3 Things I Never Thought I’d Do
For the last 45 years or so, I’ve made my living as a bankruptcy attorney. I tried retirement but with the cost of living soaring, interest rates on the rise, and a recession looming, I need some extra income to make ends meet.
Of course, I didn’t help myself by selling my condo in Colorado Springs about a year ago, and giving up my 2.75% mortgage. My timing was perfect when it came to selling. I got my dream price without even putting it on the market.
But that left me with no place to live. I was under contract for a new build in a great retirement community, but the house wasn’t done. Between construction delays, rising interest rates and a falling stock market, I could no longer afford the new build.
So with my move-out date looming, and after two friends reneged on offers of a place to stay, I found myself about to be homeless. Should I go through with the purchase of something I couldn’t afford (and where would I stay until it was finished?), rent something, move in with a friend, or something else?
The first thing I did was rent an Airbnb for a month, with my dog, while I figured out what to do. Worst experience of my life! (Not really, but it was a pretty rough month). It cost a lot more than a month’s rent, I had a microwave and a refrigerator but the sink was in the bathroom, and I couldn’t leave the dog there by himself.
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Next, I showed my true Capricorn nature and did a complete about face. I took a good friend’s suggestion and bought an old mobile home/fixer upper near her in a retirement community in Santa Barbara. As you’ve probably guessed, that move didn’t exactly save me money.
But it brought me back to California, where I was born and raised. I even found myself singing “California Here I Come.” How corny is that?
Once I got here, I realized that some extra income would come in really handy, but I didn’t want to start up a law practice and I’m too old for anyone to hire me. Oh, I tried to find a part time job but I found out real fast that ageism may be the only kind of discrimination that employers can still get away with.
I got through the first few months by picking up some freelance writing and research work. But that petered out. So I reactivated my law license, built a website and started a bankruptcy blog. But as we all know, earning income online is a marathon, not a sprint, so that’s still a work in progress.
Finally, a couple of neighbors asked if I would cook for them. So I am now a personal chef. Talk about an “out-of-the-box” side hustle! But it’s taken the pressure to earn money quickly off of me. Two meals a day, five days a week and the bills are paid.
Now I can take some time and see what shows up. Am I going to be a bankruptcy attorney again, find another way to make money off my website, or make a living writing for Medium or some other platform.
As I typed that last sentence, an old song lyric popped into my head. Maybe I’ll make my living playing pool (Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May,” if I remember correctly). Nope, that’s one side hustle I won’t be trying.
