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I’m on Vacation and $1,345 in Extra Income

Last Updated: BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 67 Comments

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I'm on Vacation and $1,345 in Extra Income

This describes my life perfectly.

Hey everyone! Happy Monday. I’m technically not on vacation yet, as it doesn’t start until 5 p.m. today, but it starts soon!

I have the rest of the week off and I’m going to New Orleans with W and another couple. None of us have ever been. So many of you have given us great recommendations, thank you so much! Sounds like we have a ton of restaurants to try 🙂

Did anyone watch Trueblood last night? Crazy! Now I cannot wait until Boardwalk Empire and Walking Dead both start. What’s your favorite TV show?

After Trueblood, W and I went to get ice cream. Simple as that, right? Nope! We left our house to go to Dairy Queen which is only about 2 miles away. On the way there, W started yelling that this guy was getting too close and swerving in and out of lanes. I wasn’t paying attention because W is a very paranoid person and I just shrugged it off.

Then at one point the driver nearly clipped us (literally an inch away), and W swerved to avoid him, and the driver of the truck swerved ACROSS FOUR LANES and hit 2 huge telephone poles and went straight through them. The poles were laying on the road and the lines were completely down. The driver of the truck then flew down a hill and into a ditch. And he was drunk and drove away after all of this. No one is sure how he managed to drive his totaled truck away or how he survived.

Anyways, to completely change the subject, thank you to everyone who said so many nice things about my blogiversary and my blog. I love you all! The giveaway still has over a week to go, so make sure to get your entries in. There are so many ways to enter, and you can do them all or just do one.

 

Spending

We did do some spending in the past week. We needed some things for our bikes, such as for maintenance or repair just in case something goes wrong for when we are on a long ride.

My bike surprisingly broke a couple of weeks ago while riding it. I am still not too happy about this as we spent a decent amount of money on it. Luckily it was nothing major. The pedal came undone and fell off, and I came crashing down (boy, did that hurt) while we were riding on a trail fairly fast.

Luckily, there was a construction crew on their lunch break and they were more than happy to help us. They even offered us beers while they were fixing my bike! And yes, they were drinking beers while working on building a busy bridge that hundreds of thousands of people drive over every single day. Lets not even talk about how much that scared us…

 

 

I'm on Vacation and $1,345 in Extra Income

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

Extra income was good in the past week. Nothing too extraordinary, but I’m not going to complain. I can already tell that September will be a great month. Hopefully I don’t jinx myself but I have had a good amount of freelancing leads right now. WOOHOOO!

A lot of you have also been asking about taxes. Around 35% of my extra income goes towards taxes, and I will have a post on my other site, Diversified Finances, about that sometime soon.

I still don’t know when my 100% self-employment switch date will be. I’m still a little afraid to give up such a stable income from my day job, and I’m not going to lie, I am afraid of failure and that something will go wrong.

I will say that these feelings aren’t as big as they used to be. All of this doesn’t bother me as much, and I know that I am ready now. Now, we are really just trying to increase our emergency fund before I make the actual switch, so that we are as prepared as we can be.

 

Posts from my websites:

  1. What not to do when leaving your job – There will always be crazy people out there, right? People quit in the most ridiculous ways. What’s the craziest quitting story that you know of?
  2. 2 Year Blogiversary – WOOHOO! I still cannot believe that it has been two years. It’s crazy to think about. I dived into the blogging world, not even knowing what I was getting myself into. Now, I am in love with it all.
  3. Four expenses that aren’t worth the money – This post was by Jordann.  There are a lot of things that I don’t like paying for. I also hate paying for haircuts, but luckily I’m trying to grow out my hair and don’t need to do that as much. What do you hate paying for?
  4. Pay off your mortgage faster, save thousands of dollars – This was a post on my site by a blogger friend. This definitely seems to be a divided issue. Would you rather pay off your mortgage as quickly as possible or just pay the normal monthly payment?

 

 

Link love:

  1. I’m not rich, but thanks for thinking so Budgets are Sexy – I loved this post a lot. I know that I post my extra income every week, but life is not perfect. Just wanted to get that out there! 🙂 I am working hard in all areas of my life and need to if I want to make self-employment a reality.
  2. Job Burnout is Brutal  Personal Finance Utopia – Job burnout plays a big role for why many people leave their jobs. Have you ever left a job or wanted to because of job burnout?
  3. The Daycare Dilemma and Why I’m Not a Stay At Home Mom Club Thrifty – While I would love to say that when W and I have kids that I would be able to be a work-at-home mom all the time, I also see myself sending our future kids somewhere in order to get work done. I’m not talking all the time, but maybe on some days.  I think it’s just being realistic though. My freelancing still requires me to work, I’m not just sitting on my bed and only working for a couple of hours each day! Do you see yourself being a stay at home parent? Or will you be sending your kids to daycare as well?

 

 

 

Being healthy

Being healthy has definitely been much better lately. The weather has been so great lately, so it’s hard to just sit inside and not soak it all in. I went on a couple of long walks with my dog, ran on the treadmill a couple of times, and road my bike. We’ve been eating kind of more healthy, but we definitely went out to eat way too much last week. And this week will just be a disaster with being healthy since we will be in New Orleans, but oh well!

We went on a nice bike ride yesterday of around 15 miles. It would have been longer but we made the mistake of going out for a ride without eating at all beforehand. After about 7 miles I felt super hungry so we had to turn back!

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

    First have a great vacation and enjoy NO. I havent been there either and would really like to go so make sure you let us know how the trip goes. The meme is funny but hey when you are ready to have kids then go for it. Income hasn’t started picking up for me yet but I have made some contacts and have started emailing adverts. Looking for September to be a really good month for me as well.

    Reply

  2. DC @ Young Adult Money says

    That’s an absolutely crazy story! You guys could have easily been in a crash with the driver and he probably would have driven away. Scary to think about. I’m glad you have a lot of leads for September and I also can understand your anxiety about giving up a stable income. I think I’d have an incredibly hard time giving up my full-time job, even if I was making more on the side.

    Enjoy your vacation!

    Reply

  3. GamingYourFinances says

    Incredible! I cant believe people still drink and drive. Glad to hear no one was hurt! Have a great time on your vacation.

    Reply

  4. Alexa says

    Good job with everything! My extra income is picking up Whoohoo! It still kind of surprises me that even though you do consistently awesome that you’re afraid to make the switch. Are you going to try to diversify even more? Or, do you have saving goals that you are working until you make the switch? I am just curious as to what your plans are since you do so great already.

    Reply

    • Michelle says

      We have savings goals that we are working on before I make the switch. I would prefer to have a years worth of expenses saved up in our emergency fund.

      Reply

  5. My Money Design says

    Very smart of you to put aside money now for your taxes that will be coming up. I got hit with that hard when I did our taxes earlier this year and it was eye opening to see how much of my “passive income” was owed. Its fun and all to make money on the side. But the tax man will want his cut, and its a big one!

    Reply

  7. Christine says

    OMG, hope y’all have SO MUCH FUN in New Orleans! 🙂 Also, I have a tiny “saddle bag” on the back of my bike that I generally just carry my fix-a-flat stuff in, but for longer rides I also stash a little snack. 😉 For me, if I ride anything over 25 miles I’m going to need a little fuel along the way!

    Reply

  8. MonicaOnMoney says

    @Michelle- Wow, I’m glad you’re both ok! Crazy drivers like that make me so nervous! Thanks for mentioning my guest post, your readers are so welcoming! About the budget, it’s going well, trying not to be tempted by all of the football jerseys for the new season.

    Reply

  9. John S @ Frugal Rules says

    Wow, that is quite a story and glad you’re ok. We’re not True Blood fans, but I can’t wait for Boardwalk Empire to get started back in a few weeks. I’ve been watching all of last season again so it’s made me more looking forward to it. Have a blast in NO.

    Reply

  10. Connie @ Savvy With Saving says

    Wow, that is a crazy story! I’m glad you didn’t get harmed in that whole incident.

    Enjoy your vacation!

    Reply

  13. The Norwegian Girl says

    They were drinking beer??? WHaat? That reminds me of Spain, where I often saw taxi-drivers and police officers having a Cuba Libre and/or beers for lunch. Crazy stuff!
    I´ve been doing good on the healthy stuff; been exercising 3 times a week! It´s time to get rid of those extra pounds that´s been making all my clothes tighter…

    Reply

  16. Matt Becker says

    Wow, glad you guys are ok! Sounds like a scary encounter with the drunk driver. New Orleans is a great city. That’s actually where I met my wife and where I went for my bachelor party. Great good and lots of fun. I will say though that if you’re going onto Bourbon St., make sure to wear shoes you don’t mind getting grimy. It’s fun out there but very dirty. Have fun!

    Reply

  17. C. the Romanian says

    I hope you have a great vacation! You’re totally worth it since you’re doing so well again with your side hustle income. And don’t worry about the bridge and the beer. Beer helps you concentrate and work better lol.

    Reply

  21. Alexandra @ Real Simple Finances says

    It’s definitely scary that the construction workers were drinking on the job! But it’s good they were there to help you fix your bike.

    My input on the job switch: I understand being scared to leave the guaranteed income. Ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” Do you have skills you can fall back on in case your writing jobs slow down? Are you going to lose your house, car, or not be able to feel your family? Chances are, you have a few things you could do to make money, and you’re definitely not going to drive W and the dogs into financial ruin by leaving your day job. 🙂 In fact, I bet you’ll double your monthly income once you kick the day job!

    Reply

  26. Lisa E. @ Lisa Vs. The Loans says

    Ugh, drunk driving is something that I don’t get – if you want to have a good time, then plan for it! Get a DD, or even stay over at a friend’s house if you can’t drive! You’re just putting not only yourself, but others in danger!

    Anyways, enjoy your vacation in New Orleans! Can’t wait to hear from ya when you get back!

    Reply

  28. Tara @ Streets Ahead Living says

    Craziness about your bike and that whole experience. I’d be pissed about an expensive bike breaking too. Also, at the WTC site here in NY, they have busted construction workers drinking on their lunch breaks which to me is so scary, considering the amount of damage that can result when you’re building a giant skyscraper!

    Have fun on vacation! Enjoy the music while you’re there and eat plenty of beignets.

    Reply

  29. Kris says

    Great job Michelle! In response to #3 Daycare Dilemma – consider nanny’s as well. Rebecca at Girls Gone Child uses a nanny and she’s a work at home mom. I also know (personally) another couple that the dad is work from home, and the nanny watches the baby while he works. Personally to me it would be the best of both worlds – someone to help watch the baby while you get work done, but you are there for nursing time thus eliminating the need to pump (if you decide to go that route). Definitely don’t let people tell you to watch the baby yourself while you work – it’s impossible. I’ve done it. People try to make it sound easy, but it’s not.

    Anyway…soooo far down the line. Just wanted to put that in your mind.

    Reply

  30. Tanya says

    Have fun on your trip!! That is so scary and crazy about the drunk driver. I’m glad he didn’t hit you guys. I hope he doesn’t hurt anybody else buy driving drunk again..

    Reply

  31. Mackenzie says

    Wow, how scary that you guys were almost in an accident!! Thanks goodness that you guys are okay.

    Enjoy your vacation Michelle! Can’t wait to hear all about it 🙂

    Reply

  33. E.M. says

    I’m glad you and W didn’t get hurt by that careless driver! Ugh. That’s so scary. The second someone starts swerving around or seems like they can’t stay in their lane, I try to get away from them. I can be pretty paranoid, but better safe than sorry. That’s so weird that your bike is having issues already; I would definitely take it back to have it checked out since you invested quite a bit in them. Have lots of fun on your vacation!

    Reply

  34. Crystal says

    Have a great vacation! I am catching up on Dr. Who myself. I need to actually ask you a few questions about your online income, so please remind me if you see this when you get back, lol. 🙂

    Reply

  38. Tie the Money Knot says

    Geez, crazy stuff with those drivers….and workers drinking beer while working. That’s out there!

    I once saw someone swerve across multiple lanes and ram into a parked car. It was jarring, and I recall some of it even though it was 2 decades ago when I was much younger. From what I later heard, the driver had an epileptic seizure. Fortunately, no pedestrians were hit. Different that the drink and drive person you apparently saw, but wild in its own right though I felt for the person.

    Reply

  39. Tammy R says

    Wow, building a bridge with brews…not a comforting thought at all! Wow.

    Congrats on all of the side hustle income, and I am so sorry to hear about your bike!

    We are doing well with spending and are doing so by aligning it with our priorities. We don’t spend on “things” (no TV thus no cable, no fancy phones, no fancy electronics, few clothes, no pets etc.), but we do spend on fun times. We enjoy going out every morning for coffee and make our $4 go a long way as we sip and work for a few hours and let someone else make the java! Our health is great as we eat healthy foods and take a five mile walk every day.

    New Orleans is quite a place. Just don’t let anyone shine your shoes. CJ ended up getting swindled out of $20 one time, and I can’t tell you how hard it is for him to part with money. Stay on the well-lit streets!

    Reply

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