Money

da Sage

New member
Things I've given up for bellydance classes:

Pizza (I used to order in about twice a month)
New shoes (not entirely; I bought 1 pair of flip-flops this summer, and 1 new pair of sneakers on sale because the old ones were cutting my achilles tendon)
Theater tickets (I used to hold season tickets)
"Real" vacations
Newspaper subscription
Library books (I'd have to pay my late fees, and I need the money for classes)
Jeans that don't have holes in them (I have one pair left)
Haircuts (but I've since decided that was a mistake. The line has to be drawn somewhere!)

I really want to go to an "away" event to meet new people, and take from exotic new teachers:D, but I am not sure that will happen this year. I am just lucky and grateful that there are so many good teachers near me, so I can stretch my dollars to the limit.
 

da Sage

New member
The twins used to commute from Duluth to Rochester for lessons:shok:...not sure how that worked, but apparently it did work.

Or you could invest heavily in videos. Learning without a live teacher takes so much more self-discipline...I don't get nearly as much out of my videos as I do from class, and I know whose fault that is!
 

KuteNurse

New member
That is tough Brea. I hope your finances get better. They usually do, so hang in there and things will look up.

DaSage has great ideas. Cutting back on things always works. I have had to cut back on family expenses to pay my son's college tuition.

*Rarely do we eat out anymore. Specials occassions mostly.
*Clip coupons for items in the grocery store such as food and cleaning supplies.
*Rent a movie rather than going to the theatre and if you go to the theatre, bring your own treats. HINT...M & M's fit well inside your purse and a can of pop. lol
*Go for a walk on the lakewalk for a date instead of a movie with your boyfriend.
*Get rid of unnecessary things such as extra phone lines. If you have a cell, get rid of a landline, unless you need it for computer access.
*Take on an extra shift or a day job such as babysitting. (I have a friend who does tiling of floors with her husband and they bring in extra cash when needed with this skill.)

Good luck and happy dancing to you.
 

da Sage

New member
Hey KuteNurse, does your son have a major?

I am thinking of going back to school, myself. I'm going for cheap and practical, this time around. The money, of course, would come from student loans. :p
 

Reen.Blom

New member
Hey KuteNurse, does your son have a major?

I am thinking of going back to school, myself. I'm going for cheap and practical, this time around. The money, of course, would come from student loans. :p

Hey what exactly you wanna study?
 

Aisha Azar

New member
$$

Here's the thing. I would LOVE to take classes with so many of you, attend so many events, learn learn learn!

And I don't have the money to do it. I am currently very poor and it is frustrating. Last workshop I attended was with Sonia of the Bellydance Superstars. That was interesting but I feel like there's so much out there to see/learn/do! I really want to go see Fifi in April but I am pretty sure it won't happen.

My question is: how do you find the money and time to do all this? I've mentioned the idea of doing a sort of 'world tour' based on bellydance, but that's in the future. I learn what I can, I think I'm a good dancer, and I wish there was a way to get this other education. I feel like there isn't enough lifetime to learn from everyone I would like to.

Maybe I'm just griping but...would love responses!


Dear Brea,
What I ended up doing after about 7-8 years was to choose WHAT it was I truly wanted to learn and then I would save money to study with instructors who could take me in that direction. After awhile, because I specialized, I got pretty good at what I was doing. ( In my case it was Egyptian belly dance and related folkloric and fakeloric dances.)Then, I was able to start my own classes instead of accepting the lower wage from the YWCA or the colleges. People started asking me to teach workshops when I had been dancing about 6 years, and still not really being incredibly specified yet, which is kind of early, but I think it was because I put my energies into getting proficient, so I made noticeable progress.
Now I finance all of my trips, classes, home improvements, etc, with money I make as a dancer. Good thing since this is my only line of work for about the last 20 years, though I include costuming for dancers as part of that.
I also learned to do without a lot of stuff. Instead of 10 great costumes, I had, like two. Instead of enough stuff to costume my whole dance company, I had a few odds and ends I could put together for a folkloric dance. Instead of taking every workshop, I began to take only the ones that related directly to my path of study. In fact, years later I still do that. Aside from Egyptian belly dance today, I am concentrating on Turkish Rom, and those are the classes I will travel for.
I think you have to be pretty focused on being a dancer to do this, but I could be wrong. Some people seem to have boundless energy.
Regards,
A'isha
 

KuteNurse

New member
Hey KuteNurse, does your son have a major?

I am thinking of going back to school, myself. I'm going for cheap and practical, this time around. The money, of course, would come from student loans. :p


He was considering Physical Therapy. He wants to transfer to the U of MN after two years. I think his main thoughts right now are cycling...lol Good for you da Sage! I was thinking of pursuing my Master's again. I have been working on it as time and money allow, but REALLY pursuing it...lol
 

Aisha Azar

New member
Dance etc.

Hi A'isha:

I think this advice is really great. That's really the problem; there is such an overwhelming amount of stuff available out there I can get a bit lost! What made you decide on Egyptian (and today, Turkish Rom)? One thing I would really like to do is study in the Middle East. That in itself is a big place with a lot of different dance styles; narrowing it down will be tough!


Dear Brea,
Egyptian is the style I started with and I always felt less than comfortable once I started studying American Oriental, like it just was not quite right for me. Later, I found I have an aptitude for Egyptian belly dance more than any other style. I am now attracted to Turkish Rom because I see a strong visceral thing about it that I think I am capable of recreating, and perhaps will have a talent for, though I do not have a lot of time left to perfect it.

Regards,
Aisha
 
Last edited:

da Sage

New member
Hey what exactly you wanna study?

Accounting is first on my list, although I'm also interested in international business, databases, and project management.

I would love to study physical therapy, but I worry that the course of study would take too long for me to make a living at it. Also, physical therapists have to be very patient with people, and I am not patient as I used to be!
 

teela

New member
Since I am not anywhere near a teacher during the school year and have to pay around $600 to $700 per trip off for anything, I usually attend a couple workshops from August to May in places where I can get together with my husband (we have a distance marriage due to his profession and mine) and schedule doctor appointments, etc.
Second I try to buy DVD's that have the info I want which is usually egyptian but I do get ones on Lebanese, or Turkish or American Cab so I develop a better understanding of things.
Finally, I plan on visiting friends or relatives if I hear of something I want to attend that is not too far out of my price range.
During the year I try to put aside something like $300 to 500 per month so i can do all this travelling. I have decided that I when I retire, I have to retire somewhere near a teacher and plan road trips so that I can take lessons from everyone I'm interested in.....LOL.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
 

da Sage

New member
He was considering Physical Therapy. He wants to transfer to the U of MN after two years. I think his main thoughts right now are cycling...lol Good for you da Sage! I was thinking of pursuing my Master's again. I have been working on it as time and money allow, but REALLY pursuing it...lol

That's funny...I've been very interested in Physical Therapy for a while now, but I'm not sure I can swing the time and $$ for that. Plus, you really have to be a people person...it seems like a really personality-driven job. What if I spent 5/6 years getting trained and certified, and then I hated the work?

My mother says I am not strong and big enough to be a physical therapist, but I think she just dislikes the idea.:rolleyes:
 

Aisha Azar

New member
Dance etc.

That's funny...I've been very interested in Physical Therapy for a while now, but I'm not sure I can swing the time and $$ for that. Plus, you really have to be a people person...it seems like a really personality-driven job. What if I spent 5/6 years getting trained and certified, and then I hated the work?

My mother says I am not strong and big enough to be a physical therapist, but I think she just dislikes the idea.:rolleyes:


Dear da Sage,
Aren't there a lot of female physical therapists? Does it require more strength than say, deep tissue massage? I am not sure what the requirements are for the job, but I got treated by a sports therapist once when I was in a car accident. She did not have to lift me or anything... Does physical therapy require extra strength for some parts of the work?


Regards,
A'isha
 

da Sage

New member
Dear da Sage,
Aren't there a lot of female physical therapists? Does it require more strength than say, deep tissue massage? I am not sure what the requirements are for the job, but I got treated by a sports therapist once when I was in a car accident. She did not have to lift me or anything... Does physical therapy require extra strength for some parts of the work?


Regards,
A'isha

There are cases where you have to help the patient move in and out of wheelchairs, help support them when they begin using certain apparatus, etc. It all depends on what kind of patient you are treating.

But I don't think you need to be unusually large or strong for most physical therapy work. I could even get a job working with young children, if relative size is an issue (but I don't care for most kids). I believe my mother simply dislikes the idea - she would prefer that I be a speech therapist, which I have absolutely NO interest in.
 

Aisha Azar

New member
Therapy, etc.

There are cases where you have to help the patient move in and out of wheelchairs, help support them when they begin using certain apparatus, etc. It all depends on what kind of patient you are treating.

But I don't think you need to be unusually large or strong for most physical therapy work. I could even get a job working with young children, if relative size is an issue (but I don't care for most kids). I believe my mother simply dislikes the idea - she would prefer that I be a speech therapist, which I have absolutely NO interest in.


Dear da Sage,
Ah, of course, why did I not think of that? Yeah, mothers. They often want the best for us under their own terms.
Regards,
A'isha
 

sedoniaraqs

New member
My mother says I am not strong and big enough to be a physical therapist, but I think she just dislikes the idea.:rolleyes:

I was stuck in the Dulles airport once. I have chronic, fibromyalgia-like muscle issues and a herniated disk in my neck, so my upper back is endless knots and trigger points. So anyway, Dulles. I was uptight as heck from traveling and what do you know, they have a massage kiosk, so I get in the queue and I"m looking at the therapist, a very tiny, very young pixie of a woman who probably weighs 90 lbs soaking wet and is well under 5'. She is using a step stool to give people seated massages, and I'm thinking, no way will she be able to work on me hard enough to get anywhere. But I'm desperate for relief so I wait my turn.

She gave me a great, very effective massage.

So I say if you want to be a physical therapist, you can probably do it.
 

da Sage

New member
I was stuck in the Dulles airport once. I have chronic, fibromyalgia-like muscle issues and a herniated disk in my neck, so my upper back is endless knots and trigger points. So anyway, Dulles. I was uptight as heck from traveling and what do you know, they have a massage kiosk, so I get in the queue and I"m looking at the therapist, a very tiny, very young pixie of a woman who probably weighs 90 lbs soaking wet and is well under 5'. She is using a step stool to give people seated massages, and I'm thinking, no way will she be able to work on me hard enough to get anywhere. But I'm desperate for relief so I wait my turn.

She gave me a great, very effective massage.

So I say if you want to be a physical therapist, you can probably do it.

Ha ha, that step stool is a very important tool...it allows her to get high enough to use her weight on your back. Guess how I know this...

The only school in town which offers a physical therapy track (that I know of), is also a private school. I need to stick with more affordable, public schools.
 

KuteNurse

New member
Ha ha, that step stool is a very important tool...it allows her to get high enough to use her weight on your back. Guess how I know this...

The only school in town which offers a physical therapy track (that I know of), is also a private school. I need to stick with more affordable, public schools.

I think the trick to massage is knowing where to massage and what muscle groups to work with. daSage, I believe the U of MN offers physical therapy...For sure they offer ocupational therapy. Don't take it off your list of dreams yet. You could also pursue physical therapy assistant. Good luck if you decide to go back to school.
 
Top