Category: In your shoes

6 ways to make extra cash this summer
advice · In your shoes · lifestyle

6 ways to make extra cash this summer

Annie R.Leave a comment

I am not gonna lie. As a college student , I do feel like sometimes I live above my means. I am a product junkie, a food lover, a skin care enthusiast, a shopping fanatic, a makeup apprentice . To say the least, I love to spend money , and as a college student, we all know that all these things are definitely not cheap . Added to the fact that I live alone, I thus have bills to pay, put gas in my car, do groceries etc.. And still, I always want to look my best, live my best life, and make memories ( food memories in particular. JK) . I mean, I wanted to be an adult right ?! We all did , but we clearly did not want all these responsibilities. Moreover, there’s no way that we are going to run to Mommy and Daddy. WE ARE IN THE PATH OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY AND AUTONOMY. Therefore, here are some tips that will not only help you save money, but also make some. They can even become your side hustles. Who knows!

Use cash back and reward apps
Some expenses like buying groceries, refueling our cars, are necessary. We of course, have to go to work, school , run errands, eat to survive, so we might as well save some money while doing them. I thus propose two apps:
Ibotta
Ibotta is a free mobile couponing and cash-back app. Shoppers have the opportunities to gain cash -back on select products. All you have to do is buy the products from one of the Ibotta’s participating stores, keep your receipt as a proof of purchase , upload your receipt on the app. It’s an easy to use app, since it tells you step by step how to retrieve a promotion , rewards, or coupon. Moreover, the cash-back that your gained overtime can be retrieve in the form of Paypal, Venmo, or a gift card from a participating stores such as Walmart, Target, Amazon, Hulu, Ulta , Sephora, Amc, Applebee’s , Olive garden, Bed Bath & Beyond to name a few. Click the link below to register and start earning.
https://ibotta.risj.net/aws
Get upside
 Get upside is also a cash-back and rewards app, where users earn money out of every gallon of gas . You can earn up to 20c/gallon. As the previous app that I mentioned, the Get Upside app works by fueling your car, save the receipt as proof of purchase , and upload the receipt on the app to earn your cash-back. And of course that money can be retrieved via paypal, a mailed check, or a digital gift cards of select stores.

Become a food courier
We all had food delivered to us at some point.I mean, I am not gonna lie, I have. Multiple times. Between school, work, and my other extracurricular activities, I sometimes run out of time time to cook . Therefore , these delivery apps come in handy. In fact, the people who deliver your food are considered as ” independent couriers” , they are no tied to the restaurant from which your order your food. They are just people like you and I who’s looking for extra cash. Four options are listed below:
Postmates,
Doordash
Grubhub
Uber eats
P.S. According to those websites the average courier can make up to 15$ to 20$ per hour

Become a food Shopper
We all know that this era is all about convenience, and time-saving. Some people have such busy lives that they barely have time to go do groceries. They thus hire personal shopper to actually buy the products they need at the store of their choice, and get these products delivered to them. This practice has been here for quite some time now. However, two apps in particular made it easier:
InstaCart and Shipt
As a shopper, your role would be to choose the best and freshest possible choice for your client and deliver these groceries on a timely manner
The shoppers can earn up to 20$ per hour plus bonus and tips depending on the order.

Resell your clothes, books, old trinkets etc…
As I mentioned before, I love to shop, and most of the time I would only wear these clothes only once ( if the gram saw it already, it’s over lol). I mean, I’m joking. I am just fortunate enough to have a mother who has a clothing store, so I am always getting new stuff, on top of the ones that I buy myself. This situation is not ideal, because I run out of closet place pretty fast. To save up on space, and make some extra coins, I usually resell my clothes to thrift stores like Plato’s closet. ( the stores’ names vary from city to city)
I also resell my books at the end of each semester to my school bookstore or Chegg.
You can also use an app called Offer Up. Whether it is clothes, books, gadgets, furniture etc., this app gives you the opportunity to make some coins out of your old trinkets.

Become a freelancer
One thing I learned this year is that you can make money out of everything, you just need the skills, and the right channels to monetize these skills . For example, if you speak multiple languages, good at graphic designing, making Powerpoints and excel sheets, you can easily become a freelancer. A website that I used myself before is Upwork. On this website, you can upload your resume, a portfolio of previous works, so clients can decide if you are a good fit for their projects. Each project is unique, the price thus vary from client to client. The timeframe in which the job has to be done play a big role in your income etc.. You can get paid as low as 10$ for a quick project and as high as 300$ and more for longer ones.

Turn your hobby into a business
We all have some type of hobby, some people are good at makeup , other people love arts and Crafts like painting, drawing, making jewelry, singing, making music, creating beats, other people like myself love to write . These are all hobbies that you can monetize by using the right channels. The big thing right now is social media. You can thus create a blog, a youtube channel, a podcast; promote your work on twitter, Instagram, or facebook( either its your handmade jewelries, your make up looks, your drawings or paintings). You can even sell them on Etsy. Be creative, the options are infinite. You just have to find what is best for you.

P.S Some affiliated links are included in this article. By clicking and registering your girl will receive a small commission.

Are you doing it for the right reasons ?!
advices · Confession · In your shoes

Are you doing it for the right reasons ?!

Annie R.Leave a comment

For quite some times in my life, I had given myself a specific task: finding the perfect boyfriend. To be honest, I had a few hearth brakes which had left me pretty shaken up. I was therefore determine to find me somebody that was totally the opposite of my exes. I was thus on the hunt, looking for “boyfriend material” signs in every men I meet: at the club, at work, at school, while grocery shopping, driving etc. I had given myself one and only mission: find the one that could ride along with me. Somebody I could cuddle with, Someone who will be ready to know the scariest part of me , hear my concerns and the list goes on.

Through this journey, I met quite a few men, dated some, very casual. They all had the qualifications of “what I was looking for”, but they never stayed; ghosted as we all say today. They always  disappear when everything seems to be good. The what I called “growing relationships” always end at the “get-to-know-each-other-phase”, “creating-habits-phase”, “developing-feelings-phase”. Nothing more, nothing less.

However while being on this crusade, I was not realizing that I was losing my real purpose. I was neglecting my hobbies, forgetting my goals, losing my drive in life and only  doing the strict minimum: school and work. Because, guess what, all I could think about is finding somebody that could “help” me through my journey .

Nonetheless, my environment was definitely adding fuel to this madness. I am definitely not easily influenceable , but to be completely honest it is quite easy to get caught up in the current.

This world has made us think that our end goal was to find our other half, that someone who will fix everything, take away our torments and miseries; and with whom we can live happily ever after.

Hell, we were raised to think like that, i.e. Fairy tales, TV Shows . Social Media does not help either. We all have seen these memes on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter about these “… will help catch a man” , whether it’s an outfit, an hairstyle, a workout routine, a skin care routine …

To say the least, added to my personal insecurities, I was following the culture. I would spend nights looking at those Instagram posts about “relationships goals”, “goals couples” etc. Moreover,  most of my friends were getting into serious relationships while I was still on the quest to find Love . Trust me, I was very happy for them and I still am, but I could not keep myself from wondering when my turn would come. I would pray God, asking HIM to send me somebody, asking HIM to put me in a relationship.

 At this time, I surely forgot that God never Gives us what we want , but always gives us what we need.

The days would past, and still could not find what I wanted. I was still going from one disappointment to the next . I would call my mom, and explain my concerns, wondering if something was wrong with me. I even made the joke that I was cursed , and would probably end up with a bunch of cats- which is very silly because  I hate Cats! However, as the good mother that she is, she would tell me:

“They were not meant for you Annie. Nobody will stay in your life if it’s not meant to be. God will most definitely not let that happen”.

Then, I would respond:

“But why does He put them in the first place”.

And Everytime, I would call, she would tell me the same thing , and I would respond the same way.

Thankfully, the past few days have been a time for self-discovery, and self-discernment. I promise you, God had opened my eyes. He put a stop to this nonsense that I was living in ,and gave me the opportunity to self-assess my choices, my thoughts, my past experiences; my life in a whole in all actuality .

That being said,  I now understand why these men were coming into my life but couldn’t last. I know for a fact now that I was looking for a boyfriend for all the wrong reasons. I know now that I was far from ready all this time . I was not only dwelling in the past , but I also made the biggest mistake to Compare. Compare what I had to what I could have, Compare what I had to what I actually deserve, Compare what I had to what God has actually in store for me. I was so stuck up, wondering what  was wrong in my last relationships, that I was trying to compensate that void with another one.

But no more, I learned my lesson. If truth be told, How could all these guys be ready for me if I was not ready myself?  How could they take me seriously, if all I wanted is to be saved? How could they take me seriously, if I was not taking myself seriously? How could they acknowledge me, if I did not know my worth?

Consequently, I realized that first and foremost , I needed to get it together! I needed to work on myself, make peace with my demons, become my own competition, embrace my flaws, my fears and insecurities, and eventually the right person would come along the way.

All this time, I was looking for somebody to complete me when all I needed was self-Acknowledgement, Self-Validation and Self-Empowerment.

For that instance, are YOU , reading this, is ready for a relationship? Are, YOU, reading this, is searching for a partner for the right reasons? Are YOU, reading this IS in a relationship for the right reasons? Are you done working on yourself? Are you actually working on the best version of yourself?  Because, at the end of the day, only you can do that, no one else.

Nobody can see your potential, if you don’t see them yourself. Be your own motivation, challenge yourself. Be Patient, Be purposeful. Your worth does not rely on somebody’s approval. Nobody can’t help you get where you need to be than yourself. Nobody will love or see how important you are if you don’t value yourself first.

Because, Confidence and Beauty come from within. ALWAYS.

Dear “Friend”
In your shoes

Dear “Friend”

Annie R.4 Comments

Dear friend,

I’m writing you this letter because I feel a little insecure about our friendship. Looking back, I remember how close we were, you knew all my secrets, all my mistakes, all my aspirations. You used to know how I feel even before I said something.  I remember how we were happy when something good happened to each other.

What happened to us? What did I do wrong? Why we are not close as we were back then?

My dreams are coming true. I achieve great things nowadays. And everytime something new happened I always hope that you will be the first to congratulate me, the first to celebrate with me, the first to promote my works. But no! You didn’t do any of these. You didn’t send me anything. I’m still waiting for your call, Because I want to hear that you are happy for me. Send me a text message at least! But well, I never hear from you.

Everybody is telling me how good my work is. How they are happy for me. They are supporting me. Even people that I barely know are helping me in my work, congratulating me. WHERE ARE YOU?

But, you know what ! I will not beg you for your support. I will not wait anymore for your congratulations. I will not wait for either your call or your text message. Because I learned that everything happens for a reason. Therefore, I don’t have to beg you, “my dear friend” to support or promote my movement. Thank you for “teaching” me this life lesson.

Sincerely,

Me

Cher ami,

Je t’ecris cette lettre parce que je sens que notre amitie est differente. Je me rappelle a quel point nous etions proche. Tu connaissais tous mes secrets, mes erreurs, mes reves. Tu avais l’habitude de savoir ce que je ressens avant meme que je ne te le dise. Je me rappelle a quel point nous etions contente l’une l’autre quand quelque chose de bon se passait.

Que nous est-il arrive? Qu’ai-je fait de mauvais? Pourquoi ne somme-nous aussi proches comme nous l’etions au paravant?

Mes reves se realisent. J’accomplis de grande chose ces jours-ci.  Et a chaque fois que se passe quelque chose de nouveau, je m’attends toujours a ce que tu sois la premiere a me feliciter, a feter avec moi, a promouvoir mon travail. Mais non! C’est le vide total.

Tout le monde me dit a quel point mon travail est excellent. Ils me disent a quel point qu’ils sont contents de me voir reussir. Ils m’apportent leur support. Des gens que je connais a peine me proposent leur aide, me felicitent. Mais OU ES-TU?

Mais tu sais quoi? Je ne te supplierai pas pour ton support. Je n’attendrai plus tes felicitations. Je n’attendrai ni tes appels ni tes messages. Parce que j’ai appris que tout arrive dans la vie pour un but. Donc, je n’ai pas a te supplier, “mon cher ami” pour que tu m’apportes ton support ou que tu m’aides a promouvoir mon travail. Merci pour cette lecon de vie.

Sincerement,

Moi