Let's Talk Money

Let’s talk money.

Okay, you either clicked out immediately or your blood pressure raised a little.

If you’re still here, just breathe, because my story should make you feel better.

First of all, I’m not sure who told God I was one of his best soldiers, but they lied to you, Lord.

Because I’m gonna need you to take some of these struggles back.

Why does something always pop up when everything is going good?

Like you think you’re on top of everything and have a little breathing room and then BAM, you need new tires, or your kid is sick and you have to take off of work or someone dropped their phone and now you need to buy a new one.

Psalms 34:17-18

Read that one if you haven’t.

It puts a lot into perspective.

But real quick Lord, what’s the timeline looking like?

Because I feel like I’ve been crying out and my struggles have just been replenished, not taken away.

But that’s life.

Because what would life be without some excitement?

I had a long conversation with myself that, I deserve better. And so do my kids and my partner.

We deserve to have better.

So Greg and I decided that, hell, the girls are older, before I get knocked up again, let’s use every free moment to make money.

Let me tell you how that mindset changed my life.

The first thing I started doing was writing out every opportunity I could take advantage of to make extra money.

I started by looking around my house at all the things collecting dust that I’ve never used.

Like the $700 Canon camera I had to have that I used twice before realizing, I don’t know how to use this damn thing.

Or the storage unit full of new furniture and appliances that I pay for every month that I could just get rid of.

Or the extra brand new Serta bed we had in our back living room just propped against the wall that wasn’t being used.

Or the countless small kitchen appliances that I just had to have that were still in boxes taking up space in my cabinets.

Why am I like this!?

God bless Greg for just letting me because, seriously, what the hell is my problem.

Who the hell buys a $700 camera they don’t even use!?

And why do I soooo badly need to buy things and then once I have them, I don’t use them?

There has to be a condition for that.

Anyways.

Once I had a rough estimate of all of the things I could sell, I went and took pictures of everything and posted them.

Wanna hear the most ironic one?

I spent $75 on The Budget Mom Budget by Paycheck Workbook, cash envelope binder and supplies.

Never even opened it.

Why am I like this!?

After listing everything, I then searched extra ways to make cash.

So I decided on DoorDash and Instacart.

We then decided that any extra money Greg made, would go into the vacation fund.

Any extra money I made was going to savings and fun.

My first day of Doordash, I made $40 doing 5 orders in 2 hours.

They were all in the same vicinity I was, but definitely would have made more if I was closer to downtown.

I also declined the orders that had more than 5 miles of travel distance because a 10 mile round trip for a $3 order just didn’t seem worth it.

DoorDash is goof for the fun or emergency accounts because you can cash out the same day.

Instacart, man, just wear comfy walking shoes and bring plenty of water.

My first order ever was the day before Thanksgiving.

Get a nice little order at a store right by me, dropoff was 3 minutes away and the payout was $15.

I was all for it.

First of all, Natural Grocers doesn’t bag your items.

You bring your own or leave with your stuff in boxes.

I didn’t know this.

Second, when I say that this customer ordered four each of the heaviest things the store had available.

So now my car is full of boxes of the heaviest things that grocery stores could sell.

Then I arrive at an apartment complex.

Where the unit was in the back.

On the third floor.

When I tell you I almost texted the customer and told them to come get their boxes in the lobby.

But I didn’t, because I’m gonna at least finish the task at hand.

So I load all of the boxes into the lobby.

And start taking them up one at a time.

And I am SWEATING.

And the customer is just watching me from the doorway.

Then after I dropped off the last box, the customer had the nerve to ask, “why didn’t you just use the elevator?”

Let me get this straight, you watched my big ass struggle to carry all these boxes, on multiple trips and waited until I dropped off the last box to tell me that there was an elevator?

When I tell you I almost met Jesus on those stairs.

Or because I was just so done.

Once the order was finished, I got in my car, went offline and went home.

Lord, they make it seem so easy.

I was not ready Lord!!!!!

I found out the key is having laundry baskets in your car to keep orders separate because yes they will give you another one if a customer orders from the same store you’re at.

I also found it’s best to put my wagon in my car for the heavy loads.

It’s easy money if you’re prepared.

Don’t be unprepared like me, because the money was not worth it.

And you don’t even get paid until the following week.

Jesus take the wheel.

But that order could not have been more perfect for my first one. Because it taught me literally everything I needed to know going forward.

If I did an hour of Doordash and two orders of Instacart everyday, that’s a good chunk of change to save up.

And it made me realize how much I do not utilize my free time.

I used to sit at home on my days off and stress about how we were going to get ahead when I could have just gone and made the money.

I mean, I guess I could go into work on my days off, but, let’s not get crazy.

It feels good to be in a season of ahead, it that makes sense.

Like we will be prepared if anything comes up soon.

Is this what growing up is!?

How long did it take you to get to this point?

Because I’m in my 30’s and this is the hardest year of my life, but also the greatest.

Things really do change when you change your mindset.

I stopped calling out to God for answers and miracles.

I started calling out for him to use me in ways that I could better my life.

God will give you all the ingredients, but it’s up to you to bake the cake.

The money is out there, the new job is out there, the new body is out there, the change you want is out there.

Keep pushing, and keep calling out.

God, or the universe, whichever you believe in, is listening.