There's Always a Few Ways to Make a Few Bucks

There I was, sitting at my desk in my home office working when I heard a guy in his truck passing the neighborhood calling, "Old newspapers. Old newspapers." In Malaysia, it is a common practice for a guy in a pickup truck to drive by in the neighborhoods blasting from a loudspeaker, inviting the neighbors to sell their old newspapers. Yeah, believe it.

Here I am working on a new design for a house and this man outside is asking for the neighbors to sell their old newspapers. Actually, that's a good business for that man. In Malaysia, people do not throw away their old newspapers like we do back home in America. In Malaysia, old newspapers are very useful. They are used to wrap up food that is being sold at food stalls, they are used to wrap cups and plates one may buy at the markets, or they may even be used to line the cat's litter boxes.

I figured what do I have to lose if I were to stop my work at the computer for a few minutes, go gather the old newspapers I have in my storage room and sell it to the guy outside in his pickup truck. That is exactly what I did. With my shirt and tie on, I carried bundles of old newspapers to this man's truck. He weighed them on a large scale and paid me in cash for it. It wasn't much, but at least I made a few bucks off of something that was just collecting dust in my storage room and being a fire hazard.

The moral of the story, get off your laurels and make some money, regardless of what it may be. Here I am an architect selling my old newspapers to this hard working gentle who's riding in a pickup truck. Swallow your pride a bit and make some money man. I did and so can you.