Any Ideas on How to Make Extra Cash in Pittsburgh?

[CortlandGirl79]

I make roughly the same every month that you do. I've been tracking my spending since september and i'm realizing that i've been living beyond my means. I have a car payment of about $270, rent is $350 (i know, super cheap and i live in a nice safe area), i spend probably $200-$250 in gas a month because i live 30 miles from my job, my gas bills this winter are around $130 or so, electric anywhere from $30-$70 depending on the time of year. etc.

Recently i did a budget and i really had to cut some things out. I'm at my boyfriend's house several evenings a week, so i got rid of my cable. I don't really miss it at all and i've saved a ton on electricity since i'm not using the tv's so much. I got a over the air antenna for xmas and i get all the youngstown stations as well as a couple of Cleveland channels. Now i can watch my shows if i want to and if i miss one i watch it on hulu. I also have netflix which i can watch on my tv, through my wii or on my computer.

My downstairs neighbors and i both had wireless internet and both of us had an open connection. Well, i realized that my computer was almost always surfing via their internet, so i just got rid of mine and totally eliminated that $120 cable/internet bill. Besides that i limit my dining/grocery money to $200/month. I also limit myself to $200 in gas for my car. I use envelopes for each of those expenses so once the money is gone it's gone. My boyfriend and i have also started clipping coupons and buying things on sale. I don't have room in my budget for getting my hair colored and cut, clothes, etc. To make extra money i sell some mary kay on the side and in the summer i work at my boyfriend's family golf course on the weekends to make extra that i can put into a "fun" account or save for when my gas bills get out of control.

I guess this is life for college grads in the 21st century. When i was working in the automotive industry i was taking home $650/week, had great insurance (that i didn't have to pay for) and i spent money on random stuff i didn't really need. Sure making less money now that i have a degree sucks, but i'll be a better person for it in the long run.

As for health insurance you'd be surprised what you can get when you're young and healthy. I pay $90 pre-tax for medical coverage through work (i was paying roughly the same through medical mutual when i was buying it on my own), i have a high deductable, but i have a decent savings and i'm relatively healthy at age 32. I also pay around $30/month pre-tax for my dental coverage through work. Before i had this job i still got my teeth cleaned twice and year and it cost about $80/visit (i told them to forget the xrays because i didn't have insurance).

BTW, as for jobs, why not deliver pizza at night? I know some guys that make a ton of money doing that? What about bartending? Could you stock shelves at the local giant eagle?

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by ML North

I'm so glad you said this. In college, my buddy and I always talked about doing this but never did. I think there's a lot of money to be made by shuttling drunk Pitt and Duquesne students to and from the Southside.

Actually, I used the service a guy who did this in Charlotte. Drove us from our hotel which was a hour away to Uptown Charlotte for $90 which is cheaper than a cab. I think the van he used was his second vehicle to avoid wear on a nicer car. If he usually stays in Charlotte he can find himself a lot of business on the weekends.

A pretty good idea.

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by CortlandGirl79

I make roughly the same every month that you do. I've been tracking my spending since september and i'm realizing that i've been living beyond my means. I have a car payment of about $270, rent is $350 (i know, super cheap and i live in a nice safe area), i spend probably $200-$250 in gas a month because i live 30 miles from my job, my gas bills this winter are around $130 or so, electric anywhere from $30-$70 depending on the time of year. etc.

Recently i did a budget and i really had to cut some things out. I'm at my boyfriend's house several evenings a week, so i got rid of my cable. I don't really miss it at all and i've saved a ton on electricity since i'm not using the tv's so much. I got a over the air antenna for xmas and i get all the youngstown stations as well as a couple of Cleveland channels. Now i can watch my shows if i want to and if i miss one i watch it on hulu. I also have netflix which i can watch on my tv, through my wii or on my computer.

My downstairs neighbors and i both had wireless internet and both of us had an open connection. Well, i realized that my computer was almost always surfing via their internet, so i just got rid of mine and totally eliminated that $120 cable/internet bill. Besides that i limit my dining/grocery money to $200/month. I also limit myself to $200 in gas for my car. I use envelopes for each of those expenses so once the money is gone it's gone. My boyfriend and i have also started clipping coupons and buying things on sale. I don't have room in my budget for getting my hair colored and cut, clothes, etc. To make extra money i sell some mary kay on the side and in the summer i work at my boyfriend's family golf course on the weekends to make extra that i can put into a "fun" account or save for when my gas bills get out of control.

I guess this is life for college grads in the 21st century. When i was working in the automotive industry i was taking home $650/week, had great insurance (that i didn't have to pay for) and i spent money on random stuff i didn't really need. Sure making less money now that i have a degree sucks, but i'll be a better person for it in the long run.

As for health insurance you'd be surprised what you can get when you're young and healthy. I pay $90 pre-tax for medical coverage through work (i was paying roughly the same through medical mutual when i was buying it on my own), i have a high deductable, but i have a decent savings and i'm relatively healthy at age 32. I also pay around $30/month pre-tax for my dental coverage through work. Before i had this job i still got my teeth cleaned twice and year and it cost about $80/visit (i told them to forget the xrays because i didn't have insurance).

BTW, as for jobs, why not deliver pizza at night? I know some guys that make a ton of money doing that? What about bartending? Could you stock shelves at the local giant eagle?

You pay $360 a year for dental coverage? Is it worth it? I don't ever spend that much on dental services in one year, even with yearly xrays. I spend $150 for two cleanings, close to your $160. They only do xrays every other year and I think those were $65. In two years, I've spent $215, nowhere near the $720 you will spend on dental insurance. Even if I had to have a filling replaced, it still wouldn't come near that amount. For me, it's definitely not worth it. Put the $30 a month in the bank, let it earn some interest, and spend it on dental work if you need it. If you're like me and don't need to use it, you can take a trip with the money!

[CortlandGirl79]

^You know what, now that you say it, i'm really not positive what i pay for the dental. Ok, wait, just looked, it's $11.85 every two weeks. I got it because it's taken out pre-tax and it covers root canals, crowns, etc, the basic coverage only covers cleanings and i wanted to make sure if i need something expensive done it would be covered and i wouldn't have to come up with hundreds of dollars to pay for it.

Good point though, i might have to consider your advice!

[Denton56]

What happened to the OP? He got tons of great advice from you all and he never returned! Oh well. I have no doubt this advice will help many people in the similar situations.

[The Dissenter]

Originally Posted by Denton56

What happened to the OP? He got tons of great advice from you all and he never returned! Oh well. I have no doubt this advice will help many people in the similar situations.

He's probably out trying some of these suggestions to make extra cash.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

He's probably out trying some of these suggestions to make extra cash.

He was probably drinking a lot when he posted and then realized Visa would give him a credit card at 25% and he could live great for the next 12 months. He might be back, but at that point will not have a computer and will be living in some box under a bridge in the city.

[Love2Golf09]

Get a better job. Go to a staffing agency. Most will get you an easy office job making $12-$15 an hr pretty quickly, especially if you have a BA.

Donate plasma. You'll get over $200 a month for that.

Sell stuff on Ebay.