Euphemism for job: Side Hustle

[tmm99]

This is too funny. I just looked up "side hustle" and this is what Urban Dictionary said in the first paragraph...

Sideline that brings in cash; something other than your main job. Maybe playing weekend gigs or life coaching. SELLING AMWAY IS NOT A SIDE HUSTLE -- it's just a stupid way to alienate your friends.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=side%20hustle

 

[Bigdawg]

How often do you do this? I think I would enjoy ref'ing volleyball games if the games were super good. I play volleyball in a league and the team sitting out ref's the other teams, but during playoffs, we get paid ref's.

Vball? I only do HS and some rec league stuff. I start HS clinics in June, games in August thru November. Rec league from October thru March. Club Vball is available from Dec thru April but I haven't started that yet(maybe next year). It sort of interferes with my baseball which starts now and goes thru October. HS I usually do 2 games/week sometimes 3. Rec league usually 2 nights per week. Baseball usually 4-5 games per week. I am probably officiating 150-180 total games per year. You can work as much or as little as your area offers. I don't do it for the money but it does pay well. I started doing it to get back involved with sports. I coached a bit but then realized that officiating would be a better fit.

 

[kimcdougc]

Funny this thread came up. DH and I went to spend some time (2 months) with my Dad because of some health issues. While there my niece who works with the visually impaired students in her local school district was in need of some help customizing work for her 21 students.

Long story short, both DH and I helped her out while we were there and have continued to do it via long distance since returning home in November. We make decent money and it keeps our brains functioning. We both work around 50 to 60 hours a month.

We can work when we want and from anywhere we are as long as we have an internet connection.

Do we have to? No Do we enjoy helping the younger disabled generation? Yes Do we enjoy the extra paycheck? Yes

We are thinking about getting a tax ID number just for the extra write offs since we are considered independent contractors and only get a 1099.

When we are no longer having fun, it will cease.

Are we FIRED? Absolutely

 

[gayl]

I have a side hustle but for something to do, not necessarily income. And the article says "income" < $750 month doesn't count. Mine's under that and only election years.

Might be interesting to run a poll to see how many have a side hustle or income producing hobbies

 

[tmm99]

Vball? I only do HS and some rec league stuff. I start HS clinics in June, games in August thru November. Rec league from October thru March. Club Vball is available from Dec thru April but I haven't started that yet(maybe next year). It sort of interferes with my baseball which starts now and goes thru October. HS I usually do 2 games/week sometimes 3. Rec league usually 2 nights per week. Baseball usually 4-5 games per week. I am probably officiating 150-180 total games per year. You can work as much or as little as your area offers. I don't do it for the money but it does pay well. I started doing it to get back involved with sports. I coached a bit but then realized that officiating would be a better fit.

NICE. Thank you for your explanation. It sounds like a good fit for you, and yes, it sounds like it pays pretty well. I've noticed that some refs are really strict while others let things slide a LOT. I'm actually a bit afraid to ref because sometimes players start protesting in my league(some grown-ups are much worse than kids I think.), so I do the scoring. I guess it's all good as long as you don't get a McEnroe on your court

 

[gayl]

At the basketball game today 2 adults were complaining that 1 kid was too tall. He looked dejected and a little embarrassed as he is really tall. 6th grader already hit growth spurt. As another spectator I felt like asking them to leave if they couldn't keep it down. But I held my tongue

 

[HadEnuff]

I have a retirement hustle...I'm heading out the door to play a gig with one of my bands. I'll have to put up with attractive women dancing in front of the stage all night, but at least I'll get paid for it...

PAID?!?!?!?

Enjoy the ladies but welcome back to work, you working stiff you! Hand over your official ER Club Member card right now!

Respectfully,
-Internet Retirement Police

Nope...NOPE!! You get to keep your card. You have "won the game"...

 

[HadEnuff]

I have thought about the "side hustle" and how it would fit into my life. I haven't given up on the idea, however, I haven't found anything that wouldn't involve some degree of "having to be there when maybe I don't want to"...i.e. "W*RK"..
for example, I live in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, and could likely get a gig at a winery pouring wine tastings. I could do this, because I can schmooze with the best of them. I am knowledgable and enthusiastic about wines, and look and smell pretty good when I bother to groom. Many people have suggested that this would be a great retirement j*b for me, but what if I'd committed to being there at 3 PM and my buddy calls me to go fishing, that would just suck so bad....
So no...I haven't found it yet.

 

[FUEGO]

says the guy who has two paid gigs.

Three. You forgot to include "full time private wealth manager" in your count.

I'm kidding here of course - we all do things that bring us enjoyment or fulfillment, or prove challenging and interesting. Some pays. Some pays well. Some pays not at all.

Your ref'ing sounds like work to me (being at a designated time based on someone else's schedule that you agree and commit to ahead of time; commuting; being held to some standards; significant time commitment). But to you it's very likely viewed as a hobby because the fun/challenge elements far outweigh the BS part of it.

At the end of the day no one issues Early Retirement Club cards and there's no real Internet Retirement Police ripping those cards to shreds for violating our ER Club community standards (notwithstanding the intent and desires of some members of this forum ).

It's like indecency - we know it when we see it but it's hard to define and opinions of what constitutes it are so disparate that definitions are near meaningless.

 

[Music Lover]

I'm kidding here of course - we all do things that bring us enjoyment or fulfillment, or prove challenging and interesting. Some pays. Some pays well. Some pays not at all.

I've just considered music to be a hobby that pays for itself. I don't make a lot and it's never been about the money...but, it is nice to do something I love and walk out at the end of the night with a few $$ in my pocket rather than having a hobby that cost me money every time I partake.

 

[HadEnuff]

I've just considered music to be a hobby that pays for itself. I don't make a lot and it's never been about the money...but, it is nice to do something I love and walk out at the end of the night with a few $$ in my pocket rather than having a hobby that cost me money every time I partake.

I've never been good enough of a musician to do that, but I have friends who are. For none of them is music a significant source of income, but they love their gigs. It makes perfect sense to me. They get a chance to play together with their band members, make some beer money, sure, but for them now, it's about the gig.

Two of my best college friends tell me that per gig, in inflation adjusted dollars, they were actually making a lot more in 1973, than they do now. There are so many more people willing to play for nearly nothing, that what places need to pay has not really kept up with, say, the price of drink at the bar.

One of those two guys' dad died when we were in high school together. His playing, solo and band, really helped him out financially in our college years. He tell me that now, it would be hard to do that well playing coffee shops and restaurants.

 

[Music Lover]

^^
You're right in saying that there's no real money in it anymore. Bands around here get paid today about the same they used to get paid 30 years ago, and often less because instead of playing from Tuesday/Wednesday to Saturday, you now only play on Friday and/or Saturday because they now have other events during the week instead of a band for 4 or 5 consecutive nights.

 

[Bigdawg]

Three. You forgot to include "full time private wealth manager" in your count.

I'm kidding here of course - we all do things that bring us enjoyment or fulfillment, or prove challenging and interesting. Some pays. Some pays well. Some pays not at all.

Your ref'ing sounds like work to me (being at a designated time based on someone else's schedule that you agree and commit to ahead of time; commuting; being held to some standards; significant time commitment). But to you it's very likely viewed as a hobby because the fun/challenge elements far outweigh the BS part of it.

At the end of the day no one issues Early Retirement Club cards and there's no real Internet Retirement Police ripping those cards to shreds for violating our ER Club community standards (notwithstanding the intent and desires of some members of this forum ).

It's like indecency - we know it when we see it but it's hard to define and opinions of what constitutes it are so disparate that definitions are near meaningless.

I know Fuego. I was just messin. You are right about the how you look at it approach. When people do volunteer they usually have to be somewhere at a certain time and maybe held to some standard but they don't get paid so it's not a side hustle. When I coached I mostly did not get paid but I had to be somewhere at a certain time and was held to standards. Many of my baseball umpire buds volunteer for the fall LL schedule. The have to commute, held to standards and have a schedule.

 

[FUEGO]

I know Fuego. I was just messin. You are right about the how you look at it approach. When people do volunteer they usually have to be somewhere at a certain time and maybe held to some standard but they don't get paid so it's not a side hustle. When I coached I mostly did not get paid but I had to be somewhere at a certain time and was held to standards. Many of my baseball umpire buds volunteer for the fall LL schedule. The have to commute, held to standards and have a schedule.

When I look at what I do vs. the standard volunteering arrangement, my "side hustles" come with a lot more freedom! Instead of commuting to a volunteer gig M/W/Fri from 8 am to noon or whatever, or more sporadically for one-off events, I just do whatever I want when I want. And from wherever I want. Or do nothing at all some weeks/months.

Always great to have flexibility and no need to make $$. I think the Internet Retirement Police here get to take out an extra 0.1 or 0.2% SWR when they criticize others for not being fully retired. Must be something in it for them else why would they defend the ER Orthodoxy so much?

 

[HadEnuff]

When I look at what I do vs. the standard volunteering arrangement, my "side hustles" come with a lot more freedom! Instead of commuting to a volunteer gig M/W/Fri from 8 am to noon or whatever, or more sporadically for one-off events, I just do whatever I want when I want. And from wherever I want. Or do nothing at all some weeks/months.

Always great to have flexibility and no need to make $$. I think the Internet Retirement Police here get to take out an extra 0.1 or 0.2% SWR when they criticize others for not being fully retired. Must be something in it for them else why would they defend the ER Orthodoxy so much?

I don't think anyone has criticized anyone on this thread. The thread title pokes a little fun at the use of the term "side hustle" as a euphemism for "part time job".

Lighten up... it's ok...no police here. No "orthodoxy", whatever that means in this reference.

It's all good, mon.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

The Internet Retirement Police was a term invented by the Mr. Money Moustache guy to deflect legitimate criticism of his retirement blog by posters from places like Reddit and Bogleheads who pointed out he was working full time, his initial numbers didn't add up and his budget left out major expenses items from his blog. Name calling is pretty much playbook technique #1 for deflecting valid criticism of facts or assumptions, instead of addressing the actual issue at hand.

 

[FUEGO]

I don't think anyone has criticized anyone on this thread. The thread title pokes a little fun at the use of the term "side hustle" as a euphemism for "part time job".

Lighten up... it's ok...no police here. No "orthodoxy", whatever that means in this reference.

It's all good, mon.

There's definitely an ER Orthodoxy and they sharpen their pitchforks regularly. Just because they haven't extended their secret handshake to you doesn't mean they don't convene regularly.

 

[parhur]

Parhur

I hate the term side hustle. who started that term

 

[joeea]

I hate the term side hustle. who started that term

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-were-watching-side-hustle

You might hate the term. But you must agree it sounds more hip than "second job". Fewer negative connotations.

 

[ceciledian]

I’ve seen side hustle mostly used for those who can’t get by on their full time gig and need a second job just to live. Often it’s teachers in high cost of living cities.

 

[unclemick]

I get paid $135/acre to watch grass grow by the government. To think I used to joke about paint drying and grass growing on this very forum.



heh heh heh - Also researching $ programs for Monarch butterflies but there is a waiting list and pay is less and involves some prep WORK!

AND to think all those years of 'buy index funds you dam fool' went unpaid. Need to polish my skills as a 'financial guru'.

 

[unclemick]

There's definitely an ER Orthodoxy and they sharpen their pitchforks regularly. Just because they haven't extended their secret handshake to you doesn't mean they don't convene regularly.

Love that one.

Getting layed off, temp work here and there, not getting a pension til 55, taking in boarders, etc.

I wasn't wasn't a high class ER until I decided I ARE one.

heh heh heh - This forum helped. May the dryer sheets be with you and with your ER.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

To me, a "side hustle" is what you do "on the side" for "extra cash". If it's a necessary source of income then it's just a "job". Whether it's the only job you have, your second or third or fourth job, it's still a job. You're working for a paycheck.

Good description. I would go further and say that if you HAVE to be somewhere at a certain time/day and someone is going to TELL you what you have to do, and then you get $$$ for doing that "thing", then you have a J-*-B and *not* a hustle.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

^^
You're right in saying that there's no real money in it anymore. Bands around here get paid today about the same they used to get paid 30 years ago, and often less because instead of playing from Tuesday/Wednesday to Saturday, you now only play on Friday and/or Saturday because they now have other events during the week instead of a band for 4 or 5 consecutive nights.

We've been discovering some pretty amazing local bands that play at no cover charge places. I don't understand the economics of it for the bands, but we have discovered some really great bands and only have to pay for drinks and leave a tip in the band's tip jar.

 

[Clone]

I’ve seen side hustle mostly used for those who can’t get by on their full time gig and need a second job just to live. Often it’s teachers in high cost of living cities.

I've seen a few folks call their jobs a 'side hustle'. They truly believe they have something bigger coming any day now, but in the meantime they don't want to admit that their job is delivering pizza or driving Uber. Side Hustle seems to be a lot more hip than to admit that you have a crappy job, but it is enough while you are living in your Mom's basement.