Dude, I feel your pain. Thats why I have to push for subscribers. I'm self-employed as a web designer, and go months without any significant income to speak of. It tends to be a little money-no money situation for me.
I kind of go by the 'if you can afford to buy honey for mead, you can afford to subscribe if you hang out here' philosophy.
I tend to be broke as hell most of the time, but if I scrimp for several of my hubby's paychecks on other things, I usually manage to come up with the cash we need to go to civil war shoots, we just give up something else. Lately, that's been any money I might have for meadmaking. I defer to the family hobby vs. my personal hobby.
I have a spreadsheet budget that I check every day (sometimes several times a day) to see where I need to juggle this cycle. Its been like that for over 2 years, but I'm used to it now.
In the interest of the budget, I have given up renaissance festivals except for our family outing to Maryland once a year (which we saved for several paychecks to have cash for), I've given up making mead, except for a batch or 2 a year, 'cause honey is expensive and meadmaking isn't a family hobby. I've given up new clothes (haven't bought more than the occasional pair of jeans for 2 years), am selling most of my garb for fairs and any new stuff I need I make myself now from a stash of fabric I have from when I *did* have money years ago. But every entertainment we have as a family, I plan for months in advance and save pennies here and there to put aside. It's tedious as heck, but hey, its that or don't go, so I do it.
I get to go to Pennsic because my hubby graciously allows me to squeeze the $500 it costs for everything out of a couple months worth of *his* paychecks. I get to go the Mead Festival because I usually manage to find a Frequent Flyer ticket somewhere, get a free room because I judge, and get free tickets because I work. So, all I have to do is feed myself, and I save for months before to have that money. Last year I never left the hotel while I was there, to save gas. Now that its in Denver, I won't have to figure out a car, I can just shuttle to the hotel (thank goodness).
For the last 3 years, every penny of profit (and quite a bit of personal cash) from my website business has gone into building up Gotmead, so I don't collect any money from my own business, just live of my hubby (who has been *very* patient with this money pit...LOL).
So, believe me, I feel your pain, I really do.
Vicky - doing surveys to earn frequent flyer points for February