The Every Day Hustle

Every day is a struggle.

Every day I have to hustle.

I get so tired of this game of Life.

I feel as though I spend every moment of my existence either working to make money or trying to think of more ways to make more money. I have a full time job; shouldn’t that be enough? It never is. My measley paycheck is always gone just a few days after pay day (and I only get paid twice a month as it is). I have lost count of the numerous side gigs I have taken on. Some work, some are a waste, and so many turn out to be scams.

My husband and I, we’re a team. Together, we struggle. Together, we hustle. We do any side jobs we can find. There are a couple of families that pay us a few times a year to assemble furniture or presents for their kids. Those jobs usually only take a few hours, require minimal tools, and turn a decent profit.

When I’m not at work, we drive for various delivery services: DoorDash, UberEats, Spark. But with gas running $4.59 a gallon? It’s barely worth it. Especially when the customers almost never tip in our town. And the worst part? It has been in the mid to high 90s all week, with no air conditioning in either of our vehicles. Half of me is a sunburned lobster from having the windows down. The other half is still a pale wintery shade.

When it’s not busy at work or with any of the delivery services, I usually take surveys on my phone, making some extra change here and there. Those don’t pay off much either, but everything helps when we get in a bind.

The sad thing is, I really have no idea how we stay broke. It’s always bills or gas or food, or having to fix something that brakes. It is never enough no matter how hard I try. Now we need to take on rent which we have never done before. I have no idea how to squeeze that in to an already stretched budget.

When will this struggle end? Will my hustle ever pay off?