Sometimes the money just isn’t worth it
In keeping with the theme that you can’t earn your way to FIRE (it’s a function of spending, which we haven’t even addressed yet)…there have been some things that could theoretically bring in more money, but we were lucky enough to turn them down (or stop doing them) because it just wasn’t worth it.
While I’ve held jobs ranging from underpaid and dangerous to overpaid and boring, here are a few sidestreams (I really can’t with the phrase “side hustle”) we decided to bail on:
~$10/hr – Uber Driver
The single most exploitative income stream I’ve experienced as an adult, and I spent my early 20s huffing jet fuel in a war zone. I tried it early on when they first came to DC. You had to pay them $10/week to use their locked-down iPhone, it didn’t include gps navigation, people were generally rude or drunk, and the company absolutely, positively was not shy about the power imbalance. When I tried to “quit” it involved essentially becoming a private investigator to track down which hotel room they were operating out of that week, then convincing a “bouncer” to let me wait my turn to give back their stupid phone so they would stop charging me $10/wk.
Oh, and I never even passed any of their background checks or investigations! It seemed like too much effort so I gave up, then one day a phone showed up and I got an email saying “congratulations, you’re approved to drive!” The worst.
$0-50/hr – Freelance Vehicle Mechanic
As it turns out, that crazy price to take your car to the mechanic isn’t just opportunistic price gouging. Mechanics spend thousands of dollars on their own tools, research fixes for your car, source the parts and do all the work, and then people decide the price is too high, they could have gotten the parts cheaper from somewhere else, the ignition suddenly stopped working after an oil change so it must be the mechanic’s fault, etc. Hard pass. I save money by working on my own car, I’ll consider that a win and never earn another dollar turning a wrench.
$45/Hr – Freelance Web Developer
Essentially the same thing as the mechanic gig, only with html instead of missing 10mm sockets.
$100+/hr – Software Developer (side gig)
On a dead-end contract not related to my normal work. This is the opposite end of the spectrum from Uber. I’m still technically on the contract, but February marks the first month I haven’t billed a single hour to that contract in roughly 3 years. It pays very well, and it’s not difficult by any means, but it feels completely pointless and even for $100+/hr I can’t bring myself to care. This may actually be the first little bit of financial independence, as I’m choosing to forego a shitload of money for something I really don’t want to do, as I can only really do it on nights/weekends.
$10-$1000/ea – Selling Things
There’s no such thing as altruism, but there is absolutely such a thing as giving away things of value because you hate dealing with people. With very, very few exceptions (functional cars, mostly), if we decide we’re done owning something, we give it away. In the past year we’ve given away furniture, a 58″ TV, and a washer/dryer. I could get all high and mighty and tell you I just like the feeling of giving things to people, but the truth is I hate buyers and I hate the selling process, especially in the internet age. It’s like nobody knows there can be a mutual benefit in a transaction and they only ‘win’ by grinding you to a nub.
Now it typically goes like this: We post on whatever appropriate forum “Free X, as pictured, outside of XXX address. First come first served” and then delete the post when the item inevitably disappears within the hour.
Sure, we could make money by selling the things, but I don’t have the patience, and it also makes us more cognizant of big purchases, because there’s no “offset the cost of this couch by selling our old one.”
I guess this is technically another example of budding financial independence, in a way. We have the choice to forego some money for an entirely arbitrary reason.
Every Income Stream I’ve Had – A Somewhat Exhaustive List
Just for fun, here’s pretty much everything I’ve done for money since shortly before dropping out of school at 14:
- Driving Range Ball Picker – the guy out there in the golf cart that everyone aims at
- Carwash Attendant – loved this job, it remains one of my favorite and until recently my dream was to open a carwash
- Cashier and Cart Attendant at Target – South Florida is very hot, and Target will pretty much never fire you
- Pizza Delivery and Fry Cook – 66 hours a week I worked at this job, for what amounted to $10/hr. I could still eat that pizza every day
- Deli Delivery and Dishwasher – Working for an unhinged small businessman still beat Uber
- Vehicle Mechanic (enlisted) – I’m a car guy so I’d have stayed in this one were it not for the blessing in disguise
- Vehicle Mechanic (sidestream) – See above…not worth the trouble
- Selling Plasma – all told this wasn’t terrible, it paid for lots of “fun” stuff when I was young & dumb(er than I am now)
- Fueling up Fighter Jets – I did not care for this
- Enlisted Computer Programmer – Hard to complain about learning an in-demand job while getting paid and then getting some experience
- Freelance Web Developer – See above…not worth the trouble
- Uber Driver – See above…not worth the trouble
- Program Manager/IT Integration – Absolutely the worst job I’ve ever had in my life, and it was the highest-paying job I’d ever had at that point in my career
- Software Developer – This has been my full-time gig for the last decade, and I enjoy working as a subcontractor under my own company vs working for a big corporation
What are some of the best and worst ways you’ve made money, and when did you decide to quit? (if you were able!)