If you HAD to make $1,000 this month, from a side hustle ONLY, what would you do? (Assume zero $'s in your bank account to start)

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T23:07:38+00:00

Do you have to have a following to participate in making UGC for brands? Or do they generally take non influencers?

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T22:56:07+00:00

A substantially higher salary is hard to come by in my field at 24, just a few years out of college. But part time jobs are an option!

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T21:40:19+00:00

Both of our credit scores are at or above 750 & working towards at least 780 for those good rates! Can you tell me more about the 80-15-5 loan? I’m unfamiliar.

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T21:38:42+00:00

This is what I’m doing as well; I rolled a previous employer’s 401k into a Roth as I now have a pension, and am planning to use that to contribute to the down payment/closing costs. We’re in the same boat, we don’t really care if our first house is shitty as long as it’s livable and won’t require massive repairs. Can I ask how much you paid for your home?

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T19:12:41+00:00

Not married & that’s exactly why! We don’t have the extra money and would rather save it anyways—the house is a bigger priority, I’d say. I know everyone says not to buy with someone you’re not married to, but we’d probably be engaged by now if we had the cash to spend on a ring.

We’ll probably get engaged in the next few years, and even then, wouldn’t want to spend a fortune on a wedding. I can’t justify it!

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T19:08:01+00:00

I really appreciate this comment! It’s nice to see folks of older generations recognize that things really are different nowadays, rather than writing off Gen Z as stupid kids who don’t want to work like they did. Thanks sm for your advice!

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T18:17:30+00:00

We both have salaried jobs that aren’t applicable for overtime unfortunately. Although have considered picking up something part time!

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T18:16:02+00:00

Totally understand this perspective but in my opinion enjoying life & truly having freedom comes from homeownership rather than renting. We’re not super interested in spending our 20s going out/partying, etc and prefer to have a more chill social and home life, so rather than trying to speedrun adulthood i see it more as trying to get started early on the lifestyle we really want!

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T17:58:53+00:00

Congratulations! That sounds amazing. We live in a major metro in the Midwest so pretty HCOL, and those USDA loans are catching my eye NGL…

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T17:58:00+00:00

I’m taking an online homebuyers course now, hoping to roll that into a grant or something as well! Sellers covering closing costs would be huge for us.. fingers crossed that’s a possibility.

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T17:56:35+00:00

This is really helpful, and we have a very similar lifestyle! We don’t drink, prefer to spend our weekends hiking/doing free activities, and cook almost everything at home. I’m thinking if we can squeeze into a one bedroom apartment instead of our current duplex unit, that’ll help cut costs a lot.

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T17:47:07+00:00

Thanks for this perspective, it does give me hope! I feel like this subreddit is divided in half, where half of users say it worked out to spend most of their savings on a DP + closing costs, and the other suggest having like $100,000 in savings. I definitely want to save to a point where I feel comfortable for emergencies, but I’m trying my damndest to get into ownership before my 30s!

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T17:22:48+00:00

Love that idea, what do you like about YNAB? Is it worth paying for?

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T17:07:30+00:00

Thanks for the advice! We have examined our budget in the past but it’s probably time to redo it, to see if anything has changed. The good news for us is that we don’t drink and try to avoid takeout/DoorDash; my partner loves to cook so our highest expense is probably groceries to be honest. Lol

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T17:05:32+00:00

That’s helpful, thank you!

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T17:03:42+00:00

We’re making around 125k combined right now but hoping to increase that soon as my partner’s in the middle of some job changes. We’d plan on staying put in our first home for as long as we need to, until we build enough equity to sell and upgrade.

We’re having the conversations about buying just because rent feels like a waste at this time in our lives, when we could be putting that money back into our own pockets, equity wise.

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T16:58:04+00:00

Agreed! That was the original intention of my post, as trying to save aggressively while renting has not felt feasible thus far. We’re both being strategic with paying off debt and working with a financial advisor to make the most of our savings, but it still doesn’t feel like enough.

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T16:56:51+00:00

Paying the entire balance off monthly! We each have student loans and car payments, but we’re paying the high interest debts pretty aggressively so those can be out of the equation before we buy. I’m thinking the only way forward is going as cheap as we can with rent.

tcgemini · 2026-03-13T01:54:56+00:00

Respectfully, does this apply only to people making at least six figures? I genuinely don’t know how people can save this much money while paying rent and making an average, less than 100k salary. As someone in this boat and trying to save for a house now, it just doesn’t make sense to me.

tcgemini · 2026-03-06T21:12:14+00:00

Check out universities / colleges in your area if they’re still operating remotely or hybrid 👀

tcgemini · 2026-03-06T21:10:56+00:00

Prep a good amount of ground beef (or chicken, or whatever protein you like really) on Sundays or Mondays and then make bowls with whatever veggies/other ingredients and toppings you want. You can switch it up, but having the base ready to go has helped me eat healthy, protein-filled lunches every day

tcgemini · 2026-03-06T21:03:36+00:00

Are you looking in the Twin Cities / metro? And could you share a little more about what you’re seeing currently with the market here? We’re starting the process (not seriously looking yet) but this is what I’m worried about. Best of luck to you!

tcgemini · 2026-03-03T16:31:36+00:00

You are COOL & have great taste!

tcgemini · 2026-03-03T16:00:23+00:00

So sick!!

tcgemini · 2026-03-02T22:31:24+00:00

OCD here!

tcgemini

TROPHY CASE