To achieve the quality that's expected on stage you are looking at spending a good amount of money.. It's far from cheap.... If you've never taken the stage you will need to look into a coach for posing, nutrition, workout, and maybe even someone to help with your cycle. If you are extremely lucky you could find someone that can do all pre contest prep...however, generally that doesn't happen. Then you need to consider the contest its self... Spray Tan, travel to the show, if its out of town you'll need a room.. The entry fees and your attire. Like BB said it's not cheap... However if you are working your ass off, putting in the hard work and dedication you owe it to yourself to see just how far you can take it. Just keep in mind you will need to really do some reseach and price comparison if you are on a fix income as you stated...it may require some budgeting on your end.

I'm actually getting back into it after taking a long break from the game. We have a few members here who do compete and i'm sure they will all tell you just as i am, it ain't cheap my friend. BB is a very expensive sport. If you truly love it then i would advice you to get your hustle on, we do what we can to achieve our dreams.