[SP] Cold Hard Cash

[wolfy]

Tips and tricks from the trenches please.
Business, careers etc

Ideas and thoughts on cash.

 

[Halla74]

Cash flow is inherent to personal success and the success of a business.

Never turn down work that pays in cash.

Conserve your cash by instituting an impulse control mechanism, such as waiting one week before buying something that you think you must have.

Also, be resourceful, identify ways to accomplish your objectives with what you have to work with. Buy only what you need to complete the task at hand.

 

[wolfy]

Nice tips, Halla.

Also remember...
Prostitute Marketing Rule No. 1
You are selling yourself.

 

[Halla74]

Nice tips, Halla.

Also remember...
Prostitute Marketing Rule No. 1
You are selling yourself.

Thanks, Brother Wolfy!

I was not aware of Rule #1, and will add it to the next edition of "The Pimps Handbook."

 

[Poki]

I am working on Rule #1. My strength seems not to be what I know, but that I will figure out anything you need me to. Its not what I know, but how quickly I can get up to speed and get pretty much anything done.

Job interviews focus on what you know so I hate interviews.

 

[simulatedworld]

Job interviews focus on what you know so I hate interviews.

Job interviews and the corporate world in general are so Si-biased!

As for money, I don't know. I suck with money and I hate dealing with it, so I'm not a good person to ask.

 

[Bamboo]

I love money.

Skip to the bottom if you just want quick tips.....


I was going to write in the "ISTP's at 20" thread, but vBulletin ate it. Really my post was mostly about cash anyway, so here it is.

I had a crap job hauling junk (working for the man) that paid 8/hr. I took stuff from jobs (like tv's, electronics, furniture) and sold it on the side. I nearly doubled my pay some weeks doing that. My coworkers thought I was a fool. I thought they were, when they tossed tv's worth 2 day's paychecks into the dump.

I got fired, thank god.

That gave me room to expand my handyman business, where immediately after getting fired (I had a few clients already) I was making 2-3 times as much doing work that was much less strenuous, more satisfying, without the annoying coworkers. Cash payment mostly, too. After some time, I was making up to 5 times as much a day as before.

My record for earnings is ~$860 in a week. I don't know (personally) any 20 year olds making that. That's maybe 3 weeks to a month of my old job, with less strain and pain.

Consider that 8 or so months ago I had a bike and 300 bucks in my bank account. It's just a start.

I also like to save cash where I can.

At first I wanted a flashy car . But instead, I went with cheap and practical. 1991 Honda Accord. 120k mileage, and these cars are known for lasting a good long time. Only car from that era I still see frequently out on the street. Additionally, they hold value (I've seen the same cars with higher mileage on craigslist selling for more/at where I bought it). Finally, this car (1990-93) was the best selling car in the US for those years - scrap yards are basically giving away parts.

I do my own work, and that saves alot and makes a big difference in how it runs. Runs a lot better than when I started.

I have:
- replaced the driveaxles (both sides)
- the exhaust (downpipe and muffler asbly.)
- assorted bushings
- changed the oil (duh)
- trans fluid
- removed the peeling purple tint
- flushed the radiator
- changed the timing and balancer belts
- changed the water pump
- probably some more

That saved me around $12-1500, boosts resale value, and leaves cash for body work and a fresh paintjob, and better sound system which will make this car look nice.

I might flip a car or two to make a few grand. I volunteer at Habitat for Humanity - I pick up new skills, and offer new services to my clients will net me better pay. Eventually, I want to flip a house and make some more big cash. Maybe go into real estate.

Quick tips/recap
If you want cash,

- Be resourceful. Search for opportunities. You might have to go against the grain.
- Understand opportunity cost. Time spent doing one thing gets in the way of you using that time for something else. If you have better opportunities, take advantage.
- Get a cheap car that's reliable. Invest into important parts and service, THEN into the extras, like paintjobs or stereos.

Remember:
- Something that may have been your best at some point will become just another stepping stone. Keep moving up.

 

[Bamboo]

And listen to this song on repeat:

YouTube - Jay-Z - My 1st Song

Jay-Z - My 1st Song



[Notorious B.I.G. interview]
I'm just, tryin to stay above water y'know
Just stay busy, stay workin
Puff told me like, the key to this joint
The key to staying, on top of things
is treat everything like it's your first project, knahmsayin?
Like it's your first day like back when you was an intern
Like, that's how you try to treat things like, just stay hungry

.....


Had to play with fire and get burned
Only way the boy ever gon' learn
Had to lay way in the cut, 'til I finally got my turn
Now I'm on top in the spot that I earned

[Chorus]
It's my life - it's my pain and my struggle
The song that I sing to you it's my ev-ery-thing
Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first
And my thirst is the same as - when I came
It's my joy and my tears and the laughter it brings to me
It's my ev-ery-thing
....

When you think back, you thought that
you would never make it this far, then you
take advantage of the luck you handed
Or the talent, you been given
Ain't no, half steppin, ain't no, no slippin
Ain't no different from a block that's hidden
Gotta get it while the getting's good
Gotta strike while the iron's hot, 'fore you stop
Then you gotta bid it, good riddance

...

 

[une_autre]

Recently, having found myself on a tight budget (aka "supporting myself") I learned a very important thing.
You don't need half of the crap you think you need.

 

[Athenian200]

Recently, having found myself on a tight budget (aka "supporting myself") I learned a very important thing.
You don't need half of the crap you think you need.

+1

One of the best ways to make money is to find ways to stop spending it.

Here are some examples of things you can do if you get really strapped:

1. Use the Internet via your laptop's Wi-Fi at an Internet Cafe or similar Hotspot, or schedule a block of time during the week when you plan to use a library's computer, rather than paying a monthy access fee. Also consider using NetZero free dial-up, or the cheapest ISP available, if those are not options.

2. Ditch your landline, and your cellphone plan if you're paying very much, switch to prepaid phone cards (or the cheapest voice plan your provider offers). Keep all conversations short and business-like, under 5-10 minutes, absolutely NO long conversations. Save extended communications for snail mail, e-mail, or in-person. If you find yourself having to wait on hold, use the phone at a friend's house for that rather than wasting your minutes.

3. Stick to cheap foods like rice, peanut butter, oatmeal, homemade bread, and jelly. Drink only filtered water, or tap water if you feel bold. You can eat very cheaply if you just refuse to waste money.

4. Don't feel like you need to populate your home with decorations and furniture. All you need is a chair, a bed, an alarm clock, a trash can, pans/silverware, a table, and a lamp at most. That's it. You only need the cheapest ones, and can even use makeshift versions.

5. Sell or throw away anything you can't find an immediate use for. Don't waste time and money toting around things you don't need. If possible, convert all your paper documents that you're not legally required to hold the original of into electronic form via scanning, create several backups, then recycle the paper. You'll save a lot of space that way.

6. Don't buy name-brand clothing, and don't buy anything flashier or more expensive than you need to look presentable.

7. You don't need a home washing machine and dryer, there's always the laundromat, or just a sink/washbasin and clothesline.

8. Same goes for dishes, you don't need a washing machine, you can wash them in the sink with dish soap, sponges, and steel wool.

9. If you live in an area with a reasonable mass-transit system, or usable bike paths that get you where you're going, you don't need a car. You may need one, though. If you do need one, make sure you have a fuel-efficient compact car, preferably made by Toyota or Honda, particularly a Corolla or Civic, because these reduce fuel costs and are cheap/easy to maintain.

10. Live with a roommate (or several) if possible, in order to cut your share of the rent. It means you may have to compromise on some of these policies if your roommate is spoiled to convienence, but it also means they'll pay for some of the cost to balance it out. Privacy is not cheap, so if you can learn to do without it, then do so. If you aren't in a position to get a roommate, then make sure to rent the smallest space available, and don't pay extra for a nice place. All it really needs to be is a place to store stuff and sleep safely, you can spend the rest of your day in libraries, walking around, at a gym, or in other places.

11. Don't use your A/C or Heat if you can help it. Tolerate discomfort, only turn them on if you're going to be in medical danger otherwise. Even then, only turn them up/down to the temperature you need to be safe, not comfortable. They create huge electric bills.

Well, those are my tips on saving money for anyone who wants them. Good luck!

 

[warm8]

all I know about money is that money talks and all it says to me is goodbye.

 

[Frank]

make sure other peoples efforts are contributing to your bottom line. you can only earn so much yourself.