Supplementing your income

[WaylonJennings]

I'm posting this on the journalism board because I think it's more likely to get some serious responses.

After some major soul-searching for the last year or two, I'm pretty sure that I want to stay in the business for a little while at least - I'm definitely sure that I don't want to go to law school, which I know is the famous journalist's escape hatch and one I'd been pondering for a while.

That being said, the meager salary doesn't do it for me. Not with a family and soaring gas prices, etc., etc.

I'm not looking for a lecture about living within my means. I get that. I am honestly wondering of ways in which you guys have been able to steadily supplement your regular income - I've thought about selling books on Amazon.com, selling sports cards on eBay, etc., etc., etc. There's got to be some way.

 

[Bullwinkle]

I'm posting this on the journalism board because I think it's more likely to get some serious responses.

After some major soul-searching for the last year or two, I'm pretty sure that I want to stay in the business for a little while at least - I'm definitely sure that I don't want to go to law school, which I know is the famous journalist's escape hatch and one I'd been pondering for a while.

That being said, the meager salary doesn't do it for me. Not with a family and soaring gas prices, etc., etc.

I'm not looking for a lecture about living within my means. I get that. I am honestly wondering of ways in which you guys have been able to steadily supplement your regular income - I've thought about selling books on Amazon.com, selling sports cards on eBay, etc., etc., etc. There's got to be some way.

 

[WaylonJennings]

No, no.

I'm not looking to save more money.

I'm looking to MAKE more.

 

[lono]

Free-lance writing.

It's a tough market to break into, but once you're established, you can do well.

 

[WaylonJennings]

Free-lance writing.

It's a tough market to break into, but once you're established, you can do well.

Yeah, I was kind of thinking about that. Just seems like it's tough work right now, like anything else journalism-related.

 

[JayFarrar]

Before this gets off track, if you write, can you freelance for other papers or magazines or do some local radio?
You could suck it up for a couple more years and then try to land an SID gig. You could also shift beats into news and then go for a corporate communications gig or PR after a couple of years.
If you do design, lots of freelance gigs out there and you also have corporate design jobs.
Learn Web design, get some OTJ training from your paper and then bolt for something better.
Best of luck.

 

[Bullwinkle]

No, no.

I'm not looking to save more money.

I'm looking to MAKE more.

Sorry, I misunderstood. And yes, this is a serious suggestion.

You don't have to play high stakes no-limit, but if you keep it small and play smart, you would be surprised at how much extra (easy) income you could come up with.

Bodog Poker

 

[EStreetJoe]

Why do you have to make more money? Why not have your wife get a higher paying job?

 

[lono]

Free-lance writing.

It's a tough market to break into, but once you're established, you can do well.

Yeah, I was kind of thinking about that. Just seems like it's tough work right now, like anything else journalism-related.

Waylon:

Believe it or not, editors are dying for good free-lancers - but you have to find them. You aren't going to make any money doing gamers 50 miles away for $25 a pop.

You need to do a lot of research, but there's a whole world out there - web sites, trade pubs, consumer mags, etc.

 

[TyWebb]

I was going to suggest poker, but Bullwinkle beat me to it. I regularly make an extra $500 a month playing .25 to $1 poker on bodog.com. Has made paying rent a lot easier.

 

[Martin_Lane]

Funny -- I once sold sets of baseball cards that were sitting in the closet, and turned the proceeds into a new set of golf irons.

Selling books through an affiliate program of Amazon.com hasn't gotten me rich either. Although I do get a rebate on my own purchases, and that helps lower the cost of leisure reading.

I did make some extra money through Web sites, but much of that dried up some years ago.

 

[Sunshine Scooter]

Substitute teaching. In most states, you only need a high school degree and some college. The pay isn't bad and it fits nicely with most journalists' schedule.

The only downside is you have to deal with snot-nosed kids for eight hours.

 

[ServeItUp]

Be careful about freelancing. Make sure you know what your paper's policy is. At my current shop the policy is that writers are NOT allowed to freelance. Seriously. It's sad because there are a bunch of magazines around and they need good writers but our ME considers anything other than our rag "competition" and doesn't want us (or our part-timers!) writing for the competition.

 

[WS]

just place $500 on any major league baseball game tomorrow night and hope you win

if not, well, sorry

 

[SteveThePirate]

I was going to suggest poker, but Bullwinkle beat me to it. I regularly make an extra $500 a month playing .25 to $1 poker on bodog.com. Has made paying rent a lot easier.

At least now I know my poker losings are going to Bullwinkle and TyWebb.

 

[Scrantonocity]

Aren't U.S. poker accounts frozen? I used to play on PartyPoker and FullTilt but got scared off.

 

[Scrantonocity]

To answer the original question -- freelancing is the best way to go. I've done everything from national sports magazines to the magazine that comes with your local electric bill. Whoever is willing to cut a check.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Try this:

Take $650 to the local casino and find a roulette wheel.

Place $10 on red. If you lose ...
Place $20 on red. If you lose ...
Place $40 on red. If you lose ...
Place $80 on red. If you lose ...
Place $160 on red. If you lose ...
Place $320 on red. If you lose ...

Well, damn, that wheel is rigged, man.

But hey, you've still got $20 left over for the buffet.

 

[sportsnut]

Yeah your right online poker is now a crime and bodog.com etc can get in real throuble. Thats why I use the bank account I still have in Norway.

Regarding freelance work I can't really add anything else except the gig I have at a JC as its assistant sid and then I am also in charge of football operations for my old high school and since I have never really done any coverage of high school football it does not hurt my Saturday and Sunday schedule during football season.

it also adds a few grand to my sallary.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Yeah your right online poker is now a crime and bodog.com etc can get in real throuble. Thats why I use the bank account I still have in Norway.

Regarding freelance work I can't really add anything else except the gig I have at a JC as its assistant sid and then I am also in charge of football operations for my old high school and since I have never really done any coverage of high school football it does not hurt my Saturday and Sunday schedule during football season.

it also adds a few grand to my sallary.

Actually, that's not entirely true. Most online sites have found loopholes, and you can still transfer/collect money, though there is an extra step involved (faxing photo ID, bank statement).