Another month, another income report. As always, I post these to hopefully educate and inspire others when it comes to the world of side hustling (and the lucrative nature thereof). After all, an extra couple of hundred bucks never hurt anyone.
Me: single lady, no kiddos or fur babies, work 40 hours a week, and own a home. I hustle (and drink) on the weekends.
Aaah. This is about half of what I made last month, but you know what? I’m not bothered. I always aim to make at least $500 extra dollars per month with my hustle, and I’m very conscious of what my work-life balance looks like. I have a crippling tendency to take on more than I can handle, and I’m terrified of saying no once I’m in too deep.
So, August has been a pretty low-key month. Here’s what it looked like:
Dog Sitting Income: $287.40
This month, I watched four dogs. We’ve got:
This handsome shiba-husky mix who just told a good joke…
A return visit to house-sit this GORGEOUS husky-malamute mix…
This one-eyed, Boston Terrier fart-monster…
And this gentle GIANT of a black lab…
Sylvia’s home for wayward dogs, I tell ya. Overwhelming? Nah. I only want to gain financial independence so I can start my own basset hound ranch, after all.
I was actually able to eke out a bit more money than usual this month, since the malamute and black lab were family friends; that is, they all paid me directly rather than booking through Rover, meaning I got to keep 100% of the money. (Note: don’t book through Rover and then accept direct payments – that’s against the Terms of Service).
For September, I’ve got two return visits lined up. You see, the sharing-economy of dog-sitting aren’t one-off instances, as you can actually build a clientele and turn this into a business.
A marked difference from last month, for a couple of reasons:
Worked a whole lot less this month (after maybe a slightly emotional freakout to the GM).
I likely over-estimated how much I made last month; I didn’t realize or account for the fact that the bar would tax my tips for me.
Business was slower.
But still, one shift per week at a chill brew-pub? Even if some days it comes out to be only (or less than…) minimum wage, I actually don’t mind. It gets me out of the house and sociable amongst people with whom I have at least one thing in common: a love of beer. Plus, like I mentioned last post, I work in a business school for my full-time job, so my fashion choices during the week is reserved and conservative. Working at a bar gives me leave to express myself creatively through neon, glittery eyeshadow.
The Elektrocute collection by Sugarpill is like crack to me.
As a reminder, I originally started bartending through a catering company while I was looking for viable side hustles on Craigslist one day… and so can you!
Face-painting Income: $160
Another decrease from last month, but that’s because I made the conscious effort to scale back. It got a bit too much last month with trying to coordinate dog-sitting/bartending/and face-painting gigs, usually all on the same day. I originally had four gigs lined up, but two canceled, and I actually passed on one (and threw it to the pool of Family Entertainers I’m a part of on Facebook. Pay it forward, people!)
It was a low-key reception after a baptism; $160 for two hours, and I got a glowing review on Thumbtack out of it. Plus, they also hired a magician with whom I networked(but more importantly, I got to see a free magic show).
I found this gig on Thumbtack.com. Clicky click to get started with your own side hustle, be it face-painting, family entertainment, or something else entirely!
Jobspotter Income: $9.02
If you’re unfamiliar, JobSpotter is an app where you submit pictures of ‘help wanted’ & ‘now hiring’ signs wherever you find them, and they pay you for them (payment is in the form of Amazon Gift Cards, FYI).
I work on a college campus where turnover for local restaurants, bars, and shops is constant. And now, since it’s the start of the Fall Semester, the demand is higher than ever before!
$0.12 from remembering to ‘check in’ to Kroger on ShopKick, an in-store item auditing/rebates app.
$0.05 from Google AdSense.
Mystery Shopping: free dinner!
I don’t mystery shop all that much. When I do, it’s well and truly because I feel like it (and by that, I just mean, I feel like getting reimbursed for some carry-out). This month was no exception. I picked up a mystery shop at a casual-dining establishment, treated myself to a lovely (reimbursed) $35 dinner.
If you’d like a referral to the mystery shopping company I use (and a list of about twelve other viable options), drop me a line!
.+++.
Song of the Month: ‘Young and Menace’ by Fall Out Boy
Let it be said that I did NOT like Fall Out Boy in the early 2000’s. They just weren’t my style, and, being a catty teenager, I associated their music with certain people in my high school whom I didn’t like either. But, it’s a billion years later, and I’ve given myself leave to like whatever music I damn well feel like and have since stopped judging people based on their musical preferences.
Plus, FOB has evolved quite a bit since the days when I first took notice of them. If there’s a theme to my Songs of the Month, it’s slow/sexy/intense/weird EDM, and ‘Young and Menace’ definitely fits the bill. I swear I’ve been listening to this song on repeat this past month.
.+++.
There you have it! For September, I’ve got two dog-sits lined up and… nothing else, yet. Expect some changes in my usual side hustle income streams.
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