Second Job

[ChoochCharlie]

Quote from Debt Snowball thread.
Mangyhyena
"We have been working to eliminate our debt for over 2 years. I read Dave Ramsey's book, Total Money Makeover, shortly after we began.

We've paid off two credit cards and our truck. And I will have paid off my last credit card in November of this year. After that we'll be debt-free except for the mortgage. The mortgage will be gone after we sell the house. We're going to move to a cheaper cost-of-living state and purchase the next house outright. Lucky me, I get to transfer my job so I've got the income covered as well after the move.

It took me working 2 full time jobs for over 2 years to accomplish this. But there was a big benefit to this. My wife stays home with our 2 children; No babysitters. And better still, we'll be home schooling the children!"

Mangyhyena. *That is AWESOME. *Well done. *
I am truly looking up to you and your wife. *

If you don't mind, what is your First and Second jobs?
How have you managed 2 full time jobs and had time to sleep, eat, family, and give 100% at work?

I'm a Home Inspector so my schedule varies so a second job is tough. *My wife works enough to earn $150 to $300 a month to help but I feel like I need to buckle down and work more.

[mangyhyena]

My day job is in a print shop, the job I originally had before taking on the second job. My second job is overnight maintenance at Wally World. Hrs. at the print job are 12:00pm-8:30pm, unless mandatory 10 hr days hit in which case I arrive an hour earlier and leave an hour later. The night job is from 10:00pm-7:30am. That one is fairly stable.

I set the days off so I wind up working 7 days a week; two off in the middle of the week from night job and most weekends off from day job unless mandatory overtime for Saturday is required. The advantage is there are 4 days per week where I can get 8 hrs of sleep. Except for holidays or vacation time I don't get days off. (I'm on vacation right now.)

I do without sleep frequently. You just get used to it. As for eating, I bring sandwiches and leftovers, prepared by my extremely supportive wife. As for family time, I make the most of what little time I have with them. Was heartened to see my children remember who I am. As for giving 100%, I'm not sure I've resolved that for myself yet. I give 100% of whatever I walk in with but I still wonder if I'm doing well enough at times or if I'd be doing better with more sleep. But my boss---bosses--- seem happy with my performance and that's going to have to be good enough for now.

Without the support of my wife there is no way I could do this. She's working every bit as hard and sacrificing every bit as much as I am. Before I began working like a maniac we talked about our goals, the type of life we wanted to live, raising our children, and the best way to go about achieving all of that. I'm more fortunate than anyone I know because I married the most wonderful woman in the world. ;D Without her support none of this would be possible, just that simple. I can't stress this enough. It takes both of you working toward the goals you set.

We went with two full time jobs because we were heavily in debt, $30,000 worth, aside from the mortgage :-[, due to our own foolishness. I don't know what your situation is but perhaps you can work a part time job on weekends for just a few hours. Any money you bring in above your minimum bills can be used to eliminate your debt. And if you're already pretty much debt free, then that extra income can be used to build up your savings and investments. As well, look hard to find things you pay a monthly bill for that you could live without. Anytime you reduce your living expenses it's just like making more money that month. Do you already bring your lunch to work every day? Sandwiches are fairly cheap and can save quite a bit. For dinner, if you plan out what you'll be eating that week, make a list, and stick to it the grocery bill comes down a bit. ect... There are threads on this site that can help you spot opportunities to spend less.

ChoochCharlie, it's not easy but it is rewarding and IMHO, worth it. There's nothing quite like accomplishing the steps necessary to achieve your dreams.

I'd recommend you and your wife discuss goals and time-lines and come to an agreement. Don't hesitate to pray over it. Once you agree on that, do a lot of praying for strength, guidance, wisdom, love, and generosity in your life. It's my belief that God wants us to prosper and he'll help if asked. (He sure helped us.) Stay focused on the goals. And make sure you can track your goals, celebrating with your family as each one is accomplished. (Hope I don't sound too preachy there, but I know asking a higher power for help worked for me and mine.)

If there's any other information you're looking for just let me know. I'd love help in any way I can.

[mangyhyena]

Looking at my post I realized it's long and a bit preachy. Sorry for that.

What I posted is nothing new, really. Much of it is in Dave Ramsey's book, Total Money Makeover.

And others have already accomplished what I'm trying to do, so they would be the resident experts I would think. Sorry if I came across as a know-it-all. Getting out of debt and saving to accomplish a dream gets me excited and apparently---long-winded.

[ChoochCharlie]

Great info. Thank you.
Best advice, definitely prayer. I agree.

[gypho]

Getting three people to agree on anything is a rarity these days........ but add me to that list (of prayer-agreement), ya'll.

gypho