BLACK WOMEN - 2 JOBS ARE TOO MANY

Extra income. Making ends meet. These are a couple of the reasons that many women take second jobs. Or should I say the job takes us?

Bringing in extra income is a major concern for many people, but as I stressed in my previous blog, “Black Women Are Not Broke!”, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about bringing in money.

Most of us could probably quit a second job if we knew how to negotiate salary on the first one. Salary negotiation is an art. It does require courage, especially if you do not get along with your superiors. It also requires you to have specific reasons for your request. Most importantly, it requires honesty with yourself and your supervisors, etc.

I strongly suggest you read, “Expect To Win” by Carla Harris before you tackle this, but here are some suggestions to help you out. Because you will have to approach your direct supervisor, it is important that you get along. If there is tension, schedule a meeting and go to him/her and address the problem directly. Be honest and direct, but avoid confrontation. You cannot bite the hand that feeds you. Express your desire to continue to be an asset to the company and to rise up. Negative minded people will tell you things like “You’ll get fired if you ask for a raise”-absurd. The Bible says, “You have not because you ask not.”

If, for some reason, you are unable to have your salary raised or if the raise you get isn’t sufficient to cover your expenses, then it is time to seek out additional income. Most of us work during the day, so a second job means that we have to work at night or on weekends which conflicts with free time and church. Also, you can seriously damage your physical appearance by overworking yourself. God gave us 8 hours for sleep, 8 hours for work, and 8 hours for play so it is important to manage those hours wisely.

If you must take a second job, try to get one that has different aspects from your regular job. If you sit down all day, try to get a job where you stand at night and vice versa. If you interact all day with people, try to get a night job where you work alone.

Try to get a second job where you do the least work for the most pay. If you are going to work in retail, try to work at a furniture store rather than clothing store. You may end up spending your check in a clothing store. Some other suggestions are a restaurant hostess (you won’t have time to eat). Remember you are working a second job for 1 purpose-to make money, not spend it uselessly.

Consider unconventional jobs. I’m not a fan of selling cosmetics or any second job that you have to spend money to get started. There are websites where you can write articles and get paid quarterly. Go around your neighborhood and see if anyone needs help doing anything. Create a simple flyer.

Set a definite savings goal. Many women make the mistake of working a second job or jobs forever. Decide ahead of time how much money you are looking to make out of the job and then quit when you reach your goal. Working too much will damage your health, wellbeing, and sense of fun-guaranteed! You can make a time goal-that is, decide how many weeks or months you are going to work or or decide if you are using the money for something specific, to pay off a credit card, go on vacation,etc.

Sell anything in your house you don’t wear or use. If it’s been more than 6 months since you’ve worn or used something, it is unlikely that you are going to use it. I’m serious. Even if you make $50, either stick it in a savings jar or put it in an interest bearing savings/investment account that is difficult to access. Why keep things hanging around your house that take up space? Some of you live in large homes with big basements that you can’t even use because there’s so much junk down there. It’s embarrassing and a health hazard. Every week have a mini-garage sale. Post on Ebay, Craiglist, go to a pawn shop, anything to unload the stuff and make a small profit.

These ideas are guaranteed to work. I’ve done some. I want to hear from all of you and hear about all the real money that you have made. Don’t forget to put your cash in a jar or in a hard-to-access savings/investment account.

I dare you to be rich.

For practical financial help, email me

divabydefault@live.com

http://www.divabydefault.com