Here in South Carolina, I read an article saying it's like we're already in a recession as far as the manufacturing business goes. I noticed things went way down south starting this month. My older brother is worried they are going to have a massive layoff in October or near the end of October. The company I work for just had a recent layoff. I noticed US stocks were down on Thursday and the financial news channel reporters or talkers were talking about hedging their bets. There are still 2 million people who stand a good chance of losing their houses possibly as early as next year. Oh well, I live moment to moment. I try to save for a rainy day. I need to cut back anyway since I've been getting too many lap dances. A 10 or 15 dollar lap dance average price doesn't seem that bad but it adds up if lots of dancers want to do that for several songs.
Maybe I just need to count tits and go back to sleep. :) Wide awake at 4 AM after falling asleep early. My older brothers wife reminds me of a stripper. She looked good to start with but never worked a day in her life at a real job so she doesn't know what work is in my opinion. Well maybe a few little jobs but nothing requiring manual labor. She wastes money like crazy and has wasted away all of their savings and they got a double mortgage on their house. If I see a dancer that reminds me of her, I stay away from that dancer. Many young dancers seem to manage money very poorly. Maybe someone should set up a dancers financial planning service and have like a little Walmart type store in the bigger strip clubs. I think that could actually fly if they could reliably save a dancers money as well. I've met a number of dancers that don't trust putting their current nights money in too many places. A little dancer bank and financial planning service in strip clubs coming soon? Ok, I'm going back to sleep. Anybody else think the economy is not that great right now?
Casualguy-
That would seem like a good idea, but stripping is all about living in the moment and financial planning is about anything but living in the moment, so I doubt it would actually work. And they would probably think they were stealing their money like a loser boyfriend.
I knew one dancer - of hundreds I've know, there was one - who actually did manage her money and got ahead stripping.
She kept a record of her daily earning, filed quarterly estimated taxes and reported ALL of her income, kept to a strict budget, and in fact entered dancing with a specific termination date in mind.
The reason she reported all of her income was so that she could safely bank it, and she used dollar cost averaging methods to invest it, maximizing her Roth contributions annually and putting money in other vehicles, including using hedge options to cover risk. And she bought a house.
She also "only danced", ie. no VIP extras or OTC stuff, and kept everything strictly business. She didn't socialize with other strippers, except one... which was how I got to know her, the other girl was also a friend of mine.
She danced exactly two years - and THAT is what all dancers should be doing. I don't know how much she banked or what she did after, but she was very smart so I'm sure she's well on her way.
Literally every other dancer I've ever known basically managed money about as well as a retarded junkie.
I knew a stripper a long time ago who worked at it extremely hard and said she was investing most of what she made. Her plan was to keep stripping until she had a million dollars put away. She claimed to be half way there and I have no doubt that she made it. But she's the exception, few girls are likely to do that.
Casualguy, don't believe everything that you read or hear, bad news gets reported, good news doesn't. For example, if company a hires 50 people while company b lays 50 off, which makes the headlines in the paper? There are always shifts occurring in our economy, that's what makes it so strong. But only the bad news gets reported.
Like DandyDan says, stripping is all about living in the moment.
I, for one, am not wealthy, somewhat in debt, but "live for the moment"! Therefore, the economy WILL NOT affect my club visits! However, I have been bargaining down the dance prices somewhat!!!
1)Retail sales, excluding autos, has been positive all year, except for a downturn in August
2)Sales of autos and light trucks has been flat for many years
3)Housing starts and home sales are down from a peak in 2005
4) Disposable income has been increasing by small amounts (about the rate of inflation)
5) Personal savings has declined steadily over the past 10 years and is now close to nil
6)Gross domestic product and industrial production have seen positive growth in 5 out of 8 months this year.
7) The unemplyment rate is at 4.6%
8) Manufacturing jobs are declining slightly, service job growth is strong
9) Motgage debt is way up over the past 6 years. Consumer debt (credit cards etc) has been flat.
It goes on and on, but the picture is a fairly simple one. We have mortgaged ourselves to the hilt. We are employed, but if we are in manufacturing we should be a little nervous. The economy is not tanking; neither is it growing very fast. Talk of a recession seems premature.
Oh, and I think economic hardship is good for guys who want to pay for sex (in its various forms). I think when times get tough the number of women in the trade increases out of proportion to the number of out-of-work men. Remember, women are lower down the economic totem pole. More women means greater variety, downward pressure on prices, and higher mileage.
This is why they call economics the "dismal science".
No personal impact on me however (up in the northeast u.s.) at least with with certain clubs I am familiar with, it is sure making some of these these girls go all out trying to recruit regulars, and I don't even feel confortable detailing specifically what I am encountering. HarryDave made a very perceptive point: "I think economic hardship is good for guys who want to pay for sex (in its various forms). I think when times get tough the number of women in the trade increases out of proportion to the number of out-of-work men." Or I should add guys that might just want to pay for strip club fun, regardless of whether sex is or is not involved. There seems to less guys with cash, and those of us not just with cash but with lots of cash - are in a very good position. Some of us while we may certainly be PLs in generalized form (e.g "gee maybe there is a spark" and other PL wishful thinking) we don't really fit the classic PL profile since before marriage as some of us were dating many women in the 7/8 range (which is precisely what most strippers are), however of course that was usually 25 plus years ago, ok so were old but were are not necessary short, fat, bald, and ugly either. Now that said as they say "no she doesn't love you" "nope its not different this time" "yes, its really about the money" are 3 quotes that any patron should re-read every single time he enters a strip club. However it can still be alot of fun these days.
I know that I should cut back abit on clubbing, (I've been thinking that for awhile now), but my basic philosophy is that if I can pay my bills each month and put a good bit of money away for savings/retirement, then the rest is mine to piss away...that is if there is anything left.
I have noticed that the dancers here in L.A. have been unusually aggressive lately. Don't know if they are starting to feel the pinch or it's just a coincidence.
I think the economy seems bad if you know about people getting laid off instead of reading about it in some statistic or hearing it on the news along with a bunch of other news.
One thing I read several months ago was that Dick Cheney has a lot of money invested overseas as if he was expecting the dollar to fall. It certainly seems to be happening. I'm still learning how to hedge your bets.
That was a very smart stripper that planned everything so well with her finances. It sounds like she even planned an entrance and exit strategy for her stripping career as some people do for stocks. Most strippers I meet are working to try to get enough money to pay some bill they suddenly got. Now that's what I call daily planning. Planning for the next few hours it seems.
I keep thinking I need to cut back too, however if I still feel somewhat secure my job will still be there and I already have enough to pay my bills after saving a set percentage for retirement, it seems like I could either invest the extra money or save it for a rainy day, or go have fun with it. I know which option is the most fun to do. I'm also aware that all days may not be fun. However if the economy is getting noticeably shaky with less customers spending money, dancers will try harder to get or keep you as a regular. At least the ones that want to keep making money and strippers are good at that.
Somewhere I read that most people's definition is: when you read about a big layoff it's a sign of a weakening economy; when your neighbor gets laid off it's a recession; when you get laid off it's a depression. Let's face it, what happens with the nation statistics is largely irrelevant, it's what happens to you that matters. As long as you have a job you're going to keep going to strip clubs. So stop worrying about it.
I only cut back my spending about 60 dollars. Too many hot girls giving me lap dance deals. It's just too hard to say no to that. If this keeps up, I'm going to be one of their regulars.
I posted this topic and in the last 30 days, I think I spent more than I did in any other 30 day period this year. I suppose I feel like you have to take advantage of a good opportunity when you have it. I guess I'm not used to having so many hot dancers offering me deals on lap dances. Fortunately for my wallet, some of those hot dancers end up just sitting and talking with me and time flys when you're having fun. I was joking with a dancer about a guy with a T-shirt with a stripper on a pole on the back side stating "I support single moms" Then she told me she was a mother. I would have never known. I heard they sell those at Myrtle Beach.
casualguy - I own and wear that same T-shirt you described. Bought it from http://www.tshirthell.com/. I also bought a T-shirt (black with white lettering) that says: "Your sister is really HOT, but your mother does this tongue thing". I get a lot of comments on that one.
FONDL - You forgot one other additive: As long as you have a good line of credit..... you'll continue going to strip clubs. LOL Credit score helps a lot also.
What! Me worry? 40+ years with the same employer and tomorrow I have an 11:30 A.M. appointment at the Social Security Administration. I will start drawing my full retirement benefits(without penalty) in November, while continuing to work. That will feed a lot of strippers.
15 comments
That would seem like a good idea, but stripping is all about living in the moment and financial planning is about anything but living in the moment, so I doubt it would actually work. And they would probably think they were stealing their money like a loser boyfriend.
She kept a record of her daily earning, filed quarterly estimated taxes and reported ALL of her income, kept to a strict budget, and in fact entered dancing with a specific termination date in mind.
The reason she reported all of her income was so that she could safely bank it, and she used dollar cost averaging methods to invest it, maximizing her Roth contributions annually and putting money in other vehicles, including using hedge options to cover risk. And she bought a house.
She also "only danced", ie. no VIP extras or OTC stuff, and kept everything strictly business. She didn't socialize with other strippers, except one... which was how I got to know her, the other girl was also a friend of mine.
She danced exactly two years - and THAT is what all dancers should be doing. I don't know how much she banked or what she did after, but she was very smart so I'm sure she's well on her way.
Literally every other dancer I've ever known basically managed money about as well as a retarded junkie.
O
Casualguy, don't believe everything that you read or hear, bad news gets reported, good news doesn't. For example, if company a hires 50 people while company b lays 50 off, which makes the headlines in the paper? There are always shifts occurring in our economy, that's what makes it so strong. But only the bad news gets reported.
I, for one, am not wealthy, somewhat in debt, but "live for the moment"! Therefore, the economy WILL NOT affect my club visits! However, I have been bargaining down the dance prices somewhat!!!
http://www.ny.frb.org/research/directors…
1)Retail sales, excluding autos, has been positive all year, except for a downturn in August
2)Sales of autos and light trucks has been flat for many years
3)Housing starts and home sales are down from a peak in 2005
4) Disposable income has been increasing by small amounts (about the rate of inflation)
5) Personal savings has declined steadily over the past 10 years and is now close to nil
6)Gross domestic product and industrial production have seen positive growth in 5 out of 8 months this year.
7) The unemplyment rate is at 4.6%
8) Manufacturing jobs are declining slightly, service job growth is strong
9) Motgage debt is way up over the past 6 years. Consumer debt (credit cards etc) has been flat.
It goes on and on, but the picture is a fairly simple one. We have mortgaged ourselves to the hilt. We are employed, but if we are in manufacturing we should be a little nervous. The economy is not tanking; neither is it growing very fast. Talk of a recession seems premature.
Oh, and I think economic hardship is good for guys who want to pay for sex (in its various forms). I think when times get tough the number of women in the trade increases out of proportion to the number of out-of-work men. Remember, women are lower down the economic totem pole. More women means greater variety, downward pressure on prices, and higher mileage.
This is why they call economics the "dismal science".
I have noticed that the dancers here in L.A. have been unusually aggressive lately. Don't know if they are starting to feel the pinch or it's just a coincidence.
One thing I read several months ago was that Dick Cheney has a lot of money invested overseas as if he was expecting the dollar to fall. It certainly seems to be happening. I'm still learning how to hedge your bets.
That was a very smart stripper that planned everything so well with her finances. It sounds like she even planned an entrance and exit strategy for her stripping career as some people do for stocks. Most strippers I meet are working to try to get enough money to pay some bill they suddenly got. Now that's what I call daily planning. Planning for the next few hours it seems.
FONDL - You forgot one other additive: As long as you have a good line of credit..... you'll continue going to strip clubs. LOL Credit score helps a lot also.