Rich Little Poor Girl Friday #1

While updating a dear art school peer on my Where, What, How, When, & Why it suddenly struck me how amazing it was that I own my live-in studio.

Well, on my way to owning it, anyhow. Another 8 years should do it.

I’m almost baffled at how this is possible. I think I’ve already mentioned that I’m sitting on the poverty fence. I net under 20 G’s annually. To be fair, it was the illusion that both Steve and I were working at the time of purchase that secured the mortgage in the first place. Add a dash of insanely low interest rates and a pinch of great timing and, whoops! look who’s a homeowner.

Over the last decade I have learned how to stretch a buck in some pretty obscene ways. And now, dear reader, I’m gonna pass on my gems of knowledge – one every Friday in the Muse – so you, too, can be a rich little poor girl just like me.

Lesson #1: PUBLIC TRANSIT IS YOUR FRIEND.

Let’s face it, most folk who take transit don’t have an option. They also are not having a huge portion of their income sucked away annually in auto insurance, gas, maintenance, repairs, and parking, all of which adds up to thousands – I repeat, THOUSANDS – of dollars per year. Unless you need (really need, not “want”) your car, sell it. Invest in a transit pass. Some employers offer a transit discount which is even more incentive to get out and mingle with “your public”.

If you are a student your educational institution will most likely have some deal with your local transit company. I am a part time academic student (very part time – one course per term) at ECI. Part of my tuition fee is dedicated to student union dues. Because I pay dues I am eligible to buy a $2.00 sticker that goes on my student card allowing me to buy a one-zone transit pass, but travel over all three zones. I live in zone one and work in zone two, so spending a toonie on the sticker saves me $26.00 per month on commuting. That’s a savings of $312.00 annually on transit costs. I could have been buying the sticker for years, but I didn’t know about it until recently (say it with me -“obtuse”).

So do a bit of research and take advantage of what might be available to you – you could be saving even more $$’s on your annual commuting bill.

Next week’s lesson: Stockpiling.