Sticking with the movie theme today, it turns out Daniel Radcliffe hasn’t spent a single dollar of his Harry Potter earnings:

“I’m very grateful for it, because having money means you don’t have to worry about it, which is a very lovely freedom to have,” Radcliffe said. “It also gives me immense freedom, career-wise … For all the people who’ve followed my career, I want to give them something to be interested in, rather than them just watch me make loads of money on crap films for the rest of my life.”

I haven’t watched any of Radcliffe’s post-Harry Potter films, so I can’t comment on whether or not he’s succeeding.

What I can comment on is the financial advice randomly thrown in at the end of this article. In the top four ways for you to save money, Jeanine Skowronski recommends you:

  1. Automate your savings. (Such a great idea.)
  2. Improve your credit. (Also good.)
  3. Scrutinize your budget. (Good, but common sense.)
  4. Find ways to generate more income.

Number four could be rephrased as “getting a second job”.

This isn’t a method to save money — it’s a method to earn more money. In my experience, earning more more often leads to spending more, not saving more.

And take this from the guy whose hobby has turned into a second job, which has turned into something he’d consider taking full-time: Turning a hobby into a second job isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities to earn money doing this, and I absolutely love the freedom to create new things each week. But there are days where inspiration is low, motivation is low, and you have a deadline the next day. Those days can suck.

Hobbies start off as fun. They’re allowed to remain fun. And they’re allowed to remain hobbies, too.