“Moonlighting” Archive
Jul
24
Sorry for the delay in getting the update posted to the Debt-O-Meter. A few of the payments related to my 0% debt with Citibank weren’t being reflected in my online balances so I wanted to make certain I was able to include those before the update.
So in three months I have knocked out about $3,500 in debt. This is a good start but not spectacular and at that rate it will take me quite a while to get things down to zero. I would like to knock things off in 48 months and given that I will have 3 or 4 decent bonuses at work (my employer is VERY stable), I think this is possible.
My recent decision to adopt a ‘car-free’ lifestyle should also help me jumpstart the debt repayment given I will be able to save nearly $700 in expenses each month, all of which will be applied to my debt.
A few months ago I posted a solicitation for moonlighting ideas and a loyal reader named Jason suggested that I apply for a teaching position at a local community college. I have been looking at doing this and some opportunities are indeed available at a local community college in the areas of finance and economics.
I have taught before and I really do enjoy it, so from the perspective of doing something I enjoy this would be a great opportunity. I’m not going to get rich doing it, but I should get a little bit of money, all of which will go directly to my debt repayment. I figure if I teach a class each semester, including summers, I should be able to significantly jumpstart my debt repayment.
As a reminder to my loyal readers, I am also a part-time travel agent and would be happy to help you with your travel plans, particularly if they involve Hawaii. I have been booking some trips for colleagues lately and in the coming months should collect about $1500 in commissions.
If my loyal readers have some other useful moonlighting suggestions, I am all ears. In the meantime, I hope the teaching job works out. I will keep you all posted.
May
23
Some of you may know from reading my post about Moonlighting ideas, I am a home-based travel agent. I work for a host agency that does all the ticketing for any airline reservations I book, and collects and distributes the commissions I generate; I get a 90% share. Well since this is my blog and I have already decided I will not take donations from folks, I am willing to say I am willing to earn your money as your travel agent. I am a certified Hawaii Destination Specialist which means I know the great places to stay, things to do, places to eat in the Hawaiian islands. That said, I can book you any vacation package, any cruise, any hotel and in the coming months any airline ticket; US airlines don’t pay commissions on tickets but many overseas carriers do.
Now I know many people question the value of a travel agent, particularly with online sites such as Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz out there. Well, having worked in the business for one of those companies I can tell you that there are pretty good margins built into the packages. So, what can I do for you? Well, clearly if you are planning a trip to Hawaii I can absolutely offer some value-added advice given my familiarity with the place. I can also give you very good ideas for trips to Seattle and NYC. Now, for your price shoppers out there, I will just about guarantee you that I can beat any price you find online and still make a few bucks from your business, all of which goes directly toward my debt.
So, for all you altruists who are stricken with the travel bug, I’d urge you to contact me at travel at dollarbuydollar dotcom before finalizing your travel plans. Even if you know EXACTLY what hotels you want, like I said, I’ll just about guarantee you a better price.
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that I get AMAZING deals on cruises, so if you are a cruiser, I’d urge you to check in with me as well.
Apr
26
As I mentioned in a previous post, the only realistic way out of this hole, even with the more than decent paying job I have is to take on something else on the side. I already have a side gig as a home-based travel agent but that business is proving slow to get traction as word of mouth seems to be the only way I’m effectively getting any clients. So, I’ve been brainstorming to come up with some moonlighting gigs that I think I might enjoy and here is what I have come up with so far:
- Barnes & Noble part-time; I do love to read
- Best Buy part-time; I do love the gizmos and helping people
- Driver for Airport Shuttle Service; love meeting people and I’m sure I’d hear some great travel stories which will satisfy my desire to travel
- Hotel Concierge; great way to learn about and pass on all the free or low cost activites in my city
- FedEx Package Handler; decent pay ($10-$11/hr) and it will keep me in shape with lots of physical activity
- Airline Reservations Agent; dont really like dealing with irate customers but the perks are great after six months
All of these are real possibilities in my city as many places are indeed hiring.
So, for all you moonlighters out there, what do you do as a second job to knock out your debt? I look forward to hearing some other great ideas.
