Today for outside the box thinking I am going to discuss an idea that many of the readers of this blog will not appreciate, working on the weekends! Yes, those two days where you either relax at home or go drinking with your buddies. I have probably lost most readers by now but if you are still reading then thank you and allow me to show you how the weekends could make you rich.
First I will start off with a few myths about weekends and personal finance.
Myth #1. You can’t work because you use your weekends to study. I’m sure that most of you do this every single weekend, tell yourself that you will spend the weekend studying. I have done this so many times that I could not possibly count. Stop lying to yourself! You may study an hour or two here and there but realistically you will spend most of the time either relaxing or going out. The only time any of us will study on the weekend is when we have an exam on Monday morning.
Myth #2. You have to go out on the weekends. Believe me nowhere on this site will I tell you not to drink because that would make me the worlds biggest hypocrite. I’m just asking you, why do you have to go out on the weekends? Think bout it, you could find way cheaper drinks if you were to go out on a Thursday night, or you could save your money and go on a vacation every 4-6 months.
Myth #3. It’s hard to find work for the weekends. This is so not true, in fact it may even be easier because most people don’t want to work weekends.
Alright thanks for sticking with me as I discuss such an unpleasant subject as working on the weekends. Now that I have listed all the myths about personal finance and weekends, let me show you where the savings will come in:
Saving #1: Cheaper Drinks During the Week. As I mentioned before I will not be a preacher and tell the readers of this site to never drink because even if I did no one would listen. If you decide to work on the weekends then try going for drinks with your friends on a Thursday night (depending on if your schedule allows it of course). Many bars offer cheaper drinks during the week and have student themed discount nights. Why not take advantage of these?
Saving #2: Instead of spending money, you will be earning money. While all of your friends are out spending their money on dining out and random purchases, you will be at work earning money. Granted you may miss a few nights out here and there, but sacrifice is the key ingredient to working on the weekends. Don’t worry when I first starting working on the weekends I thought it would be impossible to work while my friends are out. Then it hit me; I can graduate college debt free and travel all just by sacrificing my weekends.
Saving #3: Time to calculate how much money you could potentially earn on the weekends. Let’s assume that you find a decent paying job where you will work a full day shift. Hopefully it’s fair to say that you could earn anywhere from $75-$150 a day, so let’s do the math
$75-$150 a day= $150-$300 a weekend x 40 weekends (rough number because no one will want to work every weekend)= $6,000-$12,000! Not bad and this money could definitely put you ahead of the game when it comes to paying off tuition or saving money for that first home down payment.
Good job you are still hanging in there reading about working on the weekends. I have covered the common myths and the ways you could save money by working on the weekend. Next I will cover some possible work ideas for jobs that can be easily done on the weekends:
Work Idea #1:Serving drinks/food at a bar or restaurant. This type of work may be completely irrelevant in terms of your field of study but you could potentially earn a decent income from tips. If you are the type of person that seeks excitement then this is the job for you because there will never be a dull moment. Not only will time fly by fast you will also have the opportunity to meet some great people.
Work Idea #2: Tutoring. The weekends would be an ideal time to provide some tutoring sessions for part time students and students with busy schedules. Granted you must be an expert in the field you decide to tutor and be good at explaining key concepts. I personally have tried this option but it did not work out because I do not have the patience to teach people.
Work Idea #3: Become a junior assistant in the field. Many workplaces use the weekends to catch up on any tasks that they were unable to complete during the week. This is why many employers are now hiring junior assistants to help out around the office and do any minor tasks that they do not have the time to complete. This would be the perfect opportunity for any young ambitious person that is looking to make some money and gain some valuable experience.
That is all for this edition of Outside the Box Thinking. Thanks for sticking around and reading about a topic like working on the weekends. If you agree with the whole idea of working on the weekends then please let me know. If you think that working on the weekends is the most absurd idea ever then please share your thoughts.