Four days per week, nurse anesthetist Mike O’Dell spends his 10-hour shifts sitting in a swivel chair shoved between pieces of towering, whirring operating equipment. He can’t use the bathroom, grab lunch or sip water without asking someone to cover for him, he says.

Running his side hustle, Oklahoma City-based quilting company Legit Kits, offers the opposite experience. One day per week, O’Dell enjoys a cup of coffee on his patio and drives his kids to school before starting work, he says.

“I can eat breakfast, I can go to the gym. I set my own schedule,” says O’Dell, 50.

O’Dell launched his side hustle in 2020, after making his two sons Star Wars-themed blankets by drawing a pattern and sewing fabric to the 5-by-6.5-foot paper — like a craftier version of paint-by-numbers. The process, called “foundation paper piecing,” made quilting easier than he’d expected, so O’Dell decided to start a business around making and selling quilting kits, he says.

Knowing he didn’t want to leave his full-time job — which currently pays him $240,000 per year — O’Dell built Legit Kits to run without him most of the time. He hired two graphic designers to create art and quilting patterns, then another employee to cut fabric and ship quilts, he says.

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Legit Kits, which now has seven full-time employees and four freelance designers, brought in $1.25 million in online sales in 2024, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. The company made an extra $150,000 selling kits at the now-defunct Joann Fabrics and Crafts, O’Dell estimates. (On February 23, Joann announced closures of its roughly 800 stores, citing bankruptcy liquidation.)

The business was profitable in 2023, and broke even last year after accounting for the expenses of moving into a new 4,500-square-foot-warehouse, says O’Dell.

O’Dell learned to sew two decades ago to make his own Braveheart kilt for Halloween, he says. Now, he spends one day per week testing color swatches, approving designs and marketing the company to new customers and retailers. He plans to pay himself a $50,000 salary — for serving as the company’s creative director and CEO — from Legit Kits this year, he says.

“The burnout I feel at the hospital fuels my energy to do the other thing for myself,” says O’Dell. “It turns the volume down when everybody’s mad at work.”

Legit Kits has a relatively small amount of market share in a quilting industry that’s worth nearly $5 billion, according to the Craft Industry Alliance, a trade association. To grow, O’Dell wants to expand his customer base beyond experienced quilters, he says. His current Facebook advertising campaign targets more casual crafters and Legit Kits has started selling more “mini” kits — $99 for each 15-by-20-inch creation — as easier products to complete.

Another reason for selling lower-cost items, O’Dell says: As U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies threaten to raise prices on common consumer goods, Americans could be less likely to spend money on crafts.

“I don’t want to price people out of a hobby,” says O’Dell.

But tariffs could also make Legit Kits more expensive to run. The company’s fabrics come from Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia and Vietnam, and goods imported from those two countries face 32% and 46% tariff rates, respectively, under policies unveiled by Trump on April 2. Those rates are currently paused until July 9, temporarily replaced by a baseline 10% tariff rate on all foreign imports.

“The uncertainty is stressful,” says O’Dell, adding that he can’t confidently hire new employees until he knows how tariffs will affect Legit Kits’ costs. “Optimism is essential these days. Hope mine isn’t misplaced.”

His high-paying, full-time job is his company’s safety net. Since O’Dell doesn’t have to worry about Legit Kits turning enough profit to pay himself a living wage, he predicts that tariffs — or any other form of economic uncertainty — won’t ever force his side hustle’s closure.

Even pre-tariffs, he didn’t expect his side hustle income to surpass his nurse anesthetist salary for another five years, he adds.

“I’d have to get Legit Kits up to eight figures in annual sales [to consider making it my full-time job] … and I want my kids to go to college,” says O’Dell.

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David Do doesn’t have much of a system when it comes to his credit cards.

Sure, he keeps them organized. When he’s not using them, his 30 or so active cards live in a binder in plastic sheaths like Pokémon cards. He has the commensurate apps for all of them, too, which helps him keep track of his spending and due dates. But that’s about the extent of it.

“For people who do travel hacking, like what I do, they have the proper way of using an Excel sheet. I don’t use an Excel sheet at all,” says Do, 33. “Truthfully, I just go by memory and just be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I did apply for this card last year. So let me just keep a timeline of when the annual fee is due, or when this credit card statement is due.’”

Travel hacking means strategically using credit card rewards programs to score free or discounted flights and hotel stays, often by taking advantage of bonuses for opening new cards or transferring points between programs. It’s a hobby that requires vigilance – both to ensure that you snag the best deals when they arise and to make sure you don’t accidentally rack up debt across your array of cards.

It’s easy to see why some travel hackers are serious about their spreadsheets. It’s hard to argue with Do’s results, however. Besides a mortgage on a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom townhouse in Riviera Beach, Florida, he doesn’t carry any debt. He dutifully invests a healthy portion of the $78,000 salary he earns working remotely as a social worker for a group of primary physicians’ offices.

Since 2017, he’s earned and redeemed well over 1 million credit card points and miles, using them to help fund trips to 33 countries.

“I’m hoping to do 35 by the time I’m 35,” he says.

Do owes a good deal of his financial success to his family, in more ways than one. He learned a lot from his parents, refugees from Vietnam who he says were loving providers and yet careful about how they spent.

“My parents were always very, very frugal with things. They we were strict about eating out, things to buy. If we wanted something, they were always like, ‘We can’t afford that right now,’” he says. “I think in the grand scheme of things, they were being smart with their money … they always lived below their means.”

They kept on top of Do when it came to schoolwork, too, which paid off. Thanks to a mix of scholarships and grants, he was able to graduate from University of Central Florida in 2015 with a degree in psychology and just $10,000 in student debt.

“Towards the end of my undergrad, my brother had passed away, and I didn’t really, you know, have a solid idea of what wanted to do with my [life],” he says. “So as soon as I could graduate, I immediately went home.”

Living with his parents in West Palm Beach allowed Do to support them emotionally while giving himself time to figure things out, professionally and financially.

After he started working as a coordinator at a treatment center for adults and children with mental health and substance abuse issues, he realized he was interested in social work. He enrolled at Barry University in Miami in 2017 and graduated two years later with a master’s and about $40,000 in additional student loan debt.

Do embarked on an aggressive strategy of repaying his loans and bolstering his savings. “Living at home made it a lot easier, because I could prioritize certain things I needed to,” he says. “So I pretty much budgeted maybe over half of my paychecks [toward] all the student loans.”

He made his last payment in early 2020. The following year, Do bought his current home, a $182,000 townhouse, with a 3% down payment.

Here’s how Do spent his money in March 2025.

• Housing and utilities: $1,875 on his mortgage, private mortgage insurance, homeowner’s association fees, water and electricity
• Dining and groceries: $962
• Savings and investments: $950 invested in his 401(k)
• Discretionary: $874 on entertainment and tax preparation
• Insurance: $294 on health, dental, accident, auto and accident policies
• Travel: $184 on plane and train tickets
• Transportation: $156 on parking, tolls and ridesharing
• Health: $111 on prescriptions, copays and his mom’s monthly health insurance premium
• Phone: $71
• Subscriptions and memberships: $17 on Planet Fitness and iCloud

Do’s living expenses make up the biggest chunk of his budget, though he’s quick to acknowledge that he got a pretty good deal. “Fortunately, I was able to buy at a time where the interest rate was relatively low, so, that kind of helped a bit,” he says. “I do have HOA fees. That’s a little bit hefty, but it’s still a pretty decent value for what it is in South Florida.”

Do’s mortgage rate is just a tick over 3%. Even with a $503 HOA fee, his monthly housing payment comes to just over $1,700. Utilities run him an additional $156.

His next biggest expense in March was food. The majority of that came from dining out, though Do says he’s working on getting handier in the kitchen.

Do uses credit cards to his advantage. Every cent he spent at a restaurant in March, for example, went on a Discover card offering 5% cash back that month on dining purchases. Plane and train tickets went on a travel card from Capital One. Amazon purchases went on a Chase Amazon Prime card.

Each month, Do examines which of his cards offer the most generous rewards and divvies his spending accordingly. “It really just depends on what month it is, because each credit card’s points have … you get extra cash back on the category, like, let’s say, for example, groceries or gas,” he says.

And he signs up for new rewards cards when doing so is likely to benefit him. “I know if I have a big expense coming up, let’s say, for example, I have to pay for tuition, or I have to pay for car insurance, or I have a big quarterly tax I need to pay, then I’ll try to time it accordingly with one of the credit cards that offers a big sign-up bonus,” Do says.

Do is happy to redeem the points he racks up — he estimates he takes seven or eight trips a year — though he looks to get bang for his buck. Like most travel hackers, he looks to maximize his points’ value by transferring them between loyalty partners, which can offer bonuses.

While Do currently has about 370,000 points saved, you won’t see him flying in first class anytime soon. “It’s always been economy for me. I could redeem it for business, but it just, I can’t really sacrifice the points,” he says. “I’m more of a budget traveler.”

His next trip? “Right now, me and my friend, we’re hoping to plan a trip to believe it or not, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia,” he says. “So that’s kind of being in the works right now.”

Over the longer term, Do plans on achieve a version of financial independence known as “Coast FIRE.” Once he’s saved a certain amount, the thinking goes, he can let that money grow until he reaches full retirement age while he scales back the amount he works, perhaps even by going part-time.

Currently, he has about $250,000 saved across workplace and personal retirement accounts, taxable brokerage accounts, health savings accounts and cash accounts. Between savings and investment gains, he hopes to push that number over $1 million, even if it’s not what he necessarily needs to “coast.”

“My goal right now is to contribute as much as I can to retirement, but also trying to live a fulfilling life,” he says. “And with my job being flexible, I think it’s giving me that opportunity, too.”

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As a pediatrician, I spend a lot of time engaging with families about nutrition. My philosophy is simple: If you empower a child to embrace healthy eating habits early on, they are more likely to carry these positive behaviors into adulthood. 

Early intervention can be transformative and help substantially reduce their long-term risk of developing chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and even certain types of cancer.

Many parents already know the importance of feeding kids vegetables and limiting added sugar. We often discuss “eating the rainbow,” emphasizing the need for a diverse range of colorful fruits and vegetables. Parents frequently prioritize dark leafy greens, antioxidant-rich blueberries and healthy-fat-packed avocados. 

However, there’s one nutritional powerhouse that often gets overlooked: beans. Here’s why I wish more parents fed this underrated superfood to their kids. 

Beans, in all their varied forms, are an exceptional source of plant-based protein. Many bean varieties contain all the essential amino acids that are vital for supporting a child’s energy, growth and active lifestyle. 

Beans are also loaded with both soluble and insoluble fiber, a duo that’s a game-changer for digestive health. Insoluble fiber promotes regular bowel movements, preventing constipation and keeping things moving smoothly. Soluble fiber contributes to that feeling of fullness and satiety after a meal, which can be helpful in managing appetite and preventing overeating. 

Soluble fiber also plays a role in lowering LDL, or “bad” cholesterol levels, and helps to stabilize blood sugar fluctuations after meals, preventing those dreaded energy crashes.

Beans are naturally fortified with an impressive array of essential vitamins and minerals. 

They are also a fantastic source of folate, which is vital for cell growth and development, as well as iron, which is crucial for carrying oxygen throughout the body. 

Plus, they’re packed with magnesium for nerve and muscle function, and a range of B vitamins that support energy production and brain health.

Soybeans in particular have a good amount of healthy fats in them, like omega 3 and omega 6 fats that support heart and brain health. 

Beyond their nutritional profile, beans offer practical advantages. They are very affordable, making them accessible to families on any budget. Their long shelf life means you can stock up and always have a healthy meal option on hand. 

Additionally, incorporating beans into our diets is an environmentally-friendly choice. They have a lower carbon footprint compared to many animal protein sources, contributing to a more sustainable food system.

Of course, all the nutritional knowledge in the world won’t make a difference if kids refuse to eat what’s offered. This is where the magic of beans truly shines. 

I’ve found that many children genuinely enjoy the taste and texture of beans, and they are remarkably easy to prepare in various kid-friendly ways.

For younger children or more picky eaters, start with something simple and approachable, like steaming edamame (young soybeans) or adding black beans to a cheesy quesadilla. I’ve even found success with black bean-based brownies, a surprisingly delicious and nutritious treat. 

For more adventurous eaters, consider introducing lentil soups, flavorful bean chili or stews. The versatility of beans makes them easy to incorporate into a wide range of dishes, ensuring there’s a bean recipe out there for everyone.

Dr. Kelly Fradin is the Chair of Pediatrics at the Atria Health and Research Institute and the mother of two children. She is the author of ”Advanced Parenting: Advice for Helping Kids through Diagnoses, Differences and Mental Health Challenges.” To learn more, you can find Dr. Fradin on Instagram @adviceigivemyfriends.

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If you work full-time, you already know how much time and effort it takes to master work-life balance. Add to that a relationship, and it becomes even harder.

As a psychologist who studies couples — and who has a working wife — I’ve faced these challenges firsthand. Thankfully, my job as both a researcher and husband has taught me how important it is to be intentional about how my wife and I spend our time, specifically on weekends.

Here’s how people in the happiest, most successful relationships spend their free time:

A couple who spends a lot of time together, but is constantly distracted by texts, emails or social media, probably isn’t as happy as a couple who spends less time together, but without their phones.

That’s why carving out one-on-one time without any interference from technology is so important. And how you spend that time is actually irrelevant. It doesn’t need to be extravagant or planned down to the minute. What matters is presence.

It could be a quiet morning coffee where you exchange unfiltered thoughts, a slow walk to fill the silence, or a good old wining-and-dining — as long as the phones and laptops are put away.

After a draining week of work, it’s normal and even healthy to crave solitude. But it can be hard to choose between “me time” and “we time.”

Luckily, there’s a way to satiate the need for both alone time and bonding simultaneously. “Parallel play,” a concept derived from child psychology, is when two people engage in their preferred activity separately, but alongside each other.

For couples, this might look like one partner reading on the couch, while the other plays their favorite video game next to them. They might not be engaging directly with one another, but they’re still intentionally sharing space and de-stressing with an activity they each enjoy.

It’s basically a way of saying: “I love you, but I also need to love me for an hour or two. Let’s do it together.” 

Relationships thrive on ritual. Coming home to your partner and knowing that the weekend will bring something familiar — something reliably yours — can be comforting.

In fact, research shows that rituals can help couples organize their lives in a way that allows for both change and stability to coexist. Individuals can merge into a shared identity that feels distinct from either person alone. You can ground yourselves together, no matter what chaos surrounds you.

What those rituals look like is completely up to you. Don’t shy away from cheesy. It could be Sunday morning pancakes, or board game night with a goofy scoreboard on the fridge. If you’re more practical, maybe it’s a weekly sit-down over a glass of wine to plan out the week, or tackling one nagging chore together with your shared playlist in the background. 

Studies show that couples who have a satisfying sex life are more likely to be happier in their relationships.

But with endless chores and errands, weekends can start to feel like a second workweek — with little time left over for intimacy. Sex quickly starts to feel like less of a priority.

DON’T MISS: How to successfully change careers and be happier at work

That’s why structured intimacy can be a good thing. Many people think it can diminish spontaneity, but if anything, it actually removes the mental fatigue of trying to make intimacy happen.

It’s also a great way for couples to engage without distraction, all while combating the emotional strain of work. So, make it intentional and set a time.

Playfulness, according to research, is one of the most reliable tools couples can use to strengthen their relationship. It can boost relationship satisfaction, ease conflict and break up the sense of monotony that partners can start to resent. 

During the week, we unknowingly train ourselves to look for things to stress over. But on weekends, we need to take those goggles off. The act of being silly — and being met with silliness in return — helps us reconnect with the childlike wonder we carry inside that gets buried beneath our responsibilities. 

So, look for joy on purpose. Maybe you pull out a trivia game with nonsense rules or challenge each other to a dance battle.

There’s no right or wrong way to be playful, and chances are, you already know how to make your partner laugh. You just have to remember to do it.

Mark Travers, PhD, is a psychologist who specializes in relationships. He holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Colorado Boulder. He is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, a telehealth company that provides online psychotherapy, counseling and coaching. He is also the curator of the popular mental health and wellness website, Therapytips.org.

Want to boost your confidence, income and career success? Take one (or more!) of Smarter by CNBC Make It’s expert-led online courses, which aim to teach you the critical skills you need to succeed that you didn’t learn in school. Topics include earning passive income online, mastering communication and public speaking skills, acing your job interview, and practical strategies to grow your wealth. Use coupon code MEMORIAL to purchase any course at a discount of 30% off the regular course price (plus tax). Offer valid from 12:00 am Eastern Time (“ET”) on May 19, 2025, through 11:59 pm ET on June 2, 2025. Terms and restrictions apply.

In 2019, Sophie Hilaire Goldie was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, traveling constantly and barely living in her New York City apartment.

That summer, the former captain in the U.S. Army climbed Mount Everest, an experience that she says changed the course of her life.

“When I did that, I had this epiphany that I wanted to spend more time in nature and Central Park to me wasn’t really the level of nature I needed,” Hilaire Goldie tells CNBC Make It.

“On the plane ride home, I knew I couldn’t go back to life in New York,” she says. “That moment of knowing launched the next chapter — van life, homesteading, and loving myself. The mountain did transform me. She gave me direction and that’s been the real gift.”

When Hilaire Goldie returned to NYC, she didn’t renew her lease. But then the covid-19 pandemic hit and she found herself without a home and without a clue of where she wanted to head to next.

“I thought, ‘I’m not ready to pay rent or buy a house, so why don’t I move into a sprinter van and continue to visit different places and see where I want to land?’” Hilaire Goldie says.

“I always knew I wanted to get a van just to have, but this kind of felt like a no-regrets move because I thought, ‘Why don’t I just get it now, so I don’t have to pay rent anywhere and I can keep on traveling?’ I didn’t know how long the pandemic was going to last.”

Hilaire Goldie started searching and found a van on Craigslist for $29,900, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. Her dad picked it up for her in Oregon and the two met up in Colorado, where Hilaire Goldie’s life on the road began.

The van had already been partially built out but still needed a lot of work. Hilaire Goldie added a bedroom area, a kitchen, IKEA cabinets, solar panels, and a desk. She did most of the work herself and estimates she spent about $18,500 in renovations.

When Hilaire Goldie first lived in the van, she was still working as a consultant, so her daily life consisted of waking up to an alarm and working on her computer until the end of the day. She eventually quit her job and started really enjoying life in the van.

“I really enjoyed that period of life where nobody knew who I was and nobody had any expectations of me, which for me, was a big difference in how I was able to move through the world,” she says. “I didn’t feel like I ever needed to be on, I could just be van life Sophie, and people didn’t know I’d only been living in a van for a few years.”

Hilaire Goldie traveled all over the U.S., Mexico, and Canada and says the biggest lesson she learned from all these travels was not to plan anything.

“I realized that I can’t make plans that are better than what God has in store for me. I think I learned that lesson so many times in the van. Every time things didn’t go my way, I eventually learned to let it go. Don’t ruminate over something that was taken,” Hilaire Goldie says. “Whatever new path I was on, I just knew it was taking me somewhere even better than I could have come up with on my own.”

“I learned I needed to let go of control and it was a different way of traveling. Before, when I had a four-day weekend in the army or was working at McKinsey, I was scheduling every single second, but this was a lot more free flowing. I always found out that when I didn’t script things, they turned out even better.”

One of the fondest memories Hilaire Goldie has of living in the van was when she took a trip to Montana. She intended to find a place with no cellphone reception and learn how to sleep again after spending many sleepless nights working as a consultant.

“It was so simple, but it was so powerful, so having my little house with me throughout felt like I could not have planned anything better. I had my home, but was still in a very beautiful place,” she says.

After two years in the van, Hilaire Goldie realized she was ready to put down some roots.

“I just wanted a place where I could see a tree through four seasons and didn’t like the constant movement. It was a phase in my life that was exciting and it just got to the point where I was ready for a new phase,” she says.

Now, Hilaire Goldie lives on a 37.5-acre homestead she bought with her now husband, but still uses the van every day. It has essentially become a place to store supplies for their property, including chicken feed, hay, soil and more.

Hilaire Goldie has no plans to stop using the van — she and her husband even lived in it for a few months on their honeymoon.

“I will never sell this van. How could I sell the temple that I built? When the day comes, the van will become a little cabin on the property,” she says.

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