It looks like I am going to have to start being creative.
I'm already peering ahead at the June calendar and there is not a lot of extra work on the horizon. I have managed to pick up 4 shifts at the part time job, but then work dries up pretty much until September. I got a couple of Mystery Shopping gigs last week, but that work has been pretty quiet too as of late. So, June, July and August are going to be very light as far as extra income.
In an effort to scare up some extra cash, I am putting some more books up for sale. I've been kind of stretching it out to see if my being active in my seller accounts a couple times a week (rather than going in and posting all my books in one big sweep,) influences my sales at all. So far I haven't seen a difference, but it has only been a couple of weeks. I have books that were donated from a friend of mine and a friend's mom, so we'll see how those go. Hopefully that will help a little.
But it looks like I may have to go back to my list...
When I first started "Fighting Foreclosure," I made a fairly substantial list of things I could try and do to earn money. I haven't gone back to it in awhile, I had found a few things that were working for me and pushed those. However, now that I am looking at three months without a lot of extra income coming in, I need to go back and examine the list and see if there are things I can do to help me through this tight period. Some ideas off the top of my head are getting back into eBay/Craig's List sales as well as really working on the garage sale my girlfriends and I are planning for July.
Of course, getting income in is not the only way to get money - not spending it works just as well! So, I am considering another "No Spending Challenge" for at least one month this summer. I did pretty well when I did this in March. I don't have a lot of shopping on the horizon, but I have been spending some money on home improvement projects and flowers and things for the yard. I still have a few plants I would like to pick up for some of my garden beds, so maybe I can set myself a hard and fast limit on that and then do the challenge for everything else? Hmmm... still working that out a little bit, but hey - I've got at least a week to think about it, right?
There is one upside to not having a lot of extra work over the summer though. I have a tiny little cabin up north that constantly calls my name. Not working on the weekends means I can spend more time there! The best part is it is a cheap vacation - all I need to do is throw some groceries in a bag and head up - everything else, including a pair of sandals and a hammock, is already there.
Photo by: Travis Seitler
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Summer Savings and Spending
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8 comments:
best of luck . look forward to hearing how it all goes. and re the cabin -its called making the most of what you have. sounds marvellous
Thanks Getting Stuff Done! You are quite right about it making the most out of what I have. My little shack in the woods is something that makes all this worth while.
Speaking of 'doing the most with what you have' -- I think you do that quite well!
Not spending helps tremendously, and with summer, I can see it being more of a challenge! Good luck!!! I'm sure you'll do just fine! :)
I really like the way you are aware of your situation and planning for the month ahead. Good Luck!
Have you checked out the "gig" section on craigslist? Ours is usually pretty quiet, but I know some towns have a pretty good assortment of decent-paying gigs, like working a concert or event for an evening. With gig work, you'd be able to pick and choose when you worked and still make time for relaxing at the cabin.
Frugal Dreamer - Thank you Miss! I didn't realize until now how expensive summer can be. I always think of winter being the higher cost. I definitely have to work on my "no spending" plan.
RML - I always appreciate good luck - it has helped me more times than I can mention! In lieu of that, preparation is the key.
Frugalchick - You know, I haven't, not in awhile. That would be a great thing to take a look at and check back with regularly. Thanks for the tip!
Summer months always tend to be my most expensive, but that's really because I live in the wrong state! I hate the heat, but Texas is infamous for it's triple digit weather. Thus, my electric bill suffers tremendously.
But, in your case, I wish you the best. You've done an amazing job with everything you have so far and I have complete faith that you'll make it through these coming months, even if a little tighter then normal. But, if anyone can handle that, it's you! Good luck and make use of the weekends at the cabin! It will help you through the tight months to have a place to relax!
Kristy - Thank you so much for your faith in me! It is only the 11th of June, but so far things are going okay. We've been having a really cool summer so far, so I can't figure out whether to set the system to heat or cool!
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