Week #3 of 80 – Not Impressed With Our Debt -What’s Different This Time?

We have struggled for almost eight years with our debt, so what’s different this time? Why do I think the plan we are using now will successfully eliminate our debt?

While I can’t completely account for all of it, what I can say is that my husband and I have finally set aside the fear of getting second jobs.

Yes, we each have side hustles now. He works about 50 hours a week and so do I. Plus, I have an Etsy Shop where I sell stuff online. More time working, less time spending?

I always told myself that I couldn’t get a second job because I work in food service all day as a professional baker. I could only think of a second job for me as another food service job and I was already exhausted when I got home. I knew a second physical job just wasn’t an option. Plus, how would I juggle home life and take care of us with a full time job and a part time job? I just pushed the idea of a second job out of my mind as impossible.

My husband is a salesman at a welding supply company and his day (at the time) was less physically demanding than mine so when a local pizzeria asked if he was interested in delivering for them he thought about it and said yes. Don’t worry he used his car to deliver pizzas not that bike in the photo above. 🙂

This started the ball rolling for us. The extra money helped of course but it really opened my eyes. While at times it was hard to juggle the extra work hours, it was still workable.

I still wanted to do something on the side myself but what could I do to bring in extra cash? Instead of a traditional part time job, I decided I would try opening an Etsy Shop. Etsy is an on-line marketplace similar to Ebay but it is specifically for selling handmade and vintage items.

I love vintage dishes. I love finding them in shops and yard sales. I love researching them. I love photographing them. I love cataloging them and I love listing and shipping them. I think you get the idea that I love what I do on Etsy! My sales aren’t huge but since opening my shop in November I have sold over 30 listings and even if it gives me $50 a week that’s more than a tank of gas so not bad.

But I am not quite done with our extra jobs. In June, out of the blue, I got a call from a local attorney. Before I was a professional baker I was a legal secretary and I really enjoyed it. This attorney, whom I had never met, called me and offered me a job. I told him I had a full time job already and he said that was ok, he would take any hours I could give him. “But you don’t even know me,” I said. Plus I hadn’t worked in a law office since 2010.

After a quick interview with him the next day he hired me on the spot for whatever hours I could give him. I was totally speechless. What a shock but what a blessing! I have been working and re-learning law and I am having a blast.

So let’s recap: I now have a full time job as a baker and I work part time in a law office. My husband works full time in sales and works part time at a pizzeria. And we have an Etsy shop selling vintage and antique dishes. A little weird but it works.

Oh and I forgot to mention my 16 year old son also has worked with me at the store as a cashier since he was 15 and can pay for his own toys and gadgets and boy does that help our budget lol!

Tomorrow I will make another double payment to that Old Navy card and so far everything else seems to be fine. We even had to get new brakes and front tires for one of the cars and still did not have to charge it.

Having the extra jobs has increased our income exponentially.  So my hope is that this plan will work for us this time. The next 77 weeks will be the test.  -MM

Next post –  Part time job ideas that make sense.

• If you would like to check out my Etsy shop please click on this highlighted link: Red Mill Vintage and New