So, How Much Money Do You Make?
Sure, I’ll tell you. Because I’m fearless.
Does the request to publicly discuss your financial situation makes you feel as uncomfortable as Trump the prospect of having to share his tax reports with the rest of us? That’s because you are not Nicole Dieker. She is fearless and so bold that she publicly dissects every cent she earns or spends.
That gives the reader a voyeuristic pleasure and satisfies one’s curiosity about something we were taught is no business of our and would be impolite to ask. Nicole, however, doesn’t need to be asked. She has no problem taking off all of her financial veils and showing her hard earned jewels to you. XXX rated.
Like this piece where she freely disclosed all about her taxes:
Nicole is also the editor at The Billfold, publication that publishes nothing but posts on the one topic that’s more of a taboo than sex — the raw reality of money. That’s Nicole and that’s The Billfold.
She is my hero and since she is a freelance writer like me, I decided to do the same and then compare my earnings with hers. A word of warning though — Nicole’s freelancing financial body is sexy and fit, a pure joy to watch and read about, while mine is a whole different story.
Before I start taking everything off, though, there are some background facts you need to be aware of — the main difference between us is that Nicole was able to invest $17,000 of credit card debt into building her freelance career while I didn’t and don’t have that kind of luxury. I doubt I ever will.
Another fact you need to be familiar with to better understand this whole thing is that two-thirds of freelance writer live at or bellow the threshold of poverty. Nicole is in the minority that actually can make a decent living.
So while Nicole’s gross income in 2016 was $88,062 and she is, from what I know, debt free, here is a dissection of what I, a member of the poverty stricken two-thirds of freelancers am looking at. And that’s why I now need to have that donation button looking at you from the bottom of my posts:
My April 2016 situation (without the debt, I won’t even go into that):
Income
Translation jobs (English-Slovenian): $187 (was lucky to get those)
Welfare: $0 (it should have been $240, but I haven’t received it)
Freelance jobs: $0 (I applied, but got only rejections or no response)
Donations: $127 (after PayPal fees)
Total Income: $314
Expenses:
Mortgage: $374
Utilities, mobile, internet (I canceled cable TV long ago): $117
Gas (I live in the middle of nowhere and need a car to get anywhere): $139
Food, household necessities, repairs: $213
Estimated threshold of poverty in Slovenia in 2015: $658
Total Expenses: $843
Balance: $ -529
Even with the welfare (which will hopefully be transferred to my account in May, because I should have received it), the balance would still be $ -304, so even with frugal living, I cannot make it through the month without a loss.
I could have just given up my home for foreclosure or try to sell it and pay off the bank, but that would render me homeless.
How did it get this far? I explained it all in the following post (please do read it before you come up with ‘Why didn’t you … ?’ I did, I tried it all):
So that’s why I now need to have that donation button and that’s why I hope Medium readers will come through and help this starving writer get back on her feet.
It’s easy to show support for my writing: click the heart, follow me, donate by clicking the blue PayPal logo, subscribe to my newsletter below, sponsor my posts, hire me — I write and I’m looking for work. Thanks!
Mateja started to write short stories at the age of ten and later became a freelance writer, radio personality, and counselor. Her life resembles a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs and some pretty wild turns. Among other things, her car was destroyed by tanks and she survived several brushes with death. She graduated in psychology from Arizona State University and is an editor at Transform the Pain and Personal Brain Whisperer. Her secret love is writing weird stories for The Rabbit Is In. Connect with Mateja on LinkedIn.
