One year ago, my husband and I established a budget for ourselves. We were going to pinch every penny so that we could walk out ahead in a year. Our only source of income would be his 9 to 5 job as I finished school.

I found our old calculations last night, and you know what? Our plan equaled a negative net worth. Between student loans, wedding expenses, and other elements of past life, one year of penny pinching would have equaled a net worth of about negative $4,000. How could that be? So much hard work…

Our problem was that we lacked multiple streams of income. If you want to make money, you have to increase your earning power outside of 9 to 5. We chose to use our weekends. Our efforts make our net worth something exciting to look at. In fact, our weekend work has been the equivalent to nearly TWICE my husband’s salary. Plus our hard work this year will continue to pay us in the future with small effort on our part.

When you work for someone else, the rewards are instantaneous. Of course, it took months before our efforts were rewarded. We juggle with little spare time, large credit card loads, and a whole lot of loans. But we have something bigger and more valuable to back each of those expenses today.

So this weekend, I challenge you to find something outside of 9 to 5 that can increase your wealth in the future. The sense of accomplishment will, I guarantee, far exceed any thrill that your paycheck might provide.