Quantcast

Ballet Dancing Couple Making $178k in Chicago Spends $2,885/month on Food

Sackboy

Team Owner
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Messages
26,404
Solutions
32
Reaction score
Reactions
85,026 5,324 642
116,343
Alleybux
0


Dylan Gutierrez, 30, and Jeraldine Mendoza, 29, are preparing for early retirement. Unlike most millennials, they don’t have decades of career advancement ahead of them — at least not as professional ballet dancers. Most dancers retire by 35 or 40, and with that in mind, the couple is diligently saving a big chunk of their $178,000 combined annual income in anticipation of their next act.

They’ve spent their whole lives in the ballet world — Gutierrez grew up learning from his mother, a professional ballet dancer and instructor, and Mendoza started taking her first lessons when she was 5 — and they know that the physically demanding profession has its limits. With just a few years left as dancers, they’re already beginning to make plans for new careers in the arts.

Gutierrez joined the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago in 2009 and met Mendoza when she joined two years later. Their connection as partners in the dance studio was instantaneous, Gutierrez says: “We crossed paths immediately. And, you know, the rest is history.”

106766894-1603919276155-MM-09152020-Chicago-Dylan-Jeraldine-Fine00-09-36-13-Still017-png.jpg

Jeraldine Mendoza and Dylan Gutierrez are lead dancers at the Joffrey Ballet.

In the years since they started dating, the couple bought an apartment together, adopted a Boston Terrier named Kahlua and got engaged in the summer of 2019.

Their finances are atypical in a number of ways: They usually earn a steady paycheck 10 months out of the year during the company’s season. The rest of the time they focus on earning money through side work and also qualify for unemployment benefits, which combined made up 20% of their 2019 income. And because of their younger retirement age, the couple has spent the last few years getting serious about their savings, setting up streams of passive income and preparing for their future careers and lives together.

Here’s a look at how Gutierrez and Mendoza manage their time and money as professional ballet dancers in Chicago.

Making a living in the arts

As lead dancers with the Joffrey Ballet, Gutierrez earns about $77,000 per year, while Mendoza earns about $66,000 per year.

Both make additional money by teaching dance classes and performing in other companies’ productions. Dancing in “The Nutcracker” productions around the country during the holidays can be especially lucrative. Last year, Gutierrez earned an additional $15,000 through work outside his Joffrey contract, while Mendoza brought in an extra $20,000.

Gutierrez is eager to dispel the myth of the starving artist and show how you can earn a good salary in the arts. “If you’re a ballet dancer, you’re not doing it for the money,” he says. “You’re doing it because you love it and it’s something you’re passionate about. But it is a profession that a lot of people make a very, very good living in.”

The pandemic has been disruptive

Like workers in countless other industries, the couple has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. When the coronavirus tightened its grip on the U.S. in March, the Joffrey Ballet ended its season early. The company guaranteed dancers’ pay through the remainder of their normal 40-week season, which ended in May. “We both were very fortunate,” Gutierrez says.

Typically, during the summer months when Gutierrez and Mendoza aren’t working for the Joffrey, they file for unemployment benefits and make up for lost income through extra projects in the dance community. This year, they were able to file for benefits again and were eligible for the additional $600 weekly stimulus pay provided under the CARES Act.

With the additional benefit, their paychecks were just about equal to what they’d normally earn from the Joffrey, and they used these funds to cover their normal living costs, medical bills for Kahlua and a little more online shopping than usual.

The dancers resumed training in September and are guaranteed a salary for a shortened 36-week season for 2020-2021. In October, however, the Joffrey Ballet canceled in-person performances until further notice. The company has tentative plans to have dancers rehearse and perform two ballets this fall that will be available for digital streaming.

Canceled in-person performances will likely mean there’s no busy holiday season this year, so Gutierrez and Mendoza are thinking of other income streams they can use to boost their earnings. Over the summer, the couple taught dance classes via Zoom for extra income and brought in a total of $600, though this was much lower than their typical off-season earnings.

The couple also used some of their spare time during the pandemic to give back to social justice causes. Mendoza helped organize a fundraiser that raised $4,000 for the Black Star Project, which aims to close the racial wealth gap in the south and west sides of Chicago. The two also helped teach a class that raised $1,600 for the Black Lives Matter foundation.

Building a savings habit

Gutierrez and Mendoza are engaged but keep separate bank accounts for now. They split shared costs down the middle or trade off on expenses.

Mendoza says she learned a lot of her money savvy from her parents, who work in engineering and insurance and invested in real estate after moving from the Philippines to San Francisco in the 1980s. She describes her family as middle class and well-off. While she doesn’t budget every dollar, Mendoza says she’s known within her circle of friends as being good with money and likes to help them find ways to save for their futures, too.

Gutierrez, on the other hand, grew up with a much more lax approach to money. His dad is a musician and his mom is a ballet dancer and teacher, which afforded him a great introduction to the arts but less so to finances. “Money and money management wasn’t really a focal point in the house growing up,” he says.

While Gutierrez knew in theory that it was a good idea to save, it wasn’t until he met Mendoza that he made it a priority to manage his earnings, spending and savings more meaningfully. He started by saving $300 from every weekly paycheck, building up a $1,000 cushion in his checking account, and began paying more than the minimum on his credit card every month.

In turn, Mendoza says Gutierrez has helped her learn how to negotiate for fair wages, especially when she sets rates for her side projects doing guest performances and other work.

The dancers prefer to save in their own accounts — roughly $500 from each weekly paycheck — for their future, rather than relying on a traditional retirement account they will not have access to for several decades after they retire from full-time dancing. Today, Gutierrez has roughly $13,000 and Mendoza has roughly $35,000 in savings. And because they are union members with the American Guild of Musical Artists, about $80 to $100 of each of their weekly paychecks is deducted and funneled into a pension fund.

“One of the reasons why Jeraldine’s savings account is quite a bit higher than mine is because I did spend a lot of my money on her ring,” Gutierrez says. “I thought it was very important because I wanted her to have something really beautiful on her finger for the rest of our lives.”

How they budget their money

Here’s a look at how Gutierrez and Mendoza spent their money in August 2020.

106767019-1603921387894-Dylan-Jeraldine-Chicago-budget-png.jpg


  • Food: $2,885 (groceries, eating out and takeout)
  • Housing: $1,953 (mortgage on a 2-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom apartment)
  • Pet: $1,056 (medical bills)
  • Utilities: $446 (Wi-Fi, electricity and homeowners association fees, which cover heat, gas and water)
  • Hobbies: $220 (the couple recently bought skateboards to try a new outdoor activity)
  • Phone bill: $165 (Gutierrez and Mendoza are on separate family plans)
  • Transportation: $130 (Ubers)
  • Subscriptions: $105 (Apple Music, Netflix, HBO Max, YouTube TV)

Gutierrez and Mendoza bought their apartment near Wrigley Field in 2017. The place was originally listed at $349,000, but they ended up negotiating the price down by $9,000 by offering the previous owner free tickets to the ballet for a season. They split the $15,000 down payment and a $1,953 monthly mortgage.

“This is our biggest investment together,” Gutierrez says. “We want to try and build on it in the future, but just having it and trying to pay off as much of it as possible is really important to us.”

Gutierrez and Mendoza say they like to spend their money on nice things like well-made clothing, designer accessories and especially food. While they often enjoy splurging on nice meals out at restaurants, they also see it as a way to build their relationships around Chicago.

The two usually funnel part of their weekly pay from the Joffrey into savings, but because they were not earning steady paychecks in August, they did not put funds aside. The dancers pay about $100 once per year in union membership dues. Their health insurance is covered by the Joffrey Ballet, and they pay roughly $10 per week from each paycheck during the season for dental coverage.

Another recent change to their monthly budget is spending on Kahlua, who was recently diagnosed with lymphoma for a second time. Gutierrez and Mendoza, who don’t have pet insurance, expect to spend up to $10,000 on her chemotherapy treatments. “She’s essentially our family, so we make sure she’s taken care of as well,” Gutierrez says.

106766811-1603918054788-Dylan-Jeraldine-Kahlua-png.jpg

Dylan Gutierrez and Jeraldine Mendoza adopted a Boston Terrier named Kahlua.

Looking ahead

For now, the couple’s plans for a destination wedding in Italy are on hold due to the pandemic, but they’re in no rush to host a formal ceremony before health risks of the virus subside. “We’re essentially married already,” Mendoza says.

In terms of their future careers, Gutierrez, who earns a few hundred dollars a year on the side making and selling trap and hip-hop music, hopes to start a production company.

Mendoza hopes to pursue interior design — a skillset she taught herself and flexed during the $30,000 renovation of their condo. “It gives me the same joy as I would [feel] when I’m dancing on stage or rehearsing,” she says.

106766887-1603919208913-MM-09152020-Chicago-Dylan-Jeraldine-Fine00-09-30-25-Still016-png.jpg

Jeraldine Mendoza and Dylan Gutierrez are both originally from California but currently live in Chicago.

The two hope to eventually move back closer to home and buy a house in California, while keeping their Chicago apartment as an investment property. They strive to be financially stable today so they can make sure they can pursue their interests in the arts community for decades to come.

“I think it’s important for people to know that you can make a living in the arts, and that it’s not just the people you’ve heard of that are doing well,” Gutierrez says. “We don’t make a ton of money, but we do well enough to really enjoy our lives and also get to do something we love. And so not only do we feel wealth of the pocket, but we feel a wealth of the mind, body and spirit through through what we get to do.”

The budget breakdown of two ballet dancers earning $178,000 a year who bought a condo in Chicago

---

Kevin O'Leary reacts to couple who spent $2,885 on food in a month — CNBC
 

AshleyDavenport

Scheming Social Climber
Joined
May 23, 2012
Messages
3,963
Reaction score
Reactions
19,645 1,604 50
20,765
Alleybux
101,727
1. Savings account rates are abysmal at the moment. They’d have better returns putting their funds in the market.

2. Why don’t they have pet insurance? That dog is costing them a pretty penny. Sad she has cancer.

3. Lol at getting $9k off of their condo in exchange for a season of ballet. The costs don’t even compare.

4. They really are spending a grip for just them two per month on food.

I wish them the best though.
 

sundaybest

AbundantlyAmazing
Joined
Sep 4, 2011
Messages
44,490
Reaction score
Reactions
236,748 11,967 10,191
252,403
Alleybux
491,423
How can you spend so much to eat out?? Lmao that’s wild to me
It is EASY to do. Trust me.

And they appear to be healthy. So I doubt they are eating the .99 apple fruit pie loaded with sugar and carbs. But they look like they shop at local organic health food store for their Red Delicious Apples which can cost $5.00 for just two apples.

Oh. And the dog. Don't get me started on how pets are family members. It took me two years to pay off the pet bills, just because I could not accept my child was gone. It happened too quickly. So I went from veterinarian to veterinarian. And that added up.
 

Fatesealer

General Manager
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
2,778
Reaction score
Reactions
17,460 413 77
28,526
Alleybux
164,180
I don't care how much I make or if 'I got it', almost $7500 a month (especially when a bulk of it is on monthly utilities) can stand to be reviewed and cut down.
 

Sackboy

Team Owner
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Messages
26,404
Solutions
32
Reaction score
Reactions
85,026 5,324 642
116,343
Alleybux
0
1. Savings account rates are abysmal at the moment. They’d have better returns putting their funds in the market.

2. Why don’t they have pet insurance? That dog is costing them a pretty penny. Sad she has cancer.

3. Lol at getting $9k off of their condo in exchange for a season of ballet. The costs don’t even compare.

4. They really are spending a grip for just them two per month on food.

I wish them the best though.

I was impressed by how little they spend on Ubers for 2 active people without cars.
 

Sackboy

Team Owner
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Messages
26,404
Solutions
32
Reaction score
Reactions
85,026 5,324 642
116,343
Alleybux
0
It is EASY to do. Trust me.

And they appear to be healthy. So I doubt they are eating the .99 apple fruit pie loaded with sugar and carbs. But they look like they shop at local organic health food store for their Red Delicious Apples which can cost $5.00 for just two apples.

Oh. And the dog. Don't get me started on how pets are family members. It took me two years to pay off the pet bills, just because I could not accept my child was gone. It happened too quickly. So I went from veterinarian to veterinarian. And that added up.

From Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary:

Looking at their monthly expenses, he also recommends the couple reign in their outsized food spending. In August 2020, the couple spent $2,885 on food between groceries, dining out and ordering takeout — a price tag O'Leary deems "crazy."

"If you're dancing, you need those calories. I get it. But I think there's major savings to be had on doing a little more planning for groceries and doing a little more cooking at home," he says.
 

For The Culture

LSA's Lady Whistledown
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
Messages
19,771
Reaction score
Reactions
262,010 4,102 1,979
296,729
Alleybux
22,500
I always find these interesting. Especially since I have moved to what is considered a developing country with a monthly income under 500 a month...wow!

Their dog has chemo treatments?!

Damn...
 

Sackboy

Team Owner
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Messages
26,404
Solutions
32
Reaction score
Reactions
85,026 5,324 642
116,343
Alleybux
0
So my mom lied to me then. I totally could've turned ballet into a lucrative career..

Looks like they both took on other dancing jobs outside of their main ones for additional income. But because of COVID, they applied for and are receiving unemployment. They said between the unemployment, savings, and teaching classes online, they make almost as much as they used to make which is impressive to me.
 

classya06

ღღCount to 10. Everyone's going through something.
Joined
May 17, 2007
Messages
6,104
Reaction score
Reactions
63,376 1,160 182
76,212
Alleybux
35,500
The dog.... eck. Was food suppose to be housing? Or maybe they created a food pantry to feed the homeless? I'm confused.
 

Sackboy

Team Owner
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Messages
26,404
Solutions
32
Reaction score
Reactions
85,026 5,324 642
116,343
Alleybux
0
I always find these interesting. Especially since I have moved to what is considered a developing country with a monthly income under 500 a month...wow!

Their dog has chemo treatments?!

Damn...

That sounds like a major life adjustment!

And yea, plus they don't have pet insurance so treatments will cost them $10k out of pocket.
 

pet

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Messages
7,045
Reaction score
Reactions
51,464 2,344 2,173
52,587
Alleybux
204,335
and also qualify for unemployment benefits, which combined made up 20% of their 2019 income
fµck off

you have people out here being denied unemployment nd barely making ends meet but these two who spend over 2k a month on food can get it? Give me a break. They are scamming the system. Im not impressed by this at all.
 

Way to Love

Team Owner
Joined
Jun 13, 2011
Messages
33,174
Reaction score
Reactions
341,612 8,494 1,880
371,889
Alleybux
532,450
How can you spend so much to eat out?? Lmao that’s wild to me

And still be so skinny! :mad2

I don't care how much I make or if 'I got it', almost $7500 a month (especially when a bulk of it is on monthly utilities) can stand to be reviewed and cut down.

Yea that breakdown chart is scary, they're bleeding money and I didn't see anything about savings, their own healthcare (fµck the dog!), etc. even the mortgage looks high ...
 

ValentineGirl81

Mrs Huston
Joined
Mar 13, 2009
Messages
16,299
Reaction score
Reactions
104,818 2,383 286
111,894
Alleybux
978,315
They probably have to eat really healthy being ballet dancers, but that is still WAY too much money for food. Even eating out frequently in Chicago.
 

Sackboy

Team Owner
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Messages
26,404
Solutions
32
Reaction score
Reactions
85,026 5,324 642
116,343
Alleybux
0
And still be so skinny! :mad2



Yea that breakdown chart is scary, they're bleeding money and I didn't see anything about savings, their own healthcare (fµck the dog!), etc. even the mortgage looks high ...

Health insurance for them is covered by their job. They pay $10/week for dental. They both have savings, but he says he took a chunk out of his savings to buy her a ring.
 

So Beautiful

General Manager
Joined
Oct 31, 2009
Messages
3,547
Reaction score
Reactions
17,506 341 137
18,076
Alleybux
306,030
Ballerinas are athletes. Eating healthy is expensive and food is high as hell in the Chi. They are in a career that requires great networking to keep the opportunities flowing. High end networking and dine events are not cheap.

I travel there frequently for work and food is my largest expense. I eat healthy.
 

Clever Cutie

General Manager
Joined
May 1, 2018
Messages
2,625
Reaction score
Reactions
21,807 507 342
27,259
Alleybux
48,122
if they were serious about being set for the future they woulda bought a home right outside the city for much cheaper, but they just had to live near Wrigley Field. the amount they spend on food is asinine, and to say that they do it for networking is pure bµllsh!t. and how tf are their utilities that high? then two professional dancers take up a hobby that puts them at risk for career ending injuries? yeah these two not very bright at all.
 

debb

General Manager
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
4,185
Reaction score
Reactions
63,131 1,457 501
67,490
Alleybux
284,903
I call BS. Ballet dancers do NOT eat that much. Even if it's healthy food. Staying skinny is super important in ballet.

They're very lucky to have a pension, but I think they should consider other investments. What happens if one of them gets injured and can no longer perform? Do they still get access to the pension?
 

CocoaGoddess

Shrillmonger
OLDHEAD
Joined
May 31, 2006
Messages
4,101
Reaction score
Reactions
28,569 475 109
31,375
Alleybux
179,411
I assume the price is so high because they are athletes and have to eat a ton to keep their caloric count up, maintain muscle, etc. They are not like us. lol
 

Bonehilda

Team Owner
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
7,348
Reaction score
Reactions
77,014 4,094 95
87,462
Alleybux
85,500
Sorry, but no. I've already talked with my husband that if either of our pets gets a cancer that can't be fixed with tumor removal or a terminal illness with low survivability, we are putting them down.

I'm not going to subject them to extreme vet interventions and drain my accounts at the same time. However, my pets are older/elderly so maybe my perspective is skewed.
 

reggies_lady

General Manager
Joined
Jul 9, 2007
Messages
3,768
Reaction score
Reactions
33,342 1,802 1,938
33,199
Alleybux
41,120
That is a lot for food, so I am assuming they eat out the majority of the time. Organic food is really expensive. I spend $400 a week on groceries. It can get up to $1000 for the month if I eat out, breakfast, lunch, dinner, for the month. Organic/healthy food prepared by a restaurant is expensive
 
Joined
Nov 3, 2018
Messages
706
Reaction score
Reactions
10,621 50 33
13,687
Alleybux
274
Stories like this make me wish I had went into being a financial advisor. You meet many fools like this and get your percentage cut. Unless they are clearing out the store, their food costs should not be more than the mortgage. Judging off of them talking about liking designer clothes, I say that one of them has some type of money from their parents they are using so they don't touch their assets and did not disclose.
 

wonderstar

General Manager
Joined
Sep 9, 2020
Messages
4,336
Reaction score
Reactions
33,779 1,941 1,504
32,979
Alleybux
83,000
They probably have to eat really healthy being ballet dancers, but that is still WAY too much money for food. Even eating out frequently in Chicago.

Yeah that is my thinking. They are athletes really. So their food budget won't be the same as your average joe. Still, food costing more than rent is shocking.
 
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
3,876
Reaction score
Reactions
34,838 1,031 606
43,713
Alleybux
10,735
Maybe they can’t cook but hello fresh would give them good food to match their diet. I thought me spending $300 a month on groceries a wild concept lol
 

GrowthInGod

General Manager
Joined
May 15, 2016
Messages
3,063
Reaction score
Reactions
16,468 297 238
18,426
Alleybux
280
tenor.gif

Makes sense to me because they are likely grocery shopping for organic, wild crafted, free range & grassfed everything for two adults (one of whom is male) and an immune compromised floof over at Whole Paycheck, those grocery bills add up quick!
 
Last edited:

Sackboy

Team Owner
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Messages
26,404
Solutions
32
Reaction score
Reactions
85,026 5,324 642
116,343
Alleybux
0
if they were serious about being set for the future they woulda bought a home right outside the city for much cheaper, but they just had to live near Wrigley Field. the amount they spend on food is asinine, and to say that they do it for networking is pure bµllsh!t. and how tf are their utilities that high? then two professional dancers take up a hobby that puts them at risk for career ending injuries? yeah these two not very bright at all.

They said because the career is so demanding, they can only realistically dance for 10 years. After that, they will be transitioning to new careers. The man wants to start a production company because he makes rap beats. The woman wants to start an interior design company.
 

21andover

Team Owner
Joined
Jul 1, 2019
Messages
20,017
Reaction score
Reactions
182,937 4,044 1,602
199,529
Alleybux
938,580
They are ballet dancers. They cannot gain weight. I understand their food budget for THEM because they are at the top of their game.

I think they’ll be fine.
 

Similar Threads

Trending Threads

News Alley

Ask LSA

General Alley

Top Bottom