It’s no secret that I have a deep love of side gigs and part-time jobs. I’ve highlighted my tips for how to manage multiple jobs, talked about how I’ve turned my passions into income sources and have endless monthly goals posts that are centered around bringing in more to meet aggressive savings targets.
Currently, I bring in more than enough with my full-time and part-time jobs to pay my bills, fund retirement accounts, beef up my long-term savings and take (frugal) vacations. This is certainly not a bad way to live, especially considering what a mess my financial past is.
But when does it become too much?
When is that second, third or fourth job just not worth it anymore? Does working extra jobs truly mean a loss of freedom or a decline in quality of life?
The short answer is, Yes.
Yes, working too much can cause you to lose sight of what your priorities are. It can cause you to damage personal (and sometimes professional) relationships. It can also cause your stress levels to increase, your sleep to deteriorate and your waistline to expand. That extra money isn’t so sexy now, is it?
I’m the girl whose mother negotiated to get me a job picking strawberries on a farm at the age of 11 when the legal farmhand age was 12. On my 16th birthday, I got a work permit instead of one for driving. I’m also the person who worked six jobs to climb out of credit card debt. Needless to say, working overtime and then some seems to be in my blood..
But it’s not worth the price of my relationships, health, vacations and overall well-being.
So as I move into this next phase of personal and professional development (more details on the way in a future post!), I’m making sure to only take on what I can handle.
Gone are the days of a frenetic, crazed workaholic. At least I know that if I do happen to stumble upon rough days, I can easily bust out the Go-Go-Gadget in me and work my booty off to keep my finances in tact.
Until then, the extra money and time required to make said money isn’t worth it to me.
At what point is extra work just not worth it? Could you put a price on your happiness?
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This is where I'm stuck right now. Managing two blogs, freelance gigs, and working full-time is stressful!
You have a lot going on! But you do a great job of managing everything…
I decided the money wasn't worth it to babysit if I didn't get enough time to workout and enjoy time with hubby. So I quit.
It wasn't an easy decision but I'm happier and less stressed.
Good for you! I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision; things like this never are, but you'll enjoy life so much more with the balance you have now
It's so hard to find that balance. We face that ourselves in running our own business and wanting to bring in as much as we can, but still have time with our kids.
It's great that you're able to do both! That's the idea here, finding your balance of working your tail off but still enjoying all that life offers.
That's what I like about freelance writing and blogging. I get paid to sit in my pajamas and do what I am passionate about.
You definitely couldn't get me to leave the house to clock in at a part time job. It wouldn't be worth time away from home. I can blog/write at any time of the day or night….usually at 5am or after 8 when my kids are in bed!
Yes!! I love this! It's exactly the kind of balance I'm searching for
That's what I like about freelance writing and blogging. I get paid to sit in my pajamas and do what I am passionate about!!!!!
I definitely wouldn't take a part time job that required me actually leaving my house. I am gone long enough with my 9-5.
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So true, My wife picked up a part-time job last Fall and the strain it puts on everyone, including our 3 kids, is really tough. We are definitely realizing that the extra money is just not worth it at this point.
My recent post Three Financial Considerations for the Stay at Home Mom
I love that you guys have recognized that–some people would just blindly keep working away just because of the money. I don't have kids yet but if I did, I'd absolutely make sure there was ample family time in the day/week!
Now this is something I did not expect… at least not yet, coming from you, but still it seems like the natural evolution. You've more than earned this. You have come a long way HH and I really am curious as to what you will be doing with this new freed up time. With the BF also moving in I think this will turn out great overall though
At the end of the day, the goal is happiness. Every now and again, you have to reevaluate your life and find that balance that will bring happiness.
My recent post
Haha…don't worry–I'm sure I'll end up with more than I'm currently doing; I just want to make sure it's things that make me happy and add (more than monetary) value to my life!
I am with you on this… too many jobs and you start to lose PURPOSE!!
My recent post The Passive Income Series – Method 1: Get Paid to Browse the Internet
Exactly!!!!
I think part of it depends on how much time you have to put in and how much money you get out. Working part time in retail is probably not going to be worth it to me!! Work from home stuff or side stuff that pays good in one shot would work for me and I have done it in the past. I'm weak and I generally don't want to work more then 40 hours per week at a traditional job. I've never had to and I'm grateful for that because I already know I don't have the energy for it and I value my free time way too much. If I HAD to though I know I'd do what is necessary to pay the bills.
My recent post Luxury Cinema Date Night
Great points–yes, I'm all about the random side gigs/WFH options that are enjoyable and still bring in extra money.
As for the working more hours at FT job, I'm definitely over it! I've been working myself to the bone for the past 7 months or so and it's taking its toll. Time to scale back!
You and I sound pretty alike
For me, no. I do freelance, however, and that's a lot more flexible, enjoyable, and lucrative than any set additional jobs. Things have been hectic of late with projects, visitors AND work (my eating and exercising has suffered) and I need to find a good balance.
My recent post Tuesday Three: Tech thoughts
I love that you have flexibility AND enjoyment from your work–exactly what I'm moving towards! It's good to know that while you're having a crazy time now, things will eventually get back to normal and you'll find that balance again, eh? I don't really see any of that happening at my FT job (and it's crazy to see the co-workers who works themselves–and families–ragged!).
I had that experience working at the container store. I knew it was zapping my time and energy even when I wasn't there, so it was time to quit. It was a good decision. You just gotta trust your gut.
My recent post Leaving There
Yes and yes!
But I have to say….Oooooooh..Container Store! I have never been to one explicitly because I fear what I'd do while in there. I'm an organizing junkie at heart and that place is one of my many domestic motherships. I might have to break this rule soon though with the BF–he mentioned wanting to go to look at kitchen/office options. Oy!
When working full time, I also ran a successful ecommerce company. It was stressful and it took time away from my family. After 4 years, I decided that the money wasn't worth it and stopped cold turkey.
My recent post Does the European Union Still Have a Purpose in Today’s Falling Economy?
Wow, that's impressive; good for you!!! It's nice to hear that you found your balance with work and family–must have been a pretty wild four years though!
It is worth it as long as you still have a life. Some people are ultra organized and juggle it all, other are overwhelmed without a full time job. It is a balance to work on.I overdid it for a while but learned how to stop once I reached my money goals.
My recent post 13 money resolutions for 2013: #8 be happy!
I agree! It's an individual decision just as much as how to manage our money is…
I feel like a have a second job running blogs on the internet. Funny thing is that it pays better to work at McDonalds than it does doing this.
My recent post Route 66 – A Road Trip That Won’t Break the Budget
HAHAHAHAHA…..yes, it really does!
i dont think it is worth it to us right now.. but we would certainly take on a second job if necessary.. lucky for us, we do enough side hustling to help fill in the gaps.
My recent post Wishing For Walkability
That's great about your side hustles filling in the gaps! I bet they're far more rewarding than a standard PT job anyway
I couldn't do a second job if my life depended on it right now. Running the blog and working full-time plus handling my investment properties feels like I use up more than 24 hours in a day already. More power to those who can though.
My recent post
Your schedule sounds insane–I say more power to YOU! I'd love to get into investment property management…hopefully someday!
I have been in a situation wherein the stress of having so much pending work from various jobs was just too much to handle. The extra income would have been nice, but I soon realized that the strain it put on me and my lack of time for family wasn't worth it. I think the limit should be when you can't enjoy life anymore. We have to live life!
My recent post How to Make Time Go Faster
I couldn't agree more!! I'm all about balance in my life–if a job or commitment takes up too much of my "me/family/bf/friends" time, I'm not going to burn the candle at both ends just for the money.
This very question was what lead me to this PF Blogging world back in October. I've decided that although I like my second job, it's not worth it anymore. But – as we all know – it's not that easy, and I'm still working FT and PT. I've been looking for a solution for awhile now, and so far have not had luck. I'm not giving up though! I'm going to do everything I can to make some positive changes with my life and stop sacrificing so much for a little bit of extra money.
My recent post IWIWIW: Preschool Gems
Not giving up is key! You're already on the right track; keep up the great work