@Kloi

Fuck it took about 8 months of consistant $1-2/hr raises for my metal fab position to bring home what I was making serving tables.

7-9hr shifts serving tables would religiously toss $250 cash into my pocket, 4-5 days a week and that's in the Midwest at a ma and pop diner.

Even if you're making a 100k/year serving tables, it's still a dead end job. Management at restaurants typically make less than the servers unless they are also taking tables.

The $2.35/hr covered all my taxes. No insurance plan tho.

10/10 recommend any kid fresh out of high-school got take tables for a year or two. You do develop social skills while learning to mange multiple tasks at once. Plus the money is good.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur57IunS9To

Maybe where you live, but I'd be forced to tell high school kids otherwise while suggesting they become engineers, plumbers, auto mechanics, or some other specialized tradesman instead. Unless the delivery guy and waiters are selling drugs on the side, like the late Ronald Goldman, walking away with pockets full of cash like back in the day will be highly unlikely. If you eat out, or have delivery, whether from a fast food cafeteria, a sit down restaurant, a food truck, or even a food cart, wireless digital technologies and transaction provider point plans make it insanely more convenient for customers to pay electronically, than with cash. Even trucking companies provide their drivers with debit cards to pay for their services at corporate truck stops, it's insane.

Will waiters and delivery people today have higher gross, pre-tax, income over their managers under the present transaction scheme? Definitely, but the main selling point was the cash that went un-reported to the government. With digital transactions, workers take a hit on their net, after-tax, income combined with fuel costs it becomes an unappealing job option for newbs given the responsibilities of the job and limited demand for those skills in other fields. This means waiting tables and delivering food is no longer a viable entry-level job even for people who'd otherwise be classed as social welfare dependents, which means single unwed mothers and their brood of bastards will otherwise remain non-participant in the economy draining the treasury coffers unless they make dramatic choices, like join the military.

November was a month to cut out doom scrolling.

Only other goals I had was decide on my living situation. Which we knocked out. Got a hell of a deal (like 40% off market value) on a two bedroom 1 bath house for the next two years. Part of the agreement is I'll be finishing a 3rd bedroom and 2nd full bathroom in the basement. Owner provides materials.

December is going to be a cruise month. No major goals outside of fitness and enjoying time with the family. Assuming i don't get lazy I'll call it a win.

Lack of appetite has been making it a struggle to keep on weight. It may be stress related. Addressing that but if my appetite issues can't be solved, I'll resort to forcing down calorie dense shakes.

My lower pecs and arms have been identified as lagging areas so I tuned up a routine to adress that. Will start running it next week.

Knocked out a shit ton of hunting. Knocked out two jobs. Start a third tonight. Have three more to bid next week.

Hit one year no booze or coke this month. Last week I hit one year of consistently being in the gym, 3 days per week or more. The most dialed in I've been in 10 years time of lifting on and off again for 5+ years.

Think there's a correlation?

Just cleared out the last of my high interest debt this morning. Probably paid 11k on 4k borrowed over the last 15 months. (Loan was a no credit check, cash now. Do not recommend.) Payments were half of my monthly expenses. Was being too lazy about getting rid of this and it hurts but it's gone now.

Speaking of credit. I had no credit history the middle of this summer so my score was a 550. Up into the 700s as of last week. So that's neat.

All and all, October isn't quite over but I'm giving myself a big ol gold star.