bills, bills, bills #26

A week in the life & wallet of a director with two apartments, a premium dating app, and Invisalign

Bills, Bills, Bills is a monthly series of anonymous money diaries from theatre workers curated and edited by Jenna Clark Embrey.

The full archive is available here. We accept diarist submissions on a rolling basis. 

---

Editor’s Note

Hello, readers! In honor of Cancer Season (the most wonderful time of the year), I wanted to use this space to do a little "About Me" intro to explain why I edit a column about theater workers and their incomes. First things first: I'm Jenna and I'm the Literary Manager/ Dramaturg at Lincoln Center Theater. You can read my own money diary here.

My fascination with economics probably started with my grandfather explaining to five-year old me that, no, the bread basket at the restaurant wasn't actually free, the cost was just baked into the price of everything else that we purchased during our meal. My dad and brother and I all share some kind of data-nerd gene and a favorite after-dinner game is "correlation or causation?"

My very first job out of college was, by pure accident, as an acquisitions assistant at the MIT Press (the academic publisher housed within the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), where I assisted the senior editor on the economics list. Acquisitions is like dramaturgy: finding manuscripts suitable for publication and giving big-picture notes. It's not copyediting. (Do not ask me to proofread.) Not long after I started, a junior editor left — she got an offer to turn her stick-figure comic drawing blog into a coffee table book (this was the mid-2000s, after all) — and I sort of failed upwards into her position. MIT organized for me to take a bunch of economics and data courses so that I could build my knowledge of the field (coursework I ultimately completed many years after leaving this job). I went on to work as an acquisitions editor for a few years, where my primary areas were books that focused on women's labor, chaos theory, healthcare economics, and the economics of terrorism. After this, I went to grad school for dramaturgy — at which point I ignored my entire knowledge of economics and took out over $100,000 in student loans.

Flash forward to 2017 and I started a Google doc (now an Airtable) where folks could anonymously submit their theater salaries and review others' in comparison. In 2022, I told my dear friend and fellow Cancerian Lauren Halvorsen that it would be cool to read money diaries of theater workers and she offered up real estate in her esteemed newsletter Nothing for the Group.

In short, I'm not an economist, but I play one on TV. (And I can tell you about how Off-Broadway theaters using direct mail campaigns is a Nash Equilibrium and how apprentice programs function like Hezbollah.)

This month’s columnist opted to donate their honorarium. 

Job/Position: Resident Director of a highly entertaining theatrical offering in a tourist/resort area in the Mid-Atlantic region

Age: 28

Yearly Income:

• Salary: $100,000

• Fellowship Stipend: $6,500

• I also read scripts for two theaters and they pay me between $5 to $20 per script, depending on the project.  

Debt:

• Student Loans: $25,000

• Medical Debt: $4,000 (on a credit card)

• Invisalign: $4,400 (on a credit card)

Savings:

• Personal Savings Account: $8,500

• Roth IRA: $4,600

• 401K: $1,400 (I contribute weekly and have a match by my employer)

Checking: $6,400

Monthly Expenses:

• Primary Apartment: $1074

• Primary Utilities: ~$40

• Primary Wi-Fi: $20

• Secondary Apartment: $1100

• Secondary Utilities: $160

• Secondary Wi-Fi: $28

• Adobe Suite: $32.65

• Google One Storage: $30

• Apple Care Plus: $4.34

• Netflix, Hulu, HBO: $0 (paid by mom)

• Individual Therapy: $80

• Group Therapy: $200 (not covered by insurance, but so worth it)

• 401K Contribution: $307.68 (matched by employer)

• Insurance: $29.84 (the highest plan offered by my company).

• NYTimes subscription: $0 (I am still logged into the company account from a previous job)

Annual Expenses:

• Amazon Prime: $100

• Macbook AppleCare+: $100

• Premium Dating App: $136

• Calendly: $130

• Squarespace Premium: $275

• Union Membership Dues: $90

Context:

This last year has been a rollercoaster. In 2023 I was doing a fellowship where I was making a salary of $10K PER YEAR! When I got my current job, I went from surviving on food stamps to living comfortably. I promised myself I would stay at this job until I have paid off my debts and saved up a good amount of money so I have a safety net when I go back to freelancing. 

My job is in a regional city, but I am also doing two fellowships in NYC, so I split my time 40/60 between the two places. I have an apartment in each city, which meant I needed to purchase duplicates of all of my household items.

Despite making a great salary, the monthly expenses of living in two places means my money doesn’t go as far as I’d like. I spend ~$300 each month on gas. Groceries are difficult because I am never in one location for more than a few days. I end up spending over ~$500 on food each month. But at the end of the day, I am grateful to have a secure job and can afford to live in the city and pursue my personal artistic projects.

I came out of college with approximately $35,000 in student debt and have been chipping away at it. I am the first person in my family to obtain a four-year college degree. My mom, who never finished college, has worked her way up the corporate ladder. She started as an assistant and is now in executive leadership, but she saved very little money for retirement. Now that she’s approaching retirement age, she is adamant that I put away as much as I can to avoid being in her situation. I am really lucky that she has offered to keep me on her phone plan and EasyPass so that I can budget that money towards my 401K. 

I have an expansive friend group in NYC but no friends where I work. I spend a lot of time trying to convince my friends to come vacation at my job so I can combat my loneliness. 

---

Thursday

I wake up and take my dog for a walk. I decide to put her in the car and take her grocery shopping with me. I have friends coming into town this weekend and we will mostly be eating out, so I just pick up some essentials. ($28.61 at ShopRite.) My roommate Venmo requests me for this month’s wi-fi bill and I send him $20. While I am cooking breakfast and listening to the NYTimes podcasts, my therapist texts me and asks me to push back our appointment. I take the unexpected free time as an excuse to sit on the couch and catch up on work emails. I spend my time in therapy talking about how I need to regain my confidence in myself. $20 to be told I am enough. Nice. I reheat some pizza, grab a banana, and run out the door to go to work. 

After the show, my stomach growls. All I had was a banana for lunch. I decide to cook dinner. My friend just bought me a rice cooker for my birthday, so I make some egg fried rice and toss in whatever I find in my fridge to avoid wasting food. After eating, I take my therapist’s advice and try to relax. I use my new Theragun and turn on the TV. But this doesn’t work out: 10 minutes into the episode, I remembered that I needed to pay my electric bill that had been sitting on my desk. ($41.80 for electricity.) I sit at my desk for the rest of the night before going to bed.

Total Spent: $110.41

---

Friday

I start my day by shipping a present to a friend whose wedding I will be missing because of work. I am at that age where all my friends are starting to get married, but I only have so many vacation days a year. I realize I need to send a card with the gift ($8.52 — it was a fancy card. But they deserve it. I mean, they’re getting married for Christ’s sake.) Despite being nice to the woman at the UPS store, she still charges me full price. (I assume because I haven’t taken a shower yet.) That was $32.68 for the box, padding, and shipping. I stop for gas on the way home ($44.28). I decide to eat some frozen pancakes and hash browns for breakfast. I go to group therapy and pay $50 to practice mindfulness with my peers. Very helpful. 

I shower and obsessively clean my apartment before a pair of friends come to stay with me for the weekend. I know that my friends and I are going to eat out for most of the weekend, so I decide to just reheat the few bites of fried rice leftovers for lunch so that I feel less guilty about dropping money on fancy dinner. You gotta Girl-Lunch so you can Woman-Dinner, ya know?

Earlier this week, while at the dentist, I get asked if I am seeing anyone. (He’s not coming onto me, he’s just curious.) I tell him that I am single and he suggests Invisalign. I have poor self-image, so these emotionally manipulative tactics work. Today, while walking my dog, I call my credit card company to apply for a new 0% card so I can take advantage of the sale. ($4,400 instead of $5,500? Maybe I can find love after all!)

I head to work and we have rehearsal for when one of the cast members will be out next week. After the show, I go to meet my friends who are in town. They have selected a fancy restaurant because they are on vacation. They ended up paying for dinner since I hooked them up with free tickets and a discounted hotel room. I don’t have any friends in this town. Everyone is a tourist. So my friends and I stay up very late so I can soak up every second of socialization while they’re here.

Total Spent: $156.01

---

Saturday

I run errands, including shipping back a box of winter jackets to my mom. I know I will be paying for dinner tonight, so I make a huge homemade breakfast so I can skip lunch. My friends and I decide to take on a baking project on Sunday, so I pick up some missing ingredients ($10.63). 

I leave my apartment to go meet my friends at their hotel, and we romp around the shopping center for a while until my rehearsal. I get a text from one of the artists telling me they want to have a meeting with me and the general manager, so I leave my friends to get to work early. While at work, I find out that a childhood neighbor is in town going to dinner and the show. Our theatre has a restaurant attached, with immersive performances, so I send some performers her way. When I go say hi, my neighbor shows me her ring and tells me her boyfriend proposed to her just a few hours earlier. God, I can’t wait for Invisalign. I covertly pay for my neighbor and her new fiancé’s entire meal ($124.22). Maybe we can write it off as an early wedding present. 

My friends come to dinner and the videographer from my company asks if he can film us as we eat to use for promotional materials. We say yes, and the general manager of the restaurant ends up comping our $200+ food bill as a thank you for allowing cameras to get in our faces while we eat. (Weeks later, a video from that night appears on a giant billboard in the middle of town.) My friends and I go to the show. Afterwards, I give a few notes to performers and then hang out at the theatre’s bar so my friends can meet the cast. Then we chill at my apartment with my dog before hitting the hay for daylight savings.

Total Spent: $134.85

---

Sunday

Daylight savings hits me like a brick. I’m exhausted. I’m not used to being up this late. I get some work done before picking up my friends to come to my place. We do our baking project before heading to my matinee. Everything goes smoothly. After, we drive to a friend's house to pick up a drum kit for a reading of a new play I am directing this week in NYC. I drive me, my dog, my friends, and the drum kit back to NYC as we stream the Oscars on my friend’s phone. I make it home and try to go to bed. I purchased pre-paid parking near the theatre for tomorrow so I can drop off the drum set before our first rehearsal ($33.76). I eat leftovers from last night’s dinner.

Total Spent: $33.76

---

Monday

I drive down to the theatre and unload the drum kit. Once I park, I text all my collaborators and get their bagel orders. I picked up bagels for me and three others. One person offers to Venmo me for their bagel, but the others accept the bagel as a kind gesture ($28.07). During the rehearsal, I occasionally nosh on my bagel during breaks to keep myself full. The band is incredibly loud and the theatre only has a few ear plugs available, so I pay extra to have a box of ear plugs shipped with next day delivery ($18.40). If the theatre ends up finding/getting more, I will just return them. After the rehearsal, I pick up my car and call my mom on my ride back to my NYC apartment. I look for street parking, walk my dog, then go to my favorite dive bar to grab my favorite greasy comfort food ($20.42) to treat myself after a long day. I come home and spend the rest of the night catching up on emails and texts. I consciously avoid looking at my phone during rehearsal, but that means I’ve got a lot to respond to when I’m home. I finish my night by schedule-sending some emails inviting people to my reading. 

Total Spent: $66.89

---

Tuesday

I didn’t sleep much last night. I am anxious about the reading. There are people coming who I really want to impress. I go downtown ($2.90 on the subway) early to get a bagel and a banana ($10.34). Shout out to Brooklyn Bagel for seasoning their bagels on both sides! Luckily, I brought floss. Can I eat bagels when I have Invisalign? 

Then I stop at a grocery store and pick up cookies for the cast and admin staff ($48). I go around the office of the theatre and give out cookies to win people over. Maybe dentists aren’t the only ones who know how to be emotionally manipulative! 

Rehearsal is good. We get a lot done but I am drained. After rehearsal, I go out for Thai food with my best friend, who I hired to work on the piece. (I promise it’s not nepotism; he’s good at what he does.) He put the bill on his card and asked me to Venmo him $20. I go home ($2.90), walk my dog, talk to my mom, and try to get to bed early to catch up on sleep.

Total Spent: $84.13

---

Wednesday

I am having massive amounts of anxiety about the reading this afternoon. I remind myself that this is normal and to remember that I can only control so much. I hop in my car and park downtown by the theatre ($31.65 for parking garage) before getting a bagel and a banana ($10.34). Ironically, my dentist calls me while I’m halfway through an everything bagel. This time, I forgot my floss. Despite my embarrassment, I answer anyway. He’s calling to bully me into getting Invisalign. I put down my credit card and cry about the fact that I am somehow taking on more debt. But maybe that’s how life works? Every time you get close to paying off debt, another big purchase comes up. I wipe my tears and charge my new credit card $4,400 to have straight teeth. I get emotional thinking about how long I’ve been embarrassed to smile. I will unpack this with my therapist tomorrow. 

The reading I am directing is a comedy. When I get there, I can tell the cast is nervous about having an audience. But I’ve got just the solution. I want everyone to feel okay being silly. So, I decided that at the start of the reading, I am going to come out to make my pre-show speech in a ridiculous costume to make a fool of myself and hopefully ignite a sense of play into the space. If you want people to be vulnerable, you need to give them vulnerability. If you want people to be silly, you’ve got to give them silly! Right before we start, I rush out to buy tights ($8.29) so no one can see that I forgot to shave my legs. 

The reading happens and it’s a huge success! The cast gave it their all. I think they just needed an audience to supply laughs and permission to be silly. Afterwards, I finish the rest of my bagel while striking the space. I meet the cast and crew at a bar afterwards. I don’t get anything to eat but the socialization fills my soul.

 When I finally hit the road, I decided to eat some homophobic chicken (Chick-fil-a, $10.71) as a treat for having pulled off this project. I also buy a chocolate bar ($3.41) while I fill up my car with gas ($47.83). I pick up my dog, leave NYC, and drive back to my other apartment before collapsing into bed. 

Total Spent: $112.23 + the $4,400 debt for Invisalign

---

Thursday

I sleep in late (9:30am!!) and then do some cleaning and get some fresh air. I cook breakfast and lunch with whatever remnants I can find in my fridge. I write on a sticky note that I must go grocery shopping this week. A friend Facetimes spontaneously to gossip about the New York Fellowship Industrial Complex. They have a big interview coming up and I offer some advice and reassurance. Once we finish, I go to therapy ($20). After that, I get on a Zoom meeting with a theatre that I read scripts for. After sitting at my desk for three hours, I realize I somehow smell bad. I quickly shower and then head to work. 

One of my coworkers is a brilliant baker and they sell fresh loaves of bread each week for $4. We are about to celebrate our 300th performance on Saturday, so I am celebrating by making everyone 300 pancakes. I stop at the supermarket on my way home and pick up supplies, but I charge it to my work card. While I am at the supermarket I remember that I needed to pick up more yeast, in case I do another baking project ($5.18). I somehow forget to do actual grocery shopping while I am there. I go home and read over a different friend’s application for a fellowship and give them notes before the midnight deadline.

Total Spent: $29.18

Weekly Spending Total: $727.46