I had good intent with all the purging and cleaning to post a few things on the Facebook market place. I had even better intentions of hosting a yard sale. In the end, I have been trashing the trash and donating the good. I suppose we might nominally see a bit of cash back with reduced taxes if we itemize the donated goods into our returns, but admittedly, I'm not sure how that works under the new tax system.
Earning a little cash for items that I know longer need but others might see as treasures was one of the ways I was going to top off my $30,000 priority savings target with an aim for an additional $500. I wrote about this back in late fall on my post Thoughts on Side Money Schemes. I guess in the US they are referred to as side hustles, little ways to bring more cash into your budget. Part of my issue is that once I purge something, I just want it gone. I don't want to post, wait for someone to see it, want it, and then arrange to get rid of it. Even more true of ever holding a garage sale. If I was organized enough to do so, that would mean finding space for months on end until I had time to price everything, set it all up, and then man the sales table. I see yard sale and on-line markets much the same way as I view farmers markets. I love fresh produce-I don't wan tot grow it. I don't mind buying second hand, but I'd rather just donate when I personally purge.
Perhaps I'm just not a side hustle kind of gal. My AdSense just hit over $300. I still haven't cashed it in, but will do so heading into July. I can't really say that is $300 towards my $500 goal, because that was accumulating since I started blogging, or at least six months after, five years ago. I've averaged $60 a year, $5 per month. Woohoo! Not exactly a side scheme, but then this blog has always been more about my doing an external dump of my thoughts and not a money earner. Turning AdSense on was a bit of an experiment just to see how it all worked, this blogging for money. I guess a little coffee money ain't a bad thing.
My daughter and I are going to take a collective look at some of the on-line money rebates and other passive ways to get money back into our respective accounts. As she is saving towards investing in her own business equipment and I am not spending on anything extra, I can't see that we will earn much in rebates, but we should at least look at what we might be leaving on the table. DH and I do have a cash back credit card, but I wanted my schemes to be above that. Maybe come fall when I have my Monday and Tuesday nights alone, I 'll revisit the resale end of making a few dollars. Until then, my best bet is to keep my eye carefully on our day to day cash flow and spend wisely. For you all that have successes, please share your best win for the least hassle.
I suspect that with your very busy lifestyle side hustles will always be far more trouble than they are worth. I do lots of bits and pieces (eBay, surveys etc) but I am retired with few responsibilities. I would not have done these things while I was still working full time. Earning a few pounds is a source of fun when one has an assured pension and a little time to spare.
ReplyDeleteMost definitely. Perhaps after the kiddo goes off to school, it will work better but not not now.
DeleteEarning side money is in itself a job. It's not as easy as people who haven't done it think. Yard sales, selling online or locally all take time and work and dealing with strangers. Not always fun in my book.
ReplyDeleteSide Hustles take time so if you have a busy life with no down time to spare for it it makes no sense to have a side hustle. It will just frustrate you.
Unless your allowable charity donations amount to more than $24K(the standard deduction for a married couple filing jointly)don't even think about itemizing those donations. Itemizing is a big old PITA as well and only is advantageous financially at tax time if they amount to more than your standard deduction.
I'm kin do think that is the case. I think our rewards VISA is the best we can muster at this time of life, plus finding ways to stretch pennies into quarters and quarters into dollars.
DeleteI sell things we don't need, but only on a local FB swap, and I get about 1/3 of the value I would selling it any other way. However, it's a porch pickup only site (no arranging times, etc), no one barters, and people are reliable. Worth it to me vs all of the hassle of another method.
ReplyDeleteFor me personally, I find that making an extra meal at home, or paying more attention at the grocery store, or just planning ahead in general is a better bang for my buck than a side hustle.
However, I do track all of our "unexpected" money,& apply that to our 2019 unfunded goals (college savings + mortgage paydown). We seem to have a lot of these: work reimbursements (I cover the cost out of our normal budget), rebates, side hustle, & yesterday I received a check for $130 for our solar credit. It's all really helpful as long as I immediately direct the money into our goals vs letting it fritter away.
I seem to just have few opportunities for unexpected money. As you said, watching where I spend what I have is probably going to yield the best results.
DeleteWhen you are working full time and a full time mom I find it hard to have a side hustle. I think you are doing just fine with what you have.
ReplyDeleteBut soon, I won't be a working mom, or at least one with kids at home, plus more expenses. Perhaps in the future-like Anne says below in her comment.
DeleteI am not a side hustle kind of guy either, but I might become one at some time.
ReplyDeleteI was beginning to think I was the only one without a little side gig bringing in some fun money or adding to a vacation pool. I think now is not the time, but when my hours free up, I can perhaps do more research.
DeleteI knew we were twins separated by a big pond! When I retired I got myself all kitted up to some freelance work and in the end, so far, I haven't needed the money and I don't want the work. And same as you, when something has to go to charity it has to go NOW so that I can put it out of my mind and never look at again!
ReplyDeleteI have more loads to go to charity, after three bags of good condition clothes, a box of toys (remember my kids are 18, 28, and 30 and no grand kids) and a box of housewares were dropped off by my daughter yesterday for me. I feel load slighter. I've also purges through just trash more than I should ever have had in the house. I vow to never let things get this overwhelming again.
DeleteI use ebates - have saved over $100 a year that way since I started using it and I hardly buy online. Some of it is for buying office supplies for our biz, part of it was for buying turbo tax (we can't use the free version due to stock dividends so use the paid version) and part of it for my annual bra purchase online since my town has no where to buy them decently. You might be shocked how much it adds up overtime. I also use checkout 51 which is a grocery rebate app - not as much but it saves $20-50 a year - just for buying things you already buy. I checked and you have both of those in the States.
ReplyDeleteI feel I'm leaving money in someone else's account, so need to check these out later.Thanks for looking!
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