This is a guest post by Perry from Stupid Is The Norm – enjoy! – Nicola
I want to become wealthy. There. I’ve said it. It’s undeniable. It’s not for any altruistic reason. I don’t want to save the planet or anything. I want to become wealthy because I’m sick of work, and I want to live on a 50’ Beneteau yacht moored in Gibraltar harbour – a goal I will achieve in 9 years time. I’ve budgeted £300,000, and I need to save those funds over 10 years.
How am I achieving this? Well, there’s only ONE guaranteed way to become wealthy, and that is to spend less than you earn (and invest the balance long term). There are however, two very different tactics you can deploy to execute the plan. Either cut back on expenditure or increase income.
Now, eating out of bins and living like a church mouse isn’t my ‘thing’, so I’ve naturally gravitated to increasing my income. The way most people achieve this is by adopting some sort of ‘side hustle’. (A ‘side hustle’ is some form of extra money making activity over and above your usual full time job. Typically, writing a blog, car boot sales, matched betting, selling stuff on eBay etc.) Again, a little side hustle’s not really my thing. I prefer a more medieval approach. What another blogger called ‘hard core’. That’s because my side hustle, alongside my full time job is (drum roll please,) ANOTHER full time job.
Until recently, I drove a cab from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm, then managed a bar from 5.00 pm to 00.30 am. I quickly discovered that being a cabbie paid more than owning pubs (and considerably less stressful), so I now work 70 hours per week spread over 7 days, as a cabbie.
The beauty of working the hours equivalent to 2 full time jobs means you can live off one wage and invest the other.
This flies in the face of the conventional work week of 8 hours work, 8 hours sleep, and 8 hours down time. But, if you worked only Monday to Friday for 12 hours per day, you’d still have 8 hours sleep and 4 hours down time, with a weekend off, and you’d be working 50% more than ‘normal’ people and earning 50% more.
On top of the 60 hours Monday to Friday, I work from 5.00 am Saturday and Sunday too but get the afternoon off both days.
I still get 4 hours ‘me time’ during the week, which I’m considering using for another side hustle of buying stuff from China and selling it on eBay.
I’m taking Christmas Day off this year. It will be my first day off in 3 months.
Why am I doing this? Because I’ve been Stupid most of my life. I’ve lived for the present, gotten into debt, had nice cars and took nice holidays. In other words, I’ve been Normal. I no longer wish to be Normal, but my time is almost out. I have to cram 20 working years into 10 years.
Don’t be like me. I’m not a good role model.
Don’t be Stupid. Don’t be Normal.
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