (The Responsible One)
Job Hunting - Questions to Ask in an Interview (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - First-Time Flying Tips (The Sudden Adult)
Life Skills - How to Ask a Good Question (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - Reasons to Take a Foreign Language (The Responsible One)
Life Skills - Opening a Bar Tab (The Sudden Adult)
Relationships - Long Distance Relationships: How to Stay in Contact (The Responsible One)
Adult Cheat Sheet:
what to do if your pet gets lost
removing stains from your carpet
how to know if you’re eligible for food stamps
throwing a dinner party
i’m pregnant, now what?
first aid tools to keep in your house
how to keep a clean kitchen
learning how to become independent from your parents
job interview tips
opening your first bank account
what to do if you lose your wallet
tips for cheap furniture
easy ways to cut your spending
selecting the right tires for your car
taking out your first loan
picking out the right credit card
how to get out of parking tickets
how to fix a leaky faucet
get all of your news in one place
getting rid of mice & rats in your house
when to go to the e.r.
buying your first home
how to buy your first stocks
guide to brewing coffee
first apartment essentials checklist
coping with a job you hate
30 books to read before you’re 30
what’s the deal with retirement?
difference between insurances
Once you’ve looked over all those cool links, I have some general advice for you on how you can have some sort of support system going for you:
Reasons to move out of home
You may decide to leave home for many different reasons, including:
wishing to live independently
location difficulties – for example, the need to move closer to university
conflict with your parents
being asked to leave by your parents.
Issues to consider when moving out of home
It’s common to be a little unsure when you make a decision like leaving home. You may choose to move, but find that you face problems you didn’t anticipate, such as:
Unreadiness – you may find you are not quite ready to handle all the responsibilities.
Money worries – bills including rent, utilities like gas and electricity and the cost of groceries may catch you by surprise, especially if you are used to your parents providing for everything. Debt may become an issue.
Flatmate problems – issues such as paying bills on time, sharing housework equally, friends who never pay board, but stay anyway, and lifestyle incompatibilities (such as a non-drug-user flatting with a drug user) may result in hostilities and arguments.
Your parents may be worried
Think about how your parents may be feeling and talk with them if they are worried about you. Most parents want their children to be happy and independent, but they might be concerned about a lot of different things. For example:
They may worry that you are not ready.
They may be sad because they will miss you.
They may think you shouldn’t leave home until you are married or have bought a house.
They may be concerned about the people you have chosen to live with.
Reassure your parents that you will keep in touch and visit regularly. Try to leave on a positive note. Hopefully, they are happy about your plans and support your decision.
Tips for a successful move
Tips include:
Don’t make a rash decision – consider the situation carefully. Are you ready to live independently? Do you make enough money to support yourself? Are you moving out for the right reasons?
Draw up a realistic budget – don’t forget to include ‘hidden’ expenses such as the property’s security deposit or bond (usually four weeks’ rent), connection fees for utilities, and home and contents insurance.
Communicate – avoid misunderstandings, hostilities and arguments by talking openly and respectfully about your concerns with flatmates and parents. Make sure you’re open to their point of view too – getting along is a two-way street.
Keep in touch – talk to your parents about regular home visits: for example, having Sunday night dinner together every week.
Work out acceptable behaviour – if your parents don’t like your flatmate(s), find out why. It is usually the behaviour rather than the person that causes offence (for example, swearing or smoking). Out of respect for your parents, ask your flatmate(s) to be on their best behaviour when your parents visit and do the same for them.
Ask for help – if things are becoming difficult, don’t be too proud to ask your parents for help. They have a lot of life experience.
If your family home does not provide support
Not everyone who leaves home can return home or ask their parents for help in times of trouble. If you have been thrown out of home or left home to escape abuse or conflict, you may be too young or unprepared to cope.
If you are a fostered child, you will have to leave the state-care system when you turn 18, but you may not be ready to make the sudden transition to independence.
If you need support, help is available from a range of community and government organisations. Assistance includes emergency accommodation and food vouchers. If you can’t call your parents or foster parents, call one of the associations below for information, advice and assistance.
Where to get help
Your doctor
Kids Helpline Tel. 1800 55 1800
Lifeline Tel. 13 11 44
Home Ground Services Tel. 1800 048 325
Relationships Australia Tel. 1300 364 277
Centrelink Crisis or Special Help Tel. 13 28 50
Tenants Union of Victoria Tel. (03) 9416 2577
Things to remember
Try to solve any problems before you leave home. Don’t leave because of a fight or other family difficulty if you can possibly avoid it.
Draw up a realistic budget that includes ‘hidden’ expenses, such as bond, connection fees for utilities, and home and contents insurance.
Remember that you can get help from a range of community and government organizations.
(source)
Keep me updated? xx
“Hi. I just read your recent post and wanted to ask how much money it really takes to make it in high society. Building a business, signing up for women’s clubs, and philanthropy takes a lot of money. I like your series so far and would like to see more. Thank you.”
Thank god I’m not yelling into the void! Thank you!
Here’s the answer you’re all dreading my reply to: It depends. There is no set magical number.
“High society” which is a subjective term in and of itself operates in levels. For example, personally I don’t intend on become one of the billionaire class because I disagree fundamentally with their ecological and social malpractice on an ethical level. Therefore, I’ll never need to invest as much as I would if I intended to join that class (which is a defunct idea anyway, the way the global economy and cultural awareness is going. Do I hear a guillotine in the distance, anyone?)
But let’s draw our attention back to more achievable levels of wealth (that aren’t going to be overthrown in the coming decades).
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Yes, a degree of positive free cash flow is required to meet baseline requirements for social climbing. However, after a point, positive cash flow is a lubricant, and can be switched for effort, consistency and a certain thriftiness.
People with excess free cash flow have the luxury of trading cash for effort. For those of us with less free cash flow, we need to invest effort, not cash.
Example: a wealthy person can invest several thousand a year into hiring a personal trainer and nutritionist to keep them fit and healthy. A less wealthy person would take the time to educate themselves on those topics and develop the willpower to consistently apply them. See how one uses cash to fix the problem, and the other requires effort?
Now apply that thinking to everything you see as a roadblock.
Can’t afford a ticket to xyz event? Make the effort to form connections with the people who can get you one for free or discounted. Befriend someone to go as a plus one.
Can’t afford a personal stylist? There’s a metric tonne of free information online on looking polished. Make the effort to educate yourself, and begin applying those practices in real life. Consciously reject low quality grooming and dressing. Be thrifty with your spending, consignment stores, vintage, sales. How you carry yourself and the aura your project make you seem better off than any ugly brand logo. You’ve heard this advice before because it’s low hanging fruit.
Can’t afford a business networking event? That’s pure bullshit and just shows how little effort you’re putting in to this. Business events are free more often than not. Get a meetup account and attend tech, finance, start-up, real estate, art and any other meeting you deem personally relevant. If you’re socially adept and provide (intellectual, social, emotional, ie no cash required) benefit to those you meet there, invites will arrive to more exclusive groups. Ticket costs can be bypassed if you know the right people. The right people don’t cost money to access, but require effort.
Can’t afford to start a business? Agreed, starting a business merely for social climbing is strange. Business is central, while social climbing is peripheral. However, events geared around industries you’re interested in (either because you want to work in that field / recognize the amount of wealth in that field) are common and typically easy to get into. See above.
Personal tangent: I attended a single tech meeting in my old (small to medium!) city in 2019. I was the only woman there. No other women in this (disposable) social group is great because there’s no-one to call you out on pandering to men. (If the group was not disposable / there were woman present I would have had to be more subversive with my tactics to avoid raising ire). Tech men, particularly the old school ones are my favourite because they lack social nuance and are more than happy to provide labour for the mere attention of a generally attractive and attentive woman. I made the effort to speak personally with the founder of the group once the event was done, and the next day I received links to resources on the field I was interested in, and an invite to a separate group specifically for that industry. This event was free. All it cost was 1.5 hours of my day and a smile. If you can’t muster even that minuscule amount of effort you’re not for social climbing.
Superfluous parts of social climbing can be paid for in effort, not cash. But what about the essentials?
If you’re a functioning adult you have a written budget. Excel sheet, mint, YNAB, whatever the fuck. You record where your money comes from, how much, and where it leaves, how much.
Essentials must become budgeted.
How much are these essentials Dietywork? Tell me! I’m skimming this entire article to find this answer!
I don’t know your personal circumstance, it’s time for you to do some research.
Here’s a few ideas of what is an essential that can’t be exchanged for effort:
Social club membership fee
Tertiary education costs (debatable)
Charitable donations (debatable)
Higher education mainly serves as a networking tool nowadays, and nobody particularly gives a shit about your piece of paper unless you’re a surgeon or pilot. Hyperbole, but you get the point.
Yes, typically the wealthy give financially to causes, but there’s no reason you can’t be seen providing physical work as your donation. Additionally, many social clubs pool finances to donate, which allows you to become involved without people seeing you name and exact dollar amount you gave.
So what are the social club fees!? I don’t know what’s near you, do some research. For reference, the old boys club in my city charges ~500 to 2000 euro p/a just as a membership fee, with additional activity costs on top. However, the women’s society I belong to only charges 95 euro p/a, with additional activity and event costs. Less than a fifth! And I know damn well some of you spend more than that club fee on something useless that could be swapped for effort. Stop fake tanning and purchase a club membership instead.
If you find something that you know you cannot exchange for effort, and you depend on it to gain access to higher social circles, you must add it it to your monthly budget.
Increase your cash flow with a side job if you need to. Reduce your discretionary expenses and channel that cash into essentials. Reduce your financial output and increase your effort output. These are investments that pay off with time and commitment. There is no quick fix.
As a final aside, being socially adept and well connected (which doesn’t cost money to begin) can provide vast amounts of ROI. Older, more established women in your circle will assist in getting you the proper clothes for an event if you don’t own them, ie loaning or recommendations. Men you’re seeing can be made to take care of your grooming expenses. Business connections can bend the rules to get you free access to industry events.
Yes, wouldn’t it be lovely if we had the cash to throw at the problem to make it go away. However, we use effort as a replacement to get us to the point where we can throw cash.
“Hi. I just read your recent post and wanted to ask how much money it really takes to make it in high society. Building a business, signing up for women’s clubs, and philanthropy takes a lot of money. I like your series so far and would like to see more. Thank you.”
Thank god I’m not yelling into the void! Thank you!
Here’s the answer you’re all dreading my reply to: It depends. There is no set magical number.
“High society” which is a subjective term in and of itself operates in levels. For example, personally I don’t intend on become one of the billionaire class because I disagree fundamentally with their ecological and social malpractice on an ethical level. Therefore, I’ll never need to invest as much as I would if I intended to join that class (which is a defunct idea anyway, the way the global economy and cultural awareness is going. Do I hear a guillotine in the distance, anyone?)
But let’s draw our attention back to more achievable levels of wealth (that aren’t going to be overthrown in the coming decades).
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Yes, a degree of positive free cash flow is required to meet baseline requirements for social climbing. However, after a point, positive cash flow is a lubricant, and can be switched for effort, consistency and a certain thriftiness.
People with excess free cash flow have the luxury of trading cash for effort. For those of us with less free cash flow, we need to invest effort, not cash.
Example: a wealthy person can invest several thousand a year into hiring a personal trainer and nutritionist to keep them fit and healthy. A less wealthy person would take the time to educate themselves on those topics and develop the willpower to consistently apply them. See how one uses cash to fix the problem, and the other requires effort?
Now apply that thinking to everything you see as a roadblock.
Can’t afford a ticket to xyz event? Make the effort to form connections with the people who can get you one for free or discounted. Befriend someone to go as a plus one.
Can’t afford a personal stylist? There’s a metric tonne of free information online on looking polished. Make the effort to educate yourself, and begin applying those practices in real life. Consciously reject low quality grooming and dressing. Be thrifty with your spending, consignment stores, vintage, sales. How you carry yourself and the aura your project make you seem better off than any ugly brand logo. You’ve heard this advice before because it’s low hanging fruit.
Can’t afford a business networking event? That’s pure bullshit and just shows how little effort you’re putting in to this. Business events are free more often than not. Get a meetup account and attend tech, finance, start-up, real estate, art and any other meeting you deem personally relevant. If you’re socially adept and provide (intellectual, social, emotional, ie no cash required) benefit to those you meet there, invites will arrive to more exclusive groups. Ticket costs can be bypassed if you know the right people. The right people don’t cost money to access, but require effort.
Can’t afford to start a business? Agreed, starting a business merely for social climbing is strange. Business is central, while social climbing is peripheral. However, events geared around industries you’re interested in (either because you want to work in that field / recognize the amount of wealth in that field) are common and typically easy to get into. See above.
Personal tangent: I attended a single tech meeting in my old (small to medium!) city in 2019. I was the only woman there. No other women in this (disposable) social group is great because there’s no-one to call you out on pandering to men. (If the group was not disposable / there were woman present I would have had to be more subversive with my tactics to avoid raising ire). Tech men, particularly the old school ones are my favourite because they lack social nuance and are more than happy to provide labour for the mere attention of a generally attractive and attentive woman. I made the effort to speak personally with the founder of the group once the event was done, and the next day I received links to resources on the field I was interested in, and an invite to a separate group specifically for that industry. This event was free. All it cost was 1.5 hours of my day and a smile. If you can’t muster even that minuscule amount of effort you’re not for social climbing.
Superfluous parts of social climbing can be paid for in effort, not cash. But what about the essentials?
If you’re a functioning adult you have a written budget. Excel sheet, mint, YNAB, whatever the fuck. You record where your money comes from, how much, and where it leaves, how much.
Essentials must become budgeted.
How much are these essentials Dietywork? Tell me! I’m skimming this entire article to find this answer!
I don’t know your personal circumstance, it’s time for you to do some research.
Here’s a few ideas of what is an essential that can’t be exchanged for effort:
Social club membership fee
Tertiary education costs (debatable)
Charitable donations (debatable)
Higher education mainly serves as a networking tool nowadays, and nobody particularly gives a shit about your piece of paper unless you’re a surgeon or pilot. Hyperbole, but you get the point.
Yes, typically the wealthy give financially to causes, but there’s no reason you can’t be seen providing physical work as your donation. Additionally, many social clubs pool finances to donate, which allows you to become involved without people seeing you name and exact dollar amount you gave.
So what are the social club fees!? I don’t know what’s near you, do some research. For reference, the old boys club in my city charges ~500 to 2000 euro p/a just as a membership fee, with additional activity costs on top. However, the women’s society I belong to only charges 95 euro p/a, with additional activity and event costs. Less than a fifth! And I know damn well some of you spend more than that club fee on something useless that could be swapped for effort. Stop fake tanning and purchase a club membership instead.
If you find something that you know you cannot exchange for effort, and you depend on it to gain access to higher social circles, you must add it it to your monthly budget.
Increase your cash flow with a side job if you need to. Reduce your discretionary expenses and channel that cash into essentials. Reduce your financial output and increase your effort output. These are investments that pay off with time and commitment. There is no quick fix.
As a final aside, being socially adept and well connected (which doesn’t cost money to begin) can provide vast amounts of ROI. Older, more established women in your circle will assist in getting you the proper clothes for an event if you don’t own them, ie loaning or recommendations. Men you’re seeing can be made to take care of your grooming expenses. Business connections can bend the rules to get you free access to industry events.
Yes, wouldn’t it be lovely if we had the cash to throw at the problem to make it go away. However, we use effort as a replacement to get us to the point where we can throw cash.
hey i want to talk about how you should be promoting your work as an erotic author/illustrator
i'm writing this up because the marketing aspect of my work as an erotic author/illustrator is a science to me, and also because i'm the guy who gets unreasonably annoyed when i see other creators not properly advertising their work. you presumably want to make money off your work. this post will be written under the assumption you want to make money off your work but are doing a bad job at it. it will be very confrontational. if you read this and feel attacked you're right and i am attacking you.
this is geared toward selling erotic comics/writing/books/art as products. i will probably write more than one post about this subject so if i didn't touch on something you want to know more about, comment/send me an ask and i'll keep it in mind for the next one.
i will start with my first and least specific but most important point:
DON'T GET FUCKING CUTE
hi are you paying attention. i'm gripping you by the sides of your face. do not get fucking cute with what you are trying to sell. you are not a big enough property to get cute, nobody LIKES it when big properties get cute, and you are selling porn. you have to own this. you have to be up front about this. don't be tongue in cheek, don't be all teehee i wonder what this could be~, don't be secretive. you are selling a product. you have to fucking act like it. you are an adult selling pornography to other adults. i am GRIPPING your HEAD you NEED to understand this.
and to be clear when i say 'cute' i mean coy. i don't mean cutesy, as in the aesthetic. you can be as hello kitty pastel ten emojis a post uwu as you like when you're building your audience and generating hype. but when you start trying to sell, don't be vague, don't be sarcastic, don't mislabel your work as a joke and assume everyone is on it. because they're not.
you must always assume 75% of the people seeing the thing you are advertising have no fucking idea who you are. and that includes a huge chunk of the people who already follow you. they do not know who you are or what you've been working on for two months or why they should care about it. they just got here. somebody just reposted it. they are seeing it for the first time. most people are only looking at social media for a tiny chunk of their day. they are not keeping up with you. you cannot get cute about what you are trying to sell because nobody knows what it is until you tell them.
okay are you still with me. we are going to talk about clarity now.
YOU GOTTA TELL ME WHAT IT IS
good lord the amount of times i have gone to buy somebody's comic or book and had no idea what's actually in it or what it's about. who are the characters? why should i care about them? what do they do in it? what is the premise of this thing you want me to spend $5 on? why would you not tell me? i'm shaking you again. please i have to know what i'm buying i only have so much money to spend on porn.
porn, arguably more than any other genre, relies on knowing exactly what is in it. you do not want to surprise your readers with a kink they were unaware of! and on the flip side, you do not want to miss out on your target audience! if your book contains a hot spider babe laying eggs in an elf, you have to say so. not just so people who don't want to read about eggs know it isn't for them, but so the people who are egg crazy can see that and go "oh fuck YES i love EGGS here is my $5 and an extra $2 tip for catering to me specifically". a contents/features list is as much an advertisement as it is a warning!
as for re: who the characters are and why should i care, i'm sorry but you need to learn how to write sales copy. you have to write blurbs. you have to get good at the shit that goes on the back of a book. we all hate it but we have to do it. i want to know who the characters are and what the context is. i, personally, am not interested in contemporary stories as much as fantasy and historical. please tell me what genre this porn exists in so i know if it aesthetically appeals to me. pull some books off your shelves and see how they do it. hell man go look at mine.
while you're there, note that every single book of mine has a sample of what's in it. this feels like such a no-brainer to me but again! the amount of times i have gone to buy somebody's work and they don't show me what their work looks like! you gotta give me the first page or two! just enough that i know if i like the way your writing sounds, or the way you draw your comics! i don't know you! i am not going to trust that you're good at what you do just based on a cover. the cover is to get me to this step, it is not the only step. you have to show me that you're worth spending my money on!
to put it less cynically, you want to catch my interest. you want me to go 'oh i want to see more of this', you want me to go 'ahh i want to know where this goes!' you need to get me invested and craving more. earn my $5!!!
YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT EASY TO GIVE YOU MONEY
hey go look at your bio right now. go look at your pinned post. do you have a link to your patreon there? do you have a link to your itchio/gumroad/whatever? do i have to click more than once to get to the places you want me to go to give you money? why? why are you making me click twice? have we learned nothing from every website making you click an extra time when they make some stupid UI update and how much it pisses us off? i have already given up, i have forgotten you, i am not giving you my $5 today. put your links in the easiest places to get to them.
god literally as i was writing this post i went to go find somebody's itchio to see how they described their work and it was not anywhere on their profile. grabbing you and shaking you PUT THE LINK WHERE I CAN FIND IT. don't make it hard! make it easy! i am a dickhead sitting on the toilet scrolling, saw your post, and was interested enough to read further. but you made me go to your bio to find your linktree and oops i have already gone back to my timeline to look at the boobies in the next post. stop wasting precious bio space on DNIs and put your fuckin links there!!!
this is more for the twitter people, but: just put the link in the damn post. just say the word commission. just say it's for patreon. "wuh wuh the algorithm" it is not the damn algorithm it's that everybody hates advertising and nobody wants to retweet ads. putting slashes in the words doesn't do anything and you look like a fool. i have posted so much art that says it's 'a commission for ___" and it did exactly as good as any other art despite having the word commission in it. and by doing the slashes you just made it impossible for anybody to search your account for your commission information (which should be at the VERY LEAST in a post under your pinned tweet if you're not actively posting about them being open).
okay that went on a tangent i'm going to back to the point of putting the link in the tweet. put it in the first post. not in the first reply. don't tell them to go to your bio. put it in the post people are actually going to share. it's fine to put more information in the thread but people are only ever going to share the first post. so put the link there. you have to make it easy. putting links in tweets can hurt you algorithmically, even in the replies. so you're better off having it in the post that actually gets seen and shared. i don't want to open the tweet and scroll to get to your sales page where i ASSUME you will have put all the information anyway. put it in the tweet that just got retweeted by itself onto my dash!
also you have to share it a ton of times. i repost my shit every few hours when i'm trying to push a new product. as i said before people are not 24/7 looking at their timelines. they missed it the first time. they missed it the second time. they didn't get paid yet that week but they were after the eighth time and you reminded them again so they finally bought it. that i will still get sales every time i repost a book ad weeks after release says there are always people who missed it, or who only just showed up.
abandon your pride and shill. shills pay their bills. anyone who gets annoyed about it isn't giving you money in the first place. don't worry about looking like a sell out. don't apologize for plugging your own work. post about it often, post about it in different ways. post about it. post about it. you are not going to make money if people don't know you have something to sell them. if you want to make a career out of it, you need to act like it.
I DON'T HAVE A FOURTH POINT
kisses your forehead. i'm sorry for yelling at you. i've been making and publishing and selling adult art for the past two-three years and have got myself to the point where it pays my rent, and i got there by paying attention to what does and does not work.
please do your best to make money. i want you to make money.
as i said above i plan to write more posts on this subject, such as cover design, how to actually write sales copy, and best practices with running a patreon, but if there's things you would want to hear more about leave a comment or send an ask! i will probably be less aggressive on future topics. these are just things that have grinded my gears for a grip.
Heads up PayPal is changing ToS again
And they are getting even more strict when it comes to not using invoices for charging for Digital Goods.
Whatever Invoices make you uncomfortable or not, you gotta start using them if you want to keep your PayPal and your money. Changes starting this October 19th.
Honestly I don’t get why so many artists are so overwhelmed by invoices, takes just a few clicks to set up.
And is not only “oh you have to use invoices because PayPal says so” if you don’t use invoices you’re putting yourself at risk of being scammed by an user abusing the buyer’s protection.
Since PayPal ain’t got no idea of what those $50 you received were for, but the buyer is saying they didn’t got anything for the money, PayPal will just side with the buyer.
I’m seriously begging ppl, start using invoices. I’m tired of seeing ppl complain their paypal was banned, or is under investigation, or worse, the $100 they got for a very complicated commission, 3 months later get a refund issue.
just
start
using
invoices
for your own sake.
Here is how you use invoices because I can’t keep playing devil’d advocate, yes I would love to help you get your PayPal restored but just this last month I had to help three persons, and they were MORE than aware of this issues.
Just protect yourself.
Step 1. You login and click here
Step 2. You click create new Invoice. YOU NEVER CLICK REQUEST MONEY, unless you want to risk yourself to get scamer by buyer’s protection exploit and not only lose your money but your paypal account, and any future paypal linked to your irl name.
Step 3 You follow this steps
1. Invoice for amount only
2. Ask your client for their PayPal email and put in that field
3. Add a vague description of what you’re doing, something like “Character Coloured with Background” is good enough, and if you need more than 1 character you can type in “2″ where it says amount, or just say “2 characters”.
Warning: don’t type in “Naruto rawing Sasuke”. That will get you banned.
4. Click send.
Optional steps. Create a template, doesn’t take more than 10 minutes and it will save you a lot of time for future invoices, you can even click on “items” right next to “create invoice” and add a list of services you offer such as “character sketch” “character flats” along with a price, so next time you invoice you just add to the invoice from your list of items and you saved yourself some more time.
More importantly, you protect yourself from buyer’s protection exploit because if PayPal knows you’re doing digital goods, then you will be allowed that you did in fact created a digital good.
Keep PayPal happy, as for right now there are no alternatives to this service, and this is the only source of income for many freelancers.
Stay safe.
Do you have any advice on commissioning and how to earn/handle money as an artist?
If we knew exactly what the key for earning a stable income as an artist on the internet would be, let it be known that we would gladly share it with all of you. However - as is, the fickle matter of gaining and maintaining business on the internet is still an enigma to most. So take this advice as guidelines and by no means requirements for success. Afterall, the most important part of launching youself and your business, is that your strategy is tailored to the specific services you offer, your comfort, requirements and standards.
Your personal limits / self respect
Before you go on ahead and put yourself out there, it is important that you do a bit of self-evaluation first. This is especially important if you plan on offering NSFW services to your potential clients. Knowing what you’ll want to do, and what you defenitely do not want to do is crucial, and will save you a lot of hard or awkward situations down the line.
Some questions to ask yourself:
- How much time am I willing to put into commissions? ( how much time do I have for commissions )
- What are the general themes or subjects I woud like to be ordered to do, how do i make that preference visible?.
- Am I willing to work with NSFW content, and where are my limitations to this content.
NSFW content
If you plan on working with NSFW content, make absolutely sure that you know the laws about that sort of content, both in production and distribution ( and of course, never distribute NSFW content to minors ) in your area, to ensure that you don’t land yourself in hot water.
If you distribute NSFW content, you might want to get at least cursory knowledge on how the distribution of such content works in the regions where you distribute to ( ie. where your clients are coming from ). Just to be on the safe side.
Always be mindful that a client can be a minor posing as an adult; If the person is not in possession of their own credit-card (pay-pal), or there’s a discrepancy between the account they are ordering from, and the payment information you recieve- you’re better off doubling down and asking them to prove their age. It is true that there are many ways that minors can forge an adult identity, but if you do your bid to make sure that your clients are of age in being critical of any suspicious information - you will be able to weed out some offenders and keep yourself out of risk of being accused of distributing to an inapropriate crowd. That said, I have not personally experienced a minor trying to order off of me yet, so i daresay it is still a rare occurence that situations like these crop up.
Picking a personality profile
This is by no means a must-do for everyone. I just find it comforting to know that i have a uniform way of approaching my clients regardless of their standing in relation to me and my services.
When working as a freelancer ( as you will technically be doing when taking commission ), you are your own store-clerk. And like any store-clerk, you are expected to act in a certain way by your customers. Of course: keeping a polite and open tone with your clients is important, but how exactly that polite and open tone sounds when coming from you - is highly personalized.
I’ve met artists who will put on a big, broad smile, and get really involved with their client’s gossip and sometimes even private life as part of their outward business-persona. Nothing wrong with that at all, i imagine they’re going for the “friendly coffee-shop down the street” kind of vibe.
Personally I am more withdrawn when communicating with clients, usually staying somewhat formal and informative rather than getting into too much small-talk with my cilent. This has nothing to do with who I am in private, where i love sitting around and chatting for hours and hours. It simply gives me a bit of respectable distance from my client and myself.
Not everyone needs to alter their behaviour at all when talking to clients, but if you like it when work-personality is a little bit seperated from private-personality ( esp if you, like me, is a goof-ball memelord with terrible humour who does NSFW art ) I’d consider how I would most comfortably interact with potential clients if i were you, and then practice the approach so that you can easily slip in and out of it.
Write a ToS
I spend forever explaining to my clients how things were going to go down when they would order a piece, before i sat myself down and wrote a proper ToS ( Terms of service ). It took precious time out of my schedule and became a flat out chore whenever someone approached me and i had to explain the process. That’s why i recommend every commercial artist who gets even just semi-regular orders in, to sit down and write their process, terms and conditions out in one document or post so that they can easily shove it at their client when they’re putting in an order. Saves you the trouble of having to type it up everytime someone asks’ and also makes it easier to maintain a streamlined process, as you are not in danger of treating customers with different ToS unintentionally.
HOW IT’S DONE
In my catalogue i have three pages in my ToS. The first page describes the in’s and out’s of the process itself, by guiding the client through what’s going to happen. Particularly when the client will be expected to give feedback, as my process has very fixed points in which the client will be able and allowed to suggest alterations to their piece.
Fixed amount of alterations vs. scope of alterations
Sometimes a client will want to keep suggesting edits, alterations or additions to an art piece for whatever reason. This can really drag out the workload, and potentially slow down the process of other orders in your queue.
When this happens, it is important that you take a look at the time spent on the piece, and the time spent on alterations. If you feel like the client is continously hitting you with edits that are prolonging the process beyond what you feel is worth the payment - politely inform the client that they are exceeding the typical amount of edits, and either let them know that their current edit is the last they will be allowed, or add a fee to the order to make sure that you are compensated for the extra time. Do not start working on the edit until the client understands the new terms for the order, and do not start until you have recieved any extra payment that you may have imposed.
This may seem very scary the first couple of times. As the client can potentially break off the collaboration with you ( which is why you should charge the baseprice of the commission up-front. more on this later ). But remember, you are the one with the product - and if you’ve taken it first, the due payment, and most clients would not want to part ways with the two because of a cap on edits. And if they do anyway, you will still have been paid for the time spent. Your time is precious, treat it as such.
YOUR RIGHTS, MY RIGHTS
In your ToS i recommend that you take a snippet out to talk about the rights of the work produced. Typically, when a product ends production, some or all rights are sold along to the client who ordered. However, if you want to make sure that you can use the material for marketing purposes ( say, as an example image in your portfolio, or as a graphic for sale’s campaigns ) then you must make your client aware of this beforehand.
Personally, i have arranged it as such, that my clients acquire the right to share, edit and redistribute the image as much as they want with no extra fees, but in return, i have the right to use the image for promotional material. As well as repurporsing all unused material in the process, that didn’t result or contribute to the look of the final piece as i see fit.
RETURN POLICY
It might happen that a client is suddenly unable to continue on with their commission process. In a cases like these, it is very important to have a set return policy in place. And it is also incredibly important for the comfort of your clients to know what happens to their money, and their ordered image - should something suddenly make them or you unable to proceed with their image.
For me, after having been through a few unfortunate clients who left me with partial or no payment at all - i have implemented a rather strict return policy that priorities that the work i have already made is paid, in case the client pulls out.
( If i am the one to pull out, the refunding is in most cases the whole amount, and the client still recieves the material made so far and the rights to distribute, as part a little bit of an apology/goodwill incentive )
To make sure that you can give partial returns on payment, you need to make it crystal clear to the client that they are not paying you for an image, but for your time and expertice. By telling your clients this, you are basically adressing that from the moment you sit yourself down and start working on a piece, you have the rights to the payment recieved for it. Whether or not you want a no-return policy or partial-return policy in place for unfinished pieces is up to you, though naturally - people generally like it when they know there’s a chance they can get at least some of their money back if something happens to go wrong on their end.
Pricing
Pricing commissions is probably one of the most talked about topics in the online freelancing illustration business. How do you price something just right? Is it too much, or too little. It really comes down what you feel like you want to charge. There is of course the debate about artists undercharging clients and thusly going underpaid- which can skewer the clients outlook on the value of an artists’ time. But i’m not here to tout which side of the debate you oughta take.
Just make sure that you feel that you are paid enough for your work. Afterall, if a person doesn’t like what they see and the pricetag on it, they can find someone else.
ALWAYS, have a portfolio available, either in an online gallery or your own website or downloadable PDF - where your potential clients can get an overview of your style, skill-level, strenghts and weaknesses. It is very important to be transparrents with your abilities to potential customers to avoid disapointing them, which may lead to them being discouraged from recommending you to someone else.
Do remember that your pricing will impact the kind of clients you attract. Cheaper commissions prices may attract a younger, less cash-solvent demographic, who seek out the cheaper options. While more expensive pricing may attract clients with a more stable economy, who will be looking to spend money on unique or quality commissions. I have personally bumped up my prices quite a few times as i’ve cultivated my skills, developed a style unique to me, and gotten a few credentials and a degree. All of this to make sure that I need to land less deals to cover my bills, while also attracting a demographic with a somewhat stable income.
Charge upfront
I will wholeheartedly recommmend that you charge your custommers upfront to prevent either scamming, or them suddenly being out of cash to pay you. If you work with larger clients like companies or the sort - you may be inclined to take pay after the work is done, but with private clients with private economies that are much more prone to being thrown off by life occurences, charge upfront. If your clients are unsure about this - ensure them that the money is safe and secured on a seperate account ( cause my god, you do not want to start mixing payments for unfinished commissions with your private economy, mark my words - that is a big no no! ) where they will remain in case returns are to be made. Remember, you are paid for your time - not an image.
Make a pricing sheet or catalogue
There are a great number of ways to advertise your commissions. Most important though is that your advertising should state a few things clearly.
- The overall look of the finished product with clear indication as to what will be included in the final image. - The price - Your contact info
I’ve seen a number of price-sheet formats out there, but here are some of the more common ones i come across:
Sketch to shading:
These examples clearly layout what each level of polish costs, and is suitable for artists who want to focus their service around providing images that have variable levels of finish.
Composition:
I’ve seen these used mostly with artists who will always default to full colour and shading in their works. These sheets focus on the amount of the character that would need to be shown in the final image. They are primarily targetting potential clients who are moreso focused on having their character drawn on their own - than on having them included in larger illustrations.
The catalogue:
My personal preference is making a catalogue ( link here for reference )
For me; having the freedom to define exactly what kind of commissions i want to do, and being able to price them individually without having to change up my entire pricechart to keep up with the new one. ( while also being able to make individual sales-campaigns on each format ) has helped immensely in vetting the kind of material i am requested to do. It has also made it easier for my clients to not only figure out my pricing, but what my range of services cover. While also being inclined to read my ToS while they’re there.
It is a little bit of a hassle to upload since some platforms do not support this multi-picture format, though for platforms such as tumblr, or deviantart + furaffinity, where you can slot your commission types in pretty easily on its own little tab, they work a charm.
Sales and events
Occassionally, a sale can boost your traffic a bit, and maybe land you some more commissions for a limited amount of time. Just remember to clearly state in your post ( or in the graphic ) when the sale ends. So that people won’t approach you after the sale is over, expecting to get the campaign-price on something.
Posting
Part of my PR strategy is posting all commissions i’ve made publicly to the apropriate platforms ( NSFW content for NSFW platforms, etc ). So that the material you produce becomes part of the promotion cycle. People will come to know what your standards are like when it comes to the produced material, and will also get a feel for what other people might buy off of you. Besides, posting client-requested material often means that you ‘ll get a more varied content stream, which can show off more of your skillset than what your typical content would.
Aside from posting your finished commissions, flaunting your pricesheets or catalogue, and other content regularly is important in keeping traffic coming your way. Semi-regular posting will keep you on the front page of your platform for a limited time, but getting involved with groups or forums for specific themes or subjects can help you spread your appeal even further, and perhaps reach the people with the right interests.
Money services
I am personally still using paypal for my commissions, in part due to its accessibility for those outside the states. Though - there are many alternatives to paypal that offer similar or lower rates on their transactions, and more freedom as to what services you can peddle over it. ( Stripe and Google-pay are two of the services that come to mind ). If you end up using paypal, remember to tell your customers not to label their payment with any hints of NSFW content that might be in the image - as that has lead to artists having their accounts frozen in the past.
Some also propose that you tell your customers not to include the word “ commission” in their payment note, as it messes with paypal’s internal algorithm too.
Taxes
Important: check the tax-laws and regulations in your area to make sure that you are paying the right amount of taxes on your work, as to prevent yourself from being slammed with a tax-bill later when you least expect it. I am personally working as a freelancer under a specific circumstance, that is dictated whether or not i earn over a certain amount of money, which means that i have to account for my own tax-payments. I do this by simply splitting my payment in half and saving one half for taxes ( which should cover any tax-bill with some in spare in the unlikely case that i miss filing one payment ), and keeping the rest as income. This method may not work for you, and depending on your specific region, tax laws will be wildly different - so make sure to look it up for yourself.
Correspondence
No-brainer here, but just to include it: when corresponding with your client, make sure to stay polite and proper ( even if you have a very friendly/outgoing sales persona ). Remember to communicate clearly, and leaving nothing vague - as to avoid the risk of any misunderstandings.
And lastly, give yourself the courtesy of logging out once in a while. It is totally fine to have daily correspondence with a client if the job begs for it, but don’t let them hawk you more than you feel is necessary. It is completely fine to pull the plug and just work for a bit if you are not discussing alterations or feedback in the designated feedback periods.
Let yourself work.
Platforms / find your demographic
We all have to start out somewhere, but simply throwing your stuff out on facebook might be a waste of effort. If your art is partial to a certain demographic ( like how anthro-art is partial to the furry-community ), then you might be better off pouring your energy into scoping out the different forums and platforms from where your content will hit its target demographic with the least work on your part.
You can always branch out into multiple platforms, later. Afterall trying your luck with new platforms, only to realize it didn’t work out ( or in fact, did work out ) like you thought it would is a stable part of trying to find out where your niché and your crowd is. Just remember that managing a social media platform often takes a whole lot of time, so watch out for which platforms give you the most interaction and clout, and try to expand your presence from there, as your first priority before foraging elsewere into unknown territory. And of course, remember to let people know where they can find you elsewere on the internet, if they stumble into your profile, blog or gallery on your main platform.
- Mod Wackart ( ko-fi )
19-ая ЕЖЕГОДНАЯ КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ ВЛАДЕЛЬЦЕВ БИЗНЕСА, Москва 2015
19-ая ЕЖЕГОДНАЯ КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ ВЛАДЕЛЬЦЕВ БИЗНЕСА, Москва 2015
ОРГАНИЗАТОР: WISE СНГ – МЕЖДУНАРОДНАЯ АССОЦИАЦИЯ ПРЕДПРИНИМАТЕЛЕЙ 19-ая ЕЖЕГОДНАЯ КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ ВЛАДЕЛЬЦЕВ БИЗНЕСА Самое масштабное событие этой осени по управлению бизнесом в кризис 23-25 СЕНТЯБРЯ. МОСКВА. ГОСТИНИЦА “КОСМОС” 1000 УЧАСТНИКОВ ИЗ 100 ГОРОДОВ СОБЕРУТСЯ В МОСКВЕ, ЧТОБЫ СОСТАВИТЬ ПРОРЫВНЫЕ ПЛАНЫ РАЗВИТИЯ НА 2015-2016 ГОД Эффективность владельца, его “ноу-хау” и стратегии Инструменты и…
View On WordPress