BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Sherlock: Fending for Himself

**Posted by besleybean** August 5, 2014 5:23 pm

I think Mark and Steven actually refer to something like this on the commentary...isnn't it mentioend in John's blog?

**Posted by BreathingIsBoring** August 5, 2014 5:31 pm

besleybean wrote:
I think Mark and Steven actually refer to something like this on the commentary...isnn't it mentioend in John's blog?

It's on Sherlock's blog.

http://www.thescienceofdeduction.co.uk/forum/page1

'Do not send post to my Montague Street address. Disagreement with landlord. No longer there. New address to follow.'

**Posted by maryagrawatson** August 5, 2014 5:32 pm

It's in Sherlock's blog. (It's not as good as John's, but there are some gems in it, like Sarah replying to Sherlock's invitation to Moriarty to meet at the pool at midnight in TGG and wondering where John is... And also his, "Actually, I'm starting to get into this. It's quite exciting!" about the James Bond films. But I digress!)

Ah, here's the quote! "Do not send post to my Montague Street address. Disagreement with landlord. No longer there. New address to follow."

Disagreement with the landlord, huh? I'm thinking a combination of experiments, shoddy housework, and late rent payments.

Mary

**Posted by maryagrawatson** August 5, 2014 5:34 pm

Oops! Posted at the same time!

Mary

**Posted by BreathingIsBoring** August 5, 2014 5:38 pm

maryagrawatson wrote:
Oops! Posted at the same time!

Hehe. Well, you know what they say about great minds.

**Posted by La Jolie** September 4, 2014 9:01 pm

What I often wonder about is Sherlock and money.

His self-proclaimed reason for taking John into 221b as a flatmate ("Together we should be able to afford it") might either be a nod to ACD or a lie (designed to hide the fact that the real reason Sherlock wants a flatmate is that he wants an audience). It might be true, though.

I remember Mofftiss commenting on the fact of Sherlock and John often taking a cab being another nod to ACD, although it isn't really what "young men without much money" would do.

But then how does he afford those suits, and shoes?

How well was Sherlock doing financially when he met John, and how did it progress? At the beginning of TBB, John is clearly worried about making ends meet, but that's really just him. Sherlock even refuses Sebastian's fee, though that may be due to pride.

Sherlock does a lot of pro bono work, though. I expect all his cases where he's assisting Lestrade are unpaid (since there'd be no public funds to pay his fee from)...

Last edited by La Jolie (September 4, 2014 9:01 pm)

**Posted by maryagrawatson** September 4, 2014 9:57 pm

La Jolie wrote:
What I often wonder about is Sherlock and money. (snip)
But then how does he afford those suits, and shoes?

Budget is something that I blog about a lot. Because I live such a public life, I get a lot of comments about how I appear to spend my money and often get asked how I can afford whatever doing what I do for a living. My reply is that it's all about priorities and that no one has the full portrait of my budget. The same can be said for Sherlock. The fancy clothes are a priority for him and we don't know where he might be trimming his budget to afford those clothes. Moreover, he doesn't have a huge wardrobe, just a few high quality pieces that won't go out of style.

Here's a good meta about Sherlock and finances: Accounting for Sherlock.

Mary

**Posted by silverblaze** September 5, 2014 9:53 pm

I think he did the pro bono work to build up his business (and sometimes to amuse himself). Once he was well known he probably got a few rich clients.
And actually, he wouldn't need much, would he? He got a bargain rent that he then shared, he doesn't have hobbies other than his work, no kids, no people to support.

**Posted by maryagrawatson** September 5, 2014 10:18 pm

silverblaze wrote:
I think he did the pro bono work to build up his business (and sometimes to amuse himself). Once he was well known he probably got a few rich clients. And actually, he wouldn't need much, would he? He got a bargain rent that he then shared, he doesn't have hobbies other than his work, no kids, no people to support.

Exactly. That last bit is key, that he's got no dependents, so he can spend his money as he pleases.

It's also a good point that it takes time to build up a business. Freelancing is really cut throat and it takes time to build up a clientele and get a steady stream of income. I think that Sherlock probably lives off big payouts from a few clients and supplements his income with a steady stream of smaller payouts.

(I wonder if John has thought to monetize the blog itself. In my case, my crime work is about 80% of my income and I get the other 20% as revenue from my blog (advertising, affiliate commissions, and royalties from my ebooks). Blogging can be lucrative once you build up a readership base!)

Mary

**Posted by besleybean** September 6, 2014 7:41 am

John blogged because he was told he had to.
I think it's a very perosnal thing for him.

**Posted by maryagrawatson** September 6, 2014 2:03 pm

besleybean wrote:
John blogged because he was told he had to.
I think it's a very perosnal thing for him.

But he recognizes that it can be a source of income. He says as much in ASIB. So I'm wondering if he went from 'the blog is good advertising for Sherlock' to 'the blog could be good income for me/us.'

Mary

**Posted by La Jolie** September 6, 2014 6:29 pm

Oh yes, of course. When in doubt, consult Wellingtongoose. I've spent DAYS reading up her metas on tumblr (and I believe it was you, Mary, who first pointed me there!), but mostly the medical stuff.

I disagree with everything she writes in the one about Sherlock and money except that - as you have pointed out as well - it is actually quite possible to afford smart suits and shoes - and possibly scientific instruments and materials, too - if you don't spend all that much money on anything else and have only yourself to consider.

As for John making money from his blog, there isn't any indication on the blog itself that he does, is there? So that settles the point, doesn't it?

I took his comment (in ASIB) to mean just that he was spreading the word about Sherlock with his blog so Sherlock got more clients. Rather old fashioned. But that's what John is.

**Posted by silverblaze** September 6, 2014 9:30 pm

Wellingtongoose is great, isn't she? I wish she would finish her fic some time, but then I also have one half uploaded and unfinished so well.

And yes, I agree, a few pieces of expensive clothing that last for a long time actually aren't that expensive. I mean if you only see the amount of clothing people buy every year, or the mountains of shoes some women have, it just boggles my mind. And he doesn't have a car, another huge source of costs that most people have and he doesn't.

Lab equipment is ridiculously expensive but I think he probably made deals with people and uses a lot of the equipment from St. Barts. The most expensive thing is probably the light microscope, cheap for a microscope but still really expensive. I'd like to think that he won that in a poker game.