We probably don't need to tell you that there's a lot of money to be made in the world of reality television.
If that wasn't the case, we doubt so many people would be willing to air their dirty laundry in front of an audience of millions
In addition to the salaries that cast members receive from the company that produces their show there are opportunities to rake in additional cash through endorsement deals.
But there's a downside to all that easy money.
After spending years of their lives publicly partying, arguing, and generally living their most ridiculous lives, many former stars find that they're not terribly attractive to prospective employers.
If they're smart, of course, these pseudo-celebs have spent their years on TV establishing lucrative sponsored content partnerships.
But even then, the window of opportunity is narrow, as reality stars' fame -- and their Instagram following -- tends to diminish once they're no longer making regular appearances on television.
That's the position that Mackenzie Standifer finds herself in these days.
Standifer and husband Ryan Edwards were both fired from Teen Mom OG at Maci Bookout's behest back in March.
The couple was already in a difficult financial position due to Ryan's past substance abuse issues and the legal defense expenditures necessitated by his many arrests.
On top of that, Ryan does not use social media at all (that we know of), so he's incapable of earning from sponsored content.
(And truth be told, his past would probably repel a lot of brands that might have otherwise paid him for content.)
Mackenzie was not on the show for very long, and in the early days of her relationship with Ryan, she did not appear in many episodes.
That means she didn't earn nearly as much money as Farrah Abrahams, Jenelle Evans, and exiled veterans of the franchise.
Fortunately, Mackenzie is much more business savvy than Ryan, and she's turned her 15 minutes of fame into a rather lucrative cottage industry.
According to a new report from UK tabloid The Sun, Mackenzie earns $8,750 a month before taxes.
The figure was disclosed as part of a child support agreement that she recently reached with former boyfriend Zach Stephens, with whom she shares 7-year-old son Hudson.
According to the terms of the agreement, Standifer will be forced to pay Stephens just $260 per month.
Documents filed by her lawyer reveal that she is currently “working in sales with a local company,” and supplementing that income with sponsored content deals.
Mack's lawyers make it sound like she earns more money from her 9 to 5 gig, but the more likely scenario seems to be that the bulk of her earnings come from social media.
Standifer has signed lucratuive deals with brands such as Essentia Water, Buff Bunny, and several others.
While she's stated in the past that she puts in long hours at her sales gig, Standifer seems motivated to downplay her Instagram earnings, presumably so as not to alienate her followers.
Whatever the case, that figure is not as impressive as it initially sounds, as Mackenzie appears to be the sole breadwinner in her home, and she and Ryan have four children to support between them.
Despite the precarious nature of this situation, however, Mackenzie says she would never return to Teen Mom OG, no matter how much money she was offered.
“I don’t care how much money you’re waving in my face, I’m going to stay true to myself and I’m not going to follow behind like a little puppet,” she recently told The Sun.
“I just think that leaving the show is a blessing in disguise and I couldn’t be any happier.”
Standifer went on to insist that she would work “until [her] fingers bled” rather than give another moment of her time to MTV.
But while she's no fan of her former bosses, we're sure she's grateful that they put her in a position to earn so much money simply by posting content on social media.