Penny pinchers

By Leslie Simmons

The news that the WGA and AMPTP will resume talks came at a good time for many writers who have already had to cut corners to save money. At a rally outside NBC Studios on Friday, where John Edwards spoke to striking scribes, many discussed what kind of penny pinching they're doing to make ends meet. "I put my vintage car up for sale -- a '79 El Camino, completely restored," "Medium" writer Sterling Anderson said.

For "Something New" writer Kriss Turner, "all frills are over. I got invited to a $60 wine tasting -- NO." Pilot and feature writer Gary Tieche said he's curbed his "iTunes addiction. It's such an easy thing to do." Tieche was also going to buy a biodiesel car, but decided to wait to see how the strike goes. "I've sacrificed my back and my legs," "Cory in the House" writer Michael Carrington said. "I have not walked this much in 20 years. I'm sacrificing my body for the cause."

"Cory" writers assistant Josh Silverstein, who had to join the WGA in October in order to work on the show, now eats in a lot. On top of the strike, he's getting married in March. "It's definitely hard to pick out tuxes and things like that when your future is financially unstable," he said. "I live pretty sparse," said "Real Time With Bill Maher" writer Jon Schmock, "because of this very reason. There's certainly no vacations or buying new clothes." "The amount of money I'm going to lose on this strike, I'll never recoup," writer Aaron Shure said. "It's all about principal and not about money.