Quote:
Originally Posted by Love&Toil
Right now we're barely staying aloft financially from month to month. I'm maxed out with our disposable income and paying the monthly minimums for our credit cards.
Then I find out that we are likely to go on strike in a couple of months.
How am I going to manage this financially? We have a lot of financial commitments and three children in activities. My daughter is in competitive dance and it's the air she breathes... she Loves it.
In the past I would immediately make plans to get another job for the interim. I have some self-employment opportunities I can use to make money. But my certification has lapsed and I'm a bit out of practice. I'd have to do a lot of smoozing really quickly to get some jobs, probably overnight work.
The problem is I'm really tired. Physically, psychically, mentally. I just don't feel like I have the mental or physical energy to twist myself into a pretzel to do what I need to do to make the self-employment stuff work. At the same time, it would be a logical solution. It would require minimal retraining and it's true that I'm good at it, I'm just too hard on myself, I want to do a good job, give people their money's worth, etc.
As an alternative, I am also considering getting some sort of part time job which is absolutely crazy considering my hectic schedule. Kind of like self-harming to add another job. It would be too much. But it would be financially necessary.
I am somewhat upset with myself. I used to be so strong and energetic. I used to be able to handle this. Last time we went on strike I got a job for the interim to keep food on the table and a roof over my head...but that was 10 yrs ago and I was single and childless. Now I'm married with three small children.
Just needed to get this out there and vent. Anybody else gone through a strike and had some insight to share on how to stay financially afloat?
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Read if you want suggestions about making money; ignore if you don't. I admit that I didn't read your entire post because I have a sensitivity disorder and I'm feeling good right now. Anything too sad, and my good energy will be all gone. So please excuse any presumptions. This is based on your title and first paragraph alone.
Ways some people make money without a job/while on strike:
-Marketing surveys/focus groups (You can google search for these group and then google the names of the companies to make sure they are legit, checking the Better Business Bureau website BBB, googling their name with the word, Scam, which generally blows the cover on most true scams, and try calling their number to see if it real. Some marketing surveys will net you over $100 for very little effort. It's good and true.)
-Medical studies (Universities and hospitals often need volunteers to fill out medical surveys, or take part in a medical study that may involve eating a certain diet, drawing blood from you, sleeping in a lab under observation, and/or many other things. Medical studies are very diverse and highly variable. Chances are you qualify for one. Craigslist and google searches can find these.)
-Tutoring, even if you can only do so over the phone or internet. If you have any hobbies or skills that someone might want to learn, put up ads to be a tutor. Criagslist, Wyzant, and a google search can turn up opportunities for this.
-Buying and Selling (Some people have reported success in figuring out what used stuff they can sell to make an okay profit. If you can identify something like that that is also available at Salivation Army or yardsales, you can buy and sell.)
-Signing up for incentives (Businesses, and especially banks, sometimes offer financial incentives for opening new accounts or doing some activity. If you qualify, this can be easy money. Just read all the small print first and be aware that any hard pull credit check or more than about 4 soft credit checks can start to raise a red flag to future creditors. Google this topic if you need more info. about it. There are also websites dedicated to advertising deals like this. I believe that Fat Wallet's finance section is one and there are others that I am less familiar with.)
-Craigslist ETC section has lots of one time and short term jobs, like Uber driving which I've never tried since I can't drive.
-Recycling cans and stocking up on Coke Rewards points. (If legal where you are, you might find recycle bins full of soda cans or bottles. Universities and schools are perfect for this. Ideally go at a low traffic time and put the bottles in a plastic bag like a trash bag and the trash bag into a carry on suitcase. Use plastic gloves or wrap you hands in plastic bags just to make sure you don't touch something that can make you sick, not sure if cold sores are contagious this way. Before recycling, remove caps off Coke products and set them on a table with the promo code side up. Remove your gloves and enter the codes into your computer. Put gloves back on to discard lids and clean table with alcohol or bleach solution. Recycle cans for $. Coke Rewards will only allow you to enter 100 points a week but it adds up and sometimes they have promotions, like 30 points for a $25 gift card.)
-Odd jobs like babysitting, helping people move (if no car, say labor only no truck in ad), mowing lawn, etc. Advertise online in a place like Craigslist. If anyone knows another website similar to Craigslist, please provide it.
-Video watching and odd jobs online (There are websites that will pay almost anyone to watch videos and do odd jobs online. Some pay $ and where it's legal, others pay bitcoin. If bitcoin is legal where you are, you might also be able to buy stuff with bitcoin. You can google which businesses take that currency and there are many. Foodler and Overstock come to mind immediately. Before working with bitcoin, make sure to google about it and ask a forum about any risks. Bitcoin would not be my first choice but it may be much better than starving. Bitcoin is legally awkward, since it's so new, so I would only use it as a last resort.)