Book Review: Hustle Away Debt

20160328_073731_resized(1)What’s the first thing you do when an unexpected expense pops up, or if extra room needs to be cleared in the budget? If you’re like most people, you tighten the spending belt. The entertainment budget gets cut, and monthly expenses are scoured for things that can be discontinued.

When faced with a financial dilemma, most people will free up funds in their budget by cutting spending.

What doesn’t occur to most people is that there’s another choice. Instead of slashing spending, why not increase income? Cutting spending generally means lifestyle deflation because there are less discretionary funds available. But life should be more than just going to work each day and finding a way to pay the bills. We should be enjoying life, taking advantage of once in a lifetime opportunities and making memories.

Increasing income is another option to improve your finances.

Having the funds to live the life you dream about is difficult when you’re constantly cutting spending to take care of an unexpected expense, or to pay off a mountain of debt. This is where the side hustle comes in. A side hustle is any secondary means of income that can be used to enhance your budget.

A friend of mine recently wrote a book all about the side hustle.

From the first page of the book, readers can tell that the author, David Carlson, lives and breathes the side hustle. He’s used his own side hustle to help pay down the $100,000 of combined student loan debt he and his wife accumulated in college. I don’t know anyone that wouldn’t like a higher income, and the book portrays a tone of, “I understand exactly what you’re going through, because I’ve been there. Let me help.” It’s that personal connection that makes it hard to put down.

Many will think of a side hustle as simply a part-time job at some retail store they work at night, or on the weekends. David shows readers that the only limitation to what you can do to make money as a side hustle is your own imagination. The book gives example after example of money making side hustles, starting with low-effort, low paying hustles and progresses to more complicated hustles that could actually be small businesses. The decision is left to the reader as to the level of commitment and effort to give.

The book not only lists side hustle opportunities, but also attempts to set the reader up for success should they decide to give one a try. The book helps readers identify which side hustles may work best for them given their interests and lifestyle and provides advice to avoid pitfalls of having a side hustle that are rooted in personal experience.

Cutting costs can be an effective method to free up funds in your budget. You should periodically evaluate all your expenses and cut out those things that do not provide value to your life. But at the same time, do not limit yourself to the income from your 9-5 job. There’s a whole world out there that can help you increase your income to pay off debt, put more money in your pocket, or invest in the future. It’s the world of the side hustle, and David Carlson is ready to tell you all about it.

The author of Hustle Away Debt, David Carlson, shares his personal finance experiences at Young Adult Money. For more information on ordering your own copy of Hustle Away Debt, follow this link.

About Travis

4 Responses to “Book Review: Hustle Away Debt”

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  1. Thanks for reviewing the book, Travis, and glad you enjoyed it! I hope that others who read it can realize just how powerful side hustles can be, especially when facing a pile of debt.

  2. Perfect review! I think I should grab this book. I’m currently reviewing my income and expenses and having a good side hustle would be a big help to achieve a financial independence.

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