My Side Hustle is Sexy!

Good Morning DINKS.  Today we are discussing different ways that people can earn a secondary income.  As you may know I work 9 to 5 in personal finance and you may know that I also work as a freelance business and financial writer.  However, you may not know that I also work part-time at Victoria’s Secret; that’s right my secondary income side hustle is a sexy little secret.  Today’s post is inspired by my friend J. Money over at Budgets Are Sexy, he features a “Side Hustle Series” and it inspired me to tell you about my own side hustle.

Why I have a 2nd (actually a 3^rd) Job:

I started working at McDonald’s when I was 15-years old. I have actually been working (at least) two jobs since I was 17-years old.  When my parents announced their divorce and my mother moved out of our house I wanted to spend the least amount of time that I could at home.

Instead of trying to spend time outside of our house with friends and also in an attempt to try and stay out of trouble as a teenager I decided to find a second part time job.  In addition to working at McDonald’s I decided to start working in retail sales at the local shopping mall in my hometown.

It was difficult to manage going to school and working two jobs while being a teenager, but the money was definitely worth it. As a 17-year old I had two jobs and absolutely no monthly expenses. I still work multiple jobs today because I am just used to always being busy. I work one day a week at Victoria’s Secret.  My boyfriend Nick watches sports on Sundays and having a second job in retail sales gives me something to do, some extra money in my pocket, and it also gives me a great discount on clothes.

Why I chose to work in Retail Sales:

It is said that if you work at McDonald’s you can work anywhere in the world, this is also said about The Walt Disney Corporation.  I enjoyed working at McDonald’s but it was much “cooler” for a teenager to work in the mall. I started working at Victoria’s Secret because they were hiring at the time and because when I was 17 years old it seemed like a good idea to work in a store that gave me a discount on pyjamas. I came home from working at Victoria’s Secret smelling a lot better than I did when I came home from working at McDonald’s.

I like working in retail sales because it gives me a break from my normal corporate routine in personal finance.  Money brings out the worst qualities in people and working in retail sales gives me a chance to see the good side of the human race.  When people are shopping they are generally in good moods.  I like working in a stress free environment where I can interact with clients, but where I don’t have to actively manage client relationships like I do in my 9 to 5 day job.

Why I love working at Victoria’s Secret:

I know that working in retail sales doesn’t pay a lot of money, but the extra benefits are absolutely worth the work.  I receive a discount on all Victoria’s Secret products such as lingerie, cosmetics and perfumes, business attire, yoga clothes, and shoes.  By working at Victoria’s Secret I receive discounts on all of the other necessities that I need in life and I also earn some extra cash to pay for it all.

Photo by Amanda Cabral

Kristina Tahnyak

Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.