😅💸 Can you live on $32K in Boston?

🎨 Having fun isn't hard when you design the next BPL library card! That’s right, the BPL is launching a library card design contest where you could see your design printed on special, limited-edition library cards. The deadline is June 15! Here’s how to enter.

🥳 And a big, fat B-Side birthday wish to Members Nicole Kanner, Mike Fine, and Farihah. We hope your special days are overdue (in a good way). <3

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

It’s not easy being a young Bostonian. Rent is sky-high, the job market is scary, and going out costs an arm and a leg. And yet, young adults make up 35% of the city. 

So how do they do it? Well, we asked! We’re giving you an inside peek into young Bostonians’ budgets to see how they’re making it work IRL:

👋 Meet Emi McSwain: She’s a 26-year-old Berklee grad living with eight roommates in Allston. You might recognize her from Instagram.

💼 This girl has a lot of jobs. See: Her full-time gig at a grocery store, plus a rotating slate of side hustles like writing and performing her music, freelance production work, content creation, and being a “glorified custodian” at a yoga studio. 

💭 Her dream job? Making music full-time. “I usually tell [people] that, before I get to start working, I have to take an eight-hour detour to the grocery store,” she said.

💸 She made $32,000 in 2025. $25,000 came from the grocery store; the rest came from side hustles. For context, MIT’s Living Wage Calculator shows a single adult needs ~$67,500 to cover basic necessities. But between low spending, no debt, and cheap rent, Emi makes it work.

💰 Last month, she made $4,652. The breakdown: $2,538 from the grocery store, $1,525 from freelance work, $400 from content creation, $100 from a show, and $88 from the yoga studio. Some of which pays for itself: She gets 20% off groceries, and a consistent stream of free meals and events from content creation.

🤑 Her rent is … $700/month. How is that possible? Eight roommates, a nice landlord, and a house with ~character~. Her other top expenses last month: $560 on insurance, $400 on food, $300 on shopping, $161 on subscriptions, and $145 on utilities. All told, she spent $2,532.

📈 What also makes this possible: She’s debt-free. Thanks to her parents’ military service, her college tuition was covered by a GI Bill. She tries to live off her grocery store paycheck, and splits the rest between savings and funding her music.

🤏 Emi’s financial philosophy: “Spend as little as possible.” She designates a few days a week as “spend no money day,” which forces her to find free things to do like biking and hitting up the public library. “Trying to find that dopamine rush without getting a new thing is the best secret for saving,” she said.

🙂‍↕️ Ultimately, the freedom to live by her own rules is priceless. Despite the tight budget, her job's flexibility is what’s opened the door to the coolest experiences she’s had — like meeting The Cure’s guitarist or being on the MFA’s press list. “I've gotten to do all of these things because I kept my life wide open,” she said.

🙋‍♀️ Want us to feature your budget next? Fill out this form to be considered!

🔍🧠 Ever feel like your job is one big social experiment? The MA in Organizational Psychology at William James College basically lets you study it — and then improve it. Learn how communication, leadership, and team dynamics actually work (and why they sometimes…don’t). In the span of 11 months, you’ll get hands-on experience in a flexible online or blended format, with scholarships available and no background psych experience needed. Fill out an inquiry form or join the virtual coffee hour to learn more.  

🥵 Thoughts and prayers to those without AC this week. Mother Nature’s too-much gene will be on full display with temps set to climb into the 90s (!) on Tuesday and Wednesday — don’t be shocked if you see some t-storms, too! The dew point could also climb into the 60s, which = a sticky, muggy, humid mess. And no, this July-like weather doesn’t mean we’ve turned the summer corner just yet as temps are slated to dip back into the 60s heading into MDW. *cries in New England spring*

🏡 PSA: Some landlords might be skirting Mass.’ broker fee laws. The Mass.’ attorney general’s office has received more than a dozen complaints accusing landlords and real estate agents of breaking the state’s new law requiring broker fees to be paid by the person who hires the broker (usually the landlord). Some renters said brokers claimed just responding to an online listing made them responsible for the fee (seriously); others were told landlords would raise rent if they refused. Think you paid a fee unnecessarily? File a consumer complaint here.

⚽ You can become a world record holder in just 10 seconds. Just juggle a soccer ball the whole time — easy! Ahead of the World Cup, local soccer fans are invited to MIT on June 6 to attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people juggling a soccer ball simultaneously (just keep it off the ground using your feet, legs, head, or any body part besides your hands). And they’re already expecting to smash the record — the current one stands at just 459. You can register here!

🍩 The best way to celebrate the World Cup? Eat a doughnut. Kane’s Donuts is getting in on the World Cup action by rolling out team-inspired doughnuts each week leading up to the tourney — all decorated with the country’s flags, obv. Your job? Decide which country deserves the sweet crown. Last week was Haiti v. Scotland (who are playing at Gillette Boston Stadium on June 13). The next showdown: Iraq (a brioche donut filled with lemon filling) v. Norway (a brioche donut filled with spiced apple pie filling).

✍️ Give your chicken scratch a glow-up. Tonight, the Great American Beer Hall is hosting a calligraphy for beginners class that includes everything from demos to a full suite of supplies.

🍪 Make Tuesday night a chippy night. Chippy nights are back at Greystone on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 5-7 p.m., which = chowing down on their homemade ice cream sandwiches stuffed with Toscanini’s ice cream! 

🧶 Artsy gals, assemble! There’s a free fiber arts night going down May 20 where you can learn the basics spinning wool fibers by hand with a spindle (all materials are provided!). 

🌸 Skip that $30 hot yoga class. Instead, step onto your mat and stretch out among the May blooms in this rejuvenating outdoor yoga sesh at Mount Auburn Cemetery on May 21. 

🚲 Bike with your buddies. MassBike is leading a free community bike ride through Somerville before work on May 21 that ends with a breakfast hang. No bike? They’ve got free BlueBike codes!

🛼 Lace up your skates. Head to Chez Vous Rollerskating Rink on May 21 for its Roll Up Skate Party where skating, music, and culture collide. Think: People gliding around the rink while bumpin’ to and hip-hop and trap.

💐 Build a bouquet (for a good cause). Your ticket to JP Center/South Main Streets’ bouquet bar spring fundraiser on May 21 gets you five stems, a vase, a cocktail, and complimentary bites and sips.

⚾ Score Sox tix on the cheap. That’s right, there are still tickets to Fenway’s Friday night game for ~$40! Bonus: Use this link to get a free Haitian celebration jersey.

The Boston Globe and Keches Law invite you to a FREE celebration honoring the 22nd annual Salute to Nurses. Enjoy complimentary drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and giveaways for the chance to win Ariana Grande tickets, Patriots tickets, and more. Join us Wednesday, May 20 at The Grand at 6 p.m. RSVP here!

Flour Bakery officially has a new mascot. And no, it’s not Swirly …

ICYMI: Flour Bakery’s Joanne Chang recently put out a desperate call on Facebook after Swirly — the giant ice cream cone outside Flour’s Boston Common location — went missing for months and was reportedly spotted through an Emerson dorm window.

The twists continued last week when Flour got a tip that Swirly had been found in a dumpster (!) in Eastie. The team requested “photographic proof of life” before proceeding, and it seemingly looked legit. But when they got there, they realized … it WASN’T Swirly?!

To be fair, the resemblance is uncanny. The only odd detail: “Luna’s Bakery 5/17/20” was written on the bottom.

Where did Luna come from? Why was she in an Eastie dumpster? We may never know. But the Flour team has welcomed Imposter Swirly — excuse us, Luna — with open arms to her new home at Flour’s Common location.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

😭 Thanks for reading! Luna, we love you. But to be clear: BRING SWIRLY HOME.

💜 Special shoutout to today's sponsor, William James College, for supporting local journalism and creating meaningful pathways into careers that truly matter.

💏 The results are in: 45% of B-Siders said they’ve never been on a blind date, but they’d be down to try! One blind date truther offered their take: “I've been on a ton of blind dates, they don't always go well, but I always get a story out of it.” Do it for the plot!

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