Work for a stay at home wife

When you "save", it's 100% yours. When you work to earn money, you have to pay taxes on it so I have always preferred to do the things that save us money.

Sometimes people just want to do something other than staying home. Besides, daycare is good for kids to learn certain skills.

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Critical thinking -- the other national deficit

well amanda has a great maternal instinct its just when you have a full farmload on your hands with a 2 year old. It makes it hard to be in the middle of a pasture wrangling goats for medicine or hoof trimming. If he was 4-5 then it would be completely different. He could help gather eggs and somewhat stay house of trouble. But he is actually under two so if he wants to go into the creek there is no stopping the boy lol. So in our situation daycare works for us. With such a young kid and me not able to be there and take over all the chores day care is just a solution that works. Giving it costs us money but he goes into school when he 3 so that expense will be gone. As soon as he goes into school she has a portion of the day she can dedicate to a hobby or to the chores. She is going to look into the baking. Also the edible arrangements caught her eye. But how do you keep stuff like that fresh if you have to ship it?

Lots of good tips here.
We lost a bit of income last year so took up doing web surveys (more than what we did before). Don't roll your eyes. Surveys do pay out BUT it takes time to develop a rep. Once you have a rep you get invites to the big boy surveys.
We earn a few dollars to $50 for each survey, time on them varies. Big boys pay us through paypal, one pays through checks mailed to us. Little guys pay through gift cards.

The last two months we've been invited to two more big boy companies and have been asked to do panels (in person focus group, pays really really well). As we're on the road right now traveling we can't do the in person panels but the video panels earn $50ish for an hour or two. We don't do everything that we're offered because we have other duties and joys in life, so we earn very little (that's private) for an hour of work a day.

I know, sounds like a slow way to make money. We don't complain. Surveys are interesting. Love the ones that have us watch movies before the movie is finished in production. Plus we've found we like doing them more than surfing the web or such. Always nice to do a survey with a cup of coffee in the morn and then open the email to see a $20 bucks deposit to Paypal.

We started out doing e-rewards, been with them for over three years now. Their partners sent us invites after two years. We are getting invites from swagbucks survey companies, which are netting much slower but I figure with some time and reputation we'll get a lot more from them.

Like I said... it takes time. I can't imagine you can get a full time paycheck this way unless you were doing focus groups for a few hundred bucks a sit-in. Still, extra cash is extra cash.

Luck!

Just a comment here....some states, if not all, have regs about poultry "dealers", wanting people who are hatching chicks to be registered &/or permitted. If you get the permit, the govt has you on their radar. So hatching chicks for local sale may mean signing up with your state veterinarian or submitting to inspection and testing. If that doesn't bother you, then no problem. If it is a concern, advertising may be dicey....things like Craigslist and eBay puts you in a path the govt absolutely does monitor. It seems to be worse in some states than others. You guys out west, being farther away from DC, may be under less scrutinty.

Just something to consider.

I work for a company called Leapforce, Inc. and I'm a stay at home mom as well. If she can deal with being on a computer and working she might like it. I've been working there a little over a year and they have been a Godsend for me as I homeschool my children as well. You choose your own hours and my co-workers are a huge help if she has questions once hired. The only downside is there is a big test you have to take but they send you the information on it and it is open book. https://www.leapforceathome.com/qrp/public/job/1 is the link to get information on it, or apply. The pay is great too and it isn't a get rich quick scheme.

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http://georgianjournal.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXa10LAhve8

Asking for ways to earn extra money is kind of asking for financial advice. It has to do with money, so it is financial.

On a side note, do you have a sandbox?? My kids would spend all day playing in ours, thus freeing me up to do what needed done.

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I can't believe I deleted it!

The easiest way for her to make money would be to babysit other people's kids on the days she is already tied down with yours. I don't know what the going rates are in your area but around here people usually charge $3-$5 dollars/hr/child depending on the age and level of care and supervision needed.

I was interested in this for myself but I see that you have to have a degree to qualify.

*Sigh*

When my son was under two it was all I could do o keep him from trying to kill himself AND take care of all the critters. I didn't do daycare but could sure have used a helping hand to keep an eye on him so I do "get it".

I raise Persian cats, I have 2 females and a male. I sell the kittens for $8-900 each. Each cat has 3-5 kittens in a litter. You do the math. They don't eat a lot compared to a dog and they are quiet other then when the girls are in heat. You could even convert a garage or barn into a cattery just make sure they don't get out as they are defenseless against predators. They really are not much work, clean food and water and scoop the box every day. I advertise on kijiji and other sites.

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Livin' the good life

Also, BTW I have NOT done this, just read about it-flowers for restaurants. If you have extra space for a good sized garden, restaurants buy for $1/stem.
But then if you have to drive too far or too much then all profit goes in the gas tank.

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My book is out! Go 'like' it on FB:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Goo...83553391747680

Well, I think maybe what he meant was "socializing", which is a skill at getting along with their peers, that children need to learn at an early age, rather than "socialism", which is a political system whereby the work, productivity and wealth of a group or a Country are shared by those who belong to the system ande contribute to it.

Right??

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Be Intense, always. But always take the time to
Smell the Roses, give a Hug, Really Listen, or
Jump to Defend your Friends & What you Believe in.
'Til later, Have Fun,
Old John

I had 3 babies in 4 years and a dh that was about as mature as a 14 year old.
I worked 5-6 nights a week bartending and waiting tables.
For one year (while dh went to college full time),I worked 6-7 days a week because he was unemployed.

My kids never graced the doors of daycare.
I don't regret that for one second.
So I am one of those that "don't get it".

Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University

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I am sure of two things: There is a God, and I am not Him.
The movie Rudy

My hubba and I buy and resell stuff, he has his thing and I have mine. Mine is cookware and china, mostly vintage stuff. Problem is you have to know what your looking at when your digging thru a box lot at an auction, or looking over that table full of stuff at the church bazaar. For instance- I found a brand new butter bell at the church flea market, 50 cents. Same one sells new for $25, I can sell it for $15 easy on Ebay. Old copper bottom Revere ware is hot, saucepans with lids can go from 3 to 12 bucks, the heavy Farberware stuff too. Tupperware can sell well if you get it cheap enough, and then there's the old and vintage china and ironstone that can be sold by the piece that often people sell by the boxload for dirt cheap. However you really must know what your looking at, and thats an education in itself. Ebay now has a 50 free auctions a month deal, no insertion fees, 9-11% final fees, I'm going to start selling on Ebay again, stopped because of all their crazy rules, will try again. You could also check into Etsy, you can sell vintage items there too, I'm thinking of getting an Etsy store.

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"I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." Bilbo Baggins

I forgot to mention both my husband and I went and took the state course to be Pullorum technicians, meaning we can draw blood from chickens and send it into the state to be tested for pullorum and avian flu. Your allowed to charge a fee either per bird or per flock, wouldn't make a lot of money but some small breeders want their flocks tested. My hubba is presently looking into becoming a state ATV instructor, in PA for a child under 16 to be allowed on DCNR lands they must be certified first. In PA the two day course is free, and your allowed to charge up to $50 per child for certification. Just some more ideas.

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"I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." Bilbo Baggins

Ah youth and idealism. Aren't they wonderful?

The thing about making money is you have to a) have a marketable skill and b) you have to know how to market it.

Things that have made me money: heirloom vegetable starts. I made a fair amount for a very small outlay starting heirloom vegetables plus a few herbs and selling them. I started early with small transplants in 4 packs and as spring got further on I repotted those into 4" containers and charged more. The tomato, eggplant and pepper plants that I started really early and got repotted on into gallon containers by April brought me $12.95 each. Those not sold I grew on for myself or to sell at the market. Win-win. I have a small hoophouse (10' x 25') and a couple of years I grew personal sized mini melons that just flew off my table at the market for $2.50 each.

I know quite a few people make good money growing cut flowers either for farmers market bouquets or restaurants.

Meat. I have a few sheep, goats, pigs, chickens. The sheep and goats generally lamb/kid early January so I can sell young Easter lamb/kid for a good price. They are pasture raised from spring on so I also sell them in October or so when the pasture is done. I sell the whole, live animal and will transport it for the new owner to the local processor. The processing fees are then between the butcher and the new owner - that way I don't have to deal with USDA regulations, which can be a pain. I tend to sell the piglets when weaned so the new owner can do the feeding.

We are allowed to sell up to 1000 farm raised and butchered chickens here without regulation - as long as the end customer comes to the farm to pick up the chicken. That means the person who will actually eat the chicken - so it precludes restaurant sales. Each state varies in it's regulations on this, so you need to read and fully understand your State's rules.

The selling of any processed food here requires the use of a certified commercial kitchen. That means baked goods, jams, jellies, pickles, salsas - anything that you didn't just pick and put into a box. We can sell dried herbs as long as they are air dried.

Eggs. I am never sure about egg sales. I didn't make very much - not enough for the hassle of having to be there to deal with customers at all times of day. I suppose if you have a high enough volume of sales it might be worth it. Here we can sell up to 10,000 eggs per year direct from the farm.

Chickens and other poultry - I have only sold ready butchered chickens. Live chicks don't sell for much around here unless they are decent quality of a specific breed. YMMV, but I would question the wisdom of buying hatching eggs from a hatchery and then trying to sell the chicks. Incubators are not cheap (at least reliable ones aren't) and so I would think you would have to do a LOT of hatching to even break even with your initial investment. Rather - buy day old pullets of specific breeds (not assortments - most people want a specific breed for a specific purpose) late in the year and raise them to point of lay by spring. That is when you are likely to get a good price for them.

Mary

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In politics the truth is just the lie you believe most - unknown

Oy Vey, for Google - How dreadfully ridiculous!

thanks for all the great ideas everyone. And I see alot of people saying that its not a ton of money in it but its something. Well really thats right up our ally. She says she will be looking for a part time actual retail job somewhere but some of these ideas intrigue her. We dont need extra income, like I said before its just something I can throw even more at the principle. If some months she doesnt have the chance to sell as much or bring in as much, that wont but us in a bind with bills. So that really opens up alot more possibilities.

As for the shopping the garage sales to resell items, thats something I have always wanted to do. Even wanted to get into restoring a few items. We just need to read up and gather some knowledge on whats real and actually worth something.

One idea I have wanted to do since I was a kid is find and older car or two and part them out. I have known a few guys to make a decent amount of side money doing this. For them it was more for supporting an automotive hobby. I have the space and could set up a small privacy fence so it doesnt always look so trashy. So please keep the POSITIVE ideas coming. Im glad to see that this is giving some other people ideas as well.

I should have mentioned my Hubbas 'thing', which was/is garden tractors, attachments parts and entire running machines. He used to be big into Bolens, sold nearly everything and now has been doing an occasional machine here and there. Often you can pick up non running machines for dirt cheap, either get them running and move them on or part them out. There's actually more money in parts than complete machines, there's guys on Ebay who part out perfectly running machines because thats where the money is, and you can ship the parts anywhere. The hot machines here are of course John Deere(people will pay ridiculous money for a rusted out non running JD) Cub Cadet, Sears Suburban. Bolens has gone down in desireability, and Simplicity and Jacobson have never been big money makers. Easier to buy, part out, store and transport around than a car, needs less space too. We've parted out cars too, Subaru Brat parts are very desireable, but here the township tried to say we were running a junkyard because we had some left over bumpers. Here you can have two unregistered vehicles on your property, you need to know the regulations in your area before your neighbor calls zoning on you. Hubba's new thing has been ATV's, more money in them than garden tractors, but more can go wrong and their more expensive to fix. Used parts go for more too, decent used plastics can bring a premium. Trick is getting them cheap enough, most folks think their non running beater is a goldmine, takes them a few times of being lowballed to change their opinion. Mind you, there's also ATV's that are more desireable as well, and some that are worth parting out instead of fixing, takes trial and error to figure out what works in your area. And then there's scrapping, quick way to make a few bucks, its $14 a 100 for cars here.

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"I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." Bilbo Baggins