You Know I'm Chat Thread

[FoolofaTook]

Imho the key is to shop, eat, and stay where the locals do. And to go to developing countries where your money is worth what, four or five times what it is in the US.

[FoolofaTook]

There are digital nomads who just do some blogging or something, just the minimum and live off of like $1,000 a month, stay at hostels and go from country to country.

Like this one blogger. She's traveled all over the world on a shoestring budget, Central Asia, South Asia, South America, etc. She's hardcore though.

https://www.lostwithpurpose.com/about/

[Ram27]

that's fucking awesome took; i'm very jealous

i've stayed in hostels before in the US and have enjoyed it, never felt the need to spring for a proper hotel, as long as i have white noise to block out snoring i'm good

but i feel like doing it out of the country would be a fairly heavy amount of culture shock and a bit scary, especially in non-english speaking nations

[smashingjj]

bunch of fuckin honkies

[FoolofaTook]

I actually stay in 3 star hotels or hostels that have single rooms. I work all day online so I need a workspace.

This is where I am staying now:

https://www.booking.com/hotel/co/col...utique.es.html

[FoolofaTook]

Most people are nice Ram. The worst is some ppl laugh when they see my goofy ass stumbling around. Nothing new about that lol.

[reprise85]

digital nomad yo

[reprise85]

Originally Posted by FoolofaTook

I make around $2,000 - 3,000 a month.

Hotel is $500 a month. Food is less than $500 a month. Roundtrip airfare is usually under $1,000. So I can travel for three months for $4,000 - $5,000. There's no way I could live in the States on that much. I actually am saving money this way.

Plus who the hell would rent to me in the US? Four felonies, massive debt, and no landlord recs ...

digital nomad yo

[reprise85]

In 10 years or so I might try the digital nomad thing. Once my cat/mom is dead (leaving this just for you took) and therapist is retired, lol

I made so much more this year than any year in my life, working online. Of course it took time building up work to do but 100% worth it, now I hire a programmer to make my life easier on hard stuff and am learning myself to level up my proficiency.

Although you do actual work requiring specific skills. I do lots of things that I get good at and would have a hard time marketing myself. But so far so good.

It has been really hard letting myself have these last two weeks of the year working only a little but I have done OK I think.

[FoolofaTook]

If you did, you would be on a whole nother lvl. You make so much you could go to Japan or maybe one of those Nordic countries ninsp is trying to expatriate to. You wouldn't have to wash your socks in the sink and eat cold beans out of the can like I do!

[Ram27]

i think now i really wanna do this too lol. i have a tiny bit saved for a trip [was planning on chicago once baseball starts again, see a few series, see corgan's tea shop, etc etc]. but shit, 2 weeks at that place, took, is like $250. that's amazing. that's relatively doable if i dedicate more savings to it and get more work tasks to do -- i'm nowhere near reprise level of course but it's better than nothing

[Ram27]

it's just hard to plan or dream right now with all the restrictions

at least that's how my brain works

[MyOneAndOnly]

if i could i would go to Iceland for a year. They allow residency visas for foreigners who work remotely. Also, Svalbard for at least a summer... no Visa required there, and I would like to see the Arctic Circle.

unfortunately, once we're all vaccinated i'm pretty sure my company is going to requires us back in our cubicles every day.

[run2pee]

Originally Posted by MyOneAndOnly

if i could i would go to Iceland for a year. They allow residency visas for foreigners who work remotely. Also, Svalbard for at least a summer... no Visa required there, and I would like to see the Arctic Circle.

unfortunately, once we're all vaccinated i'm pretty sure my company is going to requires us back in our cubicles every day.

Nah fuk that u gotta demand your rights! The world has changed

[FoolofaTook]

Originally Posted by MyOneAndOnly

They allow residency visas for foreigners who work remotely.

Yeah this is happening more and more. Croatia either just got one or is about to. And one of the Baltic countries has the same thing.

Then there are countries that just let you stay for a long time on a tourist visa. Six months for India and Mexico. 12 fucking months for Vietnam.

Talk to Reprise Ram. She can help you get started working remotely. If you start working on it now, you'll be ready to go once you are vaccinated!

[FoolofaTook]

Originally Posted by Run To Me

The world has changed

[Ram27]

Originally Posted by FoolofaTook

Yeah this is happening more and more. Croatia either just got one or is about to. And one of the Baltic countries has the same thing.

Then there are countries that just let you stay for a long time on a tourist visa. Six months for India and Mexico. 12 fucking months for Vietnam.

Talk to Reprise Ram. She can help you get started working remotely. If you start working on it now, you'll be ready to go once you are vaccinated!

oh she's helped me a ton! it's just that the main thing i'm doing isn't giving me much work, and amazon fucking hates me apparently; i sent them a fax and everything and they keep saying 'you are not and never will be eligible to work for amazon' or something like that. most evil company there is

[FoolofaTook]

i do lionbridge ram. i had to study for a week or so and then took the test. for the first several months i was making around $500-$700. Now it's $1,200-$1,500. And I think the one reprise does, Appen, is even better.

https://careers.lionbridge.com/caree...903.1609217357

[FoolofaTook]

oh you can also go to jamaica for six months on no visa.


in the kingdom of JAH
man shall reign ...

[reprise85]

Originally Posted by FoolofaTook

If you did, you would be on a whole nother lvl. You make so much you could go to Japan or maybe one of those Nordic countries ninsp is trying to expatriate to. You wouldn't have to wash your socks in the sink and eat cold beans out of the can like I do!

I don't make that much money... but it kinda looks like it's cheaper than South FL? https://borgenproject.org/five-facts...ving-in-japan/

I do really well for someone working from the seat of their pants at home but I'm not rolling it in or anything. And if I had a family it would be different but I have no responsibilities except disabling health conditions (yay!)

[reprise85]

Originally Posted by FoolofaTook

i do lionbridge ram. i had to study for a week or so and then took the test. for the first several months i was making around $500-$700. Now it's $1,200-$1,500. And I think the one reprise does, Appen, is even better.

https://careers.lionbridge.com/caree...903.1609217357

The one I do with Appen I could make $286 max per week but I usually do the minimum because I can make (much) more doing other things. But it is a good foundation for sure. You should really apply for both of them, Ram. I think Lionbridge is a lot more lenient generally, on Appen they give me a review once a month and there are strict minimum and maximums; however, you pay more taxes on Lionbridge because you are self-employed (Appen is a regular W2 job, my project that is). There are also a ton of projects, the one I do is probably the most strict because the client is uh "a world leading search engine" and they do what they want.

IDK what the deal is with mTurk, sorry they don't like you Most people crash on mTurk anyway (try reading about it, all you will see is people making $2 an hour), if it makes you feel any better, but you would have a huge head start with me if they do ever approve you. But I promise you will be very confused if you do get approved on how to make it work.

It is really about getting several different good clients that post work often and as many as possible of those that post infrequently. I am still trying to figure out how to get personal clients because right now they are all through third parties (except Appen I guess, which is by far the lowest paying but I guess the most stable, although it in its own way is a third party too).

I really don't have a lot of hope that this is sustainable in the long term but it seems likely the next few years will be okay. It's unlikely I will lose all the good work at the same time. At least that is what my therapist says and it makes sense, and in a lot of ways having an "employer" who owes you labor protections or whatever is bullshit anyway. But now that I could survive for a couple months even if I somehow lost all my work without it totally destroying my life I feel somewhat better

[Ram27]

Applied to both, thanks so much for all the advice

It's kinda difficult to...evaluate, because I think part of me wants to transition into just doing this stuff, but part of me is used to just being a boy who delivers pizza and, recently, does this on the side

made 1 cent from appen tho! yeeeee!

[FoolofaTook]

man lionbridge is so easy. and i made so much in october ($1,700) that they suspended my account for a couple of weeks lol.

[reprise85]

you're going over your max?

[FoolofaTook]

Hella.

I think you're not supposed to go over 80 hours a month (20 a week). I got 145 for October, lolololol.

[reprise85]

they would fire me for sure lol, but i guess they aren't worried about labor laws with freelance. if you go over 26 hours twice you are toast with mine i believe. i think they picked a number they know for all states they don't have to worry about all that stuff, but idk

[FoolofaTook]

oh wow i didn't know it was a legal thing. i've gone over 100 hours at least 5 or 6 times in the year that i've worked lol.

[reprise85]

Originally Posted by FoolofaTook

oh wow i didn't know it was a legal thing. i've gone over 100 hours at least 5 or 6 times in the year that i've worked lol.

I'm sure you're fine as an independent contractor. Just as a regular employee they have to worry about benefits at a certain point and overtime

[vixnix]

Originally Posted by FoolofaTook

I make around $2,000 - 3,000 a month.

Hotel is $500 a month. Food is less than $500 a month. Roundtrip airfare is usually under $1,000. So I can travel for three months for $4,000 - $5,000. There's no way I could live in the States on that much. I actually am saving money this way.

Plus who the hell would rent to me in the US? Four felonies, massive debt, and no landlord recs ...

Thanks for replying. That’s a good income! You could live comfortably in lots of parts of the U.S. for that I reckon. Just not any of the parts that most people want to live I guess. I reckon there must be some tiny towns in like Wyoming that would have cheap rent.

$500 month is so cheap though!

[MyOneAndOnly]

Rent is getting high most everywhere in the States.