tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60221701991924885522024-03-12T18:34:43.684-07:00Saving My BaconA 20-something's musings on career, money, fashion...and life in generalSaving My Baconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14929725035807585890noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6022170199192488552.post-67783412243389573812010-08-17T18:18:00.000-07:002010-08-17T19:02:06.729-07:00Ideas for Side IncomeHey guys --<br /><br />Thanks for the warm welcome back to the blogosphere :)<br /><br />One of my goals for 2010/2011 is to bring in some side income - preferably $25+ a month, part-time (non 9-5, M-F) or freelance.<br /><br />A few of my friends have side gigs doing graphic design, coding, or tutoring. Other friends work part-time (weekends or nights) in retail or in the restaurant industry. My roommate, for example, has 2 jobs -- she works full-time as a buyer for a department store and 2 nights a week as a hostess at a trendy bar. I'm amazed by her stamina -- I'm usually so exhausted from my day job that I vegetate all night when I get home -- she somehow musters up enough energy to greet people and be on her feet for another 5 hours.<br /><br />The idea that appeals the most to me is doing some freelance photography -- at weddings, events, engagement photos, etc. Photography has been a hobby of mine since high school, but I started getting serious about it last summer when the BF gave me his DSLR on perma-loan. It's a Canon XTi, and I've fitted it with a sweet non-kit lens. I shot my friend's bridal shower last weekend and got great reviews for my photos.<br /><br />My plan is to start building a portfolio -- two of my close friends are getting married in the next 6 months, so I'll have some great opportunities to play (un)official photographer. Once I get a small portfolio built up, I'll set up a website with some of my work and advertise my photography services on Craigslist. Just today, I saw an ad on CL from a guy looking for an amateur photographer to take pictures of his upcoming proposal to his girlfriend. The gig probably wouldn't have paid much (~$100) but, hey, photography is so much fun for me that I'd probably do it for free -- I might as well try to make some money from it!<br /><br />Anyway, thanks for reading. I'll keep you all posted on the progress of my side hustle ;-)<br /><br />-BaconSaving My Baconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14929725035807585890noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6022170199192488552.post-14469732239733978002010-08-09T19:21:00.000-07:002010-08-09T20:22:27.995-07:00New Goal: No Spend 2010Hi All -<br /><br />So, it's been a little over 1 year since my last blog post... my bad!<br /><br />I've decided to start blogging again as a way to motivate myself to achieve my personal and financial goals.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Updates</span><br /><br />To get everyone up to speed, here's a quick synopsis of the past year:<br /><ul><li>Career: Got promoted about 8 months ago. Really just a new title - no material change in salary (~5% increase) or responsibilities/expectations.</li><li>Grad school: I plan to apply Fall 2011 for matriculation in 2012. Still need to take GMAT and all that fun stuff.</li><li>Debt: Made a tiny dent in student loans, but very far from being paid off (I have about $24,900 to go); bought a new car in early 2010 and added a $15,000 car loan. Total debt = $40,000.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Financial Goals</span><br /><br />My main goal for balance of 2010/2011/2012 is to pay off all of my debt. Right now, I'm paying over $1,100 a year in interest on my student loans (and a similar amount on my car loan). Talk about money wasted! Arrrgh!<br /><br />My 3 loans are as follows:<br />-$14,000 student loan @ 6.375% interest<br />-$10,900 student loan @ 2.890% interest<br />-$14,700 car loan @ 5.5% interest<br />Total: $39,600<br /><br />My plan is to pay $1,000 towards my debt every month. If I can stick to this plan, I'll be able to pay off all of my student loans before grad school, with only the car loan left in 2012.<br /><br />It's quite an aggressive goal - $1,000 is pretty much all I have left each month after paying for rent, food, and other essentials... I won't have anything left for the fun stuff, like entertainment, dining out, clothes, or vacations (eek!). It'll be tough as hell, but I look forward to tackling my debt.<br /><br />Alright, enough for tonight. Must get ready for bed and another long day at work.<br /><br />-BaconSaving My Baconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14929725035807585890noreply@blogger.com5