I finally reached a point where I decided that I was done. Done living under the stress of financial difficulty. Done with being “owned” by my employer. Done with fear of being fired and losing what I didn’t have in the first place. I made a choice and I started applying for a second job.
It was clear that my bank account was hungry and it was time to feed it. I pursued every open position in my field and I wasn’t going to settle for anything less than what I was currently making. I interviewed and got offers and then I settled on the one that offered me the most money. This would put me working about 6 days a week but it is what was necessary in order to get to my goal of being debt free faster. I know, 60 hours a week is crazy, but so is living in fear of losing your income without a backup plan.
I have also spent countless hours on the internet and reading books about how to increase my income. I have, of course, tried several ways that were suggested because I thought it couldn’t hurt to try. I found that much of the advice on the internet is straight up junk. I have not wasted my time though in this process because I learned from it. Make sure you are choosing something that you can make a profit otherwise you are a volunteer.
If you are going to be free, then increasing your income is a must. You will need to commit to freedom and be driven to achieve it. I know that it isn’t easy. Nothing worth achieving is ever easy. You can do this. Just keep moving forward every day. Even if you have a setback and you feel like you have been knocked off your feet. Get up off the ground and put one foot in front of the other. It will get better. I promise.
One job that is recommended often is to deliver pizza. I delivered pizza after my son was born. I lived in Hawaii then and I needed a job. So, I took what I could get and pizza delivery was it. It wasn’t a bad gig to have because tips gave me cash in hand. Also, we were making minimum wage, delivery fee of $1 per delivery, and then tips. If you were good at it you could earn close to $20 an hour. That was almost 2o years ago. It does use gas and put miles on your car so there is a cost to it but there is money in it. Especially at night on the weekends. I would repeatedly get between $3 to $5 tips when I delivered. It was totally worth it and I had the pleasure of working alongside some really great people. If you have a car and are available at night on the weekends then this may be something doable for you.
Housekeeping is something else I have done to make a little extra cash. I didn’t actively pursue it as a business to grow like I should have in order to maximize earning potential but I was making more money at my primary job so I put my energy there. But it was nice to have a little extra here and there and was a life saver a couple of times. This side job takes very little investment and you just need to convince someone to let you clean their house or office. I like office cleaning better because you can charge more and the expectations are different like they don’t expect you to do their laundry. I did wash any dishes in the break room and clean up after them as best as possible. My main goal was to give the office the most pleasant and professional appearance as possible. I know how nice it is to work in a clean space and I hoped I delivered that each and every time.
I have tried side gigs like selling makeup and cooking supplies and even flame-less candles. I am not good at MLMs (Multi-Level Marketing) . I don’t know anyone that is actually successful at them. I shop from them and I am a customer of a few of them because I like their products but I am fully aware that I will not be able to make a decent income from being an independent contractor for them. I would advise against joining one of them because mostly they don’t deliver on their promises of easy success. You would be better off putting your energy and effort into starting your own business. That way, you don’t have to share your profit and your success is yours. Sure, the make-up lady promises you that signing up to sell makeup under her will be your own business but be careful how you advertise and how you sell this product because corporate has rules and you must abide by them or else. You can sell online only through their website they give you but you have to pay a monthly fee. You must purchase your startup kit, your marketing materials, and your product to sell before you can sell anything. Then you are told to get your family and friends to have a party for you. No one will come. No one is interested and they have their own busy lives to deal with and really don’t want to sit around at someone’s house pretending to like something or someone they truly don’t. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my make-up sales representative and she is very important to me. I appreciate her helping me look my best. I’m just not a fan of trying to get financial independence through MLM companies.
Seek out opportunities to improve your life. Don’t just sit there and settle for mediocrity when you know you can do better. Yes, there is more to life than this and it is amazing. Look for something that is flexible around your main job that will give you enough money for the trouble. If the money is low than what else can you gain from this second job? You may be able to get experience that will lead to a better second job. Always move forward and keep trying to improve your income.
I am grateful for my blessings that have come and I am even more grateful for the lessons I have learned along the way. I am still continuously looking for and trying ways to increase my income. I have learned to enjoy making money and the peace of mind that comes with it. I like learning new things and if I can make a buck or two from it than even better. I don’t intend to ever stop learning or making money and I believe the two go hand in hand. I hope that I will not be in a position of financial distress so bad that I have to take any job and be treated any kind of way by my employer. If that happens though, I know that I have survived it before and I now have the tools to survive it again and get away from it. Hopefully, I am imparting some wisdom on you so that you will be able to be in control of your life too.
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