Competing on a Budget

Not all of us have the luxury of sponsorship or an endless supply of money when it comes to competing so here are a few ideas on how to get through the competition season without getting into debt.

1. Buy your food in bulk and on special. A lot of grocery stores regularly have specials on chicken and other meats so buy as much as you can afford and store it in the freezer. Broccoli can also be bought fresh, broken up into florets and frozen
2. Buy your supplements and tanning supplies online-they are usually more heavily discounted than retail and they often run monthly specials. Check out bodybuilding.com, netrition.com, dpsnutrition.com and trueprotein.com just to name a few
3. Borrow costumes, shoes and jewellery from other competitors. Some will charge you a small fee to do so but many will loan for free as long as you clean them after
4. Share travel and accommodation costs with other competitors. Drive where possible or book cheap airfares in advance
5. Do your own hair, nails and makeup or ask a friend/family member to help you out
6. Do your own training schedule and pay for a nutritionist only(this is what I do)
7. Split posing coaching between several competitors, most coaches don’t mind tutoring a group. If you live in an isolated area, there are posing DVD’s for sale online
8. Use cheaper brand moisturisers and exfoliants for skin preparation and wax yourself if you can take the pain. Else you may have a trusted friend or partner that can do it for you
9. Start a savings account for your next competition season at the end of each year and any money you have left at the end of each weeks budget goes into that. An extra $200-300 can go a long way especially if you have several shows

10. Network with other competitors and web boards, they all have ways to compete without breaking the bank