RECESSIONISTA: Being Poor Is Not My Cup of Tea (Young Professional Edition)

The economy hit us pretty hard in 2009, and most of us are still feeling it. We have sacrificed a lot of the little luxuries we used to give ourselves in order to make ends meet. T.I.T.'s (Taitai in Training) are complaining about LV bags and public accountants are complaining about having difficulties affording whole grains. Why else do you think everyone in Big4 always look constipated nowadays?

But don't worry guys, the Recessionista is here with some great tips to help ya'll out.

Here's to living like a king with the budget of a jester. Cheers!

Beverages

Tea instead of Coffee
Tea is a great choice of beverage for any young professional. It gives you a good kick of caffeine, a dose of antioxidants, and it makes you look so exotic. Although high quality tea can be very expensive, you can always add water and get a free refill. I know that Starbucks lets you get free coffee refills if you are a member, but who really has time to stay there to get refills. Tea on the other hand gives you flexibility and allows to you get your free refill whenever you want/need it.

Juice + Water > Flavored Water
Instead of buying flavored water, add an ounce of cranberry juice to your water to give it an extra kick. It's cheap and it will fight off your UTI.

Makeup

Eyeshadow Primer
It is very difficult to get eye makeup to stay on Asian eyes - which is why many Asians have to prime their eyes to enhance its staying power. But that stuff is expensive! Urban Decay sells a 3 month supply for about $25, that's $100 a year. Instead of buying UDPP or risk going blind with some cheaper brand, go ahead and make your own.

Head over to your local makeup counter and ask for some sort of eye cream sample and a sample jar. Take 1 part cream and 1 part foundation and mix it in the sample jar. Apply it to your eyes for 1 minute before applying makeup. You can fight wrinkles and raccoon eyes at the same time. It only has about 80% of UDPP's staying power, but hey, it's mad cheap.

Career

Big4
Get a new job. Enough said.

Unemployed.
Get a job. I heard Big4 is hiring. Its a good career: they have a lot of resources and tools. Please see below.

Photo Credit:GoingConcern

Medical Expenses

Eyeglasses
I don't understand why glasses in the United States are so expensive. I bought a pair of glasses in Hong Kong for $30 USD and the optometrist gave me a dozen pair of socks as a gift. In the states, even with insurance, glasses run at least $150 if you opt for the shatter-proof lenses and non-geriatric frames.

I have been using http://www.zennioptical.com/ for my glasses for the past 4 years. Each pair runs about $15 (1.57 density lenses, anti-glare, and shipping). You don't get to try them out before you buy, but they finally uploaded a picture of an Asian girl on their website so you can see how the frames might fit your face.

Dating

Hot Girls
Who needs alcohol and money to get girls when you've got game like this?!?! If you are able to pour a cup of tea like this guy, you can get any girl you want.

 Photo Credit: http://curiousphotos.blogspot.com

If you're shy, get a wing man.

  Photo Credit: http://curiousphotos.blogspot.com

Ladies, it's time to get your sh*t together.

Photo Credit: http://ja.treklens.com

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!

The winner for the "New York: The Tea-riffic and the Tea-ribble" Contest is alicehang10! Congratulations Alice! Please email me and let me know if you would like your gift mailed or hand-delivered!