12 Financial Tips for Strippers to Maximize Money
Hi, Bohos. Welcome again to the blog, where we are talking about nothing sexy today unless you love MONEY. This post is boring but about the bag, so you might want to read it.
Considering recent news about the club, I wanted to post about money honey. I know I have other posts about how to make extra cash at the club, but what do you do when it’s slow? I lived and danced through the recession in 2008 and then again during COVID-19 in 2021, so I know a thing about hustling and keeping it. I paid my way through college and a pandemic; trust me, you can do this, too.
The clubs have slowed down, which means that your bag is getting smaller and smaller each shift. You might find yourself working more double shifts or more days in general. Pair this with not making as much as you used to; it can be draining. I wanted to make a guide to budgeting and saving for dancers during difficult financial times.
The biggest concern I usually hear is that stripping is great when it’s good but bad when it’s slow. Inconsistent income as an exotic dancer is hard to battle, but follow this post for my BEST tips on saving $$$$ and making sure you stay sane.
Strippers must deal with the fear of financial insecurity and the lack of stable income. Trying to budget when you don’t know how much you will make each shift makes this job unreliable, especially during economic downtimes. Follow some of these tips below to keep your head up. Then see my other post on STRIPPING ON A BUDGET for more DIY TIPS.
TIPS FOR MANAGING YOUR TINY BAG
1. Know you aren’t alone. EVERY SINGLE DANCER I know has left with nothing. Has had bad nights. Had to ask management to waive their fees because they didn’t make anything. Had their bag with all their money stolen. And trust me, all of this has happened to me.
2. Take out $100 cash from every shift, no matter how much you make. This rule doesn’t apply if you need it or didn’t make $100 (I’ve had those nights too). If you work for 30 shifts, that is $3k right there.
3. BE AS CONSISTENT AS POSSIBLE. I would religiously work MWF Double Shifts and then Saturday night. This was the way I could maximize my work hours and my income. The easiest way to find regulars (even the ones that may only spend $50 each time they see you; they still matter). For those counting, that’s seven shifts per week or 28 shifts per month. Do the $100 rule = $2800/month. That was my rent, and some other bills paid. EASY.
4. Health Insurance from the marketplace. Get a marketplace plan for cheap – this will pay off during tax season (taxes deserve a whole new post coming soon).
5. Stop going out to dinner and cook at home. No more UBER EATS! You have no idea how much dancers spend on food. I never cooked when I danced and spent a ton on delivery. This is an EASY way to lose everything you made. Get some boxed macaroni and deal with it.
6. Don’t get sick. You don’t have PTO so keep yourself healthy, no drugs (you don’t have money for them anyway).
7. Budget your money and see where it is going. Write down what you make each night in a planner. What you made BEFORE house fees and tip out and then subtract how much you spent on House Fees and tip out (and whatever other expenses). This will give you what you made. Then you can see in the planner which nights were great and which weren’t and take the average of the whole month. THIS WILL REALLY lift you up. Seeing the average you make a month or week compared to any other job (even when it’s slow) and when you see that consistency pay off. Then you have a record of all the hard work and it makes it worth it.
8. Manage the money when you bank. So you had a great night FINALLY and made as much money like you used to. BUDGET THE FUCK OUT OF IT. Go spend on ONE something fun thing. The rest goes into the bank. Do not justify spending money just write it down in your planner and put it away.
9. Get rid of cash as fast as possible. Trade it in for gift cards if you don’t want to claim it on your taxes or put it in the bank. If you have cash around your house, you are more likely to a. not go to work because you have cash, and b. spend it on something stupid. If you would like to keep cash (I did and still do), get a lockbox for it. Now they have ones that you can’t time not to access. I would put it on for a week and leave it alone. You never want to spend the same seven days later.
10. Budget apps and STASH app. Please find a FREE budget app you like, and then pay for the STASH app. This is not sponsored, but I have already made so much money by investing $5 weekly. That’s it. Now I have a whole goddamn portfolio, which feels great when the rest of the world is on fire.
11. Please see all my other posts about having a side hustle or something that can bring you income AFTER the club. You should always be using the club as a means to an end, and on those off days, BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE. Whether that is another job, career, school, side hustle, passion, it doesn’t matter - be doing it on your off days. It will pay off in the long run and make those miserable days in the club WORTH IT.
12. The last one is a disclaimer. Do not make this your excuse to get overly intoxicated or increase the partying. If anything, you can’t afford to party. Don’t justify it. A hangover is WAY worse when you are broke.
Also never forget, that your worth is not dependent on how much you make each night. Every single dancer I know has had a bad night or nights or months even. Each one of us is really in it together so it doesn’t matter how much you make. You are still wonderful and gorgeous and I hope to get a dance from you someday.
Love & glitter,
BW
