# Income Streams...



## JeepHammer (Oct 10, 2008)

Most people want to work a 9-4 job, then go home and sit on their backside and 'Relax' from their stressful day at work...

ANYTIME you are sedentary, it's costing you money!
'Relexation' cost you money,
That big screen TV costs you money,
The house that is never big enough to find a quiet spot is costing you money,
Insurance, Taxes, Mortgage is costing you money...

Some people go to the 'Gym' to work out, instead of doing some manual labor job they think is 'Beneath' them.
Why would you PAY a gym to let you carry fake loads or walk up fake stairs when you could be EARNING money at a real job and accomplish the same results!
Not only will you get paid for the labor, but if it's an 'On The Books' job, you get insurance and retirement benefits!

And anytime you aren't working towards making something, doing some work, it's costing you money.

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I don't want to hold myself up as an example...
But I'm going to.
When you look at yourself in a mirror for very long, you usually find things you don't like...

We Recycle EVERYTHING, cardboard and paper packaging work for compost, they get laid as weed control matting in the garden, ect.
Plastics you can't do a lot with, but bottles and other plastic containers get used for small parts, or cut down for use in the green house, to hold small parts, to make wasp & bee traps out of, ect.

I don't know how long it's been since I purchased a seeding pot since there are so many plastic bottles out there for the taking!

I take my 'Scrap' apart and throw it into the proper recycling bins,
Brass, Copper, Cast, Steel, Tin, Aluminum, ect.
It's all worth something, and collect when the market is down, sell when the market is up.

I have several 'Side' jobs,
Gardening, selling plants, both garden/orchard produce or decorative plants.
Welding, welding isn't hard, doesn't break the budget to get started doing, and will make you a stead income stream, mostly in cash.

Machining, which not everyone can do.
The machine tools can be exorbitantly expensive, so I don't recommend that to everyone.

Rebuilding starters, alternators, generators, ect.
This also doesn't take a lot of tools, and has good return if you are mechanically inclined.

I don't do it,
But there is also Mason/Stone Work/Brick Laying/Concrete finishing.
All of these professions takes very little training, very little investment in tools and has good returns on an hourly basis.

Concrete finishers in particular get WELL PAID, and it's not really all that hard to do, and there are jobs EVERYWHERE with nothing more than a newspaper ad!

Today, I made about $450 before lunch charging air conditioner systems.
Most systems only need a 'Booster' charge with some leak sealer, and this is as simple as screwing the can on the hose, connecting the hose to the air conditioner, and standing there while the system charges.
You will need a thermometer to show the customer the drop in temp.
You DO NOT need a licence for using stock products from a parts store or 'Wally-World', and besides, no one is watching if it's a word of mouth thing with no printed advertising.

I make money on the parts, I buy on a business account (Paying taxes so the government doesn't come looking for their cut),
And I usually charge about 2/3 of what large shops do in labor, so I make a pretty tidy sum in labor.

Larger jobs, where you have to replace compressors, flush, replace line sets, receiver/dryers, vacuum the system down, ect.
That's all money in the bank since you charge by the hour,
But it's real work, where 80% of vehicle Air Conditioner work is simply RECHARGING where the system has leaked off over time...
No real big leaks, nothing you would have to take anything apart for,
Just recharge with 'Leak Sealer' type refrigerant and collect your money.

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I'm too old and fat/broken down to do it, but recently I was offered a $15 an hour cash job for stringing wire for an electrician.
No taxes, no 1099s, just cash on the barrel head.

Didn't have to know ANYTHING about wiring a house, since you are just going along drilling the holes for the wiring to slip through (already marked) and sticking the wiring through the holes so the electrician can do the hook-ups.

A job like that would be a REAL DEAL since you would learn about how to PROPERLY do wiring at the same time you are making reasonable money and not pissing money away laying at home on the couch....

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Tools, the tools you have in your head, what you have learned down through the years, and the physical tools you own will make a difference no matter what you do!

Paying everything off early, stuffing some money in a 'Rainy Day' fund is NEVER a bad thing!

And a PHYSICAL job will keep you in shape!


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## Wiswash (Aug 29, 2010)

When I was in my teens and twentys i thought the same as you; keep a physically demanding job and I will never, never need a gym to gain strength. My brother thought the same. Weve been laborers all our adult lives, thirty years now. We are crippled with tendonitis in the arms, bulging discs and sore backs, sore hips, worn out knees, planters foot, and all the pain just saps the energy from us. We are tired and sore every day. Being sore every day, well, it just gives you an attitude. But I will say this, weve made an honest living and that is priceless. Maybe it built character but physical labor doesnt keep you strong, it wears you down. I know plenty of hard working farmers in need of new knees and hips, have bad backs and will never again walk upright. I learned the hard way that its all a myth.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Wiswash said:


> When I was in my teens and twentys i thought the same as you; keep a physically demanding job and I will never, never need a gym to gain strength. My brother thought the same. Weve been laborers all our adult lives, thirty years now. We are crippled with tendonitis in the arms, bulging discs and sore backs, sore hips, worn out knees, planters foot, and all the pain just saps the energy from us. We are tired and sore every day. Being sore every day, well, it just gives you an attitude. But I will say this, weve made an honest living and that is priceless. Maybe it built character but physical labor doesnt keep you strong, it wears you down. I know plenty of hard working farmers in need of new knees and hips, have bad backs and will never again walk upright. I learned the hard way that its all a myth.


preaching to the choir brother! :beercheer:


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

some good points on jobs for $ (sounds like you live in a good area for under-the-table work)

I'm usually so busy fixing things for friends (usually for cost) that idk how much 'time' I have to make x-tra $, but I try to whenever I can

travel eats up a lot of time to get where the work is often (unless it's something you can do at your home shop, which I always prefer of course) but you can usually get a little more for the inconvenience

P.S. I thought you had your RHW cert (idk how it works in your state tho)


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## SurviveNthrive (May 20, 2010)

To OP:

I'd be careful what I told anyone locally about my income streams. This economy is getting worse and we're doing what we can to get by, but so is the local government. In my area they ferret out individuals who don't get the proper tax forms for holding a garage sale! They go to the SWAP meet and get people who are there more than X number of days for not having a business license. They actually drive through neighborhoods on weekends looking for people who hang a shingle for doing alterations, advertise their stump grinding and pressure washing side businesses and hit them for licenses, B & O taxes, etc. They even nailed a guy who was making ceder planter boxes and donating the money he made to his charity!

With more local government jobs being elminated, and the idea of contracting out some work being attractive, I can see municipalities and counties hiring 'investigator' to go out and get folks who do such work...it'd be an income stream through taxes and fines for them without them having to provide any services.

Of course...those contractee 'investigators' would be developing another income stream.


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## carlnet (Jul 29, 2010)

SurviveNthrive said:


> With more local government jobs being elminated, and the idea of contracting out some work being attractive, I can see municipalities and counties hiring 'investigator' to go out and get folks who do such work...it'd be an income stream through taxes and fines for them without them having to provide any services.


On the other hand as more of these public servants get laid off they have less time to harass people who actually work... Grin.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

carlnet said:


> On the other hand as more of these public servants get laid off they have less time to harass people who actually work... Grin.


I have yet to see ONE govt. job cut...


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## Expeditioner (Jan 6, 2009)

The_Blob said:


> I have yet to see ONE govt. job cut...


They have cut a few local and state jobs here in Georgia.....unfortunately the wrong jobs are being cut!


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Yeah, here in our county they made employee cuts in 3 departments: the libraries, the county nurses, and I don't remember what the 3rd one was.

Then they turned around and gave the rest of the county employees 2% raises across the board.

This was all in the last couple weeks.

Plus raised our property taxes again.


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

This economy makes no sense. I have quit trying to figure out why the government and companies do business the way they do, I just monitor all the activity so I will be aware of the beginning of the end. Keep your eye on the News, the Finiancial News and the Local economy. The signs are there if you know where to look. Don't be fooled by all the propaganda, smoke and mirrors. Just in the past month in our little town the family owned dry cleaners (had been here for 50 yrs) and the barber shop (been here, same family, for 75yrs) closed for good. Not good. I'm sure there were others, but these 2 directly effected our life.


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## GatorDude (Apr 23, 2009)

I can see both sides of the argument: it does cost money when you sit on your butt and rest, but it does tear up your body to work hard manual labor for a life time.

Here are a couple of thoughts:

1. Have a fun side job. You gotta pay your bills with your real job. But, on the side, you can write, be a photographer, sell tasers, work in a hobby shop, be a rodeo clown, etc. You can follow your passion. My wife ran into a checker at an outlet store who worked two nights a week just so she could have fun money to go shopping. She liked clothes and had fun.

2. Office work and sitting around will tear you up too. While it won't get you like hard labor, a sedentary job will give you a bad neck, a bad back, extra weight, poor circulation, carpal tunnel, and a host of other problems.


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## Aemilia (May 27, 2010)

Yes - the idea would be to have different jobs/businesses/hobbies. I'm trying to get some web design going and I know doing that I need to up my physical activities too. Definitely food for thought. Thanks.


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## sinbad (Oct 27, 2009)

I live in a non-English speaking country but lots of business chatter is in English

Very good environment for someone who likes to work on the side : document translation is one example.


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## SurviveNthrive (May 20, 2010)

Pretty soon, all of us will be living in a non English speaking country.


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## dunappy (Nov 11, 2008)

Another thing that some plastic is good for is washers. We cut up several used milk and OJ jugs to use for washers to screw a plastic lining up in our hay barn to help keep the hay safe from the winter drips.



JeepHammer said:


> Plastics you can't do a lot with, but bottles and other plastic containers get used for small parts, or cut down for use in the green house, to hold small parts, to make wasp & bee traps out of, ect.


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## philjam (Dec 17, 2008)

Clarice said:


> This economy makes no sense. I have quit trying to figure out why the government and companies do business the way they do, I just monitor all the activity so I will be aware of the beginning of the end. Keep your eye on the News, the Finiancial News and the Local economy. The signs are there if you know where to look. Don't be fooled by all the propaganda, smoke and mirrors. Just in the past month in our little town the family owned dry cleaners (had been here for 50 yrs) and the barber shop (been here, same family, for 75yrs) closed for good. Not good. I'm sure there were others, but these 2 directly effected our life.


Could be attrition. Kids may not want to continue dry cleaning or barbering in this day and age.


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