Gather Little by Little

If my day job were actually a “day” job with a set schedule and regular hours, I would almost certainly have a part-time job to go with it. As it is, my only alternate stream of income is blogging which works well with my varied schedule.

I am always on the lookout for other ways to make a little extra cash, especially if it is a change-of-pace job. For instance, if your full-time job is as a school teacher, you might want to find a part-time job where you do not have to deal with people. If you have a stationary office job, you might want to get outside, if you are a construction worker, you might want a part-time job where you can get off your feet. Here are a few possibilities:

Click to continue reading...

On Wednesday, I suggested several full-time occupations that came with benefits that can save you money. However, not all of us are in a position to be picky about our full-time jobs. Sometimes you just have to take what you can get. If you want “perks” like reduced rate merchandise or free access to entertainment from a job, maybe you could look at part-time work. I have often thought about working a few hours a week at an electronics or computer store – just for the discounts on computer equipment.

Click to continue reading...

This is a tough time period in which to find employment. If you are like me, you are thankful for every day that you can get out of bed and go to work. If you are unemployed, every day can be agonizing. However, there is a chance that you could find a job with better pay or a job for which you are better suited. One aspect of job hunting that we might overlook is the value of “perks” that come with various jobs. Sometimes perks increase the attractiveness of an otherwise low or average paying employment opportunity.

Click to continue reading...

his week at Gather Little by Little, we have been discussing a person’s response to job loss. On Monday and Wednesday, I listed a dozen moves to make. I once had a supervisor from whom I learned a great deal about business, management and leadership. He always used to say that he wanted our meetings to be “solution-oriented”. Meaning that while there is value in taking time to review and analyze, too much of that kind focus can make skull sessions degenerate into griping, complaining and worry. He wanted us to spend our time focused on solutions and he welcomed any positive suggestion. Not all suggestions were put into practice, but by the end of our time, we always created a list of possible theories or strategies to research and one of them was bound to work.

Click to continue reading...

On Monday, I gave six moves to make should the unthinkable happen. Here are six more suggestions:

File for unemployment benefits

My “big picture” political view is that unemployment benefits make the problem of unemployment worse – however, I do not begrudge anyone taking advantage of the money to which they are entitled. While I would rather that the tax money used for the purposes of unemployment benefits will create more jobs if not removed from economy in the first place, the reality is that we, especially those of us with children, need to accept help from as many sources as possible.

Click to continue reading...

The unemployment rate here in the United States is hovering just under 10% and most of us are thankful that it is not worse. This is in contrast to the past thirty years or so when an unemployment rate of more than six or seven percent was almost never heard of. For those of you in my generation, it was rare that we ever knew anyone who was out of job for more than a month or two. The closest incident involving long-term unemployment that I remember was a 17 month Caterpillar strike that affect quite a few families in a church that I once attending in Illinois – and most of the men that I knew found temporary employment while the strike was in effect.

Click to continue reading...

On Wednesday, I shared some problems with the IRS list of income streams that are considered “passive”. I think much of what we consider to be passive income, is in reality, an alternate stream of income. An alternate stream of income is generally any money that you earn outside of your regular job. Some people have grown alternate income so much that they no longer have to work a 9 to 5, but most of us will never get to that point.

Click to continue reading...

A long time ago, Benjamin Franklin or somebody said: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” When I was young, I had the habit of sleeping in on Saturday mornings, I remember stumbling up the stairs around 10 am and my dad said, “the day is half over!” When I started college, I quickly learned the benefits of getting up early in the morning. First period at my college was 7:20 am and I was assigned first period for my entire first year at school. The early class time was not my choice, but by the end of the fall semester, I learned to enjoy getting up early and continued the habit for most of my college career. I even started getting up early on Saturday mornings to spend time in the nearly empty library. I got so much more accomplished when there were no distractions (girls) in that venue.

Click to continue reading...

On Monday, I shared the first five of ten money saving principles that I learned from my father. I say “learned” because while I remember them intellectually, I still struggle to apply them consistently.

6. Do it when you think of it.

This is the one that gets me most of the time. My dad developed a discipline in his life where he would take on a task almost as soon as he thought about it. There have been many occasions when he and I set up a time to do a particular job together and he would have it done by the time I showed up. Also, there are instances when he goes a little overboard, like when he starts vacuuming the living room floor when there is company in the house . . . or makes an important phone call during supper . . . The instinct to resist all procrastination is strong within him.

Click to continue reading...

I am not an expert in using time, by any means, but I am committed to improving my time management. There is a famous adage that says “time is money”. That saying is just about always true and if there are not monetary rewards for saving time, there are certainly relaxation and family rewards for redeeming our time.

The person whose time management that I most admire is my father. Sometimes my brothers and sisters and I joke that he gets more done in thirty minutes than the average person accomplishes in an eight hour workday. Except it isn’t really a joke. He is probably the most efficient worker/administrator that I have ever observed. I thought I would share ten of his time habits this week. Five today and five more on Wednesday.

Click to continue reading...