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Home > Ahh, June was a great money month

Ahh, June was a great money month

June 29th, 2011 at 09:52 pm

I added up my June income a day early. It was a great money month. Great, considering I don't have a full-time job, or even a regular part-time one. Here's how I grossed $3,790 this month.

Net unemployment: $2,178.
Yeah, this was still the lion's share, and it was also basically a five-week month.
Freelance writing: $1,218. Wow. I never make close to this but this includes the chemical distributor website copy, an advance on my book editing, and two real estate copywriting assignments.
Marketing focus group: $100. The subject was household cleaning products, but they always overbook to ensure they have enough people and they ended up not calling my name. They still paid me and I'm free to do another one real soon.
Product testing: $120. This was the one where I sat around in a small room with a bunch of middle-aged women testing a new moisturizer on our legs/arms and enjoying complimentary lunch. There are worse ways to make money.
Online surveys: $115. It requires a month long effort to earn this kind of money doing those online surveys, usually at least an hour a day.
Medical study at Yale: $48 net. This was a computer-based study on emotions.
Other: Got credit for some stuff at the grocery store: $11

My expenses this month were mostly very reasonable. Groceries were out of control, though, at $285 for just me! The only other non-regular expense was $80 for my annual landfill sticker and $165 in borough taxes.

I'm going to do my darnedest to produce a repeat performance in July!

Oh, and I'll be getting a free color and haircut at local hair salon just for being a secret shopper. I picked up the gift certificate today from the owner.

And there's a complimentary dinner at local Italian restaurant hosted by an asset management company looking for new clients. I had cancelled my attendance when i learned my neighbor couldn't go with me. I'm still mulling over whether I should call them back and go alone.

Meanwhile, "real" salaried jobs with benefits that I am qualified to apply for seem to be in very short supply.

Today I started Day 1 of a nutrition study at UConn that will continue through year's end. It's a long commitment! I have to keep a very detailed food diary and exercise diary, wear an exercise monitor around my waist except when in the shower or asleep, collect ALL my pee for certain 24-hour periods and make a few trips to the UConn campus. I'll get my first payment of about $100 at my first appointment there a week from today. Total payment will be $500 at completion.

Yesterday I met the grad student research assistant at a local diner in town as she was returning to Connecticut with her boyfriend from New Jersey and passing right by my town, so her willingness to meet me there, to give me all my instructions/supplies, saved me (and her) extra driving trips.

Enjoyed a delicious "Taco Night" dinner at my friend Frank's last night. We're supposed to walk with his dog tomorrow morning.

4 Responses to “Ahh, June was a great money month”

  1. ThriftoRama Says:
    1309382656

    That's pretty awesome. How do you get in on the market research stuff??

  2. My English Castle Says:
    1309385012

    wow--you've got the guy featured in "Job Juggling" in last Sunday's NYT well beat. The moisturizer one is particularly funny, I think.

  3. patientsaver Says:
    1309390943

    ThrifoRama, I have 3 words for you: Craig's List, Craig's List, Craig's List. Look regularly under Volunteers in the upper left corner. Aside from that though, there are four different outfits within driving range of me, not including the product testing. It helps to live in a densely populated and affluent area.

    My EnglishCastle, I will have to look for that story. It sounds right up my alley.

  4. patientsaver Says:
    1309391747

    Found that NYT story about job juggling. Very interesting. Although the story was more focused on recent college grads who old multiple p/t jobs to get by. I don't consider any of what I do to be a true p/t job since all of them are one-time commitments, but I have been going after them more systematically for repeat income.

    I have to say that my odd hours and schedule really suits me. And like the people interviewed for the story, every day is different. It's so refreshing, to be honest, compared to a traditional job where you schlep in by 8 or 9 a.m. are are trapped there all day. It's been one of my biggest hangups about work.

    Like the book editing I've been doing. I started working on it at 6:45 am today, but took multiple 1 or 2 hour breaks. I plan to get back to it tonight, around 9. I really like having that flexibility (and no spouse to bother) to do that.

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