Financial Independence, Side Hustling, and Ebikes
One of the interesting things I find when people share their debt free stories with the mainstream media are the comments that result. Some commenters praise these articles and talk about how they’ve been inspired.
But more often, you notice the negative comments. These are the people who say that the story being shared isn’t possible or that what they’re reading isn’t helpful because most people can’t do the same thing…
Today’s post is the first in what I hope will be a series of quarterly net worth reports. I love seeing actual numbers from everyone in the personal finance community, so I thought I’d join the party and share my own numbers as well! It’s my hope that you find this report helpful as you continue on your own financial journey…
A new month means it’s a good time for another side hustle report! For those of you that are new to the blog, each month, I document what I earned from side hustling using sharing economy websites.
My purpose in writing these reports is to show you the type of money that you can make using some of the skills and assets you already own. Even small amounts of side hustle income can add up to a large sum of money given enough time. The beauty of a side hustle, in particular, is the huge impact it can have on your savings rate. This is because every dollar you earn in a side hustle can be saved.
I usually get praise for the fact that I was able to pay off $87,000 in student loans in 2.5 years. It’s definitely one of my proudest money moves and, importantly, it opened up a lot of doors for me. Not being forced to stay in any particular job because I “needed” the income greatly improved my quality of life.
But sometimes when I share my story, rather than praise, I’m met with scoffs.
Of course you were able to pay off your student loans quickly! You’re a big shot lawyer making six figures a year!
But these scoffs got me thinking. The assumption appeared to be that anyone in my position could do what I did.
So, if I was able to pay off my student loans off as fast as I did, why weren’t others in my position doing the same?
It’s pretty easy to become complacent when it comes to our paychecks. We collect them every two weeks and just assume that whatever amount is on that check is the amount we need to survive. It’s funny how your expenses always seem to match up to whatever amount is on your paycheck.
I think of this as paycheck complacency. First, we arbitrarily begin with some number on our paycheck that we often (perhaps unwittingly) choose. Second, we get used to that amount. Third, we assume that’s the amount we need in order to live.
Here’s the thing – you might think you need it all, but the reality is, you probably don’t.
The great thing about technology is the ability to have an entire world full of knowledge and information at your fingertips. And in my opinion, one of the best ways to get information is through the medium of podcasts. There’s almost no other way to turn what might be considered idle or wasted time, into something really productive. Being able to gather information while commuting to work or walking around town is a major game changer. After all, we only have so many hours in the day, so podcasts are a great way to get some of those hours back.
One of the big benefits of side hustling is the ability to bring in extra income that you don’t need to spend. Arguably, you might need every last bit of your day job income in order to survive.
But if you’re already making ends meet with your day job income, that means that every single dollar you make on the side can be saved. It might not seem like that big a deal to make a few extra hundred bucks a month. But the power of being able to save the entirety of that money shouldn’t be underestimated.
Ms. FP and I have a sort of general plan as to how we plan to use our money over the next decade or so. The plan isn’t rock solid though. There are a lot of balls in the air and we’re at a point in our life where we aren’t quite sure what the world might throw at us. We’re getting married in the spring, Ms. FP is still completing her residency, we have her student loans to pay off, and of course, kids and other major life events will pop up. Needless to say, its important that we’re okay with rolling with the punches.
Luckily, both of us aren’t particularly big spenders. The skills we’ve learned from living on less and saving money should hopefully continue throughout our life, even if our best laid plans don’t come to pass.
The new iPhone just came out and folks are lining up to get their hands on it. While everyone else rejoices about the new phone, it seems like we in the personal finance community collectively shake our heads. I recently read a few articles about the financial evils of buying a new phone and found this puzzling. I’ve never thought of a new phone as a financial sinkhole. And when you do the math, it’s not very expensive if you plan it out in advance. So why are people saying not to upgrade the single most important piece of technology most of us own?
Hey everyone! I’m out in NYC this weekend, staying in one of the most expensive hotels in NYC that I booked for free using credit card signup bonuses! Score! Anyway, since I’m busy enjoying my trip here, I thought it’d be a perfect time to share this great guest post from Jacob over at Dollar Diligence. He […]
