Ever since I became a Hallyu fan (Korean entertainment, from Korean Dramas to KPop music), I knew it was going to be one hell of a fun and crazy ride. What I didn't see is that being a fan girl can also be very expensive.
I've been living the fan girl life for 6 years now. After watching several Korean actor fan meetings here in Manila, attending Kpop concerts, purchasing new merch like albums, plushies, and photo cards, and traveling to South Korea to visit Korean Drama locations--let me share to you how I was able to do all these by having Fan Girling Funds!
First of all: Start Saving NOW.
"Ang lapit naman ng ticket selling!" (The ticket selling is too near the announcement date!)
"Ang mahal naman!" (It's too expensive!)
"Magkano na kaya mag benta ng kidney?" (How much can I earn if I sell my kidney?)
These are just some of the lines I often read posted in online fan forums after a tour or comeback announcement. Although said in jest, the solution to put an end to your "Team Labas" or "Team Bahay" streak is to start saving and earning money even before any announcements. Para walang gulatan! As with anything in life, it is still best to be prepared for that day you will need the funds, and not worry about creating a hole in your savings or everyday expenses.
Some of the fan meetings with Korean actors / artists I have attended here in Manila:
Be Realistic By Setting a Target Amount!
Lastly, inspire yourself by setting a target amount you want to save. By having specific goals, you can easily envision where you're heading. This is better than feeling aimless, and it also helps you track if you're achieving anything.
How to know how much will you need to save each month? If you're keeping your money in a bank (highly recommended for the interest rate), you can easily compute this with a Savings Goal Calculator where you have to input your target savings, how much you have set aside, interest rate, and the number of years you are planning to save up.
You don't need to own ALL merch!
Especially when you have limited income, you have to make peace with the fact that you have to prioritize where your money will go. You don't have to buy everything! Just choose which items are must-haves for you, in my case I want to own all versions of ARMY Bombs and collect old and new BTS albums, but have to let go of merch boxes and seasonal boxes.
Control yourself! By avoiding buying everything on Weverse, I still have money that I can save for my Korea travel plans.
The endless merch when you're in a Kpop fandom:
KonMari Your Collection--And Earn From Them!
Decide how you can curate your collection to best fit your personality, interests, and even space. What sparks joy? What does not anymore? After the nitty gritty process of selecting which ones you'll keep, turn all the extra merch you've purchased into money by reselling them online!
If you can't let go of your merch, you can also declutter other things like your closet. Sell clothes, shoes, bags, and other accessories you haven't been using for a while now to earn spare cash. I often see sellers on Carousell or Shopee, or you can also sell on your personal social media pages like Facebook or Instagram.
Open Your Own Fan Girl Business!
During the lockdown, I loved joining online cup sleeves events during my favorite Kpop artists' birthdays. After doing so for a while, I felt like I wanted to do something more as a fan. So I created my own cup sleeves events from home! I was able to earn extra cash, and at the same time, show my love for artists that I admire.
Aside from CSEs, if you're good in illustrating, you can also create your own fan-made merch such as stickers, stationery, totes, etc.
My side hustle for 1.5 years: Organizing cup sleeves events for fellow ARMYs:
As borders are finally open, it would be nice to have a Korea trip this year too. I started saving around 4 months ago, and already achieved around 80% of my target.
What are your fan girl goals before the year ends? And how are you saving up for it? Sound of below, let's help each other become successful fans. Fighting!
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