November 2025 Extra Savings

I track sources of extra funds and passive income each month and set these aside in our savings account. In the past I would send these extra funds towards paying off debt. We are debt free minus our 3% APR mortgage. 

Amex Rewards $31.09

Chase Rewards $4.08

Amazon Rewards $16.30

Southwest Rewards $75.00

Ebay Proceeds $75.15

US Bank Rewards $30.64

FNBO Interest $74.20

USAA Interest $0.18

NFCU Interest $173.36

Total $480.00

Total YTD $3,956.93

Do you have extra sources of money coming in that you could put towards your goals? It is easy to spend it if we don't pay attention! Make those funds work for you. 

Pot of Possibilities - July 2021

Another month of 2021 in the books and we have saved money once again in our Pot of Possibilities!

7/1 Paycheck $962.77

7/15 Paycheck $1000.77    

Ebay Sale $8.65

FNBO Interest $12.87

NFCU Interest $37.48

USAA Interest $0.15

Amex Rewards $72.19

Chase Rewards  $4.89

USAA Premium Refund $538.48

July Total $2,638.25

YTD Total $18,259.56

POP Total $110,319.94

I'm calling that another milestone! Over $110,000! 

The original goal of this big savings goal was to reach $200K, by the time my husband retires. With the idea that we could put a large down payment on a home. At the time I thought we might buy a home worth about $200K! Of course home prices are rising rapidly since that time. We are likely still on track to meet that goal with about 2.5 years to retire. But things are changing. We have orders to move to our final assignment. We are likely going to buy a home there since it's in the Midwest and closer to our girls. So it will be time to dip into the Pot of Possibilities. The amount we have saved is plenty to put at least 20% down on our next home. 

It's been a fun ride building up the cash, but it will feel good to have it work for us in another way soon. And it's time, since interest rates are not in favor with savers once again. 

I expect there to be another month, or two of POP contributions. The savings never really stops, but I will likely stop reporting it in this way. 

Thanks for following our journey! Oh, and check back tomorrow I have news on another bit of a windfall!  

Side Hustles

I have been thinking about side hustles lately. I can just imagine as things change in our world, that the side hustle is going to be a help for many simply to survive. Making masks this spring was a side hustle for many people, however, I expect this will slow down over time. 

Reselling our household goods and clothing has been my primary side hustle since late 2001! Prior to that I did a few garage sales and the big seasonal consignment sales of children's clothing. I have no idea how much I sold. I tracked some of it at different times, but since I was reselling items for less than purchased I never tracked for tax purposes. I'm sure it has to be a few thousand dollars, as one year I made a goal to sell enough on eBay to cover our Christmas gifts which which we generally budget $600. I also had a goal for a few years to sell make an average of $100 on eBay sales. I never made it to the goal, but I did get close to $1000 one year. 

I sell on eBay much more sporadically and make an occasional FB Marketplace sale a few times a year. My guess is less than $150 per year at this point. I admit my efforts have lagged. The items we have to resell are also less, as the girls have grown. I would sell gently used clothes they outgrew, as well as toys, which are in high demand for young families. 

I plan to create a few more side hustles in the next few years as we transition out of the military. All sorts of things come to mind honestly, and it will probably take some trial and error to figure out which ones add value to our family and are worth the effort. As I write that I realize that is a bit of a luxury...to get to decide what side hustles to do, but at the same time, if it isn't lucrative and one needs the cash, that side hustle gets dropped in search of something else. 

I do admire people who have a knack for finding a side hustle that is lucrative. I see many on YouTube that seems to have built something that their family can live off of, yet, I know they work hard making it all come together too. 

Do you or someone you know have a side hustle for extra income? What is that side hustle? How much income does it bring in? How did you figure out it was right for you?