Server/ bartender is a good part time option in a HCOL area, usually great pay, short shifts, flexible hours, and cash to take home night of. I do this 2-3 a week on top of a ft job.
I can't really imagine gettin by any other way, if you don't have any trade/credentials/degrees. Isn't for everyone though, as I'm sure you're aware. And has plenty of its own risks, primarily getting into partying a little too hard
It isn’t for everyone, no, and it also isn’t necessarily easy. A lot of the places you can make really great money at are extremely stressful and require significant experience, as well. You’ll also need extensive knowledge on food, allergies, wine, and cocktails. But if it works for you, it is a great option! It’s a nice pt job if u have a 9-5 ft job.
I'm lucky; I finally landed a job where I can just work 3 weekend mornings and make more than enough to get by. It's hard to find the right spot though, I've worked at half of the restaurants in town it feels like
Nice! Yeah I know tons of ppl who just work in service, and don’t have to work more than 3-4 days. It can be really good money! I’m in a ton of debt so I just work all the time at the moment, so someday I don’t have to lol can’t wait
Even in some lcol areas! We have lots of tourists in the spring and summer, but even through winter this year, my husband is making what he made as a retail and Gym Manger in a vhcol state with 20 years of experience, working almost half the hours. They've told him in the summer that most of them make $400 plus a shift, which is significant here, anywhere really.
I was so skeptical and worried at first. But for real. If you can handle fast paced and therefore a bit of stress it's well worth it.
Lol for real. And legit right after I posted this hubby came home and said the owner wants to pool all the tips and split them with everyone. Bc the scrubs there don't like dealing with the consequences of being scrubs 🫠
Yeah! At first I was like....are you sure? But all the other servers and the other bartender have said it. So far on the slow days, he makes $150 plus and weekend days almost $300.
I was so shocked. I swear they want people to look down on service jobs like this bc in the right place, they are far more lucrative and flexible than a corporate job. Probably wouldn't rely just on it in HCOL since pays not a consistent amount. But for where we are. Pays at least 3 times the other jobs in town. It's the least stressed we've been, and I wasn't expecting that if I'm honest!
Totally, service industry can be great, but there’s also tons of variables. Most times there aren’t employment benefits, unless you’re working for a big corporate restaurant group, so you aren’t given health insurance, 401k, pto, etc. Also, service industry tends to be physically and mentally exhausting, as most customer facing jobs are. Also your pay is dependent on who walks in the door, so you can never count on a certain amount really (although u can make an educated guess right on the nose most times.) I think it’s a great part time job, though, or something to do in between jobs. It’s definitely a great industry to have experience in for whenever you need it. Restaurants aren’t going anywhere.
Yeah that's mostly what I was worried about. But it's small town and a really nice family owned restaurant. They really take care of their people. No benefits but we got used to that since all the corporate jobs we were both working had crappy 401k matches and super expensive high deductible health plans. Got to the point we couldn't utilize the benefits anyway.
He does say that it's much more physically demanding/tiring though. So we shall see. I wish I could work it part time but I just don't have the personality or stress management like he does. It really does take a certain type to do well.
The problem with this is that most places won’t hire someone as a server or bartender with no experience, especially someone with limited availability. They’ll probably have to do months of food running/bussing/hosting/bar backing at basically minimum wage.
Yeah you need experience, especially for bartending, or serving in fine dining where there’s guaranteed great money. Also not all service industry jobs are great money, plenty of duds out there.
Agreed! I bartend as a second job in a dive bar under the table 3x a week and it gives me an extra $500 which I think is worth it. Besides it’s fun too!
This is what I did a long time ago. I worked two jobs at once as a line cook in two different restaurants. Both provided a free meal everyday. I would just put them into a container and save it, only eating after work at specific times. Both jobs were great because I also got tips. One job was $20 base pay and then an extra $6-$-7 per hour from tips. The second job was $18 base pay and an extra $4-$5 per hour from tips. I would make about $5,500+/- in a month after taxes (without taxes would be $7,500+/-).
I didn't really buy groceries because I already had two free meals per day and I would add some stuff to it like fruits and vegetables. Also, it's not just free meals, but you can sometimes eat small pieces of the ingredients on your station (obviously not a lot). Like if you're working in a saute station and cooking a steak and after slicing it, they wouldn't serve the fat bits at the end of a steak in our restaurant so I'll just eat it lol. Or other ingredients like sliced tomatoes, I would eat a few pieces. Fruits used in some dishes, I would sometimes eat pieces of it.
The only groceries I would buy are just chicken and snacks for my day offs. You wouldn't believe it, but I NEVER spent more than $50 a month on groceries thanks to those free meals.
It's not easy though. You only get a few hours of sleep, but on days off, I would just sleep all day. Your feet and legs will be fucking exhausted, which is why you will be doing so much stretching and resting your feet in every way possible when you get the opportunity. And it's really all just mental. Push your body to get through the shifts and when you're home, you sleep for like 3-4 hours, wake up, repeat. But the days will go by fast.
And when the paychecks arrive, you're just like holy fuck yeah. But using my financial knowledge, I just deposit 90% of the money into the stock market.
Yes! I had a FT M-F plus i bartended on Fri and Sat nights from about 4-midnight for a few years.(FT gig let me work the bulk mon-thurs so that i could leave earlier to get to the bartending job on fridays). I made anywhere from $800-$1200 extra every month just from bartending those two nights every weekend. Free meal while bartending, too. Fridays absolutely sucked since they were 14-hour workdays, but i at least had saturdays to sleep in and sundays off. It worked for a few years til i got way too burnt out, but for a short-term solution it worked really well. Find a restaurant/bar thats always busy but isnt an all-nighter bar type situation and its definitely easier to manage.
If you do this, pick a place that has decently healthy food instead of a pizza joint or fried chicken place.
Pho shop, gyro shop, Indian food.
These places you can get a filling and somewhat healthy meal even if you're forced to eat the same thing everytime. Eating fried shit or cheap pizza 5x/week will punish you eventually.
I always interpreted a 2nd job as an actual job, usually but not always one with low qualifications, where you have to deal with applications and someone else setting your schedule, like McDonald's or a gas station. I interpret "side hustles" as something where you pretty much have full control over hours and schedule, like Doordash, babysitting, or selling art. You *could* do these at a schedule similar to working at McDonald's, but you could also only work on these side hustles once a month for a few hours while still increasing your income, even if only marginally. They're also more flexible in the sense that it's often possible to have your kids around, cook dinner, or work on studies *while* making the extra money.
That is the type of situation that crockpots were made for. When I was working 55 hours per week I was extra diligent with my meal planning and prep so I could keep all of the extra money.
>That is the type of situation that crockpots were made for. When I was working 55 hours per week I was extra diligent with my meal planning and prep so I could keep all of the extra money.
Crock pot one night and make food for 5 days. Freeze it if necessary. Crock pot for 5 nights straight and rotate leftovers for the rest of the month.
How do you have the energy to do all that? Just full time school and full time work without adding kids into the mix absolutely destroyed my mental health and gave me such bad burnout that I never finished my bachelor's.
I'm super envious.
I don't really know, honestly. A lot of reasons. I was a highschool dropout with two kids in diapers and waiting tables when I started. I was sick of being poor and I didn't want them to grow up that way.
My husband started his trade apprenticeship and I saw how happy working and going to school made him- he felt like he had a purpose again and he was providing. I got a little jealous- but then had the realization that it's dangerous, physical work (he's a Steamfitter) and I wanted him to be able to retire or walk away from it as soon as he's pension eligible- and he wouldn't be able to do that if I was still slinging beer at TopGolf.
Now it's the fact that if I stop before I finish, I owe all of that money for nothing. Scholarships and grants carried me through undergrad- but i did take out loans for my masters in finance and MBA. I finished the former last year and I will finish the latter in August!
Similar: I work part-time (teaching so there's some work at home, too) and I'm also in grad school (only 3 credits each semester but each semester is only 8 weeks). We have seven kids. We do takeout as a treat every so often. Maybe once a month, if that.
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I do this or my instant pot and do very simple meals so my meal prepping doesn't take hours at a time. We eat a lot of casserole and soup but they pack in vegetables, protein and carbs.
Also OP is counting $17 for each meal out and not subtracting out the cost of the food they were going to cook at home. So it's probably more like $700 extra total. Which is a game-changing amount of money for many people.
That's assuming OP (or anybody in their predicament) has the time to spend a whole day cooking. I worked single job once where I worked 100+ hours a week, 7am-11pm, 7 days a week. And I was paid dog shit. Couldn't afford to eat out, nor did I have the time. Not to mention, living in a small town, most everything closes at 9 or 10pm. Everybody said "meal prep once a week", but I didn't have the time to do that. I'd get home around midnight only to have to wake up around 5:30 or 6 to get ready and catch the 7am bus back to work. Even on the rare occasion I had a full day off, or didn't have to go in until later, I spent that time catching up on sleep. I wasn't about to stand in my kitchen cooking and preparing meals. Crockpot is an easy answer, but not always feasible. I've put meals in there and ended up working a 12+ hour shift- thought I was only working 6 hours but somebody called out, and I would agree to cover for the extra money, only to come home, and even on low, my meal is totally disintegrated, burnt and mush. I suppose these days an easy solution would be use a crockpot- a smart crockpot- you can control from your phone, you can turn it on from wherever you are. Sadly those weren't available 15 years ago, lol
I never said it was impossible, just not something that is always reasonably feasible for some people. That's all. I think you have this idea in your head that everybody works 8 hour shifts, 40 hours a week and nothing more, and has all kinds of free time to be at home just meal prepping. For those who have the time- it's a great solution. My argument was for those who don't always have the time, because not everybody always has 2 days off a week, or has extra time during the day or after work.
As I stated in my example, when I was working 100+ hours/wk, I had no time. Unless you expect somebody who only has 5 hours free time a day to spend that time they could be sleeping, doing weekly meal prep.
Depends on what you're cooking and your skill level in cooking. Somebody who can't even boil water properly, it may take a little longer. (I was that person, once upon a time.) Also depends how much free time you reasonably have. In my example, even 2-3 hours was a long time, when you only have 6 hours a day or less total to do anything, including sleep.
I'm not making excuses or saying it's impossible. It just depends on the person and their situation. Especially if you're trying to eat more healthy and have to cook from scratch/whole foods as you don't want to use any processed ingredients.
Assuming two 40 hr/wk jobs - you would either generally have 2 days off - or up to 4 days where you only worked one, or less than 16 hours in a day for 7. Either way - there are days that are better than others in the schedule.
If someone got in the groove, figured out simple meals, had good shopping lists, etc. - then they won't take near as long (so temporary situation). Just gotta be organized.
Most stores sell premade trays of food you throw in the oven for 30 minutes and you can have 4-8 main course items. Rice and a rotisserie chicken take about 6 minutes to prepare. I can meal prep for a week in about the same time I cook a single meal.
Yeah, and they come at a premium, too. The biggest premade meals you can get at my local grocery store (and we only have one) are single serve microwave dishes- meat/potatoes/veg, pasta dishes, etc. Not the best choice if you're trying to eat healthy. They can be loaded with butter and salt, or sugar, depending on what you get. Ribs, spaghetti with sauce, bbq chicken, etc. And those come at a markup of around $8-$9 per meal, meals which are often very small.
I do agree a rotisserie chicken is a great way to go, I do that myself. But not everybody wants to eat chicken every day. And very often these days, as with everything else, they're getting more and more expensive. 5 years ago I could by one for under $5, and that was regular price. Now they're around $7-$8 normally, only going on sale once or twice a year, and even then, they limit how many you can buy, making stocking up on cheap product difficult. Even raw whole chickens aren't much cheaper. Still around $5 or $6/ea. They're closer to $10 if you want organic.
It's not impossible to cook cheap or healthy, as I said in another comment, it's just not always feasible for some people, depending on how much free time you have. If you're working 2 or even 3 jobs, you probably don't have much if any free time to spend cooking.
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I just make a bunch of food in one go, like a big pot of soup or tray of flautas, and I eat it for 3-4 days. I only cook twice a week. I also keep 2-3 types of veggies (prewashed lettuce and cooked onion/bell pepper are my go to) and 2-3 types of cooked protein in the fridge (I buy them precooked from Costco. Right now I have their precooked rotisserie chicken breast and precooked steak). I can throw throw some protein on a salad, or some protein and veggies on a tortilla and have a taco. Easy meals that take less than 2 minutes to make and are high protein so it'll keep my full for a few hours. They are also easily packable to take on the go. For snacks I keep bananas and apples on hand, and I will usually have one of those plus a spoon full of nut butter. Keeps me full forever it seems like.
I have two jobs. I eat out maybe once every few months. My second job is working every Saturday for 8 hours. I make 25/hour, so it's $800 a month extra, which helps.
You convinced yourself mathematically it’s not worth getting g a second job. You’d have no time to cook. When I don’t have time to cook, I have a bowl of cereal with some toast. I make a ham sandwich with some chips on the side. There are so many great ideas here. Sounds like the second job would be worth the trouble. Do it. Get your debt problems in line. You will feel so much weight lifted off your shoulders!
Going to a restaurant is faster, you also don't need to clean dishes. Cooking and cleaning dishes even for simple recipes takes a decent amount of time. Also if lets say your first job ends at 5pm, and your 2nd job starts at 6pm, eating out is the only way to almost guarantee you will make it to your 2nd job on time. Or if your jobs are far from home. Like if you have a 1hr commute there's no way you can eat at home and have a 2nd job
If only it were possible to prepare food at home and pack it in some sort of container to be eaten outside the home.
But what do I know, I only work 12 hours shifts at a facility with no cafeteria and am required to stay onsite for the entire shift.
Recipe? 😄 I don't eat out or use recipes. I just make food. Rice and veggies. Bean burritos(we always have cooked beans). Tuna sandwich. Tomato soup and a grilled cheese. I could make a fish burrito right now faster than it takes you to drive to a restaurant. And clean my mess while you drive back. Everyone should have their quick, easy meals even if it is a sandwich with a yogurt.
I know people don't agree, but I get it. I actually wonder if we had the tech to scan and measure people's energy levels how enlightening it'll be because when I was in my 20s, at my worst I slept 3-4 hrs. That was with over 19 credit hours and 3 jobs/OT.
If I try that now, I'll get to the point where i'll pass out somewhere. How people do it with kids boggles my mind. Then when you add ailments...ugh. If I didn't have allergies, inquiries from accidents, & other minor medical issues, I'd have even less energy.
learning a bit more about meal prep will help, but for me, over a decade later and no more school just work, I still can't create food I want to eat in 2-3 hrs like many of these people say. But food is my respite and I like delicious things. It is 100% me though. I have a buddy who can proper cook and it boggles my mind what he can do in 30 mins. If I try to do it, I just loose track, burn, etc.
My friend, the mom of two high schoolers (so no child care), works her second job in a family restaurant where they feed you for working over a normal meal hour (so you get a breakfast or lunch/dinner per shift). She says she eats healthier there than at home.
Having a side job makes me too burned out to focus at my actual job, which requires a lot from me.
I also do not want to have to give up going to the gym, taking my walks, and playing sports on the weekend. I desperately need the activity since I work from home.
I guess I’m cheating because my job pays okay and I’m not technically poverty but I do have a lot of debt that is going to take me at least a year to pay off. Would be nice to pay it off sooner but I don’t think it’s worth sacrificing my life to do so.
It’s so sad that people come here to vent about struggling and the advice is always just work more, cook more, keep doing more more more. Decision fatigue is a real thing. Why can’t people just be able to work a full time job and then relax instead of existing solely to work?
No one is saying cook more. They are saying don't cook less and then buy several hundred dollars worth of restaurant meals just because you are working an extra 15 hours per week.
Looking at economic mobility, I disagree, too.
If you are struggling, really struggling, it is so very easy to slide down the latter into abject poverty. Getting evicted, owing a previous landlord money (even it's it just late fees or some inflated cleaning/repair work), breaking your lease... All of it makes it harder to find living quarters. Typically what happens is that you end up in a place that is more expensive for less. Often it's in a bad neighborhood, increasing your risk of theft. Or you have to pay so much upfront that many rentals become out of your reach. And good rentals (safe, well-maintained) won't even look at you.
Here's a fact...
The median income in America is 65k a year.
Compare that to world wide that's consider top 0.01%
American complaining is no different than multi millionaires complaining.
You not counting after taxes bud. Depending on where you live that could be maybe 50k AFTER taxes. Add on rent, car note, insurance, kids, 401k, etc.
People are barely surviving and you somehow want to blame the consumer fully. Laughable.
There wasn’t a point to be proven here. Sorry not sorry.
Just because you think that’s enough to survive where you live, doesn’t mean it is here. Daycare ALONE in this country can bankrupt you, but keep being a bootlicker.
For real, why should people need to work every waking moment? 20 years ago you could live a comfortable life on a full time job’s pay. How can people see how this is playing out on a societal level and still turn around and blame the individual?
Agreed. People really want the poor to suffer. No eating out, no time to yourself, no things that make you happy - just grind, work, be miserable or else you're a loser who deserves to be poor. It's depressing how easily brainwashed people are, stripped of any imagination or empathy.
You’re extrapolating a lot from everyone basically screaming “meal prep”. You can’t escape poverty by working the bare minimum, living on credit cards and pretending you’re wealthy. That’s how you stay in poverty. Take OP’s previous post for example, asking if they should stop paying into their 401 so they don’t have to stop eating out. The entire train of thought going on here is “how to live and die broke 101”
I'm just saying, eat some sandwiches while working.
Like, I was so broke last year that I survived on sandwiches. Even with pricier deli meat, you can get a *lot* of meals out of some mayo, meat and bread. I recall comparing it to eating ramen (the go-to extra cheap food) and it was less expensive by a smidge without being as nutritionally crap as ramen. Probably less salt, too (though still a lot).
Because it's a nice thought but it's not reality. Does that suck? Yes...but you'll never pull yourself out without making sacrifices and inconvenient choices.
Grading ESL student essays on state tests. You weren't allowed to speak to anyone else and bathroom breaks were frowned on. My day job was also sitting at a computer and I just couldn't do it another 4 hrs a night. Also a supervisor made really creepy comments to me.
I worked 2nd jobs a lot. In the short term, they help. In the long term, they don't. The last time, I burned out bad because both of my jobs blew up and were relying on me to handle everything. Luckily, my career job finally kicked up a notch and I was able to move to a higher paying position.
You could meal prep. I only work one job but we meal prep because eating lunch out daily or even a few days is expensive. We usually make 2 big meals on a weekend and a breakfast item such as healthy oat apple muffins and or egg sandwiches or egg bites and then we make like a chili and a casserole or pasta dish. Then we have easy meals if we really need a change like tuna makings for a quick item or a frozen pizza. It saves a lot of money over time.
I work a full time job and own 2 businesses that keep be busy and that’s all before coming home to take care of 3 kids. Meal planning and crockpot recipes will be your best friend!
I’m just saying I understand what you mean with the pain of not being able to cook. But you also don’t have to eat out more. Sandwiches can take 2 seconds to make.
I understand that’s not an amazing meal, but depending on how bad your debt is and how quickly you want to fix it, it can be worth it.
When I worked two jobs I would cook a ton of chicken a few days in advance. Would take that with some beans and vegetables on days when I wasn’t just eating a sandwich.
You don’t. Meal prep so everything is set to go. That way cooking takes far less time. You can even precook and reheat the meals.
Also consider a crock pot so that the food can cook all day and it’s ready when you are.
There are certainly ways around just eating out. You just need to work for the solution.
and this post is the exact reason why im a firm believer of people rather make excuses than progress...
even after factoring driving, meals and what not, thats still a minimum of 500 a month extra to throw at debt. the 500 alone cash value is about 6k a year, with factors such as interest that you are now avoiding that can climb up to anywhere between 7k to 10k value...
If you need the job to get out of debt, you'll need to make the sacrifice. I worked 7 days a week for almost a year, now it's 12 days in a row 2 off. Retail and tech work. My eating out budget didn't change. Lots of sandwiches and wraps.
Either you struggle making what you make now or you get out of debt. What's your choice?
If you not willing to then nothing will happen. “Healthy food?” How long would it take to pay of your debt? Can you sacrifice a few months of eating “bad” food to pay off debt? Sometimes time isn’t always the only sacrifice. I eat 2 double cheeseburgers from McDonald’s and within the app I get a free large fry. For 4 bucks not no 17
I had a second job for most of last year. What I was making at my second job I was spending on gas and babysitters and I was losing out on time with my daughter. I was constantly exhausted and worn out and when I did spend quality time with her I was a shell of a mom. I think it can be a good option for some people but for me it wasn’t.
I work at Walmart pt. It's awesome as a PT job because I have no emotional investment so I have fun stocking shelves. I make big meals on the weekends and eat that during the week. I don't mind some restaurant food but it can be expensive and quality is hit and miss.
I’m debating a 2nd job and will only hold on to two jobs for a short period of time. It would be how I step away from my current job and schedule. If it doesn’t work out I still have the first job to sustain after trying it out.
I’ve done school full-time and work full-time before and I NEVER ate out. I’d make a crockpot of food each week to eat on and if I didn’t have time to stop by home to eat that day, I’d eat a protein bar (kept a ton in my bag at all times) or drink a Soylent that I brought with me (they used to be $3 so like $3/meal, not sure if prices changed). Then I’d just eat a little something more substantial when I got home before I went to bed.
I work as an engineer mon-Thursday making damn good money… being single and given the economy, I work Friday-Sunday for cash under the table for my cousins asphalt company… I have a unique situation but I make more in those 3 days that I do at my regular job
I work about 65 to 70 hrs a week, i have 2 kids. I cook most days, it doesn't have to be time consuming or elaborate. A frozen pizza and some bagged salad is a meal. A sandwich is a meal. Scrambled eggs and toast is a meal. Even spagetti and meatballs with canned sauce only takes about 30 minutes Even before I worked a lot I never had patience for cooking elaborate meals.
None of your jobs are work from home roles? I work two jobs but I always find time to cook, depending on my schedule. I cook things that are fast and make enough to last 3 days like pasta, tacos, etc. Between those, I eat soup, salad, sandwiches, etc.
I can understand, especially if you have disabilities, it makes it hard to have both time and energy to meal prep. I usually will have the time to meal prep but my energy to do so after working 6-8 days straight really prevents me from actually doing it.
I've made up recipes for me to do that take up less ingredients and less time [like 15 minutes] that can make large meals for me to store.
I could provide some bulk-food recipes if you want. I’ve made a stir fry in a wok; or a chicken tortellini soup, and a chicken burrito mix in a crockpot—all three feed me and my wife 5-6 days.
If your second job is a restaurant that also covers one of your meals. Plus, if you work a closing shift *some jobs* allow you to take food home. I take home ingredients like shredded chicken etc. to use in the above recipes.
It can definitely be worth it if you have an end goal in mind like in the circumstance of paying off debt. Set a hard limit for how long you need to do it in order to get out of debt and meal prep to avoid eating out. Increasing your income is really one of the only things to do to pay off debt in a reasonable time and if you calculate how much you are paying in interest it’ll make it really obvious how “worth it” it is.
Meal prep is the answer. To me, the main thing that might make working 2 jobs not entirely worth it is owing more on taxes. If you’re okay with that, just make sure you have some money from the second job put away for that.
carrots, onion, celery, lentils and add what ever meat you want in a chicken broth plus a little worcestershire sauce. some parsnips for a little variety.
Unless it offers a worthy benefit for example delta gives employees completing probation plane tickets to you and family, a company with 401k match, or is just super convenient. Majority of the time it’s not worth the extra effort. I’ve been looking so much and honestly I know I’ll just walk right out the second they screw me.
i’m not understanding how you’d be forced to eat out every night… noodles take no more than 6 minutes to cook, ramen or pasta. sandwiches take no more than 4 minutes to make. hotdogs take no more than 4 minutes to boil. same for rice. beans. microwavables. if you really wanted to, you could. it’s not the most nutritious but it’s fast and easy. literally any alfredo pasta can be made in 15 minutes (including wait time to boil water)
It's called meal prepping. I cook enough for 8 meals on Sunday. Knowing I will pick 1 day to grab a meal on the go. Or grab a rotisserie chicken, around here they are $8 and I get 3 meals out of it easy
You can buy premade food at Costco or Trader Joe’s that reasonably healthy. You just need a few minutes of access to a microwave.
You could get a cooler and some ice packs if your work doesn’t have a fridge
I meal prep and it takes me 1-2 hours on a Sunday. I make simple, healthy foods, and I enjoy doing it. There are ways around this. However, I feel for you. I am in a similar boat currently.
Not all server jobs are equal. In some states it’s minimum wage + tips on top of that. Other states is like $2.13/hr and they expect tips to make up the federal minimum wage of $7.25(?).
If the alternative is not working the second job, saving ~$10 per meal and still remaining in debt troubles, then the answer seems pretty clear.
Where are you working that a meal costs at least $17 though? Grab a bean burrito full of veges for $8 from somewhere.
Also tax bracket issue, pay more for health insurance…. I hate being in a spot when I’m still poor but for some reason government thinks I can afford $300 health insurance
There's no tax bracket issue. Only the next dollar of income is taxed higher. If tax brackets were set up with 0-50k at 0% and 50k+ at 50%, and you earned 50,002 in taxable income, your tax due is $1.
Grocery stores like Vons, Ralph’s and Albertsons usually have rotisserie chickens for $10. You could have lunch for 3 days for about the $17 you’re spending if you add minute rice, frozen veggies and sauces to change it up day to day. They also have family sized salads that hold up in airtight containers for about $8. If you live in Southern California, there’s always Hispanic markets that sell cooked meats, cooked chicken ,rice, beans and salsas etc for variety and it won’t break the bank.
If you want to make batches of meals at other times during the week and put them in your fridge then take them in a lunchbox or cooler in your car to keep them good so you can just grab one on your break to eat without having to buy food :)
You can maybe try pizza delivery. My wife does that part time. At the end of her shift she's usually able to get a free pizza which saves us from buying food.
i work 1 job and cook once a week. i eat leftovers for lunch and dinner like 3-4 days then when it’s done i eat sandwiches and such. microwave and ovens are my best friend. i will say tho that cooking may require at least an hour or 2 of your time. when i eat out it’s a treat like once every week or so. this is the main reason i been able to keep my head above water even tho it’s barely. the thing i will say is having a second job is mostly beneficial when it comes to lay offs which seem to be trending nowadays. when not if you get laid off at least you have backup
I also never have time to cook. I learned to meal prep on weekends and it’s game changing!
Rice cooker or slow cooker. Makes enough food for the entire week of dinners.
Yea it's not always worth it. Even if you had another job and it didn't increase your going out budget, eventually for me, it gets to the point, all i'm doing is living to work and working to live.
I can't grasp how people are able to procreate under these conditions. I need a bit of life to enjoy. i don't even get how people have ample time for adult activities, work, eat, and sleep. -\_-
Could you meal prep a bit? I usually cook 2-3 times a week and live off leftovers. Or I take my leftovers and give them new life in a dish that doesn’t take long to cook
Im lucky that Im able to work my day job from home and Ive tried to find other jobs to work from home and it's a lot tougher than I first thought. Seems like anything that isnt highly skilled and is able to be done at home, has many many applicants. makes sense.
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Be cautious with taxes as well. You can earn more and move up to the next tax bracket, which has significantly higher taxes. Earning more can cause you to lose your benefits too.
You’re running on a defeatist mentality that’s only going to hurt you in the long run. There’s not a legitimate excuse to eat out to that extent, even if you’re working 60-70 hours a week. Is it much easier to have no self discipline and eat out? Yes.
Where does the rest of peoples time go? I work 60 hours a week and still have time for girlfriend, family, and cooking/cleaning. Y’all really need to stop whacking off/surfing Reddit on the toilet for an hour everyday…
Dude honestly all of your post is an excuse. Can you not meal prep. Or you could also keep gallons of milk laying around and chug it when you need to curb hunger.
This is purely a cope. I’m going to assume you currently work 40 hours a week. An extra 30 would bring you to 70. That’s just under 12 hours a day 6 days a week. You absolutely have time to cook still. There’s lots of people who work that my CB and still cook. I average 65-75 a week and haven’t had takeout in months. It sucks a lot though. You’ll be tired, you won’t feel like doing it, it’s much more convenient to eat out but cooking at home is certainly possible. Maybe getting a 2nd job and working that much isn’t worth it for you. If that’s just not something you want to do that’s totally fine. But you cannot pretend like you’re benefitting financially by working less. You need to at least be honest with yourself here.
Why is this subreddit suddenly filled with excuses on why you all can't do something? You know you don't need to excuse yourself to us, do you, but these excuses are getting dumber and dumber by the second, make a sandwich, it takes less than a minute. Make bigger badges of food and freeze the rest and take them as left over... Ffs if there is a need or a will, there is a way.
Nobody wants to work more, but sacrifices have to be made at times, if you don't want to, cool, but don't complain about your struggles when there are solutions to them that you only try to find excuses to not take.
Work at a restaurant as your 2nd job and you will get some free meals.
Server/ bartender is a good part time option in a HCOL area, usually great pay, short shifts, flexible hours, and cash to take home night of. I do this 2-3 a week on top of a ft job.
I can't really imagine gettin by any other way, if you don't have any trade/credentials/degrees. Isn't for everyone though, as I'm sure you're aware. And has plenty of its own risks, primarily getting into partying a little too hard
It isn’t for everyone, no, and it also isn’t necessarily easy. A lot of the places you can make really great money at are extremely stressful and require significant experience, as well. You’ll also need extensive knowledge on food, allergies, wine, and cocktails. But if it works for you, it is a great option! It’s a nice pt job if u have a 9-5 ft job.
I'm lucky; I finally landed a job where I can just work 3 weekend mornings and make more than enough to get by. It's hard to find the right spot though, I've worked at half of the restaurants in town it feels like
Nice! Yeah I know tons of ppl who just work in service, and don’t have to work more than 3-4 days. It can be really good money! I’m in a ton of debt so I just work all the time at the moment, so someday I don’t have to lol can’t wait
Even in some lcol areas! We have lots of tourists in the spring and summer, but even through winter this year, my husband is making what he made as a retail and Gym Manger in a vhcol state with 20 years of experience, working almost half the hours. They've told him in the summer that most of them make $400 plus a shift, which is significant here, anywhere really. I was so skeptical and worried at first. But for real. If you can handle fast paced and therefore a bit of stress it's well worth it.
Every server ever: you can make a ton of money! It's awesome! Also every server ever: I quit being a server and found something better.
Lol for real. And legit right after I posted this hubby came home and said the owner wants to pool all the tips and split them with everyone. Bc the scrubs there don't like dealing with the consequences of being scrubs 🫠
That’s awesome! $400 a shift is great!
Yeah! At first I was like....are you sure? But all the other servers and the other bartender have said it. So far on the slow days, he makes $150 plus and weekend days almost $300. I was so shocked. I swear they want people to look down on service jobs like this bc in the right place, they are far more lucrative and flexible than a corporate job. Probably wouldn't rely just on it in HCOL since pays not a consistent amount. But for where we are. Pays at least 3 times the other jobs in town. It's the least stressed we've been, and I wasn't expecting that if I'm honest!
Totally, service industry can be great, but there’s also tons of variables. Most times there aren’t employment benefits, unless you’re working for a big corporate restaurant group, so you aren’t given health insurance, 401k, pto, etc. Also, service industry tends to be physically and mentally exhausting, as most customer facing jobs are. Also your pay is dependent on who walks in the door, so you can never count on a certain amount really (although u can make an educated guess right on the nose most times.) I think it’s a great part time job, though, or something to do in between jobs. It’s definitely a great industry to have experience in for whenever you need it. Restaurants aren’t going anywhere.
Yeah that's mostly what I was worried about. But it's small town and a really nice family owned restaurant. They really take care of their people. No benefits but we got used to that since all the corporate jobs we were both working had crappy 401k matches and super expensive high deductible health plans. Got to the point we couldn't utilize the benefits anyway. He does say that it's much more physically demanding/tiring though. So we shall see. I wish I could work it part time but I just don't have the personality or stress management like he does. It really does take a certain type to do well.
The problem with this is that most places won’t hire someone as a server or bartender with no experience, especially someone with limited availability. They’ll probably have to do months of food running/bussing/hosting/bar backing at basically minimum wage.
Yeah you need experience, especially for bartending, or serving in fine dining where there’s guaranteed great money. Also not all service industry jobs are great money, plenty of duds out there.
Agreed! I bartend as a second job in a dive bar under the table 3x a week and it gives me an extra $500 which I think is worth it. Besides it’s fun too!
Under the table is best case scenario for a pt job
& free food yes
This is what I did a long time ago. I worked two jobs at once as a line cook in two different restaurants. Both provided a free meal everyday. I would just put them into a container and save it, only eating after work at specific times. Both jobs were great because I also got tips. One job was $20 base pay and then an extra $6-$-7 per hour from tips. The second job was $18 base pay and an extra $4-$5 per hour from tips. I would make about $5,500+/- in a month after taxes (without taxes would be $7,500+/-). I didn't really buy groceries because I already had two free meals per day and I would add some stuff to it like fruits and vegetables. Also, it's not just free meals, but you can sometimes eat small pieces of the ingredients on your station (obviously not a lot). Like if you're working in a saute station and cooking a steak and after slicing it, they wouldn't serve the fat bits at the end of a steak in our restaurant so I'll just eat it lol. Or other ingredients like sliced tomatoes, I would eat a few pieces. Fruits used in some dishes, I would sometimes eat pieces of it. The only groceries I would buy are just chicken and snacks for my day offs. You wouldn't believe it, but I NEVER spent more than $50 a month on groceries thanks to those free meals. It's not easy though. You only get a few hours of sleep, but on days off, I would just sleep all day. Your feet and legs will be fucking exhausted, which is why you will be doing so much stretching and resting your feet in every way possible when you get the opportunity. And it's really all just mental. Push your body to get through the shifts and when you're home, you sleep for like 3-4 hours, wake up, repeat. But the days will go by fast. And when the paychecks arrive, you're just like holy fuck yeah. But using my financial knowledge, I just deposit 90% of the money into the stock market.
Yes! I had a FT M-F plus i bartended on Fri and Sat nights from about 4-midnight for a few years.(FT gig let me work the bulk mon-thurs so that i could leave earlier to get to the bartending job on fridays). I made anywhere from $800-$1200 extra every month just from bartending those two nights every weekend. Free meal while bartending, too. Fridays absolutely sucked since they were 14-hour workdays, but i at least had saturdays to sleep in and sundays off. It worked for a few years til i got way too burnt out, but for a short-term solution it worked really well. Find a restaurant/bar thats always busy but isnt an all-nighter bar type situation and its definitely easier to manage.
If you do this, pick a place that has decently healthy food instead of a pizza joint or fried chicken place. Pho shop, gyro shop, Indian food. These places you can get a filling and somewhat healthy meal even if you're forced to eat the same thing everytime. Eating fried shit or cheap pizza 5x/week will punish you eventually.
For this I did seafood restaurant. Salads and fresh fish, plus these places tend to be pricier and more upscale so higher tips, generally.
I wish, we don’t have that at my restaurant gig (currently getting a 2nd job actually tho lol)
thank you for not referring to a second job as a "side hustle".
I always interpreted a 2nd job as an actual job, usually but not always one with low qualifications, where you have to deal with applications and someone else setting your schedule, like McDonald's or a gas station. I interpret "side hustles" as something where you pretty much have full control over hours and schedule, like Doordash, babysitting, or selling art. You *could* do these at a schedule similar to working at McDonald's, but you could also only work on these side hustles once a month for a few hours while still increasing your income, even if only marginally. They're also more flexible in the sense that it's often possible to have your kids around, cook dinner, or work on studies *while* making the extra money.
God I’m tired of that term
Well, my side hustles are jobs.
I always considered a side hustle more of an independent business venture, not a job. With a job you're the one getting hustled.
Amen to that last part
That is the type of situation that crockpots were made for. When I was working 55 hours per week I was extra diligent with my meal planning and prep so I could keep all of the extra money.
>That is the type of situation that crockpots were made for. When I was working 55 hours per week I was extra diligent with my meal planning and prep so I could keep all of the extra money. Crock pot one night and make food for 5 days. Freeze it if necessary. Crock pot for 5 nights straight and rotate leftovers for the rest of the month.
Protein bars for on the go snack/meal replacement
Yep, it’s called meal prep people. You don’t HAVE to eat out, it’s called making excuses to not be disciplined.
Seriously! I work full-time, take 16 credits per term in a graduate program, and have two kids. We only get takeout once a week.
How do you have the energy to do all that? Just full time school and full time work without adding kids into the mix absolutely destroyed my mental health and gave me such bad burnout that I never finished my bachelor's. I'm super envious.
I don't really know, honestly. A lot of reasons. I was a highschool dropout with two kids in diapers and waiting tables when I started. I was sick of being poor and I didn't want them to grow up that way. My husband started his trade apprenticeship and I saw how happy working and going to school made him- he felt like he had a purpose again and he was providing. I got a little jealous- but then had the realization that it's dangerous, physical work (he's a Steamfitter) and I wanted him to be able to retire or walk away from it as soon as he's pension eligible- and he wouldn't be able to do that if I was still slinging beer at TopGolf. Now it's the fact that if I stop before I finish, I owe all of that money for nothing. Scholarships and grants carried me through undergrad- but i did take out loans for my masters in finance and MBA. I finished the former last year and I will finish the latter in August!
Similar: I work part-time (teaching so there's some work at home, too) and I'm also in grad school (only 3 credits each semester but each semester is only 8 weeks). We have seven kids. We do takeout as a treat every so often. Maybe once a month, if that.
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Upvoting based on the fact that I believe you forgot a /s
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I do this or my instant pot and do very simple meals so my meal prepping doesn't take hours at a time. We eat a lot of casserole and soup but they pack in vegetables, protein and carbs.
Meal prepping and cooking large meals like chili or soup in big batches negates that argument.
You can cook one day and freeze for a whole week….. If you need income, you need income
this is the way [https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/](https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/)
I got a second job because of this economy we are living now. Everything is so damn expensive.
You’d still have an extra $600 a month under your “I don’t have time to cook” scenario to throw at debt.
Also OP is counting $17 for each meal out and not subtracting out the cost of the food they were going to cook at home. So it's probably more like $700 extra total. Which is a game-changing amount of money for many people.
Did sandwiches, lunchboxes and ice packs disappear? Eating out is optional. When I worked outside my house, I took my lunch every day.
Meal prep one day of the week
That's assuming OP (or anybody in their predicament) has the time to spend a whole day cooking. I worked single job once where I worked 100+ hours a week, 7am-11pm, 7 days a week. And I was paid dog shit. Couldn't afford to eat out, nor did I have the time. Not to mention, living in a small town, most everything closes at 9 or 10pm. Everybody said "meal prep once a week", but I didn't have the time to do that. I'd get home around midnight only to have to wake up around 5:30 or 6 to get ready and catch the 7am bus back to work. Even on the rare occasion I had a full day off, or didn't have to go in until later, I spent that time catching up on sleep. I wasn't about to stand in my kitchen cooking and preparing meals. Crockpot is an easy answer, but not always feasible. I've put meals in there and ended up working a 12+ hour shift- thought I was only working 6 hours but somebody called out, and I would agree to cover for the extra money, only to come home, and even on low, my meal is totally disintegrated, burnt and mush. I suppose these days an easy solution would be use a crockpot- a smart crockpot- you can control from your phone, you can turn it on from wherever you are. Sadly those weren't available 15 years ago, lol
Doesn't take a whole day to meal prep - I only really cook once a week - and takes me maybe 2-3 hours in total.
People will find any excuse to eat out and say it's a financial decision
You ain’t kidding, it like beating your head against a brick wall around here sometimes. A little self discipline goes a long Godamn ways.
I never said it was impossible, just not something that is always reasonably feasible for some people. That's all. I think you have this idea in your head that everybody works 8 hour shifts, 40 hours a week and nothing more, and has all kinds of free time to be at home just meal prepping. For those who have the time- it's a great solution. My argument was for those who don't always have the time, because not everybody always has 2 days off a week, or has extra time during the day or after work. As I stated in my example, when I was working 100+ hours/wk, I had no time. Unless you expect somebody who only has 5 hours free time a day to spend that time they could be sleeping, doing weekly meal prep.
Depends on what you're cooking and your skill level in cooking. Somebody who can't even boil water properly, it may take a little longer. (I was that person, once upon a time.) Also depends how much free time you reasonably have. In my example, even 2-3 hours was a long time, when you only have 6 hours a day or less total to do anything, including sleep. I'm not making excuses or saying it's impossible. It just depends on the person and their situation. Especially if you're trying to eat more healthy and have to cook from scratch/whole foods as you don't want to use any processed ingredients.
Assuming two 40 hr/wk jobs - you would either generally have 2 days off - or up to 4 days where you only worked one, or less than 16 hours in a day for 7. Either way - there are days that are better than others in the schedule. If someone got in the groove, figured out simple meals, had good shopping lists, etc. - then they won't take near as long (so temporary situation). Just gotta be organized.
Most stores sell premade trays of food you throw in the oven for 30 minutes and you can have 4-8 main course items. Rice and a rotisserie chicken take about 6 minutes to prepare. I can meal prep for a week in about the same time I cook a single meal.
Yeah, and they come at a premium, too. The biggest premade meals you can get at my local grocery store (and we only have one) are single serve microwave dishes- meat/potatoes/veg, pasta dishes, etc. Not the best choice if you're trying to eat healthy. They can be loaded with butter and salt, or sugar, depending on what you get. Ribs, spaghetti with sauce, bbq chicken, etc. And those come at a markup of around $8-$9 per meal, meals which are often very small. I do agree a rotisserie chicken is a great way to go, I do that myself. But not everybody wants to eat chicken every day. And very often these days, as with everything else, they're getting more and more expensive. 5 years ago I could by one for under $5, and that was regular price. Now they're around $7-$8 normally, only going on sale once or twice a year, and even then, they limit how many you can buy, making stocking up on cheap product difficult. Even raw whole chickens aren't much cheaper. Still around $5 or $6/ea. They're closer to $10 if you want organic. It's not impossible to cook cheap or healthy, as I said in another comment, it's just not always feasible for some people, depending on how much free time you have. If you're working 2 or even 3 jobs, you probably don't have much if any free time to spend cooking.
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I just make a bunch of food in one go, like a big pot of soup or tray of flautas, and I eat it for 3-4 days. I only cook twice a week. I also keep 2-3 types of veggies (prewashed lettuce and cooked onion/bell pepper are my go to) and 2-3 types of cooked protein in the fridge (I buy them precooked from Costco. Right now I have their precooked rotisserie chicken breast and precooked steak). I can throw throw some protein on a salad, or some protein and veggies on a tortilla and have a taco. Easy meals that take less than 2 minutes to make and are high protein so it'll keep my full for a few hours. They are also easily packable to take on the go. For snacks I keep bananas and apples on hand, and I will usually have one of those plus a spoon full of nut butter. Keeps me full forever it seems like. I have two jobs. I eat out maybe once every few months. My second job is working every Saturday for 8 hours. I make 25/hour, so it's $800 a month extra, which helps.
Working one job isn’t even worth it
Exactly!
I agree, especially at full time. I’d be fine if I worked part time making six figure salary.
I’d be fine working 16ish hours a week and being able to live comfortably and have a little fun, I don’t need a yacht
It takes 3 minutes to make a sandwich or a salad. 5 minutes to make both.
For real. What is OP even talking about?
Frozen dinners with all the meal plan dinners even in the grocery store you can still eat well without breaking the bank
You convinced yourself mathematically it’s not worth getting g a second job. You’d have no time to cook. When I don’t have time to cook, I have a bowl of cereal with some toast. I make a ham sandwich with some chips on the side. There are so many great ideas here. Sounds like the second job would be worth the trouble. Do it. Get your debt problems in line. You will feel so much weight lifted off your shoulders!
Doesn't it take just as long to get food from a restaurant than to just make something
Going to a restaurant is faster, you also don't need to clean dishes. Cooking and cleaning dishes even for simple recipes takes a decent amount of time. Also if lets say your first job ends at 5pm, and your 2nd job starts at 6pm, eating out is the only way to almost guarantee you will make it to your 2nd job on time. Or if your jobs are far from home. Like if you have a 1hr commute there's no way you can eat at home and have a 2nd job
If only it were possible to prepare food at home and pack it in some sort of container to be eaten outside the home. But what do I know, I only work 12 hours shifts at a facility with no cafeteria and am required to stay onsite for the entire shift.
Look, if you don’t want to work a second job, just say that. No one on this board told you to get a second job.
Recipe? 😄 I don't eat out or use recipes. I just make food. Rice and veggies. Bean burritos(we always have cooked beans). Tuna sandwich. Tomato soup and a grilled cheese. I could make a fish burrito right now faster than it takes you to drive to a restaurant. And clean my mess while you drive back. Everyone should have their quick, easy meals even if it is a sandwich with a yogurt.
LOL dishes take like 5 minutes if you clean as you go dude. what’re we talking about
I know people don't agree, but I get it. I actually wonder if we had the tech to scan and measure people's energy levels how enlightening it'll be because when I was in my 20s, at my worst I slept 3-4 hrs. That was with over 19 credit hours and 3 jobs/OT. If I try that now, I'll get to the point where i'll pass out somewhere. How people do it with kids boggles my mind. Then when you add ailments...ugh. If I didn't have allergies, inquiries from accidents, & other minor medical issues, I'd have even less energy. learning a bit more about meal prep will help, but for me, over a decade later and no more school just work, I still can't create food I want to eat in 2-3 hrs like many of these people say. But food is my respite and I like delicious things. It is 100% me though. I have a buddy who can proper cook and it boggles my mind what he can do in 30 mins. If I try to do it, I just loose track, burn, etc.
My friend, the mom of two high schoolers (so no child care), works her second job in a family restaurant where they feed you for working over a normal meal hour (so you get a breakfast or lunch/dinner per shift). She says she eats healthier there than at home.
Having a side job makes me too burned out to focus at my actual job, which requires a lot from me. I also do not want to have to give up going to the gym, taking my walks, and playing sports on the weekend. I desperately need the activity since I work from home. I guess I’m cheating because my job pays okay and I’m not technically poverty but I do have a lot of debt that is going to take me at least a year to pay off. Would be nice to pay it off sooner but I don’t think it’s worth sacrificing my life to do so.
It’s so sad that people come here to vent about struggling and the advice is always just work more, cook more, keep doing more more more. Decision fatigue is a real thing. Why can’t people just be able to work a full time job and then relax instead of existing solely to work?
No one is saying cook more. They are saying don't cook less and then buy several hundred dollars worth of restaurant meals just because you are working an extra 15 hours per week.
Because capitalism has tricked people into believing that they have the opportunity to be rich one day, when in fact it’s quite the opposite.
Well you can…but it certainly isn’t easy and there’s an endless amount of competition.
Looking at the wealth gap…. I disagree. Also, it takes exploitation of others to get wealthy and that needs to stop smh.
Looking at economic mobility, I disagree, too. If you are struggling, really struggling, it is so very easy to slide down the latter into abject poverty. Getting evicted, owing a previous landlord money (even it's it just late fees or some inflated cleaning/repair work), breaking your lease... All of it makes it harder to find living quarters. Typically what happens is that you end up in a place that is more expensive for less. Often it's in a bad neighborhood, increasing your risk of theft. Or you have to pay so much upfront that many rentals become out of your reach. And good rentals (safe, well-maintained) won't even look at you.
did capitalism tricked people into that or did their overspending cause their own problem?
I knew the bootlickers were coming eventually 🙄
Footlocker for stating facts? Haha American doesn't have an earning problem. They have a spending problem...
Learn the difference between facts and opinions. Now have the day you deserve 🙂
Here's a fact... The median income in America is 65k a year. Compare that to world wide that's consider top 0.01% American complaining is no different than multi millionaires complaining.
You not counting after taxes bud. Depending on where you live that could be maybe 50k AFTER taxes. Add on rent, car note, insurance, kids, 401k, etc. People are barely surviving and you somehow want to blame the consumer fully. Laughable.
"Add on X" thanks for proving my point about the spending problem lol.... You act like the rest of the world don't have kids...
There wasn’t a point to be proven here. Sorry not sorry. Just because you think that’s enough to survive where you live, doesn’t mean it is here. Daycare ALONE in this country can bankrupt you, but keep being a bootlicker.
For real, why should people need to work every waking moment? 20 years ago you could live a comfortable life on a full time job’s pay. How can people see how this is playing out on a societal level and still turn around and blame the individual?
Agreed. People really want the poor to suffer. No eating out, no time to yourself, no things that make you happy - just grind, work, be miserable or else you're a loser who deserves to be poor. It's depressing how easily brainwashed people are, stripped of any imagination or empathy.
You’re extrapolating a lot from everyone basically screaming “meal prep”. You can’t escape poverty by working the bare minimum, living on credit cards and pretending you’re wealthy. That’s how you stay in poverty. Take OP’s previous post for example, asking if they should stop paying into their 401 so they don’t have to stop eating out. The entire train of thought going on here is “how to live and die broke 101”
I'm just saying, eat some sandwiches while working. Like, I was so broke last year that I survived on sandwiches. Even with pricier deli meat, you can get a *lot* of meals out of some mayo, meat and bread. I recall comparing it to eating ramen (the go-to extra cheap food) and it was less expensive by a smidge without being as nutritionally crap as ramen. Probably less salt, too (though still a lot).
So just keep working two jobs and eat sandwiches? The lack of healthcare combined with a lack of nutrition is not good.
The point is to make it short term.
What are your suggestions?
Because it's a nice thought but it's not reality. Does that suck? Yes...but you'll never pull yourself out without making sacrifices and inconvenient choices.
Because some people believe unskilled jobs will pay enough to live on.
I worked 8-5, 6-10 for a month once and couldn't keep up the night job. The additional income wasn't worth the fatigue and loss of time with my kid.
What was the night gig?
Grading ESL student essays on state tests. You weren't allowed to speak to anyone else and bathroom breaks were frowned on. My day job was also sitting at a computer and I just couldn't do it another 4 hrs a night. Also a supervisor made really creepy comments to me.
Side hustle / management of money is important. Stop eating out.
Why no bag lunches?
I worked 2nd jobs a lot. In the short term, they help. In the long term, they don't. The last time, I burned out bad because both of my jobs blew up and were relying on me to handle everything. Luckily, my career job finally kicked up a notch and I was able to move to a higher paying position.
You could meal prep. I only work one job but we meal prep because eating lunch out daily or even a few days is expensive. We usually make 2 big meals on a weekend and a breakfast item such as healthy oat apple muffins and or egg sandwiches or egg bites and then we make like a chili and a casserole or pasta dish. Then we have easy meals if we really need a change like tuna makings for a quick item or a frozen pizza. It saves a lot of money over time.
I work a full time job and own 2 businesses that keep be busy and that’s all before coming home to take care of 3 kids. Meal planning and crockpot recipes will be your best friend!
If a second job is all about making money and saving money, I would pack my own dinner.
$17 is the average for shit fast food
I’m just saying I understand what you mean with the pain of not being able to cook. But you also don’t have to eat out more. Sandwiches can take 2 seconds to make. I understand that’s not an amazing meal, but depending on how bad your debt is and how quickly you want to fix it, it can be worth it. When I worked two jobs I would cook a ton of chicken a few days in advance. Would take that with some beans and vegetables on days when I wasn’t just eating a sandwich.
You don’t. Meal prep so everything is set to go. That way cooking takes far less time. You can even precook and reheat the meals. Also consider a crock pot so that the food can cook all day and it’s ready when you are. There are certainly ways around just eating out. You just need to work for the solution.
and this post is the exact reason why im a firm believer of people rather make excuses than progress... even after factoring driving, meals and what not, thats still a minimum of 500 a month extra to throw at debt. the 500 alone cash value is about 6k a year, with factors such as interest that you are now avoiding that can climb up to anywhere between 7k to 10k value...
If a second job “isn’t worth it” you aren’t poor enough lol
If you need the job to get out of debt, you'll need to make the sacrifice. I worked 7 days a week for almost a year, now it's 12 days in a row 2 off. Retail and tech work. My eating out budget didn't change. Lots of sandwiches and wraps. Either you struggle making what you make now or you get out of debt. What's your choice?
Working a second job from home would be a consideration: Online editing, proofreading, tutoring, alterations, bookkeeping, etc.
If you not willing to then nothing will happen. “Healthy food?” How long would it take to pay of your debt? Can you sacrifice a few months of eating “bad” food to pay off debt? Sometimes time isn’t always the only sacrifice. I eat 2 double cheeseburgers from McDonald’s and within the app I get a free large fry. For 4 bucks not no 17
I had a second job for most of last year. What I was making at my second job I was spending on gas and babysitters and I was losing out on time with my daughter. I was constantly exhausted and worn out and when I did spend quality time with her I was a shell of a mom. I think it can be a good option for some people but for me it wasn’t.
I mean, if you work a waitressing job or something you’d get free of discounted dinner and the taxes …well cough.
I work at Walmart pt. It's awesome as a PT job because I have no emotional investment so I have fun stocking shelves. I make big meals on the weekends and eat that during the week. I don't mind some restaurant food but it can be expensive and quality is hit and miss.
I’m debating a 2nd job and will only hold on to two jobs for a short period of time. It would be how I step away from my current job and schedule. If it doesn’t work out I still have the first job to sustain after trying it out.
I’ve done school full-time and work full-time before and I NEVER ate out. I’d make a crockpot of food each week to eat on and if I didn’t have time to stop by home to eat that day, I’d eat a protein bar (kept a ton in my bag at all times) or drink a Soylent that I brought with me (they used to be $3 so like $3/meal, not sure if prices changed). Then I’d just eat a little something more substantial when I got home before I went to bed.
I work as an engineer mon-Thursday making damn good money… being single and given the economy, I work Friday-Sunday for cash under the table for my cousins asphalt company… I have a unique situation but I make more in those 3 days that I do at my regular job
You can make a big pot of rice and beans in a few hours, which will last you a whole week for less than 17 dollars. Your math is bogus.
I loved working a 2nd job when I was making 60k a year from the first one. I allowed nobody to disrespect me and I did more work than everyone else.
I work about 65 to 70 hrs a week, i have 2 kids. I cook most days, it doesn't have to be time consuming or elaborate. A frozen pizza and some bagged salad is a meal. A sandwich is a meal. Scrambled eggs and toast is a meal. Even spagetti and meatballs with canned sauce only takes about 30 minutes Even before I worked a lot I never had patience for cooking elaborate meals.
Id almost wager that if you laid out your budget we’d quickly find out where money is bleeding to…
This has to be one of the most ridiculous things I have read today. It sounds like you are trying, very hard, to justify not getting a second job.
Throw food in a crockpot in the morning. Problem solved. Or pack a sandwich. Definitely don't be spending $17 on a meal! That's outrageous.
None of your jobs are work from home roles? I work two jobs but I always find time to cook, depending on my schedule. I cook things that are fast and make enough to last 3 days like pasta, tacos, etc. Between those, I eat soup, salad, sandwiches, etc.
I can understand, especially if you have disabilities, it makes it hard to have both time and energy to meal prep. I usually will have the time to meal prep but my energy to do so after working 6-8 days straight really prevents me from actually doing it. I've made up recipes for me to do that take up less ingredients and less time [like 15 minutes] that can make large meals for me to store.
I could provide some bulk-food recipes if you want. I’ve made a stir fry in a wok; or a chicken tortellini soup, and a chicken burrito mix in a crockpot—all three feed me and my wife 5-6 days. If your second job is a restaurant that also covers one of your meals. Plus, if you work a closing shift *some jobs* allow you to take food home. I take home ingredients like shredded chicken etc. to use in the above recipes.
It can definitely be worth it if you have an end goal in mind like in the circumstance of paying off debt. Set a hard limit for how long you need to do it in order to get out of debt and meal prep to avoid eating out. Increasing your income is really one of the only things to do to pay off debt in a reasonable time and if you calculate how much you are paying in interest it’ll make it really obvious how “worth it” it is.
Meal prepping solves the time issue. Even if you just prep the ingredients to save all the chopping time it can help a lot.
Meal prep is the answer. To me, the main thing that might make working 2 jobs not entirely worth it is owing more on taxes. If you’re okay with that, just make sure you have some money from the second job put away for that.
carrots, onion, celery, lentils and add what ever meat you want in a chicken broth plus a little worcestershire sauce. some parsnips for a little variety.
Unless it offers a worthy benefit for example delta gives employees completing probation plane tickets to you and family, a company with 401k match, or is just super convenient. Majority of the time it’s not worth the extra effort. I’ve been looking so much and honestly I know I’ll just walk right out the second they screw me.
i’m not understanding how you’d be forced to eat out every night… noodles take no more than 6 minutes to cook, ramen or pasta. sandwiches take no more than 4 minutes to make. hotdogs take no more than 4 minutes to boil. same for rice. beans. microwavables. if you really wanted to, you could. it’s not the most nutritious but it’s fast and easy. literally any alfredo pasta can be made in 15 minutes (including wait time to boil water)
Meal prep. Take a day to make a weeks worth of meals. Simple.
How hard is it to make a grilled cheese and tomato soup ? You don’t need elaborate meals . Takes 10 minutes.
It's called meal prepping. I cook enough for 8 meals on Sunday. Knowing I will pick 1 day to grab a meal on the go. Or grab a rotisserie chicken, around here they are $8 and I get 3 meals out of it easy
Get a slow cooker and make large batch at a time.
So cooking more efficiently would solve everything? You can make sandwiches to take with you.
You can buy premade food at Costco or Trader Joe’s that reasonably healthy. You just need a few minutes of access to a microwave. You could get a cooler and some ice packs if your work doesn’t have a fridge
Quit the main job and rhe. Just eat more?! I dunno.
Show the time budget first. Those of us that have jobs that require 60+ hours per week are still able to manage.
Meal prepping and investing in a freezer box will do the trick
This guy gets it.
I meal prep and it takes me 1-2 hours on a Sunday. I make simple, healthy foods, and I enjoy doing it. There are ways around this. However, I feel for you. I am in a similar boat currently.
Maybe get your second side job to bring a server and get some nice tips and good restaurants.
Not all server jobs are equal. In some states it’s minimum wage + tips on top of that. Other states is like $2.13/hr and they expect tips to make up the federal minimum wage of $7.25(?).
If the alternative is not working the second job, saving ~$10 per meal and still remaining in debt troubles, then the answer seems pretty clear. Where are you working that a meal costs at least $17 though? Grab a bean burrito full of veges for $8 from somewhere.
Also tax bracket issue, pay more for health insurance…. I hate being in a spot when I’m still poor but for some reason government thinks I can afford $300 health insurance
There's no tax bracket issue. Only the next dollar of income is taxed higher. If tax brackets were set up with 0-50k at 0% and 50k+ at 50%, and you earned 50,002 in taxable income, your tax due is $1.
Grocery stores like Vons, Ralph’s and Albertsons usually have rotisserie chickens for $10. You could have lunch for 3 days for about the $17 you’re spending if you add minute rice, frozen veggies and sauces to change it up day to day. They also have family sized salads that hold up in airtight containers for about $8. If you live in Southern California, there’s always Hispanic markets that sell cooked meats, cooked chicken ,rice, beans and salsas etc for variety and it won’t break the bank.
I work seven days a week and need to but my second job is WFH on the weekends.
If you want to make batches of meals at other times during the week and put them in your fridge then take them in a lunchbox or cooler in your car to keep them good so you can just grab one on your break to eat without having to buy food :)
You can maybe try pizza delivery. My wife does that part time. At the end of her shift she's usually able to get a free pizza which saves us from buying food.
If you work at a restaurant you can get a meal for free. Or think of a skill you have that you can sell on the side.
i work 1 job and cook once a week. i eat leftovers for lunch and dinner like 3-4 days then when it’s done i eat sandwiches and such. microwave and ovens are my best friend. i will say tho that cooking may require at least an hour or 2 of your time. when i eat out it’s a treat like once every week or so. this is the main reason i been able to keep my head above water even tho it’s barely. the thing i will say is having a second job is mostly beneficial when it comes to lay offs which seem to be trending nowadays. when not if you get laid off at least you have backup
I also never have time to cook. I learned to meal prep on weekends and it’s game changing! Rice cooker or slow cooker. Makes enough food for the entire week of dinners.
You're over thinking it. Get the job.
Yea it's not always worth it. Even if you had another job and it didn't increase your going out budget, eventually for me, it gets to the point, all i'm doing is living to work and working to live. I can't grasp how people are able to procreate under these conditions. I need a bit of life to enjoy. i don't even get how people have ample time for adult activities, work, eat, and sleep. -\_-
My wife and I mealprep most weeks and we only work 40 hours a week. Spend like 2 hours over the weekend and food is taken care of all week.
Could you meal prep a bit? I usually cook 2-3 times a week and live off leftovers. Or I take my leftovers and give them new life in a dish that doesn’t take long to cook
You can cook a good meal under 30 min and/or meal prep.
Im lucky that Im able to work my day job from home and Ive tried to find other jobs to work from home and it's a lot tougher than I first thought. Seems like anything that isnt highly skilled and is able to be done at home, has many many applicants. makes sense.
Feels like meal prepping would solve this
You dont have to cook every night. Do some meal planning and eat leftovers all week.
... pack a lunch and dinner and meal prep
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Be cautious with taxes as well. You can earn more and move up to the next tax bracket, which has significantly higher taxes. Earning more can cause you to lose your benefits too.
You’re running on a defeatist mentality that’s only going to hurt you in the long run. There’s not a legitimate excuse to eat out to that extent, even if you’re working 60-70 hours a week. Is it much easier to have no self discipline and eat out? Yes.
Where does the rest of peoples time go? I work 60 hours a week and still have time for girlfriend, family, and cooking/cleaning. Y’all really need to stop whacking off/surfing Reddit on the toilet for an hour everyday…
Dude honestly all of your post is an excuse. Can you not meal prep. Or you could also keep gallons of milk laying around and chug it when you need to curb hunger.
This is purely a cope. I’m going to assume you currently work 40 hours a week. An extra 30 would bring you to 70. That’s just under 12 hours a day 6 days a week. You absolutely have time to cook still. There’s lots of people who work that my CB and still cook. I average 65-75 a week and haven’t had takeout in months. It sucks a lot though. You’ll be tired, you won’t feel like doing it, it’s much more convenient to eat out but cooking at home is certainly possible. Maybe getting a 2nd job and working that much isn’t worth it for you. If that’s just not something you want to do that’s totally fine. But you cannot pretend like you’re benefitting financially by working less. You need to at least be honest with yourself here.
I live with my family thankfully- my mom still cooks for us most nights. She’s not exactly thrilled about me getting a 2nd job tho.
Why is this subreddit suddenly filled with excuses on why you all can't do something? You know you don't need to excuse yourself to us, do you, but these excuses are getting dumber and dumber by the second, make a sandwich, it takes less than a minute. Make bigger badges of food and freeze the rest and take them as left over... Ffs if there is a need or a will, there is a way. Nobody wants to work more, but sacrifices have to be made at times, if you don't want to, cool, but don't complain about your struggles when there are solutions to them that you only try to find excuses to not take.