Yeah "it's this awful spiral where you're exhausted and still barely breaking even" - that's the part that gets me. I've watched friends in graphic design start at $15 an hour thinking they'll get tons of work, but then they're stuck doing endless revisions for clients who don't respect their time. The math just doesn't work out. Like you said, raising your rate by a few bucks means you can actually take on fewer projects but make the same money, and have room to breathe between deadlines. It's wild how scared people are to bump their prices even $5.

Wait, but isn't that kind of the cost of doing business as a landlord? I mean, yeah it sucks when a tenant breaks something and you're out $1,200, but how do you even prove they "messed with the settings" on a water heater? That sounds like something a landlord would say to avoid paying, not gonna lie. In my state you'd have to have rock solid proof, and even then you'd probably lose in court if the tenant fights it. Maybe it's just me but sending every repair bill to them seems like a good way to drive away decent tenants and end up with the kind of people who'll trash the place out of spite.

Totally agree, a calm "just a reminder" email worked way better for me than anything pushy ever did.

Had a similar thing happen at my dentist's office last week. The receptionist gave me this look when I pulled out my little notepad to jot down my next appointment. She kept trying to get me to download their app. I'm like, lady, I got a drawer full of these notebooks at home dating back to 2016. Found one the other day with my cat's vet visits from three years ago. Works fine for me.

Man that $75 could have been a nice dinner out instead of a lesson in reading fine print. It sucks when you think you're being smart by hiring help and it still backfires. Hope the next contract you come across treats you better.