I posted about a friend offering writing classes to the young kids in our neighborhood this summer. I was thinking of other ways women who work form home could make money.

Why not offer sewing, cooking, or gardening classes? These are all dying arts that should be taught. ANyone up for that?

All you have to do is create a flyer and get it around the nieighborhood or local paper.

I know you will all think I am crazy. I love to iron and I know that there are people that hate it. It crossed my mind several times to offer this service. Only I have no clue what to charge people. But of course, this was before I started working outside the home again.

I had a friend when I lived in Germany that just did odd jobs here and there. She was my daughter's babysitter, I think she cleaned for a woman that worked with her husband. I can't remember anything else, but she just did odd jobs and made money with it.

I can't wait to hear other ideas. Thanks for starting this Dotsie.

Cheers,
Cathi

[ June 03, 2006, 04:22 PM: Message edited by: Optimumsteps ]

Oh Cathi, I wish you lived near me!! I hate to iron. I try to buy only things that look good right out of the dryer, but of course other garments sneak into this house that need ironing.

It was piling up, so I put on a movie one night last week and watched it while I ironed. I have no idea what you could charge...

Cathi, pretend to be a customer and call the local cleaners that do laundry and ask what they charge to iron clothes, with or without starch. Then you can base your prices on what is being charged locally....charge less and get more business. Put up, cheap to make flyers in the different laundromats and supermarkets and/or (with their permission) barber shops where the men go. Oh and even daycare places for mom's who have no time or energy to iron....Good luck!

Cathi, I thought of you this morning while ironing my daughter's graduation gown. I don't mind doing it but it is so time consuming. I rarely iron these days. Thankfully, my husband takes his work clothes to the cleaners whicih is getting more expensive all the time.

I think any kind of service job for the elderly is a great idea. With so many families spread out across the country/world, many elderly have no one to help them with the simple tasks.

Cathi did any of the ideas seem plausable to you?

Hi,

Actually, between husband and work I've had some ironing to do in between, LOL.

These are good ideas, thanks for the tips here. I am at work now and I am sneaking this message here, LOL. However, this is very good to know because you never know when earning extra cash will come in handy. These methods can be applied to just about any odd job we choose to do.

Thanks, I knew I would learn by posting this here.

Okay, anyone else with other services for extra cash?

I have done flea markets before. Only problem with that, I usually turn around and spend some of the money on other "treasures". I even got sunburned once, ouch!

Cheers,
Cathi

Bringing this old post back up for a bit. I've had a booth at an antique mall before. This has pros and cons, like anything else. For one thing, it's time consuming. For another, you need to keep fresh items in the booth. And yet another, you need to have a decorator's eye. Plain booths will get passed by, where if your booth is "eye candy" they will stop every time. Another con would be the booth rental. I shared the booth with another woman so it was cut in half for me. The owners of the place didn't like keeping track of "who's" stuff sold out of our booth, so we had to beg and plead to get her to do our inventory a certain way. It almost wasn't worth it. But junking on the weekends to find new treasurers was absolute heaven and we took a lot of trips for this kind of thing. So many good memories with this. You won't get rich, but at least someone else is paying the utilities and building rent.

Another way to make extra money is recycling. I read where one man saved up all the junk mail, old magazines, newspapers, etc...and separated it into "colored items" and "black and white." Then when he thought he had enough he took it to a paper recycling plant. He was pulling in 300.00 a weekend after he bought a little trailer and went around his neighborhood collecting their papers too. He only did this on certain weekends and they would sit all their papers out by the street. He hauled it off for them free...and then separated it, and took it to the recycle center. I don't know what they pay, but a phone call could give you that info.

Substitute teaching is another way to make extra money...If you can put up with the kids.

Yard sales is another....Repeat after me. I WILL NEVER HAVE ANOTHER YARD SALE AS LONG AS I LIVE.

Another way, and this kind of gets into a craft area, would be to make something unique...like a centerpiece for baby showers made out of diapers...or mints for weddings (easy one), or crochet baby booties, mittens, SCARFS (popular one)...and sell them at a flea market, or you could sell your stuff TO the flea market people cheap, and let them mark it up.

I've always wanted to learn how to use saws and make specialized mailbox holders. Have you ever notice that NOBODY has anything pretty out there for mailbox holders? Same old, same old...

Just a few suggestions.

Wow, I just had an idea. This is good information that can be compiled in a book.

People are always looking for ways to make extra money and I don't think there would be enough books on this subject.

Well, just thinking out loud.

Oh and a spin off could be a list of keeping the children occupied in the summer.

Cheers,
Cathi

Cathi,
This is a GREAT idea. Absolutely! Actually, both ideas are good but I would make them a separate project if it were me. Reason being you could capture MORE markets that way...normally if people see one book by you, like it, and then find out there's another one, they don't hestitate to grab it as well!

Why don't you go forward with this? As a matter of fact, anybody else got any great ideas? Most people are afraid to share them for fear of someone else jumping on it and taking off. Don't worry bout me doing that...I'm too lazy.

JJ

We just returned this weekend from visiting my mother in law and Missouri. She gave us several antique or vintage items that we are going to sell on eBay. That is our way of making extra money and if Steve isn't allowed to go back to work, he is going to play a major part in running that business. I know it starts out slow, but then picks up. I remember someone here that does an eBay business. I can't remember where the thread was or who it was, but I would love it if that person would send me a PM so I could ask some questions. Thanks,

Sherri

Wasn't it Chick?

JJ

I think it was Lionspaw.

I'll ask them both. I'll get back to ya...JJ

I did have my yarn shop on EBay for about a year and did reallllllly well on it -- so ask away Sherri and I'll see if I can help

If you'd rather -- email me at lionspaaw@aol.com

Carolyn

Optimumsteps, my grandmother supported herself for years ironing for others. People would drop off laundry at her house and she did it for them. They picked it up the next day. I don't know what she charged for it, but she always had all the work she could handle...she also washed dress shirts ect if people wanted her to do that.

I bet you could make a whole lot more doing it today!

Did she have on e of those sprinkle bottles?

I recall one of my cousins making them for all her aunts one Christmas. All she did was decorate a glass bottle and stick a little sprinkler top in it. They raved about them. Now I use a plastic squirt bottle.

I usually use Orange Blossom Water or Rose Water for the steam.

I remember at one time I kept hearing others comment about how much they hate to iron. So this idea came to me. I don't have time to take on anything extra, but it is really nice to know that there is a market for it, just in case.

Cheers,
Cathi

So many ideas, so little time, sigh!

A woman here in Nevada just had a book published titled; Activites For You and the Kids in Vegas. It is for sinlge parents or dads and moms looking for things to do with the kids and its about 400 pages and filled with ideas. In a town like this thats adult oriented and has so many new people moving here monthly, something like this book is so helpful and absolutely necessary.

I like the original idea about bringing back some of the lost arts to the kids. Parents would really go for sending their kids to classes teaching those traditional skills that are getting lost in today's fast paced society.

I crochet and always bring some yarn with me so that I can crochet on the bus ride to and from work. You'd be surprised how much conversation this causes. The people my age and over talk about how they used to crochet or how they knew someone who did.. the younger people ask to see what I am doing and how I learned etc.

I think classes on crochetting or knitting would be very appealing and like was said could be publicized by making up some cute little fliers.

Donna

Amen. We need to teach these younger generations some of these skills before they are lost completely.

One of my friends offers jewelry making classes (I am learning from her). She includes the project supplies and charges about $35 for a 3 hour class.

From what I have seen, I think we all have talents that can be shared with others adding to their lives and making some extra money for ourselves.

The thing is realizing the value of what we do and determining how to share it in order to make money.

I found a great way to build my son up - he was basically told he was stupid all through his school years. I knew and know that to be totally false.

So... knowing his two favorite hobbies are his baseball cards and computers, I put a bug in his ear about the possibility of combining those two things to make some money - and would you believe he has taken on that mission with lots of gusto - this from a kid with ADD.

He is building a website and will have historical baseball information and a place to offer baseball cards for purchase. He wants to learn how to run a small business and he may even take some college classes online... Isn't that awesome - he feels good about himself at last and he is doing what he loves!

Donna

Donna, I absolutely believe it. Children with ADD are usually very gifted. They just can't sit still long enough to learn in a traditional setting, but once they find their interest...watch out.

Let us know when his site is up and running. My husband was an old baseball card fan. God only knows what's up in our attic.

Thanks Dotsie - I certainly will let everyone know when the website is up and running!

Donna

Donna, I empathize with you and your son. My daughter has had the same problem all her school life. I hate that this has happened to her. My heart always broke when I saw her struggling and still no results from her efforts. Considering I have tried to teach her that if she put forth the effort, she will get better results. I don't blame her for not trusting me. (Although I will not tell her that, but at the same time continueing to give her encouragement)

She has always had common sense and is able to just figure out things for herself. She has a gift with children and I would've loved to have had a teenager like her when I needed a babysitter. She has expressed interest in finding more work babysitting, even though she can have a part time job at a store or restaurant.

I too am interest in seeing your sons web-site.

Thanks for sharing this with us. It gives me hope for her.

Cheers,
Cathi

Thanks for your note Cathi. How old is your daughter.

We went through a time when his Dad would berate him and tell him if he tried, he'd do good and obviously he just wasn't trying... etc...

I was always the softy and tried to ease the tension between the two of them. When I realized he had ADD and realized he had been trying all those years... it made me so sad.

Encouragement is the best tool in the world. I see that constantly in my relationship with my son. He has made huge strides because he thinks he can!

I'm glad that sharing my story gave you hope. Your daughter sounds like she has a lot of great qualities!

She has a really good skill if she can figure out things on her own. I find my son sometimes still not having enough faith in himself and will stop himself from trying something he's not sure about. I know that he's still struggling with some of the messages from the past - but he has come so very far and I know he will succeed!

I'm thrilled that you all want to see his site - that's so neat!