Side Gig

My 2007 Saturn Vue terminated its 12 year existence the second week of March. My first-ever single-income house payment was March 1st. And, I’ve recently come to terms with the fact that I earn $20,000 less annually than I would if I had continued teaching. (Instead, I am paid hourly to per’fect staple placement on packets, among a few other duties). All of this resulted in me being imbued with motivation to up my side hustle game.

When I was a wee lad, I recall hearing my mom use the expression, “I’m going to have to start paying with things in blood.” I sincerely thought she was kidding. I just recently learned this is actually a thing.

I began painting interior walls and ceilings for acquaintances last year, ironically, in March. When I posted pre/post pics on FaceBook, someone would inevitably mention needing a room or hallway painted. The recent monetary-induced fire lit under my tail pushed me to start contacting anyone and everyone who had ever requested my paint services. Amidst one of these texts, I told one such friend that I was already feeling my anxiety amp up from adding another payment to my monthly. That’s when she told me I could make enough for a car payment by donating plasma twice a week. Although many years had passed, at first, I still thought this was a joke. A few more texts and I was convinced this was going to be another one of my side hustles.

I prepared for the first donation like it was a marathon- protein, water, vitamins, green smoothie- I was on one! Upon entering the facility, I read all of the posted notices while I waited for my physical. One sign read “no pictures” but I thought this surely meant back in the back where the needle ‘ish was going down. I was wearing my new shirt about “Hustling” and thought it was a great social media opportunity. Apparently, they aren’t kidding about the no picture thing. The guy at the desk could spot a selfie in the lobby from a mile away and referred me to the posted notice.

After a physical and a computer exam making certain that I had never had a very questionable life style and completely understood all of the risks I was undergoing (this is not for the faint of heart), it was time to stretch out my arm. The best description I can give for the experience is: it is weird. It’s certainly not enjoyable and not painful; the sensations are just sincerely weird. When you give blood, they just take your blood and band-aid your hole, but this process involves a “return cycle” in which your red blood cells are pumped back into you. It sounds nice of them to do that, but it’s my 3rd least favorite part of the whole ordeal because it gives you a metal taste in your mouth. (Gum is not allowed, per the picture-policeman up front).

What, might you ask, are my 2nd and 1st least favorite parts? When you are not on that strange-feeling return cycle (which happens 7 times if you are my size) you have to continuously pump your fist. I’m talking non-stop fist pumping, because, as I soon realized, if you don’t, the arm cuff grips you a little tighter and it feels like the needle is having to suck the blood out of you. It is much better to go ahead and help it flow out. Lastly, the least desirable portion of the approximate 40 minutes comes at the end, when the machine cares so much about your hydration that it pumps a saline solution into your body. This feels cold and made me shake hard the first time I experienced it. Again, not painful – just uber weird.

So, why did I ever do it a second time? Honestly, I had to request a pep talk from my Teamie at work to convince myself to go back. The reason was 4-fold:

• If you donate twice, the person who referred you earns money. I wanted to honor my word and help the friend who told me about the opportunity.
• If you donate twice, your plasma actually helps someone in need. (The first donation is used for testing).
• Money-the promotion I received was $300 for 5 donations within 30 days. I wanted bragging rights to say I made my first car payment with blood.
• I have to be able to hold my head up high and wouldn’t be able to do so if I own a website titled “The Woman Strong” and avoid something just because it feels weird.

I must have been living under a rock before because now I see plasma centers on every corner. In fact, the lowdown in the donation line today was that a center in downtown Indy gives double the money if you have type O- blood. The friend who referred me donates twice a week and said her sons’ travel baseball fees were paid from her plasma. (Her accountant husband was very excited that the plasma donation money is non-taxable, by the way.) She’s on a bad ass level all her own. Although my second and third visits were better than the first, I’m fine with waiting for promotions for simple, once a week shenanigans.

I’m not alone in the need for supplemental income. Paying for things with literal blood money is just one way to make ends meet or simply to not feel too tight to provide for my son’s prom tickets or my daughter’s 8th grade trip money or…well, you get the idea. I’ve recently been introduced to Gary Vaynerchuk, who, after listening to just a few of his videos, I’m convinced could talk about side hustles all day long. Good advice I heard today was to make sure your side job is a service that people will always need, regardless if the economy is up or down. With painting, I admittedly didn’t go that deep – no planning was involved at the onset. When I paint, time stands still and I truly enjoy the process (along with the absence of weird sensations). Making people excited about their living space makes me happy.

In the most basic terms, a job outside of a 9-5 needs to be fun, especially if that 40 hours spent Monday through Friday isn’t exactly stimulating (see: staple placement link above). I’m currently working on a Side Gig page for this website with hustling ideas that have helped many women make ends meet for their families, from creating meal plans for others to selling items and apparel like my selfie-blocked t-shirt pictured above. And of course, if I haven’t completely scared you from the idea, plasma donation is a nice back-up plan. (Be sure to ask me where so you can let them know I referred you.) 🙂