double the hustle
I have given some thought to the possibility of picking up a second job.
When I was in college, I worked a two job minimum throughout. I was a multiple-job phenom! The last time I worked two jobs I was living down south, trying to make a break for the Philly area. I’d just finished school, had no definite "career" job at that point, and decided to temp until I figured out what to do with myself. To supplement my income, I took a second job in a department store from 6-10pm after work and on the weekends. It wasn’t so bad. I had no time for anything, though, besides sleep, food, and laundry. When I finally got up enough money to move to the Philly area, I was sooo glad to be unemployed, looking for just one job! I haven’t had a second job since.
I could use some extra income now, though. I’m taking a night class, but that should be over in about a month. When the class is over, there will be a vacuum in my schedule, and maybe I’ll veg out for the first week or so… but then I’m going to start thinking, "You know, if I got a second job, I’d have ___ much more in my monthly budget that I could put towards debt or savings or even incidentals, which I’ve been really stingy with lately." Retail jobs are soooo easy.
But then I’d have to think about how much my feet hurt at the end of the days working retail. I’d have less time to catch up on the robust social life I had with my friends and family before this stupid night class started. And worst of all - less time with my boyfriend. That might be the proverbial last straw, right there. I mean, I already have a plan for my debt. And as long as I can handle emergencies (my minimum emergency fund amount is almost in the account), I should be OK, right? I think that a big part of getting out of debt and having a solid financial foundation is about enhancing quality of life, and totally killing my social life to get out of debt, when I already have a plan to do so, is pretty much defeating my ultimate purpose.
I think a better strategy is to try to beef up the amount I can earn during my day hustle. That’s totally what this night class is for, anyway. If I made more money during the day, I probably wouldn’t even consider a night job. Let’s make that Plan A. Let’s make a second gig Plan B. I’ll probably revisit the issue early next year and see how I feel about my progress next February…
