here are the post-posting updates and additional bits for the post "Here's what I'd do if I were a twenty-something working toward her first $1,000,000; luckily for us, I was that twenty-something *hair-flip*"
cause it's getting out of control, y'all, and that post was already 9K+ words long *sweats*
(be sure to refresh often, i'm on here, often)
the newest additions are at the top:
i think that a grocery store is a great place to learn what kind of job you might like [18aug2026]
grocery stores are made up of departments
think of them like enclosed farmer's markets
each department does something separate from the others:
bakery, floral, grocery, meat/seafood, produce, etc.
these are all very different types of jobs
they're essentially the same in that the job is essentially
stocking shelves
but the stuff that's going on the shelf is all different
my last job
(not last as in last ever, i do have plans to work part-time again, because i want to learn how to cook korean food, so i want to find somewhere i can job and learn how to do this, last as in most-recent as i am currently taking myself through school [ephwhyell volume 0.3] and not-jobbing, cause, not to brag but i can)
was at safeway
i was hired in january 2021 and left in april 2026
and it is, by far, the longest amount of time i've spent with one company
i started in fresh cut
cutting up fresh fruit to make it "ready-to-eat"
at $12.10/hr (ish, i cannot remember, exactly, and i'm not about to hunt down that old pay stub)
in longmont, colorado
there was a probationary period (again, cannot remember exactly how long but maybe three months?)
but then as soon as i had cleared it
the director, there,
came by the little fresh cut department every other week and asked,
"you see that 10% raise on your paycheck?"
"you see that 10% raise on your paycheck?"
and i was about fifty cents away from max-pay in about six months
i also received an additional $2/hr for the hours i worked overnight
because i worked two hours that were considered part of the overnight shift
(i learned this bc the fresh cut shift starts at 5am, once i learned this, i asked the director if there was a job i could do for an entire shift of overnight bonus pay, again, don't quote me, this was a while ago, and i definitely have the exact details mixed up somewhere, i'm sure, but the overall results in my pay increases are what's been stated in real numbers)
so i gained about $10/hr over my starting $12/hr in the total time i was there
and i was about 90% of the way to that final pay in the first six months i was there
i was there from january 2021 til april 2023
i worked fresh cut, overnight stocking and was the overnight baker during this time period
when i transferred to the safeway here in honolulu
the overnight bonus was only $0.50
and the max-pay was $2 lower than the max-pay on the mainland
so it was a huge, overall loss for the bodybuddy/lifemate to stay at safeway, here
i, however, was offered a different job within the store
and i took the new job, obviously
i had lamented to the universe only six months prior
that i had finally figured out the big gap in my entrepreneurship knowledge
and that gap was pricing
and the job that was being offered was "pricing manager"
i couldn't believe it
so i started at $23/hr plus the $0.50 overnight put me at $23.50
and i gained about $1/hr from what i was being paid in longmont
i left in april 2026 at $25.43(ish) plus $0.50 overnight put me at $26/hr
i had to claw and chew for every raise i got
i hate the director of that store
but i got one whole dollar every time
i put up a fight before i left
because i had decided to leave
so i put in my notice along with a departure date
nobody believed me
because everyone thought i loved that job
because i did it so well
and i did do it so well
the best, in fact
but i knew the director did not value my contributions appropriately
and so
i wanted to find out what the director would offer
and when he offered it
i laughed in his face
and i left on my stated departure date
i would have stayed if the director there understood what i brought to the table
and valued it accordingly
but he did not
but then that means you pay in cash? [added 18aug2026]
you betcha.
credit card money is no different than a digital currency
we use digital currency in the digital world
cash is physical money
we use physical currency in the physical world
(&i use digital currencies in the forms of dollars and eridium in the game borderlands
&i'm holding out for the day when my xbox gamer points convert into some sort of usable currency, afk)
banks are also incredibly forgiving with credit card fraud
and if your bank is a big bank
unfortunately, they understand your spending better than you do
so use them
and let them monitor any potentially-fraudulent activity
which is most-likely gonna happen with a credit card
cause debit cards have other protections
cause debit cards access your cash
and you're gonna have to do a lot of work to convince someone that you didn't give them your pin, etc.
the bank that extends us our personal line of credit
has never argued with a single unexpected credit card charge
they knew before we did that it was odd
there's also a thing that happens when you use cash to pay for everything "irl" (i prefer afk)
and it's a better way of living
if you want to reach the kinds of goals we are aspiring toward here
if you don't believe me
try living with only cash
(minus any bills you might have to pay online, duh, pay your bills.)
for one month
and tell me i'm wrong
 |
| when i was a senior in high school there weren't enough classes left for me to take to round out my schedule so i had two off periods every day and i had one period, every day that i spent volunteering. those block periods were spent shelving books at the library (can you imagine looking at all the books that were checked out and meticulously putting them away for an entire class?!?! needless to say that volunteer work was a dream) or serving lunch/calling bingo at the local senior center. i had so much fun serving lunch and calling bingo all the old people loved me they knew i was heading off to college once i graduated and so they were always so interested in what i was up to and i took the time to hear them out when they had something to say to me old people are all of the people who were peaking during a simpler time it doesn't matter when in time you're living the "old people" were peaking during a simpler time they are a gateway into the past living time travelers with stories to tell and they'll tell you all about the "simpler times" and if you're rolling your eyes right now fuck off these stories are important because this is the way that life "used to be" which means that they're helping you fill in the gaps in your knowledge you sure as fuck were NOT there thank, Ladybug you're here NOW in the future so listen up kid to how good you've got it. anyway by the time i was graduating i'd spent an entire year with them and they knew when i was calling bingo for them for the last time and i was sad cause the likelihood of any of them being there when i grow up was small but anyway we had a great round of bingo and when we were finished for the afternoon they all collected their dimes in a little bag and gave it to me i cried and thought that it was the cutest "gesture" a bag of dimes when i got home i counted all those dimes and it added up to $90 i cried again and then went to the bank and deposited my money into my account the account i'd live off during school needless to say to this day i collect change like it's money CAUSE IT IS! |
"Why do I have to prove myself? I already told him that I'm a good worker!" [added 17aug2026]
okay, so, first of all, your employer is running a business.
businesses cost money, upfront.
a business owner must spend a ton of money before they ever see a penny back.
employees cost money.
an employer is paying you MONEY to be an employee at their business.
NO BUSINESS OWNER WANTS TO WASTE MONEY.
this is why the starting pay rate is so low.
of course, too many employers on Empire want to pay their workers as little as possible
but ALL employers want GOOD workers,
and if you're a good worker, they will pay to keep you.
i've only ever worked hourly-wage labor, my entire life.
i tell people all the time that "i've never had a 'real job',"
cause i haven't.
i've built my wealth through hourly-wage labor, because hourly-wage labor rewards hard work (up to a point) and loyalty (up to a point).
there are ceilings, obviously, the larger the company, the lower the ceiling, because larger companies offer ladders to climb.
the more responsibilities you're willing to take on the higher your pay rate becomes.
smaller mom-and-pop shops are all different.
if you're lucky enough to find yourself embedded in a mom-and-pop, it's a big risk, but the upside is also potentially really big. if you don't know why this sorta dynamic exists in small businesses, you'll have to really put your big brain to work to think it through.
where was i ...
oh right, so when you start out somewhere, you're starting from the bottom, just like everyone else, cause your employer doesn't know who to pay more, cause they only want to pay more for GOOD workers.
this is why ive transferred within a corporation, twice (the bodybuddy/lifemate has, too, three times).
i kept my seniority (loyalty paid out in benefits, etc.) and the pay rate i earned through all of my raises (i didn't have to start at the pis-poor starting rate).
so pay your dues. do the work. show up on time. work hard when you're on the clock (not too hard, there's a line here when working for other people, and you'll have to sorta parse through it yourself. whatever "hard work" means for you, you need to sorta tailor it to each of your environments). do not even answer your phone when you are not on the clock. when you're on the clock, be there. when you're off the clock, YOU ARE NOT BEING PAID FOR YOUR TIME, so give them NONE OF YOUR TIME!
this includes breaks.
TAKE ALL OF YOUR BREAKS, and if you do not want to speak to anyone while you are on your break, you have that right.
DO NOT WORK OFF THE CLOCK FOR ONE SINGLE SECOND.
if an employer even suggests that you work off the clock, this is a HUGE RED FLAG.
start planning an exit.
once your employer makes it obvious to you that they think you're a good worker, they'll start to say things like, "I can't believe you've only worked here for a week!" or "You sure look comfortable." or "I wish I could get more of yous." or "So what do you do when you're not here?"
a good employer is always trying to find the best workers, and so, if you're a good worker, they'll want more of your time, so they'll start to point out to you how much time you spend there.
that's your first clue.
the second clue is when they start to be curious about your life.
they want to make you happy, so that you stay.
THIS IS WHEN YOU ASK FOR MORE MONEY.
i don't have a lot of advice for you, if you're shy.
as a sag, i just say it.
i literally walk into wherever the manager is and say, "I need a raise."
and i've gotten one every time.
you just kinda gotta bring it up somehow, and say it.
you could ask your supervisor if they have a minute at the end of a shift, and then, while on the clock, ask them about your pay rate.
ask something like, "You had mentioned that there are opportunities for a raise, and so I'm wondering what it would take for me to be able to get a raise, now."
if it's a supervisor, they'll have to check with the manager.
if you're speaking directly to your manager who has the power to make this sort of decision, listen to what they say.
you can even outright ask if they think you're deserving of a raise.
if you think that you are, and they say that you are not. listen.
if they are right, change.
if you are right, leave.
if you hate the job, but it has potential to pay well, and you know they like you, put in a departure date. they WILL offer you more money. if they don't, you're already leaving. if it's enough money to outweigh how much you hate it, stay. if it's not enough money to outweigh how much you hate it, leave.
MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT YOU ARE THERE FOR MONEY, not friends, not experience, not resume-building...MONEY.
my point is that, yes, a lot of these wage-labor jobs have a piss-poor starting rate, but if you're a good worker, you will start to be paid more as soon as they can pay you more (if you're stuck in a probationary period, the company cannot really do much to accelerate your rate, but a good company will try to make it up to you once you're freed [this is what i found out at safeway]).
so stick it out.
prove yourself to your employer.
if you are good, they will reward you.
if you open your mouth, even better.
if you know, in your heart, that they do not care about your hard work, leave.
there are lots of good businesses looking for good workers, and they want to see you succeed.
[added 17aug2026]
yes, you need to have a general understanding of how much your dollar is worth,
compared to the other currencies of the world.
why?
great question for study with Computer!
[added 17aug2026]
my first sbux boss in Syracuse, Papa Lovins
helped me get my job in Boulder
he put me on vacation until i called him up with the new store location
when i got to Boulder, i walked right into an sbux and found out where to go and who to talk to
they pointed me to a very specific store and a very specific person
i went there
i told him about Papa Lovins
he told me he'd call me
he called me about a week later with the store location that i was to show up at to start working shifts
today, if i were twenty, i'd try to move to korea with my sbux job, lol
[added 16aug2026]
what do i mean by "products that prop up everyday living?"
well, i don't mean consumer-facing goods.
what are consumer-facing goods?
this sounds like a great question to study with Computer.
where do you shop for stuff you need to live a life?
one place is maybe the grocery store or a big box store that sells detergent, towels, etc.
you're not looking at what's on the shelf.
you're looking at the shelf, itself.
what does this business need to run its business?
a business like this does not know what a customer will come in to buy,
but a business like this needs what to operate?
literally, shelves, price tags, signs, the string that holds up the signs, flooring, the people who lay down the flooring, toilets, etc., etc., etc.
(HINT: these are all businesses)
these are the types of products that "prop up everyday living"
not the stuff you buy
this is all the stuff that businesses buy
this is all the stuff that businesses need to create and distribute the products that you buy
B2C is gambling
what's B2C? another great question to study with Computer.
betting on the C is betting on what will be bought by the consumer
and this is guess-work
no different from gambling
B2B is the stuff of wealth
what is B2B? you guessed it, ask Computer.
ownership in the first B in B2B is investing
the first B in B2B does not rely on the whims of the consumer
it relies on the strength of american entrepreneurship
[added 16aug2026]
every dollar you spend is making someone rich.
use your nose.
your nose knows.
[added 14aug2026]
i own 51% of all of our assets
&in boardroom sorta terms
i hold the Golden Share
[added 12aug2026]
the single most-sinister act of humanity upon itself
was the monetization
of the soul
[added 11aug2026]
if you are born
a Citizen of Empire
this way of making money
(stock-market investing)
is quite literally
your birth right
there are no roadblocks to stop you
all you have to do
is open an account
your own account.
[added 11aug2026]
there's some chinese proverb that goes something like this:
money can't buy everything
but without it
you can't buy anything
a little more food for convincing [added 10aug2026]
why is $10,000,000 the magic number (for those of us aspiring for wealth beyond comfort)?
well, find out what a thing called Treasuries are.
Treasuries are the closest thing to a "sure thing"
why?
well, that's up to you to figure out.
what Treasuries do, is grow about 5% annually.
why?
well, that's up to you to figure out.
if you have $1,000,000 in Treasuries,
and it grows 5% in one year,
how much money did you "make"?
you can, essentially, siphon off the 5% that you made,
and live off it.
5% of $1,000,000 is a decent "salary,"
but these days
that amount of money is not enough to live off of, alone.
&so, yes,
it's a significant amount of money,
but it's not enough.
what happens, then, when you have $10,000,000 in Treasuries,
and it grows by 5% annually?
what is 5% of $10,000,000?
now that's far more-than a comfortable amount
to live off of;
don't you think?
&ideally,
that'd only be one of your vehicles that grows your cash.
when is enough "enough"? [added 10aug2026]
i mention above how women need to be extremely selfish during these years of financial foundation building. this does not mean that you cannot be generous. it simply means that you gotta make sure you have "enough" money to cover your own expenses before you start giving away money that you actually need to pay for your life. "enough" is going to be a different amount for each of us. think about this. ask any man in your life the last time he gave someone money or a gift, unprompted, and for no reason. 100/100 men will say, "never."
my love language is gifts (not only tangible gifts, i enjoy all sorts of gifts, the more-creative, the better, i would even consider a text message a tiny gift from some people), and so, i have always had an envelope to budget this sort of spending. i know myself. i've known myself for a long time due to the traumatic experiences of my childhood. i know how to pay attention, cause for me, it was literally life or death. i was abandoned on a door step, and the biological family who left me there, took my picture on that doorstep before they left me there. this is all beside the point.
my point is that you can do with your money whatever the fuck you please with it. for most of my childhood, i was trained to "tithe" 20%. The Church, literally, has no way of making money, which is why they sell salvation, and for those of you who think that this salvation is "free," it is not; it's tiered pricing, a percentage, 20% of whatever you make. once i realized that The Church is full of shit, i also realized that jesus was probably a pretty good guy just trying to look out for other people, and it was the powers of the institution that has made the beliefs that were supposedly built upon this man such crass hypocrisy. while i left my salvation behind, i took the idea of generosity, giving back, with me. i started to save that 20% for myself. and then, by the time i returned to school in boulder, i soon realized that i could spend 20% of that 20% on others, but only if i had "enough" to pay for my own life, which i did by the time i arrived in boulder, and so, i started to volunteer my time to a group of young women high schoolers. and since i had been stashing away 20% of that 20% i scraped off every pay check, i had enough money to be a good leader to them. if they wanted to do something, i could make it happen. i absolutely did NOT pay for everything, no way, but i broke down their request so that they could understand what they were really asking for, financially, and then, i explained to them the cost of their idea, and then, they came up with a plan on how to split the cost between themselves plus me. i donated my time, and i would pay for my portion of the event, and then we'd all go have a great time! and i would also usually pay for one extra little thing for the event, etc. if that money i had been saving hadn't been there, i'd be a terrible leader to them and myself. if i had to put these events on a credit card or if i couldn't contribute financially at all, then i'm doing them a disservice by being unable to lead them in the way that they were deciding, and i'm doing myself a disservice by taking on debt. i'd be a burden on them, and i was there to serve them. i'd be burdening my future with debt, and i was there to grow.
for me, "enough" is being able to afford my life.
for me, "enough" is being able to walk around on any given regular day and afford anything i might want to buy (i am a cheap person, i have very few wants).
for me, i've had "enough" for quite some time.
why do i want more?
well, because when you find out what life is like when you have enough, how much help you can actually provide in the lives of the people around you, you start to get hooked on this idea that money can actually help people. and so, if i'm good at making money, why not make as much as i can so that i can help out as much as i can, and no, i do not support the idea of charity.
you using ai to read for you? good! [added 10aug2026]
REMEMBER, however, that ai is an ASSISTANT.
use ai like you would a HUMAN assistant.
if you asked your assistant to read something for you,
and someone asks you about what you read,
you wouldn't say, "well, my assistant says ..."
NO!
you would have your assistant read whatever you need them to read
and then you'd read whatever they said the book was about
and then you'd go through and fact check everything that comes up in their notes
and then you'd make your own opinion about it.
the best way to use ai, these days,
is as a research assistant and a drafter.
ai is an incredible learning tool.
these days, the gap that ai is creating is in learning.
for those of us who know how to learn and can learn quickly,
ai can accelerate this learning speed.
so use ai to learn, cause ai is really good at facts, finding information, parsing through a lot of information to present to you what's out there.
the onus is still on you to be able to recognize which pieces of information ai brings back to you are useful and which ones are crap,
and then, you tell ai which pieces of information it brought back were useful and which ones were crap,
and then, ai will learn, more precisely, what it is that you want from it.
ai can build tools to help you achieve your goals,
but it must be trained to fully understand your goals.
it's not much more capable than that.
you still gotta put in all of your hours
as a human thinker
but ai can help relieve a little of the work load
by creating tools that you think of that will help you,
but you must treat everything that ai "says"
as if it's someone you've hired to tell you what you want to hear.
would you ask your assistant for ideas?
maybe just for brain-storming, but you have your own ideas, that's why you're using ai to help you make-real your ideas.
would you ask your assistant to create something for you?
i'd hope not.
would you ask your assistant to do all your work and submit it without looking at it?
i'd hope not.
so yea,
ai is pretty good at reading,
but it does not read perfectly.
ai reads really well to parse and find facts, but there are nuances to human logic and reasoning that ai simply does not understand, yet.
what ai does best right now, imo, for the everyday run-of-the-mill student is find information by "reading through" thousands and thousands of pages of information quickly and flagging facts and citing exactly where it found a quote or whatever, but it cannot make anything of it for you.
you can train ai to flag whatever information you're looking for, but then you must still go look at the information that ai cites and read it.
so use the tool as if you're working with a human assistant.
what would you task that human to do for you?
i, personally, would only task a human assistant to complete tasks that, essentially, can be done automatically. i need an assistant to check my emails and route them to the corresponding people who need to read them, but i certainly do not want my assistant to reply to my emails for me. maybe there are a few email types that i'd have them respond to, but no way are they ever going to speak for me. i would never off-load my thinking to my assistant, ya know? i have dreams, goals, ideas, and so, if i utilized an assistant (i do not, at this time), the assistant would be here to assist ME as i bring forth MY ideas.