Millennial Money: Living On $55K A Year In Jacksonville, FL

Carlina Will, 30, makes $55,000 per year as a Coordinator at Nickelodeon. She also works her daytime job running a cooking show, Cooking with Carlina, at her house in Jacksonville, Florida.

Due to the time difference, she spends the morning working on her daytime show. She will work with brands, or send out emails. Then, from 12-5, she will work with Nickelodeon remotely.

She was originally laid off from her job in 2019 with $5 in her bank account. Her mom helped her pay for some bills. Eventually, one of her friends helped her appear as a guest on a Disney+ cooking show. Although, she only made $500, it helped her start her own cooking show.

Her monthly budget is $1,968, and $400 goes to her business to help her with brand partnerships. She also makes $3,000 per year in brand deals, which her mom gets a 20% cut.

“She’s the one who reads all of my contracts, and makes sure, like, I’m working with great people, and being paid adequately for my time,” she said.

Looking ahead, she hopes to expand on her cooking show. She also would like to travel across the country and the world.

“Eventually, I want to be able to work because I want to, not because I have to,” she said.