Trump Has People Scared to Death About Their Financial Future: How to Outearn Your Fear (Even on a Fixed Income)
This is survival entrepreneurship—raw, unfiltered, and yours to run with
Trump Has People Scared to Death About Their Financial Future: How to Outearn Your Fear (Even on a Fixed Income)
Let me tell you something that could change the course of your life:
You have the power to meet your needs, no matter how tough things get.
That may sound bold. Maybe even impossible…depending on where you are right now. But I’m telling you the truth.
You don’t need a windfall. You don’t need a degree. You don’t need permission.
What you need is a mindset shift: from survival to resourcefulness.
Because the difference between people who get through hard times—and those who get buried by them—isn’t luck. It’s mindset.
When you believe you still have moves to make… you find them. When you believe you’re already defeated… you stop looking.
And that’s when the machine wins.
This system wants you helpless. It wants you scared. It wants you to believe the lie that “it’s all out of your control.”
But here’s the truth: You are not broke. You are underutilized.
And that difference matters. Because when you realize you’re not powerless, that you still have leverage, that there are real ways to earn more—even without fancy degrees, tech skills, or startup cash—everything changes.
So today, I’m going to show you exactly how to tap into what you already have. Not by cutting back. Not by depriving yourself further.
But by leveraging what’s already around you in ways most people never think to try.
Even in hard times—especially in hard times—this mindset is your lifeline.
Take even two or three of these ideas and run with them. You won’t just make extra money. You’ll reclaim something far more valuable:
Control. Confidence. And proof that you’re still in the fight.
Let’s begin.
1. Rent What You Already Own
You don’t need more money—you need more leverage.
Got a spare room, garage, or parking space? Rent it on Neighbor, Spacer, or Airbnb.
Got a car you barely use? Put it on HyreCar or Turo.
Got tools, equipment, or random useful stuff? Rent it out locally on Fat Llama or Facebook groups.
Most people don’t think of themselves as “owners” of anything valuable. But if you have space, wheels, or gear, you already have assets that people will pay for.
And this isn’t about getting rich overnight—it’s about creating recurring income from what’s sitting idle.
Even if you only earn $50–$200/month from these options…that’s money for food… prescriptions…bills… or building a little breathing room.
Start with what you have. Let it work for you.
2. Become the “I’ll Do It” Person Locally
Every neighborhood has 10 people who need something… and only 1 person willing to do it.
That person can be you. If you are physically able…there is cash just waiting.
Post simple offers on Nextdoor…Craigslist…Facebook Marketplace—or drop handwritten flyers on your neighbors’ porches.
Great low-skill services that people always need:
Dog waste cleanup (yes—it pays well!)
Trash can rolling (bring them out on pickup day, back the next)
Light yard work…raking leaves…snow removal. When I was a kid in the 70’s…the morning after a big snow, I was out at 8:00 am… knocking on doors. In from 1975 on…I would make $60-$80 in one day. In 1975 I was nine years old. ($60 was equal to $359 in 2025.) Two-three snowy days a month can literally make the rent or mortgage.
Sitting at the house for a delivery or repair (YES…people will pay you to do this)
Errand running for seniors…disabled folks…or working parents. I know multiple people in my community who do this very thing.
You don’t need a truck…uniform…or website. Just honesty…reliability…and a willingness to solve a problem.
When people find someone dependable…they’ll pay again and again. Dependable people are hard to find. Be one of them. You become the go-to.
3. Flip Items for Profit
You don’t need a warehouse—you need an eye.
Start with garage sales…thrift stores…or “free stuff” listings on Facebook and Craigslist.
You’d be amazed what people give away:
Books (especially cookbooks, old textbooks)
Vintage clothing or band tees
Tools, small appliances
Toys, collectibles, retro tech
Clean them up…take good photos…and relist on eBay…Mercari…Poshmark…or even back on Marketplace for double or triple the price.
Don’t overthink it. Start with $10. Reinvest. Build a little momentum. This is how thousands of people go from nothing to steady side income.
And the best part? You learn what sells. You develop a gut. And you stop throwing value away.
I gave my son $20. I said, “Go double this…legally. I’ll see how long it takes you.” He bought some T-shirts at a garage sale, put them on eBay ( on my account), and had $67 after eBay fees within 48 hours.
I told him, “You not only doubled it…you tripled it. Understand this: if you can double $20 to $40, then you can double $50 to $100, $100 to $200…$500 to $1,000. The principle is the same, no matter the amount.
It clicked.
He’ll be 17 in a couple of months. He’s quite industrious. He now looks at a $20, and sees two options:
1. $20 to spend…and then it’s gone.
Or, 2. $20 that can be turned into $40…and then $40 to $80, and so on.
He understands that there is never a shortage of people who have a need for something that they are willing to pay a fair price to have someone do it, provide it…or help them with.
So…fill that need…and give them more than they pay for—better service…be more polite than anyone else…more reliable than anyone else.
He understands that as long as he can do this, he’ll:
Be helping someone who is desperately looking for the product, service, etc. that he delivers.
Be someone others are always happy to see coming.
Learn more about the world than any 4 year degree will ever teach him.
Never have to worry that he won’t have enough money to meet his needs.
This isn't scavenging. It’s entrepreneurship in its rawest form…and a true win/win. It’s called being useful to others and yourself.
4. Cleaning = Cash
Don’t underestimate the value of doing what others won’t.
If you can make something dirty look clean—you’ve got a business.
Offer:
Garage…basement…or storage unit cleanouts
Apartment move-out cleans (landlords need this)
Light weekly cleaning for seniors
Pressure washing patios or sidewalks (Can’t afford a pressure washer?? Turn $20 into $40, $40 into $80, $80 into $160, and $160 into $320. Boom, you can buy a brand-new Craftsman power washer at Lowe’s or Home Depot, or rent a friend’s for $20 per day until you can buy your own. Obstacles excite me…because I get to figure out a way to achieve the goal anyway…and it makes it fun.)
Use local Facebook groups or community boards. Offer a “first-time flat rate” to get in the door.
Then blow them away with effort.
When you clean like it’s your own space…word spreads. Always give MORE…and do it BETTER than you have to.
A $50 job becomes a $200 referral chain.
One broom…one bucket…and one satisfied customer can open doors you didn’t even know existed.
5. Answer Phones or Do Data Tasks
Remote “grunt work” is booming—and it's work you can do from your kitchen table.
Arise and Working Solutions let you handle inbound customer calls.
ModSquad pays for community moderation and chat support.
UserTesting, Clickworker, and MTurk pay for simple online tasks, surveys, or site testing.
No degree required. No resume polishing. Just patience, quiet focus, and a willingness to click, type, or talk.
These aren’t dream jobs—but they are dependable income streams for people who need flexibility.
And in a world that wants to convince you there’s “nothing out there”… these gigs prove otherwise.
6. Tell Your Story (Yes, YOURS)
People are tired of fake. They want real.
You’ve lived through hard times. You’ve got stories…scars…and wisdom. That has value.
Start a free podcast on Spotify, or a YouTube Shorts channel. No fancy editing. Just:
How you survive (or survived) on a fixed income
What the 70s, 80s, or 90s taught you
Your favorite cheap meals, house-cleaning secrets and shortcuts, etc.
And here’s what you’ll find: You don’t need thousands of fans. You need the right dozen or two.
You're not “just surviving.” You’re teaching survival.
7. Odd Jobs = Quick Cash
Some work isn’t glamorous. But it gets the bills paid.
Gig boards like:
TaskRabbit
GigSmart
Steady App
Church, school, or community center boards
...are filled with people who need help today.
You can:
Lift a couch
Haul yard waste
Assemble IKEA furniture
Clean out a storage unit
Hang a picture frame or curtain rod
Jobs like these pay $50–$150 in a day. And every completed job builds reputation…referrals. and repeat business. Read that last sentence again.
When I returned to college and became a single dad to my 4-month-old baby (my oldest daughter), I worked on-call at a funeral home for extra income.
What did I do? I drove to another funeral home…the airport…or a hospital/nursing home to pick up the deceased…and bring them back to the funeral home I worked for.
They were rarely in a coffin.
They were usually on a gurney…that I put them on…and covered with a white sheet in the wee-hours of the night…in some dark…silent backroom of a funeral home…or the now lifeless and echoing room at a nursing home…or hospital…where loaded them into the back of a van…and then drove back (very often a drive of several hours) to the funeral home.
No one else wanted to do it. I said, “I will.” They happily paid me to do it so they could stay home…tucked in their warm…comfortable bed.
Meanwhile, I was out on icy roads with windchills of -20 Fahrenheit…and a now dormant…but once vibrant human being about 12-18 inches behind me; because I KNEW they wanted to stay in bed.
So I also knew I had something they were willing to pay for…and would be thrilled to death (no pun intended) to do.
I had learned a secret long before: even in the toughest of times…I could feed myself and take care of my needs…and my daughters needs…no matter what.
The secret? Find things that HAD to be done, but that NO ONE wanted to do…and offer to do them.
When in doubt…move your body and solve a problem. That’s cash on demand.
When you really grasp this idea…your fear about being able to take care of yourself vanishes into this air. You absolutely KNOW you can make it…no matter what!
Final Thought: You Don’t Need More Time—You Need More Activation
You don’t need more hours in the day. You need to unlock the hidden value around you.
Even if you’ve never seen yourself as an “entrepreneur,” this economy is pushing all of us to become one. Not because we want to—but because we refuse to go down quietly.
And if you’re sitting there thinking, “But Jack… I’m on disability. I can’t walk. I can’t drive. I’m in pain all the time…”—I hear you. And I’ll say this:
Get creative. Get scrappy. Get someone else’s legs moving where yours can’t. A grandchild. A niece. A neighborhood teen who trusts you and wants to earn.
Cut them in on the deal…give them a slice worth showing up for…and you become the organizer… the manager…the strategist.
Will you make a little less than if you did it all yourself? Maybe. But maybe not.
Because now you can handle more deals…more flips…more projects than you ever could alone. And suddenly…you're not out of the game. You're leading the game from the sidelines.
You’ve still got the most powerful machine on the planet between your ears: your brain. That brain is an idea factory. A solution generator. A lifeline.
It’s not just what helps you survive—it’s what turns fear into motion. Doubt into action. Scarcity into possibility.
Ask it better questions: not “What if I can’t make it?” but “What are 20 ways I can?” And watch it go to work. Because it will. It can’t help itself.
That’s not optimism. That’s biology.
Let’s go get it.
Even if you’ve never seen yourself as an “entrepreneur,” this economy is pushing all of us to become one. Not because we want to—but because we refuse to go down quietly.
You were built for more.
Read this issue of JHN as many times as you need to. Once it “clicks,” it crushes your financial fear like a sledgehammer coming down on a marshmallow.
Let the world see it. Let your wallet feel it.
Let’s go get it.
Stay alert…but know how to flip the switch…and drop into a restful sleep when it’s time!
Here with you,
-Jack
P.S.
Tomorrow, I’m dropping a subscriber-only piece packed with even more ways to bring in income—and the mindset behind it. But let’s be real:
You don’t need it.
You’ve got a mental gold mine sitting in this article. Everything you need to start is already here.
But if you want more—more fuel…more fire…more unfiltered, step-by-step strategy—then yeah… I’ve got that too.
For $15 a month—fifty cents a day—you get all of it. Every article. Every tactic. Every word I write. I don’t have courses, books, tapes, or CDs and seminars.
I don’t have any of that kind of stuff with high ticket item prices to offer…so I can live like a Televangelist on Steroids….multiple houses…boats… an eight car garage…and all of that BS irritates me to even have to image keeping track of. Nope. Nothing like that at all.
I have a paid subscriber fee of $15 a month (or $148 annually). That’s it. Simple. Quick. Easy. If you can’t make at least 4X the paid subscription fee $15 x 4=$60.00 a month with what I’ve shared in this article…I’ll literally eat my hat.
If that’s worth it to you?
Then saddle up.
Welcome aboard.