Broke-Ass Stuart: Dumpster diving, volunteer ushering and student IDs

Broke-Ass Stuart

Hi I’m Broke-Ass Stuart.  The fine folks of the Unemploymentality asked me to share some tips every once in awhile to help you enjoy your life without spending all your loot.  So that’s what I’m gonna do.  Why do I qualify to do this?  I’m glad you asked.  I’ve been writing shit to help broke-asses for five years now and in just the past couple years I’ve had two books come out, Broke-Ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply in San Francisco and New York  To get a better idea of what I do, check out brokeassstuart.com.  But enough about me, let’s get to saving you money. Some of the things that I’ll write about will be really helpful and some won’t.  But fuck it, that’s life right?  Here we go:

Don't be afraid to take the plunge head first.

Dumpster Diving: This is for those of you who who really got shit on when the economy flopped. Dumpster diving is the practice of going through trashcans and dumpsters, generally from commercial businesses, and taking the things that were thrown away.  As the old saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.  A lot of my friends who dumpster dive, do it in the dumpsters behind big markets like Key Foods, Safeway, and Trader Joes.  You can find a lot of eatable produce.  Other good places to check out are the dumpsters for bakeries, bagel stores, and specialty food places like Gourmet Garage.  If you plan on doing it though, bring some bolt cutters with you just in case those scoundrels try to lock up their dumpsters.  Also, if this anticapitalist lifestyle sounds appealing to you check out freegan.info to learn more about alternative ways.

Volunteer Ushering: Want to see a great show for free?  Volunteer to be an usher.  Many theatres and music venues would rather have someone do it for free than pay someone to usher, so if there is a show you’re interested in seeing, contact the venue it’s playing at to inquire about ushering.  More often than not, if you’re in New York, Off Broadway shows need ushers, but there are still some Broadway theatres that do this as well.

Get a Student ID: Who cares if you’re not a student anymore?  You still want student discounts right?  While the days are over when you could just walk down the street in the East Village and be offered to have a fake ID made for you (this happened to me when I was 16), you can still get a real student ID at STA Travel.  Just go in there and inquire about a packaged trip and before you go, tell them that you’ve got to think about it but that you’ll be back.  If at that point the don’t try to sell you an international student ID, just ask if you can get one.  Most of the time they never bother to check if you’re actually a student.

For more of Broke-Ass Stuart’s tips and commentary check out his website.