Money Matters (Part 2 of 2)
To further hasten the money accumulation, I also feel I need to go into various revenue-generating activities, apart from tracking expenses and cutting back wherever/whenever possible (cutting back on 1 P300 [on the cheap side] night out per week will be equivalent to P15,600 in savings for the year).
I am a relatively normal person.
I only get a modest monthly amount from my business, Punchdrunk Panda.
Some of my other similarly-aged employed friends earn significantly more than I do.
I do not ask for money from the folks.
I do not have halimaw illustration skills, patience to study web development, an SLR, or vegan powers.
So what is my normal person solution?
Raket whenever possible. However possible. Without selling your body.
Some measures I’ve taken for myself include:
- Blogging
~ This is something I started on a personal level, but hopefully a year down the road, or maybe a hundred useful blog posts later, people will get to find this blog useful.
In my work with Punchdrunk Panda, we’re always looking out for bloggers to “hang out” with, both the relatively popular bloggers and the up-and-coming ones. So yeah, even if you don’t get to make money your blog right away (or at all), it could help get you noticed by other people who would be potentially relevant contacts to your life.
- Freelance writing
~ I feel that my writing is not too shabby, and that I am more mindful about spelling and grammar than the average person. So, I wrote 3 articles for Entrepreneur Magazine’s March 2012 issue for Moonleaf, Kebabers and Liqueur Bonbons by Joana + Lollicake Factory.
I’m not sure how it works with other publications, but I was only given a ballpark figure for writing the articles. Karlo wasn’t sure how much he’d get paid for articles he wrote for another local magazine too.
I guess that’s just the setback of these things; that they lack a formal contract on requirements and specific payment terms. And that yeah, you’re usually asked to write an article 3 months before the article comes out, and you’re paid only a month after the article/s comes out.
And in some cases, they can chop off a lot of the words you worked so hard at putting together. But yeah, if you can get over that, then yay! You get to meet new people and earn a bit along the way, just to present some factual findings. :)
- Freelance designing
~ I am not anywhere close to the illustration prowess of our other PdP artists, but it’s possible to find design work even if you aren’t JP Cuison or Rob Cham. Some people just need someone who can help them organize the clutter in an otherwise chaotic website, or to come up with a cleaner, more modern layout for this brochure / catalogue with an updated color scheme.
So as long as you have a relatively good eye for this, this is something you can do too. But you’ll have to put in the work first, comb through design sites, do some pro bono projects to build your portfolio, and actively look for clients, but yeah, this is something that can be done in your free time. Even just a handful of projects throughout the year will go a long way. - Garage sale-ing / Ukay-ing your stuff
~ This is something that really anyone can do. Last week, I recently set up my Nomad Manager shop using Payvment on Facebook. I’m not sure if it’s a better platform than Multiply, but this is what works for me now. I’m not sure how much money I’ll be able to really make with it, but regardless, I really just wanted to trim down my “setup”, so yeah, you’ll find used and brand new cameras, books, and soon, bags, clothes and accessories in the shop too. :) - Painting / video-making (taking on a hobby ~ freelance writing & designing fall under this too, actually)
~ I’ve been painting with watercolor for a while now but never really dedicated the amount of time it actually deserves. In any case, I’ve finished a few paintings already but haven’t signed my latter ones because I’m having a signature change crisis. I used to have an unrecognizable signature, but I’ve been told that it’s best to actually have a readable signature. I can’t quite make it look cool though. Haha.
Anyway, here’s one of my more recent works, and the only painting I’ve posted so far (I do intend to post more once I’ve settled on a signature).
Hopefully, people will want to purchase my paintings for some amount at some point. I dream up having an exhibit someday. :D
~ I’ve only started with the videos, but hopefully, something comes out of them too. I’ve also got something in mind with this recently discovered penchant for making videos, but I shan’t divulge details until I’ve actually taken more concrete steps towards the fruition of that idea.
Basically taking on a hobby brings a new potential raket. Other interesting hobbies could include Yoga (then giving Yoga lessons – provided you’ve taken enough classes), baking (then selling cupcakes), gift-wrapping (during Christmas), etc.
So, from all of the above, I hope to earn at least an extra P100,000.00 this year.
Yes, I’m all over the place and it would probably be useful to focus my efforts on only one or two of the above, but but but at this point, I really honestly want to dabble in everything to keep sane. I have yet to find one thing that inspires intense, maniacal dedication on my part. So yeah, until then, this.
Anyhoo, for other money tips, read Money Matters (Part 1 of 2) here.
Hobby ADD,
Jen