Per Diem / OT / Side Hustle

[PeachTea7]

Hello everyone,

My current schedule has dramatically change from 4 days of 8 hr shifts to 3 - 12 hr shifts. 
I have noticed that with 3 - 12 hr shifts, I have a couple of more days to rest in between shifts and I am very happy about it. It’s not perfect by any means because some days I have to do 3 - 12’s in a row in my new CCU job. 
 

I have began to think of ways I can pay a high credit card balance and prepare for Christmas… So I was wondering of ways to make extra income since I have already stopped the use of my credit card, and I am working really hard to pay it off, and use it ever again for any unnecessary expenses. Seriously!
But, it gets tricky when I have worked 12 extra hours a week and get deducted so many taxes in my paystub for that week when I used to do 30 hours a week and picked 12 extra. 

My tax preparer has advised me to be careful having a second job/per Diem/side hustle because that means I have to pay more taxes at the end of the year due to my combined income with my partner. 
 

When I used to work 30 hours a week and I picked 12 hours… I got taxed a lot in that particular paycheck. So I wonder… if it was even worth it after all….

How does someone get out of debt and try to get more money for her family if you get taxed more in your paycheck or at the time taxes are due. I honestly don’t see working more a win-win situation. So how do people do it then? 
Now that I will start working 36 hours a week, how do I go about saving and trying to make some extra cash every week without being ‘penalized’ by paying more taxes…

At my current job, nurses are not allowed to work more than 60 hours a week. Anything over 40 hours a week is OT based on my current job. 
 

Please help! I don’t know if I should have a per diem position in an outpatient clinic in another hospital or work in the same hospital and pick an extra 8 hour shift or 12 hr shift? 
so confused.