Well I do live in the third world very cheaply, so that helps. I enter a lot of contests, comment a lot, and do a lot of other strategies. I am working on a new post about that and will have it out soon. This is an older post with literally hundreds of tips. Don't vote it, but if you have a comment or question you can ask it there.
https://steemit.com/howto/@fitinfun/huge-list-of-minnow-tips-and-a-red-blur

If you go through this and try what appeals to you, you can do really well. It's all about consistent effort and connections here.