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"Diving for Brie?" What on earth can she mean? Divers typically don't expect a deli cheese department to be spread out in front of them along with all the pretty coral and fishies...

"Diving for Brie?"

Well, folks, an alternate title for this blog was "Riches to Rags," but someone already has that one. "Living on Nothing" was another title I considered--already taken. So I have pilfered the title of the book that I haven't fully written yet, about living on practically nothing. I am someone who was formerly worth well over a million dollars on paper, and am now worth whatever I happen to have in my wallet on a given day. Sometimes that's only $.14, sometimes $140.00, but never much more. I live on food stamps, the occasional editing job, a bit of substitute-teaching, and the good graces of the universe.

Sometimes I have very dark nights of the soul, but somehow, I keep on truckin' and manage, now, to pay a very modest rent. I have lived in a car for extended periods of time with two large dogs, feeding them dog food procured from the local animal shelter, while I ate cans of Spaghetti-Os heated over a wood fire. I have been stranded in countless locations while I waited to raise the money to put gas in my tank. I have begged for small change for gas...

And I have gone dumpster-diving for food, hence the title of this blog. Yes, it is indeed possible to find an entire brand-new wheel of brie in a dumpster, discarded because it was past its expiration date. Cheese doesn't expire! It only gets better with time! I have found whole flats of perfect strawberries, dented cans of all descriptions, breads that were quite edible, gourmet olives, oils and vinegars and spices and salt and flour and...the list is endless.

Dumpster diving can be sloppy work--you want to dress properly for it. Boots, long-sleeved shirt, long pants and a hat are all helpful. Gloves are nice to have too, as you will doubtless encounter unsavory items in the course of searching for the savory ones. Dumpster diving is still legal in Arizona, where I currently reside. Be sure to check local regulations before you go "over the top," as you can be arrested for helping yourself to food that no one else wants. What a paradox!

How did I, who have a Master's degree in Psychology and a lot of professional counseling experience, end up in a situation like this? Beats me! Actually, when I had all that nice tidy money, I owned five houses, and then the recession of the early nineties hit and I was completely wiped out. I have been struggling ever since. I no longer live in the state where I was licensed--New Mexico--so I can't practice privately, or at least, I can't take insurance, which makes it almost impossible to get a viable practice going. I'm a writer and editor who gets little work, in spite of having a website, www.tucsonediting.com , and advertising regularly on Craigslist. I guess I live in an area where almost no one writes! I'm not a certified teacher, so I can only substitute-teach, and that work comes in very irregularly.

I once supported myself as a jeweler and glass beadmaker, but the Chinese jumped into the industry and flooded the market with masses of cheap handmade glass beads. Jewelry sales have dwindled as the recession has tightened; the demand for my beautiful one-of-a-kind baubles has fallen way off. I just can't figure out how to make a real living for myself, and so I continue a life of poverty.

But one fact sweetens this challenging situation, and it is one of the major themes of this blog-spot: I always get exactly what I need when I need it. Never more, and never ahead of time--always exactly the amount of money I need at exactly the moment when I need it. I believe fully in my ability to manifest in this way, as it has never failed me. Invariably, an editing job will come up at the very last minute, or I will find a twenty-dollar bill (I no longer beg for small change--that was an interim deal), or someone will appear on my doorstep offering to buy something I had for sale in a swap meet the week before, or... The possible sources of wealth in the universe are limitless.

I'm going to draw this to a close today, as this first post is a test post to make sure that the blogspot is working. I am planning to monetize this blog, and I apologize for that, but it seems it could be another way to bring in some income. I don't need much--I have learned to live on next to nothing, but I find that I do prefer to have gas and electricity and water and computer service, although I have lived without all of them, sometimes for long periods of time.

My message for today, to fellow readers who are struggling financially, is to Keep the Faith. The universe WANTS to support you; you need only ask. Haven't all of your most basic needs always, somehow, been met? Think about it...

Thank you for joining me on this journey!