Learning to survive on an erratic income
Former ‘Isidingo’ and ‘The Wild’ actress Sarah Kozlowski once found herself filing the nails of bratty kids in Beverly Hills to make ends meet. Currently, she plays a Russian stripper in the SABC1 drama ‘Tempy Pushas’, but wouldn’t hesitate to build solar
Are you an impulse buyer or do you shop with a list?
I am an impulse buyer; it’s timing the impulse with the correct bank balance that is the tricky part. I never go “shopping”; I will more than likely be rushing to an airport and run past a vintage store somewhere in the world, see an original ’20s silk vintage dress in the window and scream: “Why now?!” The whole transaction would take 45 seconds. When you know, you know.
What is your take on credit cards?
Credit cards are [a] newbie actor’s best friend, as starting out in this business is tough, so I would say I love to hate them. All the major “industry cities” are seasonal. Take Cape Town as an example. International studios only come down to shoot commercials and films four to five months of the year. That’s when you make most of your income, and then you pull out your trusty plastic in the downtime, unless you had a good season and you have moved on to the next city.
What is the most expensive item you have bought?
I bought my car cash.
Have you ever been down and out?
I left corporate to pursue this dream, moved in with my parents and proceeded to slowly sell off most of my worldly as- sets, including my home, as I started to build my career. When you start off, you need to invest in polishing your craft, by training and getting the right headshots. You never know when your next job is coming. You simply learn to stabilise your life to accommodate a very erratic income.
How did you manage?
I was lucky to find work that was flexible, allowing me to still shoot at a minute’s notice and not be tied to a nine-to-five job. I once worked as an “entourage member”. My job was to be flown around the world and be part of the “crew”, almost like the rent-a-crowd that would arrive at the world’s most exclusive venues or clubs, so my
“boss” looked cool.
What is the best financial advice you have received?
Money is like energy: it comes, it goes, so don’t give it much power.
What was your first job and how much did it pay?
I was a waitress at my local fish restaurant as a kid to pay my parents back for running up the house phone bill. Cellphones were still relatively new and clearly I could talk a lot, so I would sit on the phone talking to my bestie as soon as I came home from school until I went to bed.
What is the worst thing you’ve done for money?
I worked for a kids’ mobile beauty spa in Beverly Hills. I would sit filing the nails of bratty four-year-olds at their beauty birthday parties, thinking: “Sarah, you have a degree and here you are giving massages to toddlers.”
What influence does your career have on your money habits?
I have completely changed my assessment of what is enough. For a long time, food and rent was enough. You can only drive one car at a time, so why would anyone need more than one?
When I was in corporate, I was convinced that a jet would make me happy, and now I am content with my bills being paid by doing what I love.
Who manages your money?
A combination of Google, a tax consultant and now I have recently taken on a financial adviser . . . let’s see how that goes.
If you won the jackpot, how would you spend it?
I would finance a slate of films of stories close to my heart and start a selfsustaining green community. Steyn City, move over — my solar living pods would be way cooler than your mansions.
What is the next challenge you are looking forward to?
I am venturing into film producing as we speak and continuing with my Zulu lessons.