Shenanigans and Shipt, Again

Shenanigans and Shipt Again

About six weeks ago, I started working Shipt so I could take friends to New York in November. What a learning experience this has come to be. I have had to learn new technology, set up an office to go, and adapt to the needs of others even when they are ungrateful. I have gained new appreciation for the others in the community who do this type of work full-time. Even though I am doing this work part-time, as some might call it a side hustle, I am still happy with the ease of the program. Six weeks in and I love the flexibility the program has and I am ready for the next 6 weeks.

Side hustle:

I do have a full-time job that I work 8-5 Monday- Friday. I also care for my two-year-old grandson from 5pm to 3 am on various days. I choose to do Shipt on the nights and days when I do not have my grandson. Some weeks, I have only pulled in seven orders because of other commitments. One week, I only got one order because a family emergency took me off the schedule. One week, I hustled my booty to take in twelve orders. For a side hustle, and extra $700 later, these results are nothing to sneeze at. That sum is far more than enough to pay for many little trinkets for their surprise. At least, I know my efforts will be appreciated later so I will keep plugging along another six weeks.

Take care of you.

One thing I did have to learn was to take care of me too. I was not the best at making sure I was not getting too run down. I seriously was working myself to death. When ever I had free time, I was on the schedule. Supper or no supper, off I went. Yes, my friends are worth the hustle but if I am too run down at the time of the trip, then, what good is it to push ones self-overboard? When did I stop? Well, I slowed down. I believe in a higher power so I had to say, “Creator, only give me what I need for the day.” Amazingly, my orders lessened and I was back on track. I rested, then a completed a run, and rested some more. Yes, a lesson well learned that I too am important so I allowed myself to take more time between orders.

Taking care of me included a new pair of sneakers. I hate shopping for myself. Until there are holes in my shoes, I will not go and get a new pair. Well, second week in, I gave in and bought shoes that would support the increase in activity. With my extra weight I had gained during lockdown, my feet made it well known that they were not happy. Actually, my whole body was so out of shape that my whole body was screaming at the end of the night. Tylenol PM and a warm shower helped at night so I could sleep. A new pair of shoes helped my knees and my hips not ache so much at the end of the day. So, I had to invest in me too. I bid my slip-on Sketchers good bye and opted for some more supportive shoes. Happy feet equal happy Sheila.

Eat, Sheila Eat.

Oh boy. Did this ever give me a good reason not to eat. I was on the go and I neglected my dinner meal. Sometimes, I don’t eat until dinner. I am horrible about sipping coffee all day then eat a meal early afternoon. This was one of those day so there was no food for my body to use. After a sugar crash in the Meijer parking lot, I knew I couldn’t let that happen again. McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell became my dinner most nights. Chalupas and Mt. Dew a few times a week was not a good thing. I felt awful not to mention spending money unnecessarily. My stomach just yelled at me for the mistreatment. I had to eat so I made a bin of snacks. Water, trail mix, granola bars, fruit snacks and jerky were a meal a many of nights. Yes, I know, not the best things to eat but I felt satisfied. I could drive and snack at the same time and with little guilt. I was back on track.

Don’t Go Home.

Don’t go home. This action is instant death to my productivity. I live less than 5 miles from Meijers so going home is a viable option in between runs. The problem is, I like to be home way too much. Once I walk in the door, I am done for the day. I tend to find reasons to be home and I click myself off the schedule. So, I find a nice place to rest and write. I usually go to the water front and just sit in nature. Nothing better than watching the sunset over the bay. Spending this little bit of time in nature really reduces stress and keeps me away from my comfort zone. Home is not where the money is.

Mobile Office.

My main goal in life is to write. My office is at home and my poor laptop needs a battery replaced. If it is not plugged in, it will not run. Last time I checked; my car did not have the proper set up for my lap top. So, in order to keep busy while on the run, I invested in an iPad with accessories, pillow lap desk, and an iPad support cushion that I can prop up and read and write at eye level. Gotta be good to the neck ya know. While I sit at the park, I snuggle into the passenger seat, turn on the heated seats, a nice drink and I write away. I am so happy with the mobile office, for it is compact and I can take it anywhere I want with less weight and space. No, this purchase was not done with Shipt or vacation money. I just decided it was time I got mobile so I invested in me. When I get a Shipt job, the office disassembles easily and off I run again. Here too, I am staying on track.

Technology

Technology is a wonderful thing. Until… well… You forget to charge your phone. Nightmare city happens when the phone starts yelling and wants to be charged half way through completing an order. During Shipt shopping, one must text the customer, take pictures of replacement food items, scan bar codes and check out. Last run of my night, my phone began to yell at me to be charged. I was nearing the finish line and it died. Thank heavens I have many friends who worked at Meijers. They agreed to watch my cart as I went out to get a quick charge on my phone. Darn it all. I still get that sickly feeling in my gut as I think about the thawing Moose Tracks in the cart. Never was I so impatient as that moment. I kept checking my phone to see if there was enough life to finish. This drained what little charge it did get. I couldn’t turn off the car either because charging would stop. To make matters worse, you use your phone to activate the customer’s address for proper navigation. I checked out and plugged in the phone but there wasn’t enough battery to run google maps. Another 10 minutes of sitting with those groceries going nowhere. No, No, I did not deliver on time nor a tip. Let’s say this, I learned to plug in that darn phone in-between runs and in my pouch is a backup battery charger. I am trying here… I am trying to learn.

Mile Tracker

It is obvious that I am in the taxable income range where I need to keep track of expenses. Mileage is a deductible during tax time. I was not good at writing down my milage. So, I reviewed milage trackers on YouTube for the best fit for me. I chose one where I don’t have to do anything more than sweep right or left for business or personal travel. MileIQ seemed to be the easiest system to learn. At the end of the month, I can print off a report or send it to my tax preparation program. The only thing I really need to watch is the consumption of phone battery it takes. Just another reason to plug in in between runs. A small fee, that is tax deductible, and I am really shifting my understanding of the way this works. It’s a personal business.

Saving for Taxes

As I have mentioned that I do have a full-time job. As I was watching videos, many presenters mention to save for taxes. I decided to alter my W2 to withdraw a certain amount from my income every paycheck to use at tax time. I did not have to put much a side every week but I decided to have an extra $30 for state and federal taxes. About 25% is what you earn is what one should save. What I don’t use at tax time to cover expenses will be used for something else as a reward. This was the simplest way for me to keep track for the dreaded Tax Day. I have to work and think smarter.

Achieve

Work smarter and not harder. Achieve is an App that allows you to earn cash for walking and taking surveys. Seeing that my level of activity has increased from 3,000 to 4,000 steps on a non-Shipt day to 7,000 to 10,000+ steps a Shipt day, I thought I could make an extra $10 for the trip. This App is in partnership with Fitbit to encourage people to move to more. I have to say this, I have only earned a very few points. I will not have the extra $10 for the trip at the rate it is moving. Oh well, I am going to continue to use it to finish out this test period. Curiously, this has turned into a science experiment for me. All in good fun.

Let me get real

This side hustle is very hard work. The physical labor required to haul groceries to the home can be difficult. Three story apartment building carrying gallons of milk, bags of dog food, cat litter, large waters, up the stairs. A Shipt shopper has a job with a built-in personal gym at every delivery. This is challenging at time to complete one run.

I know this is personal but some stories ya just gotta tell. Week five, I was out on a run and in the order was: Dasani Water 24 bottles along with 64 other items. I am sure you know how heavy one of those case of bottles of water are. Not to mention all the bags I had to carry. When I got to the drop off place, I had the realization that it was on the third floor. No elevator. Well, I hoisted the case of water on my shoulder and grabbed a gallon of milk in the other. Off I went up the stairs. One must do what one must do.

As I had not realized that I set myself up for failure this morning as I dressed. Satin underpants and jeans were the wardrobe for that day. A mortifying combination. Each step I ascending step I took; I could feel my jeans slip a little. Next step, my teetertottering hips exposed a little more of those satin underpants. By step 8, I could no longer ignore the level of exposure. I placed the milk down just to hold up my pants for the rest of the climb. I knew I was losing weight but I never thought I would have this issue. I have never hoisted my pants up so much as this trip. Imagine, three bags of groceries on each arm. Each hand hooked into belt loops, walking up stairs. I just can’t imagine what that must have looked like. I sure hope no one was watching.

When I got home that night, I stepped on the scale to find that I lost eleven pounds. I had not thought that I would lose so much weight in 6 weeks but all I did was start working Shipt. I am active. Snacking is very little now. Amazing how much I was eating because I was bored. I am being productive with my spare time. Yes, I made it through that embarrassing moment only to be rewarded by this great news.

Well, my friends, another 6 weeks to go. One day at a time is all I can do. I’m so happy that I took the risk and took on this adventure. The next 6 weeks shouldn’t be so rough as the first six. I am all set up and rolling along. This next 6 weeks will be used to see if I will continue once the trip is done. If I do, I am going to do something to give back.

Shipt and Sheila’s Shenanigans. The possibilities are worth pondering. It would have to be something I can buy into. I have 6 weeks to decide if the risk of winter driving is worth the money. Northern Michigan weather can be pretty blustery. I do have 4-wheel drive but the next person may not. A risky time of year to be on the roads. The Shenanigans would have to be worth the risk. We shall see. We shall see.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate you taking time to read. If you enjoyed this tidbit and would like to read other writings, I have included the link to my vocal page below. I have many loved pieces over there. Perhaps you would find another that catches your eyes.