Broke-Ass of the Week

Broke-Ass of the Week – Candy Chu

The Bay's best newsletter for underground events & news

Every week we feature a different person from the community shedding a little light on their life of brokeitude.  Who knows, maybe you’ll learn something about the human spirit — probably not.

Wanna be a Broke-Ass of the Week?  Holler at us here and we’ll send you the questionnaire.

This week’s broke-ass, San Francisco local Candy Chu, may think she’s going through a quarter-life crisis, but there’s no doubt her twenties have been good to her.  She learned in college to be a “certified baller-on-a-budget” and a true happy hour connoisseur, and also how to get around (but not in that way).  Plus, she once got a round-trip ticket from SF to New York for $16o, so she’s an automatic role model for all of us scroungers!

Name: Candy Chu

Age: 27

Occupation: Property management

What neighborhood do you live in?: Inner Richmond

What are you listening to these days?: Nothing nowadays — almost everything on the radio is crap. I’m open to suggestions.

Best money saving tip: Buy as much as you can from Chinese stores and Chinese supermarkets (household items, fresh fruits and groceries). We’re the best money savers out there, I promise. Everything you buy is usually made in China anyway.

What do you refuse to spend money on?: Haircuts and color — my sister is a hair stylist, so she does it for free.

Most expensive thing you’ve ever bought: My desktop computer with 19” LCD monitor and speaker set.

How’d that feel?: Awesome – It was $350 brand new and I only use it to download music and go online, so I don’t need fancy programs that I don’t know how to use (I mean, really Mac folks…)

Favorite cheap eat: D and A Café on Clement. Chinese café food that is about $2 a plate during happy hour. Can’t beat it really.

Favorite dive bar: The Page – although the back sometimes smells like pee.

Best deal you’ve ever gotten: Round-trip ticket to New York for $160 (taxes and fees included)

Favorite free thing to do: Visit the De Young on Friday nights. They usually have free cultural performances and an independent film showing.

If you woke up a millionaire, what’s the first thing you’d buy?: A house.  Everyone needs a house.

Despite not having money, do you still love your life?: My life is amazing. I love everything about it (Almost. The broke part sucks.)

Do you own my book?: Not yet. Still broke. Maybe if I bought it I wouldn’t be as broke? Something for me to consider the next time at Borders.

Best hangover cure: Anything greasy – the greasier the better.

Are you a hipster?: Nope. I’ve tried dressing like a hipster, but couldn’t do it right so it was just ugly and mismatched but not in a cool way – or is that the cool thing to do? Can’t tell cause I’m not a hipster.

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Christy Jovanelly - Cheapskate Commentator

Christy Jovanelly - Cheapskate Commentator

When Christy announced she was leaving her family's Southern California home and moving to San Francisco, her mom said, "Have fun in that den of sin." This is the only (however sarcastic) advice Christy has ever taken from her mom, who also told her to join eharmony.com and cover her eyes during sex scenes in movies. Christy puts her creative writing degree to good use by locating the typos on Chinese food menus and spends most of her time challenging friends to all-you-can-eat contests and trying to get that one bartender at Zeitgeist to smile.