January’s side income summary is definitely late, but I have to say that February has been a CRAZY month so far. I really feel like things are finally coming together in terms of some of our goals, but more about that in another post.
January came and left us pretty quickly. We spent most of the month looking for a new marina to move to. We don’t like sitting in one place for too long – even when we’re not traveling, we like to spice it up a little, so after two months in the same marina, we needed a change of scenery. Not to mention the marina we were at was right next to the drainage for all of the storm runoff. Every time it rained, the city’s storm drains filled up with water mixed with whatever oil/crap was on the roads, as well as pesticides and other chemicals from the nearby homes and golf course. It would empty pretty regularly in the water right near our dock and as a result, our bottom was looking pretty gnarly from all of the growth (which our diver attributed to the chemicals in the water from the runoff).
Finding a new dock can be a very daunting process, as we found out, especially when you’ve been spoiled like we’ve apparently been. Last year when we were in Florida, we got lucky because our friends Brittany and Scott from Windtraveler turned us on to a great little place where they had stayed, and we ended up getting their slip when they left. It had a pool, and was a mile from the beach and dozens of great restaurants. This winter, however, that quaint little place was full. We looked at others in the area but we ended up feeling like Goldilocks. This dock? Too shallow. This one? Too many derelict boats. This one? Too expensive. We finally found a little place that was…just right. It has a pool, a boater’s bathroom, free laundry, newly renovated docks, and it’s on the same canal we were on last year, which means that we’re a mile from the beach and our favorite restaurants. We’re paying a little more than we initially wanted to, but with all the amenities and proximity to so many awesome places, I call it a big fat win.
Because we were so focused on where we’d be living, I didn’t put much emphasis on my side hustles, but I did manage to add some green to the cruising kitty’s diet. Here’s how I made out.
SIDE INCOME IN JANUARY:
Maggie & Milly (my online jewelry shop): $150.00
Virtual Assistant Work: $100.00
Affiliate Income: $71.56
Adsense: $6.00
TOTAL: $327.56
At first, I wasn’t really thrilled with that total, but since I’m a glass-half-full kind of girl, I thought of some fun things I could buy with $327 extra bucks.
- 54 Six Packs of Miller High Life
- 16 Bota Boxes of Wine… with the equivalent of 4 bottles to a box, that’s 64 bottles of wine!
- 2 Tickets to Bruce Springsteen in April… plus a nice dinner and drinks pre-show!
- 2 Round Trip Tickets From Fort Lauderdale to Panama City, Panama via Spirit Airlines… plus change left over for a cool Panamanian hat!
See? That’s way more fun to think about than what bills that money needs to go towards…(eye roll)
If you’re new to the blog, my side hustles, or side income is strictly that – income that is made separately from my full-time job working for a promotional marketing company. (Need swag for a corporate event? Let’s talk!) I have an online jewelry store called Maggie & Milly, where I sell my handmade nautical shackle bracelets. I peruse Craigslist in the gigs section for virtual assistant type jobs such as building websites, writing, social media posting, etc. I generate a little income from affiliate programs and adsense, but usually it’s not enough to get excited over. The affiliate income above was solely from a generous boost from Christmas gift-givers.
I want other cruisers to see that there are ways to make extra money while traveling to help replenish the cruising kitty. Sometimes you have to get creative, sometimes you have to do something not super fun, and all the time you have to work hard. But that’s the trade-off for being able to sit dockside with a glass of wine in your hand while watching the sun set over your million dollar view. That’s enough inspiration for me!
Got some tips or side income ideas? Any topics you’d like to see? Share them in the comments!
TOPICS IN THE WORKS:
How To Start a Blog
Eating Healthy on a Budget
I’m a Hustler, Baby
