If you're not there yet then you need to get started. Quit looking for ways to make more money and figure out how to manage the money you have. That is the single most important thing you can do. I've proven to myself time and again that making more money will not get you any closer to financial freedom without learning how to manage what you have. I've also watched many people get a windfall and blow it. Have you? I have and I've also received windfalls and not even noticed that I have it. That's where I want go be all the time. Give us a raise to reward us for a job well done but have that windfall be part of our nest egg so to speak so we can weather the storms that always come.
So, you might ask how you can do that. I say the key is becoming very familiar with your cash flow. If you don't know what that is then you need to google it and become intimately familiar with it. Cash flow basically says you figure out all your bills including monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual. Monthly is easy. The others must be amortized so you account for them on a monthly basis as if you pay them monthly. That way you don't spend all your paycheck in the month you get it. Money accumulates in your bank account to cover those bills when they come due. Things like property taxes, car registration, income tax, etc. account for it all like this. Once you do that, you can figure out what your weekly or monthly budget can be and you adjust your lifestyle to that budget.
I managed my business based on cash flow and my personal life. I have very few surprises managing finances like that. You can even include line items for discretionary spending that accumulate if you want. I do and that is what I pay for trips with and the things that I don't necessarily plan for.
Now comes the tough part. You've got to get to the point where you have the money to have discretionary income and a weekly budget that accommodates the lifestyle you desire. That means you must get out of debt. I know. I know. You've heard that your whole life. But, it's true. It is the cornerstone of any successful financial freedom plan. You must manage debt and sacrifice whatever it takes to get out of debt. We did that. We have no debt at all. Just to give you perspective, we are middle class but below the national median income. That should tell you we're like most of you. But because we have no debt, our income goes a long way. Your's can too if you develop your plan and stick to it. By doing this, windfalls are folded into your lifestyle and stay with you to help you reach your version of financial freedom. By the way, if you want to get another job to help then by all means do so but don't spend it. You haven't done anything yet to reward yourself for. Put the whole thing towards paying off your bills. Once that's done you can figure out what your new budget will be and for heavens sake don't buy a new car or some such thing to reward yourself or you'll be right back in the same mess in short order.
Ok now. Get started on your path to financial freedom.
After all, financial freedom is real freedom in spite of what government does.