Real Answers for Life’s Money Challenges
College was a struggle for me.
As a student with a learning disability, I struggled and school took longer.
After 10 years of struggle, I FINALLY found my dream job, which is part time.
If you’re sweating making it to payday, here are50 ways to bring in extra money this month.
Now I have a second job that uses my masters degree, but its only 10 hours a week.
With family help, we were able to buy a house.
With two jobs, I am finally able to start paying on student loans and not defer them.
We are struggling to stay on a budget with three kids.
With increasing prices for basics, we find ourselves back in that space of struggle, overdraft and panic.
Weve tried using budgeting apps and find them confusing or hard to keep up with.
We use free apps and the library for streaming apps.
We make our own toothpaste.
We are thrift store champs for clothing.
I want a future.
I want to know I can one day retire.
So, how do I do that?
How do I get started?
-J.
Dear J.,
People dont go broke from buying grocery store eggs and name-brand toothpaste.
What you have isnt a spending problem.
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You have two part-time jobs.
But two part-time jobs often dont add up to one full-time job in terms of compensation.
Career advancement can also be hard when youre a part-timer.
Thats not to mention the brain drain that often comes with working two jobs.
You dont say what subject you earned your masters degree in.
But it sounds like its not in a particularly lucrative field.
So you better ask yourself some tough questions.
Would you rather work your dream job or a job that offers financial security?
How important is it that your job actually uses your masters degree?
Our team has compiled alist of creative waysyou can fatten your bank account this week.
This is a long list, so dont get overwhelmed.
Go ahead and start now, but be sure to bookmark this post so you could easily return later.
Well keep it updated as offers changes or expire.
Thats not to say youll never use the skills you acquired from your education.
But you may need to shift gears and look for jobs that dont require your specific degree.
Taking a hard look at your current jobs is going to be difficult.
You finally found your dream job after a decade of struggles.
You made significant sacrifices to earn your masters degree, and youre still paying for your education.
Keep in mind that most people arent working their dream jobs.
That doesnt mean they dont pursue their passions.
There are countless 9-to-5ers whose true passion is blogging, podcasting, volunteer work or playing in a band.
Since budgeting apps arent working for you, Id suggest something called thecash envelope method.
Then you label an envelope with each budget category.
You put the amount of cash youve budgeted for each category in the envelope.
If you run out of cash for that envelope, youre done spending in that category for the month.
Only in a true emergency do you turn to your debit or credit card.
This approach can help you avoid overdrafting.
Sometimes it helps people identify areas where they didnt realize they were overspending.
Theres so much youve done right here.
Youve found creative ways to be frugal, while still providing for your family.
You own a home.
Youre making progress on your student loan.
Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Send your tricky money questions to[email protected]or chat with her inThe Penny Hoarder Community.
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