by Hope
I have always loved the winter months – the early darkness, the cozy quiet evenings. When the kids were younger and less busy, we would spend evenings watching family movies, play board games and put together puzzles.
Over the last year, I picked up a couple of puzzles in preparation for this winter. But with the kids working and occupied with their own lives, the winter nights are a lot different now. Most nights, it’s just me.
I’ve been working on finding some new things to do. I love to read and have plenty of self help and business related books. But let’s face it, that can get old. Our local library’s availability has been iffy with COVID, shutting down for weeks at a time whenever there is exposure.
And then I found this…a coloring book for introverts! I already have a slew of markers and colored pencils. So today, I start my color book.
Side Hustles for My Son
Sea Cadet visited me yesterday to do some laundry and he asked about making soap and other DIY projects I/we’ve done over the years. He’s interested in finding a side hustle of his own to supplement his EMT job income. We talked about alot of options. I did discourage soap making as a money making idea based on the math. But it was exciting to hear him interested and open to doing his own thing.
It’s sad to me that if he wants to continue down this career path, he will most likely always have to have another job and income stream. Not sad that he wants one, but more sad that the pay rate for EMTs is so low that he will need one.
Do any of your kids have side hustles that they enjoy and help make them some money? I’d love to hear more about your experiences.
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
I’ve often wondered why EMT pay is what it is. The people I know in the field have usually moved in to nursing or fire fighting once they have a family to support. A few have been able to become CPR instructors or EMT instructors. It’s definitely a shame the pay is so low.
He has been trying to get on with a different county that combines fire and EMT but no luck yet. He is a certified fire fighter but currently just uses that as a volunteer fire fighter here locally.
That’s awful regarding EMT pay, especially for what they deal with every day and how they are risking their lives for us in a pandemic 🙁 Can he complete more education to become a paramedic? My paramedic friends here (obviously different country, different health care system) make over 6 figures a year (with overtime… normal pay was more like 60-70k) and were the first of my friends to buy their own houses.
I know!! He is planning to go to paramedic school, he has applied and been accepted at one program but it doesn’t start until the fall. In the meantime, he has to renew his EMT certification this quarter.
Does your library rent ebooks? That’s the only way I’ve rented library books for several years now. I love how convenient it is.
I believe they do but after all my work related screen time, I am not a big digital book fan. I can do it occasionally, but I much prefer a real book in my hands. But I didn’t even think of that during this COVID season, I should give it another shot when I’m a bit more desperate for something other than self-help and business books.
I really enjoy my Kindle with the e-ink screen. It’s much easier on the eyes than reading on my phone. My first Kindle lasted seven years, and I got a discount on my replacement one by trading in the old one. I can’t bring myself to actually pay for most e-books, but if you’re using it for library books, it seems like a good investment.
You will enjoy the coloring book! It’s relaxing.
What’s funny is that I heard strange sounds coming from my bedroom yesterday afternoon and found both Princess and Beauty in my bed coloring in my new book…
Yeah my daughter became an EMT and quickly found out the wage is just so low you really can’t make it with that as your only income. It’s sad because we do rely on them in emergency situations. Eye opening for sure. Hope he’s able to find something that he will be able to use his medical skills in. Some hospitals hire EMT’s in ER’s and this does pay more. Might have him check into it a bit more.