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We’re Bike People and $1,975 in Extra Income

Last Updated: BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 65 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Hey everyone! Happy Monday. I had a nice 4 day weekend and I’m sad that it’s over already.

I hope everyone had an awesome 4th of July also. We had a small BBQ at our house with some friends and then went to watch fireworks. It was all a lot of fun.

Engagement photos will be on the blog this Wednesday, so I hope you all come back for those. I LOVE our pictures, and I can’t believe how awesome they are. Haha it’s probably all in my head, but I don’t care!

Me and W have been together for over 7 years (and lived together for over 6) and we have very few photos of us together (less than 10 before these engagement photos), so it is something that I am not very used to. My picture collection before these consisted of a lot of photos of our dogs…

I’ll have a student loan update tomorrow most likely. It will be a post all on its own and is very exciting! I’m sure all of you can guess what it will say, but just wait! It definitely deserves more than just a little blurb in this post 🙂

 

Spending

We did do some spending in the past week. Well, a lot of spending. On Sunday we bought 2 bikes and a bike rack for the Jeep. We spent a decent amount of money since we wanted to buy quality. No, we did not buy bikes that cost $2,000 a piece, but we also didn’t go super cheap. In my head I just cannot justify buying a $2K bike right now, especially since I haven’t rode a bike since I was a kid. How much was/is your bike?

We are super excited about them though. We have been wanting bikes for a while. We went on two rides yesterday and they were nice. Our butts do hurt a tad though…

 

We're Bike People and $1,975 in Extra Income

Extra Income (does not include income from our main jobs)

Extra income was good last week, especially since last week was a holiday week. I can’t stop thinking about last month’s income and I’m really hoping that it just wasn’t a fluke!

It will be really hard giving up my day job income, so having my side hustle income at a certain level is very important to me. I know that this probably sounds dumb to most, since my side hustle income is at a relatively high level. However, I did get accustomed to the stability of my day job income, and that is something that will take getting used to once the day comes.

Since last week was a 4 day weekend for me, I did have a little time to pretend that I was 100% self-employed.

It was much more enjoyable than my normal week at work, and I loved it. However, it was also a very slow week because it was a long holiday weekend.

It got me thinking that once I do make the full-time switch that I will have so much time leftover every single day since I won’t be working 50 hours a week and commuting and getting ready each week for 10 hours altogether also. I will have around 60 hours of additional time in my life each week. I’m unsure if I will want to fill those up right away with additional hustles, or take the time to enjoy myself.

I know that eventually I will find myself doing additional hustles in order to fill up more time, and eventually make some of these more “passive,” but I’m still unsure of what I will do. I work a decent amount on my side hustles currently, but I do know that when more people switch to the self-employed life that they find themselves working 24/7.

What would you do? Would you fill some of the time with additional hustles or enjoy yourself? What’s the first thing that you would do with your extra time? Is there a limit to how much money you want/need to make in order to be happy?

 

Posts from my blog:

  1. $10,192 in June Extra Income – Side Hustles – June was an awesome month for me. I’m not sure if I can do the same this month, but here’s to hoping!
  2. Make Extra Monthly with Offline Side Hustles – Side hustles were definitely talked about on my blog a lot last week. What about offline side hustles? Do you have any?
  3. June Goals and Life Update – This is my monthly goals update.
  4. $480 Giveaway – I had a giveaway on my blog last week. It’s still live. Be sure to enter!

 

Link love (there’s definitely a theme to the posts below):

  1. Is working from home becoming the norm? Budget Blonde – It definitely seems like a lot of people in the blog world work from home. Do you work from home?
  2. Thoughts after six months of blogging My FI Journey – Congrats on 6 months! Not a lot of bloggers make it to this point
  3. Pitfalls on working from home Frugal Rules – I’m suuuuper excited to work from home.
  4. Trench notes – One month of freedom Cordelia Calls it Quits – WOOHOOOO!
  5. Juicing Recipes plus tips and tricks Club Thrifty – I’ve never really even thought about juicing before recently, but it has definitely been on my mind lately. It seems like a lot of bloggers are talking about it.
  6. I was also interviewed at Shop at Home. Check out my interview!

 

Being healthy

I definitely did not do too great with being healthy in the past week. Oh do I have so many excuses that are just plain stupid. I need to get back into it! Now that we have bikes, I do think we will be more active. I mean, that is why we bought them!

I already have my lunch meal plan for the week planned for and bought, so I do think that will help. I have fallen off my normal planning for our weekly meal plans, and I need to change that.

 

Have you been doing well with your extra income, spending and being healthy?

 

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About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  1. Thomas | Your Daily Finance says

    Congrats on another great week! Th wifey and I didn’t have many photos together but now there are photos and photo albums all over the place. Our family is in need of new bikes and the ones that are 2k really to look nice but aren’t practical for our budget. I think you should take a break for a little while and enjoy some free time. If you find you are bored put up the side hustles and whenever you feel burnt out scale it back. Remember a lot of things you will be able to automate or outsource at some point.

    Reply

  2. DC @ Young Adult Money says

    I’m glad you enjoyed your time off and your “pretend” working for yourself 100% : ) My wife and I have literally thousands of pics together, but she has always really loved pictures and is a big scrapbooker, so I think it comes naturally. Looking forward to seeing your pics on Wednesday!

    Reply

  3. Holly@ClubThrifty says

    I can totally relate, Michelle! Having free time feels weird at first!
    I use my new spare time to enjoy life a little. I occasionally go swimming at my neighbors and I try to exercise 1-2 times a day. I also just relax a little which I haven’t done in years!

    Reply

  5. John S @ Frugal Rules says

    I think you’ll find a way to eat up that free time. 🙂 It depends for me in regards to what I do. I have a list of stuff that I keep putting off that I normally go to. I always struggle with actually enjoying myself when I do have free time, though my wife is much better about doing something she wants as opposed to working. Thanks so much for the mention, I really appreciate it!

    Reply

  7. Matt Becker says

    I know what you mean about the pictures. My wife and I had very few pictures until our son came along, at which point I couldn’t stop taking them. I’ve definitely calmed down since those first few months, but it is nice to actually have some pictures of our life.

    If it were me, I would try to find ways to spend my free time on beneficial activities that weren’t work related. Exercise a little more. Read. Plan a family outing. Things that were maybe harder to do before that I could focus a little more energy on. I think having a balance between work and the rest of life is important.

    Reply

  8. Kim@Eyesonthedollar says

    Can’t wait to see the pictures! My first mountain bike was a POS from Sears. I could not get up the hills and thought I just sucked. My husband who wasn’t my husband yet talked me into getting a mid line Trek for around $500, and it made all the difference in the world. If you are going to be serious about riding, you need something decent that doesn’t weigh two tons, but it will last forever if you take care of it and store it indoors. You also have to get the shorts! I hate bike shorts, but I found a kind of skirt thingie with the padding underneath from skirtsports. It looks like a skirt, but works great. Mine has lasted for over 2 years , still looks like new, and I probably wash it twice a week!

    Reply

    • Michelle says

      We went to REI first (only bought the hitch from there as we didn’t like their bikes) and then went to a local bike shop and bought the actual bikes.

      Reply

  10. Budget and the Beach says

    Since I think the healthy thing has been on/off for you, I’d focus on that…and just enjoy yourself more. You seem to work harder than any 20 something I know. I’ve bought different style bikes over the years ranging in cost, but my current bike is a one speed beach cruiser, which cost less than $300 from what I remember. I do wish I would have gotten a least a 3-speed since it’s hilly here. Oh well, good for the butt I guess. 🙂

    Reply

  11. Pauline says

    Congrats on the bikes! I love cycling. Mine is probably $800 or so and I used to ride it all the time. Can’t bring it here, tires are too thin for the dirt road but I may get one soon.

    Reply

  12. CeCe @Pink Sunshine says

    My husband is a big time biker with the tight outfits and clip in shoes and everything and I don’t even have one. But I’d like to get one. It seems fun and like good exercise. How can you not have a ton of pics together? Mj practically runs from the camera now poor guy; because I am a picture taker. I always have been.

    Reply

  13. Mrs PoP @ Planting Our Pennies says

    My bike, basket, and helmet all together was aroud $400 when I bought it. It’s a hybrid (called a commuter) which works really well for me. Not te cheapest option, but not super expensive, either.

    Reply

  14. Leslie Beslie says

    I originally bought a used hybrid for $250 and loved it. But once I started biking more I found myself wanting a lighter road bike. So then I bought a Specialized for $800 on Craigslist. That is definitely my max for biking as I don’t plan on racing at all in the future. If you’re casually riding bikes, the cheap ones are fine but if you plan to use them a lot, this is an area where spending more money is definitely worth it.

    Reply

  15. Stefanie says

    I joined the NYC Citibike program which I am loving! $100 for the year, no storage or stealing worries. Though, I won’t be able to take it with me to Burlington, VT next month 🙁

    Reply

  17. Jacob @ iHeartBudgets says

    We have a couple of mountain bikes that ended up in our front yard, on separate occasions. So we got some sweet free bikes. Hoping to get a trailer for the little one, and do some bike rides this summer. I could use the exercise!

    And congrats on the income, killin’ it as always!

    Reply

  18. Francieidy says

    I think you should stop and smells the roses. Just take a little break and spend some you time, maybe read a book, or play a video game or go on a just cause walk. You really do only live once so enjoy it.

    Reply

  19. Greg@Thriftgenuity says

    I got a bike last year for my birthday. Like you, I didn’t go really cheap, but wasn’t going to spend a couple thousand either. Mine was around $600. It is a great way to stay in shape. I just bought my wife a bike for her birthday so we can plan to ride together a bit.

    Reply

  22. Grayson @ Debt Roundup says

    Great week Michelle! I started exercising again last week and it was awesome. I have been really busy lately at work, so I haven’t had much time to boost any side income, but anything extra is nice, especially with a baby.

    Reply

  24. Done by Forty says

    I spent $250 on my (used!) Centurion bike, which part of me thinks still may be a bit ridiculous for something so old. I probably could have gotten by with something less expensive. Still, it’s way better (lighter, more places to rest my hands) than any previously had and I love riding it.

    Reply

  25. Amanda says

    I’ve been with my boyfriend for over 3 years, and I have ONE picture of us together. One. (I know there are more floating out there, but I haven’t seen them.) Now I don’t feel so bad knowing that other couples are like that too 🙂

    Reply

  27. Cat Alford (@BudgetBlonde) says

    Thank you so much for the link, Michelle! So sweet of you! I hope you really enjoy the bikes and I seriously can’t wait to see the engagement pictures! I already stalked your twitter to see a few, and I can’t wait to see them on the blog! xo, Cat

    Reply

  28. Anne @ Unique Gifter says

    Yay bicycles!! We have several of them. Right now I have a ~$1000 hardtail and my road bike was ~$3000 aftwr accessories/upgrades. My spouse also has a downhill. I would really like to get a softtail to add to my collection, but it’s hard to justify when my hardtail can kind of do the same thing and I don’t ride it enough as it is. One day I will get one though 🙂 I used to have an old mountain bike as a townie, but just found it annoying to ride compared to my good ones, so sold it. I’d also like a true townie (beach cruiser) with a basket, but there’s too many hills here, I wouldn’t use it enough.

    Reply

  30. Alexa says

    My spending has actually been going pretty good. I have been paying a lot more attention to where my money has been going. I like the bike idea. I haven’t rode a bike forever but I think I would really enjoy it now!

    Reply

  31. Lindsey @ Cents & Sensibility says

    I am excited for your engagement photos on Wednesday, I’m sure they’re beautiful!

    As far as side hustles, we just have a renter moving in on August 1st which will be some extra cash for debt repayment. Congrats on your side hustles, as usual! 🙂

    Reply

  34. Katie C. says

    I think it’s worth it to buy a quality bike if you’re going to use it a lot. I’m borrowing my mom’s (dumpster dived, ha) bike until I determine that I can in fact still ride a bike. After I get back in the saddle, I’ll start shopping for my own bike.

    I noticed when I worked from home while dealing with chronic migraines that working from home is very different from working in an office. Obviously there are pros and cons. Pros include working in your PJs, being able to take breaks to go out for lunch with loved ones if you want, making your own schedule. The largest downside for me was there seemed to be less of a separation between work and home. I felt like I should always be working. Now that I’m back to an 8-5 schedule in an office, I really enjoy having that physical separation between work and home.

    Reply

  35. eemusings says

    Happy biking! We’re actually planning to have a day of cycling and exploring tomorrow – haven’t ridden in about 15 years so hope I do okay, heh.

    Can’t wait to see your engagement pics – the one on Twitter is gorgeous. I kinda wish we’d done some – I initially was planning to get them done in order to get to know our wedding photographer but it didn’t really happen. Like you, we didn’t really have many couple pics despite being together for so long.

    Not long till you join the self employed world… exciting!

    Reply

  36. Willy @Team Cycle says

    That image in the mountains with that Trail, i love to ride my bike there that is simply so amazing omg, you guys must have so much fun cycling across places like that!

    Reply

  37. DNN says

    To talk about side hustle bike income, I see a lot of people riding rental scooters and bicycles in Maryland and Washington, D.C. I’m unsure if they used the rental scooters or bikes to earn side hustle income, a person who rides a bike can earn some decent side hustle revenue if they deliver food like an UBER, LYFT, or DoorDash side hustler. I love the side hustle because it helps a person achieve financial freedom in so many positive ways. 🙂

    Reply

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