Mothertruckers

Earnings potential: Well over $1,000 per day (if you are in the right area)

Time investment:Creeping around parking spots

Useful for: Those willing to sacrifice their dignity, scumbags, high school dropouts, antisocial individuals

Stained wifebeaters. Thick gobs of chewing tobacco spit. A mean and porcine glare with periodic unintelligible grunts. No, this isn't the cast of Deliverance - this is your local tow trucking crew.

Look at this slob

  Tow trucking is actually a highly lucrative industry. Too bad that the average tow trucker spends his lucrative earnings on cheap beer, meth, and second-hand hookers. How does this scumbag industry work? Usually, tow truckers rent their trucks out from local towing companies. They then roam around high-traffic parking areas and look for cars that are violating the slightest parking codes, hitch them up to their truck, and drag them off to their dark lairs. 

 Now, it's not all that simple. Tow truckers working on a salary basis are actually often very lowly paid. We're talking around $12.50 an hour for a job that makes no one want to be your friend. The money is in commission towing. Near busy areas. In college towns. And you only accept cash. 

That right there is the ultimate sleaze ball formula to rake in cash every day while masquerading as a low-income schmuck.  Truckers operating on commission act as judge, jury, and executioner on college students who don't have enough parking spaces in the first place.  Of course, this combination of off-the-books income, low-life behavior, and affinity for the dark alleyways at night make towing companies an easy target for mobsters who know which scumbags they can squeeze. With an average tow costing around $140 dollars, a tow trucker who only gets around a 30% commission rate is clearing at least 30 dollars per car after costs. In a busy college town, a tow trucker near major drinking and residential areas can clear in three to four cars an hour, especially with the shady practice of towing spotters.

So what are you waiting for, get out and....uh, actually... don't do this.

Freddy 

(F)utilies

Saving potential: ~ $100-200 monthly, $1200-2400 a year

Time investment: None

Useful for: Everyone not homeless

Americans are too damn comfortable in their houses. This is possible because we cool down or heat up our places with the AC running all the time. When you live in a fairly big house (typically with bad insulation) that's a lot of air to process. Bigger also means more surface for the cool or heat to dissipate from.

"B-b-but I need that!" you whine. WRONG! Your body is built to survive in the most adverse

environments; you just forgot about it living a modern life. Your ancestors had none of that and were doing just fine. Of course they learned how to deal with a little discomfort and turn it into hardiness. 

Here's the catch: You don’t even need to go to the extremes. Just lower your thermostat to 62 degrees in winter and 78 in summer and you'll save hundreds of dollars. The difference is  negligible. Obviously you'll complement this with appropriate clothing. Ditch the shorts in winter (you idiot), wear warm socks, and a wool sweater instead. Wear sunglasses in summer...

Also, stop blasting the AC on full in your car. It burns quite a lot of fuel and makes walking (healthy and cheap) outside of the rolling fridge much harder to bear by comparison.

In addition to the savings your body will become more hardened and you will accommodate to living with less. Not being dependent on certain equipment with limited (or costly) availability is always a good thing.

Top that off with cold showers for a stronger immune system, increased alertness, and a benefit in badassery.

It's a Dog's Life

Earnings potential:  An easy 30 dollars an hour, unlimited earning potential

Time investment: Finding clients (just hang out at dog parks and yoga workshops) 

Useful for: Animal lovers, people who love being outdoors

    Are you an animal lover? Do you not mind having fur and drool all over you? Are you that asshat who lures in women with a puppy? Here's a way to have all of that without the upkeep of owning a dog - and even earning money on the side!



            Dogwalkers are earning and winning in every possible corner. Does this sound silly? It's not. Think about it - they are developing social contacts, valuable life skills, and earning cold hard CASH.

Dogwalkers learn the valuable life skills of patience, willingness to put up with unexpected behavior, and an appreciation for nature. Dogs can be annoying animals. They poop everywhere and might bite you. This is good practice for having children. Once again, that's not a joke.  At least you can kick a dog and not have CPS show up.

 On top of that, is the cash that really makes it worth it. Dogwalkers are often paid a going rate of $15...every half hour. So $30 an hour. Cash. Suckers that went to college don't earn nearly that much starting out, and they ain't earning cash! Hey, and it gets better. That's per dog. If you drum up a neighborhood of yuppies, you can march down the street with four or five dogs leaving behind a steaming trail of success on people's front lawns. $120 an hour for such little work is, in all seriousness, something to try to acheive.

 Also, if you are a guy, you have the opportunity to hit on lone female joggers. Not only are they seperated from the pack, but they are even lured in by your furry bait. You can meet women, potential future contacts, and more women. If they are so interested in dogs, they may even have some dogs (or friends with dogs) who will be willing to pay you.

So what are you waiting for? Get out and earn!

-Freddy

Lower Your Bill at Goodwill

Savings potential: ~ $1500 annually, or 90% of your clothing expenses

Time investment: Scouting at Goodwill once in a while

Useful for: Men and women, everyone in shape, hipsters

So you think you're too ugly to be loved by anyone? Wanting to look good is a valid concern and eventually you will realize that the clothes your mom bought 10 years ago no longer match your style. Fine, go out and do some shopping, but know this:

The fashion industry perpetuates the notion that you need to buy brand new clothes every season so that people can like you. That is a maneuver aimed to make you spend the fruit of your hard labor on a shirt put together by a 7 year old from Bangladesh. That child was paid a few cents and most of the buying price goes into the pocket of some rich textile moguls.

Be smart and don't throw your money at those people who already have enough. Instead invest in a few timeless pieces of clothing that you can easily combine and layer: That includes unicolor shirts, sturdy jeans (blue, indigo, black), a few good shirts, and sweaters. Throw a nice jacket on top and you're all set. Where to get all of this?

Goodwill.

Does that sound cheap to you? That's because it is dirt cheap! But don't be fooled, the quality of the clothes you can get there is actually quite good, because there is an oversupply of secondhand clothes. That means that Goodwill can afford to throw out damaged or low quality clothes and only keep good pieces and brands.

The only downside is that every piece is unique and possibly not available in your specific size. But that makes shopping at Goodwill a treasure hunt that is a lot of fun. You can (and should) check out stores regularly for new clothes that you like.

Make a habit out of looking for fitting items. This reinforces a basic principle of saving: Planned behavior and being able to wait for something will get you good deals. Look for a new winter coat and boots in summer, buy shorts in winter if in stock.

Goodwill is for two kinds of people: The poor and the smart.

Getting yourself a new suit for 15$ = smart. A shirt is $3. Leather boots for $10. Want a new tie? Here you are, $1! Sometimes they also offer other household items for similarly low prices.

Have a look and remember one more thing: When you are in shape every right size item of clothing looks good on you.

-Jimmy

Where'd You Get Those Tats?

Earnings potential: $30,000 at the low end, hundreds of thousands at the high end

Time investment: Learning how to properly tattoo

Useful for: artsy types, college students, talented drawers, prison inmates

Do you like to draw? On people? No, this post isn't about drawing obscenities on your frat brother's face after a night of debauchery. Become a tattoo artist!

 The first major pro about this job is the flexibility. Work your own hours, choose your clients, and even choose what kind of artwork you want to pursue. Tattooing is most profitable when you take a subject that you really admire, and you decide to become a master at it. Some tattoo artist specialize in intricate texts, others in landscapes, and others in tattooing images of faces, people, or animals. As long as you are earning something, your time is more important than money in many ways. But money is still important!

  Tattoo artists can charge huge sums for little work. A going rate is often $60, $70, or even $100+ per hour of work. This means that even a lazy tattoo artist can have a decent living. A tattoo artist willing to drum up customers and work 8 to 10 hour days can rake in some serious cash. And we do mean CASH. Lots of customers will be willing (or have no other option) to pay in cash. Having immediate payment is always a good thing.

Tattooing people is a very personal job. This means that you are likely to get repeat customers and build relationships. If there is anything that you should be learning from this blog, it's that relationships are vital. They open new doors and new opportunities. New jobs, new travels, and new knowledge. Better yet, you will most likely be dealing with interesting people. Roadies, musicians, dealers, and more.

On a darker note, being a tattoo artist can also be incredibly valuable in one terrible situation - prison. Tattoo artists are highly respected in the prison system. They are protected and paid well -for prison standards - with necessities. There you have it - a career that pays well, helps create valuable and interesting contacts, and will save you in prison.

What else do you need? Get out and earn!

-Freddy

Street Musician

Earnings potential: ~ $21 per hour, around $45,000 a year in optimal conditions (full-time)

Time investment: Learning how to play an instrument

Useful for: artsy types, college students, talented musicians

If you live in a big city, or any area with a downtown, you can sit on your butt, play an instrument, and rake in cash. Either  they will pay you because you are talented, or they will throw in money out of pity. You can't lose!

This is one of the most flexible jobs we have on this site. You can look at the window and decide whether or not it's a good day to spread your tunes on the street. Street musicians can make money in any major  city. Take care to look out for major events, such as fairs and festivals. You can even play close to other major concerts and leach off of the traffic that is passing by.

If you are a very talented musician, consistently playing the same street corner in a major area of town is a good way to get your name out there! Don't just assume you have to play a guitar - many street musicians play instruments such as violin, bass, or simply drums. It's also becoming more common to see street musicians mixing records and audio files, looping tracks, and using digital music programs right on the streets.

Meet some people, get some sun, and make some money!

-Freddy

Couchsurfing

Saving potential: ~ $50-500 per day of traveling  (depending on your travel budget)

Time investment: sometimes it takes a little bit of planning  to find a suitable host

Useful for: travellers, people who want to learn and build their social skills (everyone!)

Couchsurfing will restore your faith in humanity.

It's an extensive internet community of people offering to host travelers at their home, be it modest and authentic or extravagant and metropolitan. You can meet many kind people of all ages who share their living spaces, experiences, food and everything else about their culture. There are no costs, it's about making gifts and receiving gifts.

The way it works is you create a profile and introduce yourself with some words and pictures, and BAM, you're all set to look for hosts across the globe or in your home town to get out of your bubble. You can also just look for other travelers to meet up with and explore together or ask for someone to show you around and give you valuable information. There's plenty of meetups in bars where you encounter interesting new people from around the world mixed with your home town dwellers, each offering their perspectives, knowledge and human decency.

The typical duration for a stay is 1-3 days, initially. While that does not sound like a lot, often times when you get along well with the host you can ask to stay longer. I had a great experience in Kenya where I got to stay in a very safe and well equipped place for one month.

Of course the benefit of this becomes possible through a tit-for-tat behavior. People can tell whether you're a leech or rather a valuable member of the community. Not surprising, you become a valuable member by offering the same services that you yourself like to use: Show some lost travelers the way, bring them to a friend's party, or let them crash on your couch. All of this earns you references on your profile, which in turn allows people to more easily trust you and offer their company and space.

That's also why there hardly ever are truly bad experiences made by travelers: A profile built over time with the testimonies of members of a well-spirited, open minded community and your own common sense provide a strong safety net. Cultural differences might challenge you a little here and there, but this is your opportunity to learn to be smooth and culturally literate.

If you feel uncomfortable at first, stick to hosts that have lots of references and/or travel with a friend/group of friends (anything is possible on couchsurfing).

What I really, really want to make clear is that you can grow infinitely and become a worldly, sociable and charming person by doing couch surfing. It's a payback that surpasses the saved hotel costs by a long shot. If that's your motivation to get into it, that's fair, but you'll quickly get addicted to this intensely rewarding experience for all the right reasons.

Go out and enjoy yourself with friends you've never met!

-Jimmy