Consulting?

 

Depends on the topic.

 

I make no secret of my political leanings. You can choose to read my blog or not; that's what's great about America (for now).

But this morning I'm talking practicalities. I'm unfortunate enough to live in a state whose residents vote for their own destruction. Societal issues are one thing, but financial ones are what's vexing me now. 

The last time a certain political party had complete control of our state legislature, we got taxed within an inch of our lives. And speaking of taxes, everything here is taxed. Well, not everything. Clothing, with notable exceptions, isn't taxed; but how much clothing does a person buy? Groceries, excluding soft drinks, are not taxed. However, the last time I shopped in a nearby suburb, my grocery receipt listed county, municipal, "special" taxes, and a couple more I've forgotten. Our tax on gas is astronomical. The fact of the matter is, my state is no beacon of benevolence with regard to the few things it doesn't charge taxes on. With the exception of clothing (which, again, doesn't matter to me), most other states follow the same guidelines.

The bitter taste in our mouths wouldn't be quite so bad if our tax dollars were used for things that benefit us, like road repairs, for example. But no. We've been scammed out of at least nine billions dollars (so far) and we're also funding things like free school lunches for rich families' kids. 

And the residents in their wisdom just re-elected the enablers. Across the board.

So, what do I do? I have a finite amount of money that needs to last my husband and me the rest of our lives. I've already had to use a lot of it to make up for the inflation of the last six or so years.

Moving to a better state really isn't an option. Who would be willing (or able) to buy our townhome? How much would the move cost us? A lot. We're cash poor, but we've managed to accumulate a lot of "stuff" over the years that we'd have to pay someone to move. The average cost of that would be about $7,500.

Bottom line, I need another source of income.

Clearly, writing isn't it. In the past, I've thought about supplementing my income by writing articles, but for whom? And about what? And how much does that pay, really? Five cents per word?

My only expertise lies in health insurance. Could I become a consultant of sorts? I read a lot about people getting their claims denied, and I know how to fix that. (It's not hard, but it's my secret, and I won't share the solution for free.) Trouble is, I'm not about to turn my home (my refuge) into a pseudo-office. I'd only be willing to do it remotely. Not exactly practical. Plus, I'd have to set up an LLC and probably take out some type of insurance, and....well, it goes on and on. It would be like my publishing career--lots of me paying out and very little coming in.

I'm just spitballing. I have no plan, other than to live in poverty the rest of my life. 

I'm in a funk right now, but maybe tomorrow I'll snap out of it.