What is going on in this photo?
Happy almost Thanksgiving! It’s a weird holiday but I do appreciate the time off. For me that time off is today and then Friday-Sunday. Thanksgiving Day is going to be an eight hour catering shift for me. Here’s the kicker: I’m thrilled about it.
Why am I working Thanksgiving Day and why am I excited about it? Let me explain a bit.
I live in Austin TX but my entire extended family lives in New England. I don’t have any family nearby. I am blessed with wonderful and close friends who are also pretty removed from their families and for the past two years I’ve participated in ‘Friendsgiving’. Those have been awesome and I’m so happy to have done them.
This year though, those of us who are regional orphans all have a sort of mutual understanding that while Friendsgiving is awesome, it’s a lot of work. And not really that important. And we can probably do without it. Thus no plans have been made and my Turkey day was looking wide open.
Enter catering. Since Thanksgiving is a bona-fide holiday (questionable historical accuracy notwithstanding) that means you receive holiday pay for working it. Time and a half baby, get at me! #sidehustle
With no conflicting plans and a chance to make time and a half I’d be a fool to turn down the chance to cater on Thanksgiving. If I wasn’t catering I’d be home in my sweats watching Teen Wolf. Plus I have some problems with Thanksgiving as a holiday in general. It’s not important to me personally and I feel no need to celebrate it in the traditional manner. Why not take this chance to help myself out a little?
Plus it’s the easiest shift in the world. A simple buffet for the customer service department of a big company in town.
I actually worked the same event last year and went to Friendsgiving afterwards so I know for a fact that it’s a pretty sweet gig. What’s even sweeter is the paycheck that I’ll get afterwards!
I have hit all my November savings goals already, and in fact managed to save an additional $200 this month. (And I still haven’t even gotten paid for two catering events I’ve worked this month.) Having an extra big paycheck come my way in the first week of December is going to help me end the year just a little ahead of the game!
I’ve got lots of big plans for 2016 and they all hinge on me being able to sock away a pretty big pile of money in my retirement and savings accounts. The earlier I do that the better off I’ll be. So taking on this Thanksgiving Day shift is the best thing I can do for myself.
Kara Perez is the original founder of From Frugal To Free. She is a money expert, speaker and founder of Bravely Go, a feminist financial education company. Her work has been featured on NPR, Business Insider, Forbes, and Elite Daily.