It's so funny how even though the music is continually on the up (in a big way) we still aren't seeing much money from it yet. Not to say that we won't, but it takes time. Dave does get paid to play and we have been selling a lot of albums, but there are many costs that go into it too. Also, iTunes pays artists on a quarterly basis, so we haven't gotten anything from that yet. Until the money flow is a bit more constant we are doing our best to be patient and do everything we can to send the music in the right direction.
In the mean time we have done everything we can to minimize our costs...
1. We don't have cable (haven't since we got married) instead we watch our shows online and use Netflix. And now, since Netflix has decided to increase their prices, we're getting rid of the DVD side of it for now and just keeping the streaming.
2. We don't have any car payments. Dave and I both share a car and it's an older one so we don't have any monthly payments on it. Plus, we are lucky enough to have USAA for our insurance so it's very low compared to what it could be.
3. We do our best to use fans and other things to keep ourselves cool in the summer so we don't have to use the AC as much...this has been difficult lately though with the 100+ temps and the "excessive heat warning" we've been under for weeks now. Same thing in the winter, we try to bundle up with lots of clothes and blankets so the heater isn't running non-stop.
4. Another thing we do to help our electric bill is turn off the lights, this sounds so simple, but can really help if you are strict about it. We also have replaced all our bulbs with energy efficient ones.
5. Dave and I love to eat out and we try not to do it too much anyway, but on months when it's really tight we try not to at all.
4. Another thing we do to help our electric bill is turn off the lights, this sounds so simple, but can really help if you are strict about it. We also have replaced all our bulbs with energy efficient ones.
5. Dave and I love to eat out and we try not to do it too much anyway, but on months when it's really tight we try not to at all.
...I have to say though, that Dave and I work harder than some people do at "real" jobs. We are both constantly doing everything we can to get the music out there and we read everything we can get our hands on to educate ourselves on everything from the music industry to photography to marketing to social media.
Luckily money is not an issue with Dave and I. Don't get me wrong, money is nice to have and we feel blessed to have enough to still be able to do what we love, but it's not everything. It can be stressful for money to be so tight at times, but it's never a source of stress on our relationship because money is not a top priority. Plus, we know in our hearts that if we are doing what we are meant to be doing, He will provide...
Luckily money is not an issue with Dave and I. Don't get me wrong, money is nice to have and we feel blessed to have enough to still be able to do what we love, but it's not everything. It can be stressful for money to be so tight at times, but it's never a source of stress on our relationship because money is not a top priority. Plus, we know in our hearts that if we are doing what we are meant to be doing, He will provide...
I'm linking up with Casey at The Wiegand's today. I recently came across her blog and love it...
