Making your truck work

Get a job in construction. Get a ladder rack. Be the lumber lumper. You’ll be on the clock driving to the lumber yard.

 

Revenue doesn't mean anything for the first few years. Get licensed/ insured, do minimal advertising, do a little work...file long form and list deductions on your taxes. It can be significant enough to be well more than worth it. I've been writing off my mods for years. My business started growing more than I wanted, so I scaled back. Now it's a side gig again.

 

As far as not helping much I mean if you have a loss on your schedule C and no other income you don't get any immediate benefit anyway. The government doesn't pay you up front for losing money. You can carry the loss forward, sure, but that doesn't solve his immediate problems. Although he may qualify for earned income credit if he has at least some income, but if you wanna talk a huge audit flag, it is having a schedule C and getting the earned income credit.

 

You're absolutely correct

 

Holy Jackstands!

 

Hate to tell you, but desperate times call for desperate measures... I would sell one vehicle (whichever one you are making payments on), and switch to online coursework - which will allow you to work full time. I completed my bachelors and graduate degrees online (from brick & mortar schools) while working 50+ hours per week. Looking back, I regret nothing.

Best of luck!

 

Do you still have your Tacoma?

 

Let me clear things up. The 2nd car is my wife's, which I use for rideshare on the weekends. I'm contemplating the cheap scooter, which I can buy with cash just to go to school.

 

I still make money, GI Bill and National Guard takes care of most of my bills, I'm just trying to find ways to earn extra money and save money.

 

Everyone here assuming I'm doing nothing while going to school. I've just transitioned from active duty to school full time. I've worked my ass off most of my life and it's weird just going to school not clocking in the hours and I'm not trying to take forever to finish school so I have a busy schedule. Just looking at weekend work to compensate, not survive.

 

Thanks, forgot about that. So basically I can use whatever extra I make to pay it off faster. I know my coverage is a bit higher than the bare minimum so if I don't drive it at all I could save money lowering my coverage.

 

I know the struggle


17 units and working too. Good thing my trucks payed off.

 

Wife uses the more efficient car, which she also pays for. I just borrow it.

 

I actually did do this before in another city before joining the Army using a Subaru station wagon at the end of the recession but in this city, not much grows. Lots of dirt, gravel, astroturf, and xeriscaping. Thought about just getting a weedwhacker, then realized what weeds do grow are tumbleweeds where you want something more substantial to take those on. See lots of landscapers offering to do outdoor structures, stone walls, fencing, stone, and concrete paving even pools. Hard to compete with that and a glut of independent landscapers I would be competing with who have the references and will underbid you just to get the job. I was amazed at what some guys are charging (like unskilled laborer pay) for some types of work. Good for the customer, which around here just want the cheapest as it's not a wealthy city. FB pages have definitely leveled the playing field for the absolute cheapest price to do basic landscaping (like flowerbed weeding) as anyone, at any time who says they can do it can and will. Also helps to be bilingual (which I am not), where most of my clients would be native Spanish speakers. I would still try it if I wasn't at school because I like to start outdoor work early in mornings before people go to work.

 

It sounds like you're doing it right, and considering the right options. Pencil out how much gas you can buy for the price of a scooter to see if it's worth it.

Thank you for your service

 

Deliver auto parts to shops? We have a few parts runners that use their personal vehicles for delivery. I'm sure they get paid hourly plus mileage reimbursement.

 

In an area with so much concrete, structure, etc.. what about pressure washing? Invest in a decent sized power washer, a couple extra hoses, etc. You could do houses, pool decks and patios, driveways - how much/little as you want. Just make sure you're insured/bonded and plan accordingly with local water rates if you're using their water source.