Side Hustle Ideas

[Fishindude77]

If they didn't want to work two jobs and spend time with their family instead, they would get a better paying 1st job, or they would cut back on their budget and work just the one. There is no slavery in this country any one of these hypothetical people can quit their job today and get a better paying job. If you're over 25 and are earning only minimum wage, you're not applying yourself.

I also think the reason many are working these low pay jobs is because they are unwilling to give up weed / drugs and take the drug test that most serious jobs require.

[riverwed070707]

Some of you have never lived in a LCOLA and it shows. $7.25 an hour is still the minimum wage, it has been for decades and for a lot of people without a college education, they will never make more than $20-25/hr even with a skilled trade. Teachers in my area start out with salaries under $30k and retire usually still under $50k. Retail managers make $45k. My partner has been in construction his whole career and is currently at his highest paying job as supervisor/project manager making $55k - until a year ago, he never made over $45k at 40 years old. Its always been hard to survive on those salaries but now with the drastic increase in housing costs (rent and mortgages), you can't do it without roommates whether your young and single or middle aged with kids. Telling people to get a new skill/job if they can't afford to live on their primary salary is a real insult to the people responsible for educating our children and many other essential workers. And I'm not even responding to the drugs comment - what a gross overgeneralization of the wage gap being personal choice and not CEO greed.

My first job paid $35k with a college degree. I worked 3 jobs until I was 30 and my consumer debt and student loans were paid off. After that I continued to do side hustles until I could afford to do real estate. Now I guess real estate is still kind of my side hustle. Could I live on my salary? Sure, but my experience here is not the norm and I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't found extra ways to make money until my salary reached a level that was comfortable which took over a decade.

[myrdale]

I also think the reason many are working these low pay jobs is because they are unwilling to give up weed / drugs and take the drug test that most serious jobs require.

There are higher paying jobs in which drug use, if not openly accepted is at least quietly ignored. Construction and welding are top on the list. But both of these fields do require you to show up to work on time and not injure yourself while on the job. You might be surprised at the number of businesses which do not drug test except for when an accident occurs because they'd lose half their work force.

[myrdale]

Some of you have never lived in a LCOLA and it shows.

What is a LCOLA?

and for a lot of people without a college education, they will never make more than $20-25/hr even with a skilled trade.

Its people who believe this sort of defeatism and victim hood mentality is why they can't get ahead.

Telling people to get a new skill/job if they can't afford to live on their primary salary is a real insult to the people responsible for educating our children and many other essential workers.

"Essential workers" is a fantasy. As long as people fill low paying jobs, the pay will not increase. If people quit these jobs because of the low pay, other, potentially better services will move in to fill the void.

The other half of the coin is we're providing our children with cheap education and you get what you pay for.

And I'm not even responding to the drugs comment - what a gross overgeneralization of the wage gap being personal choice and not CEO greed.

You lost me on what drug use has to do with corporate executives.

My first job paid $35k with a college degree. I worked 3 jobs until I was 30 and my consumer debt and student loans were paid off. After that I continued to do side hustles until I could afford to do real estate. Now I guess real estate is still kind of my side hustle. Could I live on my salary? Sure, but my experience here is not the norm and I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't found extra ways to make money until my salary reached a level that was comfortable which took over a decade.

Which aligns with what others are saying in this tread. You hustled until you were debt free and reached a point you considered to be comfortable. Now it is a hobby / fun and not a necessity.

[riverwed070707]

LCOLA= Low cost of living area
Reality is not defeatism and victim hood. My husband has been in construction for 20 years and makes $26/hr in management - short of starting his own company which he isn't interested in doing, there is no up from here. Are you suggesting people should not become teachers or that all adults need to be business owners to be considered successful? That we should defund public education and that would somehow make society better? If that's your stance, we will never be able to have an intelligent debate on this topic because you clearly have a limited viewpoint. Happy for you that everyone who works hard is paid well where you're from. That's not the case where I live and for many other hardworking families in this country.

What is a LCOLA?


Its people who believe this sort of defeatism and victim hood mentality is why they can't get ahead.


"Essential workers" is a fantasy. As long as people fill low paying jobs, the pay will not increase. If people quit these jobs because of the low pay, other, potentially better services will move in to fill the void.

The other half of the coin is we're providing our children with cheap education and you get what you pay for.


You lost me on what drug use has to do with corporate executives.


Which aligns with what others are saying in this tread. You hustled until you were debt free and reached a point you considered to be comfortable. Now it is a hobby / fun and not a necessity.

[Fishindude77]

LCOLA= Low cost of living area
Reality is not defeatism and victim hood. My husband has been in construction for 20 years and makes $26/hr in management - short of starting his own company which he isn't interested in doing, there is no up from here.

I'm curious where you live that the pay scale is so low?
I made my living in industrial / commercial construction, left the company and retired 7 years ago. They are now starting inexperienced newbies at $20 and full benefits. Can easily get up to that $26 mark in a couple years in skilled trades and if willing to run a crew and be a foreman they provide a truck, bonus program, etc. those guys can make close to $100k annually. This is not in a metro area either, rural midwest.

Regarding my comments on being drug free, the stoners are content living at the lower wages and they know who drug tests and who doesn't. Those employers take advantage of this and intentionally do not drug test to keep wages low.
Anyplace serious about production, safety and worker well being at minimum drug test pre-hire and in event of an accident. The serious places do some random testing as well. These places also tend to have better pay and benefits.

Something else not mentioned is that no single person has their feet nailed to the floor where they live. Uprooting and moving is stressful and a big deal, but it's something that may be required for better work and a better lifestyle.
Many of our ancestors did it to improve their lives.

[riverwed070707]

I'm curious where you live that the pay scale is so low?
I made my living in industrial / commercial construction, left the company and retired 7 years ago. They are now starting inexperienced newbies at $20 and full benefits. Can easily get up to that $26 mark in a couple years in skilled trades and if willing to run a crew and be a foreman they provide a truck, bonus program, etc. those guys can make close to $100k annually. This is not in a metro area either, rural midwest.

Regarding my comments on being drug free, the stoners are content living at the lower wages and they know who drug tests and who doesn't. Those employers take advantage of this and intentionally do not drug test to keep wages low.
Anyplace serious about production, safety and worker well being at minimum drug test pre-hire and in event of an accident. The serious places do some random testing as well. These places also tend to have better pay and benefits.

Something else not mentioned is that no single person has their feet nailed to the floor where they live. Uprooting and moving is stressful and a big deal, but it's something that may be required for better work and a better lifestyle.
Many of our ancestors did it to improve their lives.

I'm in Iowa. I never broke 6 figures even with a college degree and 15+ years of experience until I switched to a global company that would allow me to work remote. Suggesting people move is such an extreme show of privilege. Why can't we just have good paying jobs for all people in places they can afford to live? Sending everyone off to bigger areas with no family support in a time when real estate is more expensive than ever is 1) not a reality for many low wage earners, 2) not the best solution for families, particularly ones who rely on grandparents or coparents for support, 3) is not great for many people's mental health and should not be a requirement to thrive financially. Everyone here talking about how they don't want to work multiple jobs because they'd rather spend their free time with family, but upon realizing not everywhere has those opportunities the next best option is to move away from your loved ones entirely? That's a contradiction.

[ua_guy]

I'm curious where you live that the pay scale is so low?
I made my living in industrial / commercial construction, left the company and retired 7 years ago. They are now starting inexperienced newbies at $20 and full benefits. Can easily get up to that $26 mark in a couple years in skilled trades and if willing to run a crew and be a foreman they provide a truck, bonus program, etc. those guys can make close to $100k annually. This is not in a metro area either, rural midwest.

Regarding my comments on being drug free, the stoners are content living at the lower wages and they know who drug tests and who doesn't. Those employers take advantage of this and intentionally do not drug test to keep wages low.
Anyplace serious about production, safety and worker well being at minimum drug test pre-hire and in event of an accident. The serious places do some random testing as well. These places also tend to have better pay and benefits.

Something else not mentioned is that no single person has their feet nailed to the floor where they live. Uprooting and moving is stressful and a big deal, but it's something that may be required for better work and a better lifestyle.
Many of our ancestors did it to improve their lives.

The rural midwest is unique in that there are some very lucrative industries which provide good, decently paying jobs compared to the overall cost of living. Since I've lived there myself, I've experienced this first-hand. The states rake in big money through high taxes in places like Chicago, Minneapolis, and Madison. This is not the same situation as somewhere like rural Alabama or the Florida Panhandle, which tends to have the highest poverty levels in the nation.

Your comments on "stoners" are a bit out of touch with reality, but it's not my job to educate you; I can only provide employer perspective. Employers drug test where they are required to do so by law, typically. The expense, liability, tracking, state/federal reporting and compliance requirements, and challenges it typically creates for their candidate pools is something almost no employer wants in the first place. Any educated drug user is going to pass with flying colors anyhow; where most get into trouble is with an unexpected accident, i.e. MVA where they must take a drug test within hours of the incident. Typically they fail for cannabis, which can take 30+ days to clear their system after last use and/or if they were dumb enough to be "on" something that day.

But hey, let's perpetuate the righteous war on drugs instead...it seems to produce real results. Right?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I gotta laugh because the minimum wage in hawaii is $12/hr. Even at $25/hr double the minimum wage, it's hard to make a living in hawaii. It's hard to make a living in honolulu so you have to go to the rural outer islands. But doing so means less job opportunities and less access to things like medical care, etc. I grew up on the rural outer islands and my mom never made more than $60k but she had a "good" job with a master's. People living in honolulu were making the same working for the state and it was huge struggle. She had many classmates who were struggling as "married' social workers with master's degrees. Many others with 4 year degrees didn't make a ton (including my aunts and uncles working as teachers and other "professional" jobs).

Making a living in LCOLA places can be hard in a DIFFERENT way than making a living in a HCOLA. The side hustle of a second or third job in a LCOLA makes a huge difference like steve and riverwed have pointed out. $12k or an extra $1k/month in LCOLA makes a difference and the primary job just isn't paying "enough". Now in a bigger city higher COLA you are probably better off to constantly brushing up skills and moving companies for a better job. But in rural areas it can be a different ballgame.

Where I live now the minimum is $20/hr. Cost of living? High. so different problems but again the extra side hustle money can help those make ends meet.

I find it horrible and in NO WAY FAIR that the federal minimum wage (which applies to different places) is $7.25. When I started working in the 1992 it was $4.10. WTF. The federal minimum has not kept up with inflation which should be $9.12. So you tell me even if it's a starting job why hasn't it kept up with inflation? Asking for $12 or $15/hr doesn't seem so crazy.

[ua_guy]

So you tell me even if it's a starting job why hasn't it kept up with inflation? Asking for $12 or $15/hr doesn't seem so crazy.

Probably because pro-business conservatives, where they've been able to rig the electorate and brainwash their constituents to keep themselves in power, have a vested interest in keeping wages low, and a vast majority of people, poor. Obviously, minimum wage should follow cost of living and inflation, but where it doesn't, some employers get a bargain.

There's a statistic about how few people actually earn base minimum wage, and it's true. A small minority of people earn "only" minimum wage, which has also been an argument for not raising it, or not treating how low it actually is with the significance it deserves. What we have to do is look at where people are earning just slightly above minimum wage. If MW is $7.25, but a large cohort of people are making $8.25, does that really matter if they're still, basically, poor, and can't afford a base standard of living near their job?

$20.29/hr in Washington seems healthy, but in HCOL areas, it really doesn't get a person very far. It's not meant to. But it should provide a base standard of living where one work just one full time job and still be present and have resources to raise a child or small family. That's where minimum wage falls short, the very thing it was designed to do.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Probably because pro-business conservatives, where they've been able to rig the electorate and brainwash their constituents to keep themselves in power, have a vested interest in keeping wages low, and a vast majority of people, poor. Obviously, minimum wage should follow cost of living and inflation, but where it doesn't, some employers get a bargain.

There's a statistic about how few people actually earn base minimum wage, and it's true. A small minority of people earn "only" minimum wage, which has also been an argument for not raising it, or not treating how low it actually is with the significance it deserves. What we have to do is look at where people are earning just slightly above minimum wage. If MW is $7.25, but a large cohort of people are making $8.25, does that really matter if they're still, basically, poor, and can't afford a base standard of living near their job?

$20.29/hr in Washington seems healthy, but in HCOL areas, it really doesn't get a person very far. It's not meant to. But it should provide a base standard of living where one work just one full time job and still be present and have resources to raise a child or small family. That's where minimum wage falls short, the very thing it was designed to do.

I don't think the minimum needs to support a family but it should be able to be above poverty wages one can argue and not be on food stamps for a single person. I $20/hr is about $40k/year. Which is probably netting $2800/month after SS, Medicare, health insurance. Now if both people worked and earned $40k, I guess it's more feasible since 2 lives as cheap as one. But having kids and childcare would screw it. In WA outside of seattle I would argue I guess $2800/month is doable. But if you go 2 hours away I don't think the minimum wage is $20/hr so then you are at a lower salary to go with the lower cost of living but it doesn't scale.

That's where it falls apart. So in Iowa with Riverwed if people earn say $10/hr and make $20k/year, how the heck can you manage in Iowa?

U.S. household income distribution 2023

Published by Statista Research Department, Sep 16, 2024
In 2023, just over 50 percent of Americans had an annual household income that was less than 75,000 U.S. dollars. The median household income was 80,610 U.S. dollars in 2023.

It's not a lot $80k/year household income or $6600 a month gross. 25% PITI means $1650. Who can rent or have a mortgae for $1650 a month? The numbers are going to skew

[riverwed070707]

Agree with all your points. You can do well here on $80k but that's the median not the norm. On $40-60k its a struggle and much of our population makes that with a 2 income household. Average home prices are up over $80k just since 2020 which is positively insane. Rents not quite as much (you can rent a 1br here for $800 or a 3br house for $1,400) which is still a large percent of household income.

I don't think the minimum needs to support a family but it should be able to be above poverty wages one can argue and not be on food stamps for a single person. I $20/hr is about $40k/year. Which is probably netting $2800/month after SS, Medicare, health insurance. Now if both people worked and earned $40k, I guess it's more feasible since 2 lives as cheap as one. But having kids and childcare would screw it. In WA outside of seattle I would argue I guess $2800/month is doable. But if you go 2 hours away I don't think the minimum wage is $20/hr so then you are at a lower salary to go with the lower cost of living but it doesn't scale.

That's where it falls apart. So in Iowa with Riverwed if people earn say $10/hr and make $20k/year, how the heck can you manage in Iowa?

U.S. household income distribution 2023

Published by Statista Research Department, Sep 16, 2024
In 2023, just over 50 percent of Americans had an annual household income that was less than 75,000 U.S. dollars. The median household income was 80,610 U.S. dollars in 2023.

It's not a lot $80k/year household income or $6600 a month gross. 25% PITI means $1650. Who can rent or have a mortgae for $1650 a month? The numbers are going to skew

[ua_guy]

I don't think the minimum needs to support a family but it should be able to be above poverty wages one can argue and not be on food stamps for a single person. I $20/hr is about $40k/year. Which is probably netting $2800/month after SS, Medicare, health insurance. Now if both people worked and earned $40k, I guess it's more feasible since 2 lives as cheap as one. But having kids and childcare would screw it. In WA outside of seattle I would argue I guess $2800/month is doable. But if you go 2 hours away I don't think the minimum wage is $20/hr so then you are at a lower salary to go with the lower cost of living but it doesn't scale.

That's where it falls apart. So in Iowa with Riverwed if people earn say $10/hr and make $20k/year, how the heck can you manage in Iowa?

U.S. household income distribution 2023

Published by Statista Research Department, Sep 16, 2024
In 2023, just over 50 percent of Americans had an annual household income that was less than 75,000 U.S. dollars. The median household income was 80,610 U.S. dollars in 2023.

It's not a lot $80k/year household income or $6600 a month gross. 25% PITI means $1650. Who can rent or have a mortgae for $1650 a month? The numbers are going to skew

Two good points you made, which i want to add on:

Minimum wage isn't designed to support a single breadwinner supporting a family with multiple children, you are right. Nor is it designed to support a family putting their children through college. Where I'm uncertain is if it should be enough to provide basic necessities for the event where a single mother/father or caregiver must care for a child. I will refrain from expanding politically on this point, but if children are forced into this world, then we must provide for them too.

Some companies have a long history of paying low wages and relying on social services and welfare programs to make up the difference to afford a basic standard of living. Walmart is one such company. At one point, the number of full time Walmart store employees earning low wages and also receiving assistance was/is staggering, costing taxpayers $6.2 Billion annually through Food Stamps, Medicaid services, and subsidized housing, among other things. The minimum wage needs to be at least covering a basic standard of living so companies aren't saddling taxpayers with the burden of paying its workers wages while companies like Walmart get a bargain on labor.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

i just don't get why the minimum wage isn't tied to inflation like SS. Why not take away the political argument?

[ua_guy]

i just don't get why the minimum wage isn't tied to inflation like SS. Why not take away the political argument?

Because strong political interests make it so, that is the only argument. This has circulated for years. Guess who votes no every time changes to federal minimum wage increases or ties to inflation are considered? It's not that tying it to inflation is illogical, or hasn't been considered before, it's a single party repeatedly beating it down.