Tag Archives: food service

Week 4 of 80 – Not Impressed With Our Debt – Side Hustles

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side hustle

I once read a book called “Side Hustle” by Chris Guillebeau. It didn’t change my life but it did get me thinking about people and their side hustles. In the book, Mr. Guillebeau gives ideas for different kinds of side hustles and how you can turn those ideas into income in 27 days.

Last week I wrote about the second jobs my husband and I have added to our lives and how they are playing an important role in helping us pay off our debt.

Although “Side Hustle” had a ton of ideas to make extra cash I really didn’t find many of the suggestions that practical for me. What I did like about the book is that it talks about generating income from multiple sources which would give me more options. Options are good! When you have only one job there is only one payday. With multiple side jobs you have multiple paydays.

Here are some options that I think are great ways to earn some extra side income AND could be something you really enjoy doing.

Become a Farmers Market Vendor – Two years ago I wrote a blog post about earning extra income selling at local farmers markets. Do you love to bake? Are you an expert crocheter? Do you love to grow herbs or flowers or veggies? Do you have a passion for making your own jams and jellies or perhaps you have always wanted to raise your own angora rabbits and sell the spun yarn!

We were market vendors for 8 years with our bakery and we had a blast. We loved our customers and truly that space we rented for only $100 a season was our storefront. Hands down it was the cheapest and most economical way to start our business. If you would like to read more check out my post by clicking on the link Become a Farmers Market Vendor

Coach a High School Sports Team – If you are athletically talented (which I am not), have patience and love working with kids, consider going for a coaching job at the high school level. In talking with many of my friends who coach high school sports, they not only enjoy the mentoring and teaching but also enjoy the extra cash it gives them at the end of the season. Even at a small school, coaches, depending on the sport, can earn $4000-$5000 a season. A larger school and a more popular sport can earn you considerably more. Each school is different in how they pay but one of my friends said they he could receive the earnings in one lump sum at the end of the season or split it into two paychecks. Either way that could totally pay off a credit card in one season for something you really enjoy doing!

Teach a Class – There are tons of adult and childrens’ classes being held at local libraries, schools, churches and communities centers. Do you have a special talent you think people would be interesting in learning? Painting, drawing, singing, music lessons, a foreign language, baking, cooking, knitting, sewing. Just about anything could be a class. I have even been a guest speaker at the library before and had great fun doing it! Schools will pay you to come in and teach an adult education or continuing education class. Think about it. It might be a great way to earn extra money and hang out with some really great people!

Sell Online – Yes I have my Etsy online store where I sell vintage and antique china but I know of lots of people that sell things like handmade cards, jewelry and artwork, old comic books and vintage clothing in their own store online. Ebay and Etsy are probably the most popular but amazon marketplace is gaining speed as well as just selling through your own blog or website. Check it out and let me know if I can help you with setting anything up. I had a great teacher to help me!

Run for local office – If you are politically minded and want to add your voice to get things moving in your community? Then running for local office might be a great way to help out and earn a small amount of money. Although being a Town Board or Village Board member might not make you rich, it’s still a way to earn money and the hours will work around your full time job. Consider it a possibility!

Food Service – Grocery Stores, restaurants, caterers all need extra help during the holidays and summer months. I once saw a woman working at a local grocery store and I assumed she was the night manager because I always saw her closing up for the night when I would run in for a last minute item before closing time. Then I didn’t see her for a while until one day she came into my store and I asked her why I hadn’t seen her closing the other store at night. She told me she was a full time nurse and she had taken that evening job just to pay off her student loans. Wow right! It took her a couple of years but she successfully paid off her student loans by taking that night job. Even 10 hours a week at minimum wage could give you an extra $100 a week and that’s $5200 a year!

Working at the Voting Booths on Election Day – Did you know that people that work at the election sights earn VERY good money for the day? Some earn more than $200 that day! The hours are long, usually 6 am to 9 pm but you get to see everyone in town and earn a nice paycheck for the day! Ask your county’s election office about possible openings for work. It is worth the long day.

Music Gigs – I have to list this side hustle because so many of my friends are earning a lot of money playing and singing their hearts out with their own local bands at local venues. Many are collaborating with other musicians and sharing ideas with each other. Local bars, theaters, restaurants and farmers markets around our area are offering local musical entertainment and these musicians are very talented. So if you have this talent and think you might be interested in playing then go for it. It can be a great side hustle with the added benefit of doing something you love.

I have tons of other ideas for side hustles but there are just too many to list! You get the idea though right?

The one common denominator that I have observed among people that are successful with their money is that they have multiple projects and side hustles going on at once. They are not just collecting a paycheck from a 9 to 5 job. They may own a business but plow driveways and own rental property on the side. They may be farmers but have a side business where they own and rent out storage units or warehouse space.

The possibilities are endless. You just have to open your eyes and ears and your mind.

My husband got another side hustle this week. It was totally unexpected but he was asked if he would be interested in being a broadcaster for a local radio station who is putting together a team of people to stream our local Varsity football games. It’s something he loves to do because he already announces all of our local little league games, just now it will be a paid gig too! Win, Win!

This week I will not be making an extra payment to the credit card (Old Navy). The boys are flying to Boise, ID on Saturday to pick up a car and I need to make sure they have enough money. Luckily there are five paydays in August so I will still be on track.

Next week I will give my numbers for the month! Can’t wait to report in. -MM

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

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pizzeria

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.

Cranky Bakery Manager

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bakery42

I am so looking forward to the next two days off. In the food service industry two days off feels like a vacation!

I love my job but there are days my body is screaming at me when I get home. I lost two bakers the week of Easter and it has been just me and another baker carrying the entire department until I get the new baker I hired properly trained.

I think at least once in their life, everyone should work in the food service/ grocery industry. Sometimes I get the impression that some customers think that the person behind the deli counter or the person stocking the shelves is uneducated.  Actually a lot of the people I have met in this industry are educated, and many have advanced degrees. My step-children both have degrees and both are working for Frito-Lay. Our Dairy/Frozen Manager has a degree in marketing. I myself have an Associates in Science.

Have any of you ever worked in the food service industry? Was it a part-time job when you were a teen or have you worked in it as an adult?

I would love to hear your stories! -MM