Dick Grayson 002 Ⓡ video

[usedacrobatics]

[The Pokegear snaps on, and Dick, in a nice waiter's shirt, slumps down against a wall and sighs.]

So this is, uh, ridiculously embarrassing.

[His hair's slicked back, too, and he's loosening a little bow tie with his other hand. Tugging at it with a little more force than strictly necessary.]

Exactly, um. Does anyone have any tips for how to... like, not go broke? How do people keep track of money? How do you not run out?

I plead lack of maturity, lack of understanding of the value of a... whatever the unit of currency is here, I don't even know.

And yeah, okay, if you all want a good laugh at my expense, my foster father is a billionaire, both through inheritance and being the CEO of a worldwide corporation. Go ahead, I've heard all the rich kid jokes and I don't really care, I'd just be grateful, in return, for a little--

[There's a voice yelling in the distance, something about not being paid to take breaks; Dick jumps up and shuts off the feed immediately. He does have a work ethic, okay, he was a circus performer until he was nine, but that money was all put in the bank.]

Comments

[hammerfell]

[Well now, it seems that we all have adjustments to make. Thor is old enough, has had enough economics beat into his head in preparation for rule, that he has some kind of grasp on it.

...but the truth is, Asgard largely functioned on a barter system yet, and whatever coin they had was legitimately valuable, as it was gold or silver, which was accepted everywhere. And he was a prince. He'd never had to work for money before.]

Think more carefully on how you spend it, save some of it away, do what you must to earn more. Though I confess, I have little practical experience in the matter myself.

[usedacrobatics]

[Dick has worked for money -- performing, but was too young to manage his earnings anyway. His parents had put all that in the bank, and when Bruce Wayne took custody of him, all of that, plus the payments from his parents' life insurance policies and severance pay from Jack Haly, plus whatever else Bruce deemed appropriate, had all been placed into a trust fund that he wouldn't be able to touch until he turned eighteen. Between Bruce's discretionary gift and Lucius Fox's investments, he had no idea how much was actually in there, but judging by some of the stuff Red Arrow bought with his trust fund, he wasn't worried.]

Save. [He massageshis forehead.] That shouldn't be such a revelation, but it is.

[video]

[captainash]

[A billionaire? Man, that makes his family's finances look sad.]

Make a budget. Prioritize your expenses. Make a budget. The Pokémon Centers pay more than the pokémarts and restaurants. Make a budget. Winning a badge also comes with prize money. Make a budget.

Is that enough to get you started?

[video]

[usedacrobatics]

[...okay and he's rapidly reordering and planning. He's in Violet. There's a gym here, and Caroline... when she's... not terrified of her own drink at dinner, well...

Maybe he should focus on Carmilla for the gym-- but she's half Psychic. Gah. Johnny. It'll have to be Johnny. He runs a hand over his hair.]

There's not some... like, great secret to budgeting, is there? How do you determine how much you need? I didn't exactly keep my receipts...

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[usedwatergun]

Well... in your defense it can be pretty easy to lose track, depending on what you're spending it on. It's not too hard to earn it back, though. If you're staying in the same town for a while just work a job or two. The towns further into Johto usually pay a lot more per hour than they do in Cherrygrove and Violet.

[After that she will finally take a chance and ask.]

How bad is it?

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[usedacrobatics]

Eggs, mostly. I guess I like eating out a little too much, but I can't cook, either. We have a butler.

[The most amazing mommy-butler.]

And medicine, so I can trek out and not have to run back to the Pokemon Center too much...

Treats, too, I guess. I didn't even think about limiting myself. Usually, I just charge whatever I want to my credit cards and Bruce pays it off. My room and board bill just cleaned me out. I have enough to keep us afloat for a bit, now that it's paid off, but I gotta be ready for the next bill.

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[doitrockapella]

That depends. Do you like cats?

[GDI Carmen stop doing Selina Kyle impressions.]

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[usedacrobatics]

[...he's about to invoke her, but refrains.]

What're you peddling and how much am I paying?

Voice

[for_realsies]

I try not to overextend. It sucks being under eighteen so you can't work full time and battles don't give nearly the money they do in the games.

My girlfriend went through this at home, it's a functional thing, just... be frugal. Cook instead of eating out, don't buy designer clothes, make jewelry out of scrap metal... little things add up!

Voice

[usedacrobatics]

Cooking. How... I mean, how do you cook?

We sort of have a butler...

[Video]

[babel_hacker]

[Oh, hey, managing money. Something Atsuro learned to pick up a long time ago.

A nineteen year old young man pops up on the screen.]

Other than working, which should be obvious enough, you need to make a budget and stick to it. Count up how much you need to spend on necessities, put some money aside for them and some others to save up in an emergency. You need all the money, especially when you're under eighteen years old.

Once you hit eighteen, you can apply for full-time hours instead of part-time.

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[usedacrobatics]

Yeah, that's not for another four and a half years.

In other words, I need to set limits and stick to that... okay. I haven't saved my receipts, but what do you usually find yourself spending the most money on? And how do you mitigate that?

[video]

[notchinese]

You're not to the point where you're in debt, are you? [She says this out of actual concern, not to poke light out of Dick's situation.]

[Luckily, Yumi wasn't even the type to poke fun at people's finance situations with her family occasioning running into their own money issues at times. She may not had ever worked for money before but after watching her mother make choices with money, she may have some ideas.]

I'd say save up your money. Don't pay with an arm or a leg for something you could get at a cheaper price. Even keep like some kind of journal to keep track of what you're spending.

[video]

[usedacrobatics]

No, thank God. I got the bill for my room and board, and that cleaned me out. I just have to earn it all back before it's due again.

That'll be instructive. It's just... never something I've thought about before.

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[chainred]

Don't spend it. [ What a simple answer. ]

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[usedacrobatics]

If only I'd thought of that.

[He rolls his eyes.]

I probably won't drown if I don't take a bath, either. Revolutionary.

[nasa_dreams]

Most jobs pay a heck of a lot better than being a waiter, dude. I work at the light house with Cujo as a bomb sniffing team for two weeks a month and I make more than enough to pay my rent and buy whatever. But you could always get a Pokemon with the Pickup ability too. That's really helpful.

[usedacrobatics]

[Oh hey, he'd been meaning to track Danny down sans mask... he flashes a pretty self-deprecating smile.]

I kinda panicked and took the first thing that'd take me.

You have a recommendation for Pickup? What Pokemon usually have it?

[artofthestress]

Well, you write it down, of course! And make smart investments. If you're going to purchase something, like a fabric for example, make sure you can use as much of it as possible so as to turn a good profit. It's only good business sense.

[usedacrobatics]

Investments... investments. My experience there is pretty woeful. What kind of investments around here are there? I can't sew, for example.

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[timelymaid]

I keep a notebook of my expenses and my income! Making a budget is really useful, too. You figure out how much you can spend a month on food and boarding and then don't go over that - and if you really want to save money, you can always camp out.

Oh, and don't buy anything but what you absolutely need until you have enough money to waste every now and then.

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[usedacrobatics]

[Ruefully:]

I'm way too used to just charging whatever I want, I guess. I like the notebook idea. And even the-- camping out, a little bit.

Mostly, I feel dumb for never thinking of any of this.

[Video]

[foolishwren]

When all else fails, go fight some kid on the side of the road if you're in a pinch for cash.

Seems mean, but they love it and then they give you their lunch money.

After awhile, you figure out how to budget everything.

[Video]

[usedacrobatics]

It sounds like a great stress reliever, at least.

Any tips on what kind of kid to look for?

[heartdive]

You... Work? I mean that's how you don't run out of money. And battle. Battle a lot.

[usedacrobatics]

Don't stop earning. That's a strategy.

I need to get my levels up, too, then.

[unended]

If you're not used to budgeting just write it all down, everything you earn and everything you spend. Keep a certain amount separate as an emergency, for food or shelter. Most of the inns are 500P or less make sure you have enough set aside to at least cover a few days since every job only pays on Fridays.

When I just got here I stayed in towns for a few weeks at a time to earn money, and since you can heal your pokemon at the Pokecenter you don't need to spend as much on medicine.

[usedacrobatics]

Yeah, it's the budgeting that never occurred to me. Writing it all down is a good idea. I can start that pretty soon.

And I'm definitely grounded. What jobs did you find most useful? I basically took the first thing that would take me.

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[the_whitequeen]

[ Her father was a powerful politician before she decided to live on Earth with Kira. It was a difficult change for her too. From Pink princess to a simple mother to orphaned children. ]

It comes with time, but it does help to have a background on accounting.

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[staystraught]

Does being a mathlete honoree count?

[Bruce lets him play with the company's numbers sometimes, but he doesn't affect anything.]

[Video]

[starspangledavenger]

[Oh, Cap thinks your voice sounds familiar... something about that face shape... he's got a great eye for these things, but too much isn't registering as familiar]

I know you, don't I?

[Either way, he's going to help you out kid]

Think of every one Poke-dollar thing as one penny, so 100 make a buck. I saved money by not staying the night at inns or sharing them with friends.

I'm traveling with a guy who sounds a lot like your foster father in the money and big company department, so don't worry, kid, being poor isn't easy, you just gotta learn to live around it.

[Video]

[usedacrobatics]

[Dick shrugs, as if to say "maybe?" There's a lot of people here.]

Trick myself into thinking it's less than it actually is, thanks to the "exchange rate." I like that one a lot.

[He really has to start in on making more personal friends here. Or at least with people nearby. Not easy when you're used to being secretive, he supposes.]

Camping? A lot of people mention camping...

[He smiles a little bit at that.]

My condolences to him, I guess. Is he cheerful about it, or is making you miserable, too?

[islandshore]

You could just let your Pokémon breed. That's probably the quickest way to get cash, especially if you've got something worthwhile.

[But he figures that's not for everyone. Heck, ending up with piles of eggs can be pretty darn exhausting.]

Otherwise, I'm gonna have to second the Meowth trick. Get one of those, and you might never need a job in the first place.

[usedacrobatics]

I don't think any of them are compatible... and they're something like 80% female.

[But that's definitely something he makes note of for later. Wouldn't it be nice...]

I am so ashamed of how appealing that is.