Not Making Enough At Your Present Job? Can't Get Enough People to Give You Money?

I'm going to rant... You've been warned.

Baby Mama Drama

Sometimes people amaze me.  I was talking with my good friend from Alabama, Tim, and he was telling me about the frivolous spending of his baby's mama.  (I do not want to get into why they are no together but money is a big issue with him.) She and her whole family are going to caravan to Gulf Shores, AL from Huntsville, AL. More than likely this trip will be financed by a credit card which will be justified by payments and high interest paid over time. They have tried to talk Tim into going but after the last New Orleans fiasco, he didn't want to pay the whole bill.

The only thing this makes this worse is that the family tries to hold over his head visitation and other activities with the daughter he has with this afore-mentioned woman.  I don't blame him for not going and choosing to save his money for his daughter's benefit down the road.

She bought a new air conditioner upon one breaking down.  I can't really blame her for doing so but it was a problem that was could have been fixed for $200 and not financed for $4500 plus interest.  In the interest of air conditioning though, even though all systems need to be replaced eventually, if I can replace a motor for less than $200 it is worth time to have a professional take a second look.

This same woman who wanted to marry Tim at one time also wanted him to buy a $300k house and two $50k vehicles on a trucker's salary (if you can call it that) so that she "could have the best for her daughter."   Tim lives in a well-conditioned and affordable $80k house that would be perfect for his daughter should she actually stay there from time to time.

Let me also mention that Tim gives this same woman $500 a month (voluntarily and not court-ordered) only for her to give it to her mother and not use it for stuff like diapers,clothes and food.  Tim defends this by saying if it ever goes to court it cannot be said he didn't try to give support.  While I defend him in his noble actions I personally would have stopped the minute I found out my money wasn't supporting the child on the grounds I was being played like a fool. (No, Tim, I am not calling you a fool.) Tim, by the way, is not listed as the father on the birth certificate. (Call Maury, Tim.)

Even though she makes $20 an hour and works at least 40 hours a week, the child is covered by ALL Kids, the "medicaid" for children in Alabama and refuses to let Tim have the child covered under his health coverage, which is probably better.

Tim does the best he can without creating drama or conflict. He is a man of principal and stands by his decision not to marry this woman but support his child. He wants a better life for his child. He, however, is constantly bombarded with how he doesn't support his daughter enough and need to give up more of his paycheck to be with her.

My opinion is that she is trying to punish Tim for not giver her what she wanted.  Baby Mama is a spoiled princess.

To The Truckers Who Tell Me they Don't Make Enough.

The one thing I will agree with all truckers on is that we are not paid near enough for what we have to put up with.  I'm sure that can be said about any profession but how many of you are sleeping in space tighter that your bathroom 2000 miles away from home wondering where the next load will take you and if you'll ever get home to a place where your family treats you like a total stranger.  I do indeed have sympathy for the plight of the fellow trucker.

On that note I have to flip the coin over and tell you that some of you deserve what you get.  I support your right to play the Cherry Master fake slot machines but don't complain about not being able to make ends meet. Yeah, I saw one driver put $120 into the machines in Indiana one time.  Don't buy Powerball tickets in every state that sells them and tell me you can't pay your cell phone bill.  You don't need all that chrome on your Peterbilt, Billy Bigrigger.  Do you have to eat at EVERY buffet at EVERY Petro truck stop on the way to California from New York?  At $15.99 you can find a better deal out there.  Buy some fruit and veggies at Walmart.

If you're spending money on "extracurricular activities" you don't deserve my sympathy. Now you run the risk of paying the ultimate price. I don't care how lonely you are.  Deal with it. It's a solitary lifestyle and don't complain.

If you thought trucking was going to be fun you were sadly mistaken. As far as your pay goes, you can either find a higher paying job or quit spending so much money.  Remember lot lizards are looking for lonely suckers like you to pay their "bills," too.

If You're Working At Mickey D's 

Why are you still there?  There are too many adults working at fast food joints these days.  I can understand if you're management or a franchise owner but McDonald's system should be so easy to follow that it is easy for a teenager to come in and fry up a burger.  I had an assistant manager who cold upsell an apple pie to 75% of the customers she waited on tell me that she couldn't do anything else.  If you can suggest an apple pie you can market a product or service.  There are sales jobs out there all the time.

I can promise you this, if you're part of the crowd demanding $15 and hour for fast food jobs you are not only part of the problem but your job will eventually be eliminated.  I saw the future and it involves a touch screen computer.  Jack In The Box has them already in Dallas. The McDonald's in Davenport, FL had one ten years ago. You are replaceable. Why not utilize McDonald's as a step up and go get some better marketable skills that can get you out of that rut?  You don't have to stay there.

If You're On Disability

Disability income has a set limit, period.  For all intents and purposes, this income is barely enough to live on your own.  How do I know?  I have been there.  My mother controlled my income at the time and I decided that enough was enough and went out and made more in a week that I could make in a month on SSI.  I felt better about being productive and contributing to the work force.  I got out of public housing and moved away from my hometown.  I turned myself around in two years.

I understand that there are real legit reasons people can't work but spend your time wisely and don't rot away into a self abuse of complaining about things and being idle with nothing to do.

The only other answer I have for your money woes is to find a way to make extra cash.  If you're creative you can.

Engineers Need Not Complain

While dropping gasoline at a station in Huntsville, I was approached by an engineer who took a little bit of an interest in what I was doing while he was helping his son repair his car.  I asked him what he did for a living and he told me he was an engineer for a defense contractor in town.  I said that was a great way to make lots and lots of money. This must have triggered the puke button because he told me that on his meager $150k salary he couldn't make ends meet and he never saw much of his paycheck due to cost incurred by his family including his son's hand-me-down car.

This is clearly a case of too much outgo and I have no sympathy for those who make 6-figure incomes and cannot be good stewards of their money.  If I made that kind of money I would invest wisely and save more.  There would be no BMW payments or fancy downtown restaurants. I can't imagine spending $500k on a house and making the mortgage payment that would give me a heart attack.

Quit complaining and get control of your finances!

7 Reasons to Be Your Own Boss

In 1997 I was travelling in the Memphis area and I sat down at a Chili's in Cordova, TN to have a drink or two.  Sitting at the bar, three sheets to the wind, was a young man about my age (I was 21 at the time) drinking the same top-shelf margaritas I was drinking.  The bartender told me what he did for a living and I inquired as to how he did it.

He got tired of the same old grind and decided it was time to do his own thing.  He talked to people he knew and got referrals and the next thing you know, he's got 2 full-time landscaping crews working the Memphis area.  I was impressed.

Then he told me something that still lingers in my mind to this day. "Just go out and do it," he said with a rising emphasis on the word "do."

So as I was thinking today while driving, it occurred to me that the young landscaper was still correct and I should go out and do it.

I have compiled my top ten reasons to be my own boss.

1.) You call the shots not someone else.

As I get older I have trouble taking orders from someone, especially someone who thinks they know what they are doing.  More often than not I hear stories of incompetent managers who are more concerned with being in charge instead of leading those in their employ.

2.) The money you make is making you richer and not someone else.

The people at the very top of their businesses have their hopes, goals, and dreams lined up in front of them and they WILL leverage their people to achieve them.

3.) Serious tax advantages.

Always consult a professional but there are a lot of things that can save you money on your taxes.

4.) You get to choose the people you work with.

Getting along with your people is a very important part of your work so why not surround yourself with people who support you and that you have chemistry with.

5.) You can follow your passion.

As an expert doing your own thing, you can share your passion and inspire others.  If you're doing what you love then it won't feel like work.

6.) You get to be a real leader and connect with people.

Everybody is going to look to you for guidance and you get to lead them. Not only that you can use your position to inspire people to become better.

7.) You get things done - FASTER.

Entrepreneurs do not like red tape as a whole and you can as a business owner bypass a lot of the red tape that many other businesses use to increase your output and get a desired result faster.

If you're reading this there is one more thing I have to tell you.  Just go out and do it.

What Happens In Bama Makes You Want To Move To Texas

Boss: I'm so glad I have a driver like you.

Me: Thanks, Boss. What made you say that?

Boss: You don't screw things up.

Me: Isn't that what we're SUPPOSED to do.

Boss: You know how drivers are...

Me: I don't know but tell me, please.

Boss: [SILENT]

Me: Boss, have you considered what it would be like if I wasn't around?

Boss: Oh, come on!!! You'll never leave here.

Me: We'll see about that. [WINK]

   This was a conversation I had with my boss in 2013.  By this point I had spent almost 3 years with a local outfit in Huntsville, AL.  I wasn't just driving.  I was spending one day a week in the office helping with regulatory and office-related functions such as truck maintenance records, driver daily logs, recovering load paperwork and training.  The Big Fuzzy Roadman was the go-to guy for all your latest trucking and fuel hauling knowledge.  This was as lovely as watching a funeral procession slowly pass through town.

Friend: Hey! What's up?

Me: Not much. You?

Friend: I was wondering if you could help me out?

Me: [ROLLS EYES] How much is this going to cost me?

   This conversation usually happened when a broke friend needed money. One in particular made it look like I was his personal ATM until I cut him off.  Nobody ever seemed to have the means to pay their bills much less pay me back. Often times I would 'gift' them the money. I knew many of them couldn't pay me back.  The most disappointing thing was their lack of effort.

Female: My boyfriend treats me like crap.

Me: We've had this conversation before.  If it's that bad why don't you leave him?

Female: I don't know.  I love him and all but every time I think he has to go I think that I am going to be lonely and my kids will miss him and my bed will be empty and I can't pay my own bills without him.

Me: I guess you love him enough for him to pull his crap on you.

     This was a normal conversation with female friends.  What makes it worse is that most of these women wouldn't know a good guy if they met one.  Nice guys weren't a wanted commodity.  They were talked about like they were but the buttholes always made their way to first place.  I was used to this.  Maybe it was time to look for another pool of available, intelligent women wanting to actually be in a real relationship with a real man willing to treat them like a lady.  It wore on me to see codependent women keep on being codependent.  They must have liked it, I guess.

Engineer: Hey there, Mr. Gas Hauler!  How does it feel to drive around a bomb?

Me: I noticed you work for NASA.  How does it feel to work for a government department that is having funding cut?  Too bad the current administration doesn't support you dream of being an astronaut.

   Engineers always seemed to have the upper hand in North Alabama.  Huntsville has the most PhD's per capita that any other major city in Alabama. They made more money and changed the face of the city. For as much as they broadened the city's demographic, they often looked down on others as if they were royalty.  It makes me glad I dropped out of school and didn't become one myself.

Family Member: Hey!!! Long time no see!

Me: I cant remember when I last saw you.

Family:  Well, if you'd stick around longer people might actually get to know you.  Heck, if you'd come to church and watch a football game with us we'd like you more.  Too bad you prefer to ride the highways like a gypsy.

Me: Well, I'm too busy living my own life to let anyone else own it.

     The problem with many of my extended family members is that they were way too self-absorbed for my liking.  If you didn't like the same things as they did or go to the same church then you didn't fit in. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't follow conversations on family gossip.  They let their imaginations run wild when I left out details of my life such as the real reason I became a truck driver, making money and taking care of a home.

Alabama Football Fan: Hey! ROLL TIDE!!!

Me: [SIGHS IN DISGUST]

     I know how many Bama Football fans there are.  They are everywhere.  They were their colors, crimson and white.  They shout their war call, ROLL TIDE!  They are arrogant. They are disgusting.  And they worship a dead football coach.  As many of them are awaiting the second coming of Jesus, they also await the day, during the Iron Bowl, that the great Paul W. 'Bear' Bryant will descend from heaven and take over coaching duties as only he could.  Bama fans everywhere will kneel as the Bear will charge one more time to defeat Auburn and put them down never to be seen again.

     I know that some you still live in Sweet Home Alabama and I do miss some things but I no longer experience the same nonsense that brings me down anymore.  To my Bama friends, best of luck.