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Frugal Gift Ideas
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Page
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Homemade Recipes
Work from Home
Jobs in
the country
Welcome Friends and family to my
Work from Home
site
"For years I have tried different ways to
make some
extra money from home. Some do very well while others are scams or I just
dont have the
time to devote to it. I found out concentrating on what I already have helps
not only make money but keeps me motivated by doing something I love"
Below I have ideas listed-Most are home ideas while at the bottom you will find home jobs to do in the country. Enjoy and good luck on your new business venture~
Scams or
NOT?:
You have heard of them before saying you can make money from home doing arts and
craft projects, stuffing envelopes, doing transcribing from home , only a few
hours of flipping a house etc.
***Just remember this important rule
most time if they offer a kit and ask for money its a scam, if they want
you to take a course most likely its out there the information for free already how do you think they got it?
Arts & Craft
scam- They ask you for money to cover for
the cost of supplies sent to you. When you send it back to you they will
reimburse you plus give you money for the craft.
Fact: You will never see your money again because they will
tell you its not done perfect enough for them and it never will be no
matter how many times you redo it.
Reality: If you have a knack for crafts
do your own stuff then place them on consignment at Shops/Anitique
stores/Craft fairs. You are doing it at home but you will have to go out
and sell them one or a few days a week at the fairs.
Stuffing envelopes
scam-
You have seen those
ads everywhere. In magazines your local newspaper. They say you can work from home stuffing
envelopes just send them money and they will tell you how and what companys that
offer to pay you.
Fact:
They will either do two things. They will send back to you instructions on "how
to put an ad in the paper on "how to
stuff envelopes" so technically you are stuffing envelopes to send too newspapers but they forget to
tell you that ads will cost plus its not nice thing
to do to people. Once I did get a list of companys that they said
would hire me to stuff envelopes, I wrote them and never
got a call back maybe at one time they did? Or it was
bogus.
Reality: Your best bet is to go around
where you know they will stuff envelopes like banks and ask them, most
though have temp agency's to do this for them. I once spent 8 hours
stuffing envelopes at a bank office through a temp agency NOT from home so yes it can be done. Just don't
bother with those ads.
Medical
Transcribing Scams or
not?- You have seen these ads all over too,
in magazines and
Newspapers. Its sound legal, its
an opportunity to learn a new skill at home and work from your own home
too. It says: Learn in these courses how to Transcribe and work for
doctors in your area some will even try to help you find a list
of these doctors.
Fact: Yes Doctors do need transcribers,
yes they hire people to do this for them. However do you really think they
are going to hire someone that took a home course with no experience
verses someone that works in a temp agency with experience or someone that
used to work for them and is now staying home. Who do you think they
are going to rely their important information too?
Reality: The first thing they are
going to ask you is if you have experience. If you really want to do this
take a college course in this, not some course you get online or mail
order. Most local colleges now offer weekend and night courses to fit your
busy schedule. The employers are going to be more impressed with a
certificate from a college then a certificate from a home course.
Volunteer at a doctors office to get your experience, Then go around your
self and look for clients dont pay good money for someone that says they
will find it for you cause they wont they will give you a list of doctors
out of the phone book from your area!
I have seen many people working from home doing this, it
can be done however everyone of these nice people have has experience
working from the office first and got their clients from that same office
doing it part time for them later or are temp agency workers but they also
had experience at one time working from an office full time.
Don't dispair if you see the only way to study is at home
try to find a legit home course (ask a temp agency who they
recommend) and get some volunteer time down especially at those
health clinics for the needy could really use your help and you will
experience greatly from it more ways then one.
Realestate scams/County tax sales/Other
Auctions: Learn to buy and sell houses and make huge profits
flipping them or buy them for cheap from the county auctions or bankrupsy
houses. Send away for a free kit and learn how to buy houses cheap, or get
really cheap stuff.
Fact: The information is all out there
for free for you, just do some research. Yes it is possible to buy a house
cheap and sell it for a profit. Its a lot of work! Watch those tv shows
they have out now adays "Flip that house" on
Discovery Channel or "Flip this house" on A&E and you
will the work they actually do. I like the Flip that house program cause
it shows how someone just starting out will work on one and all the
heartaches with it, while the other "Flip this house" on A&E
Channel it shows professionals with a huge crew.
Government Programs: Yes you can put little money down if
you are a Vet or other FHA program, Its a lot more involved then you think
and a lot of paper work. Its a good program I think however if you can get
the money for a good deposit for a place this is the best route too go
cause you can get an incredible deal on a interest rate.
Buy it for free they say!: Nothing is free when they refer
to it being free what they mean is to borrow short term. (Better have
good credit), but guess what? If you dont sell the house in a few
weeks and the money comes due your up the creek. Things happen! Weather!
Mold found, Termites, Bad neighbors, contractors quit, permits take
longer, your budget is higher then you thought. Better have a back up
plan!
Rental properties: Buy a property rent it out or rent one
side of a duplex. All I can say on these is that we have been rental
owners before and I hated it. The first time we had wonderful Tenants,
they kept everything clean and nice, the second time the people complained
non stop, they broke stuff and destroyed our hardward floors and we even
with the deposit it didnt cover the damage and we couldnt get anymore
cause the skipped out, third time we couldnt find anyone to rent it, even
with a rental company and we were not prepared and got behind on
payments. Having a property far away is a big no no too. If you live
near one of your tenants who is in a duplex they will get annoyed
with you watching their everymove and vice versa.
Check the laws of your state too on renters, I have heard
of some renters not paying rent and the owners couldnt get them out
because of the paper work involved.
County Tax Office Sales: Yes each few months most county
tax office will sell off properties or the sheriff office will sell some
merchandise that were taken from a robbery: Those sherriff office sales
and county tax sales are well known if your thinking your going
to get a cheap place or merchandise and your the only one that knows about
it is bogus. At ours they have bus loads come down, from people
taking a flip it course or an auction course! Not saying it can't be done,
who knows you might get lucky if you did your research or the bus got a
flat that day :) Only way to find out is go to one and check it out.
Make sure you do research on the propertys being sold it
may need taxes to be paid on it still, find out how much other propertys
in the area are going for. Some county offices offer for free others have
a small fee for the listings. Don't be lazy and buy a so called house kit
of bankrupsy house listings, go to the court house office yourself
and pick it or get on the list to be sent to you, better then going
through a middle man!
As for the merchandise at those auctions, find out how much items are brand
new before you buy that stero or equipment. We have seen people bidding
$$$ for a small item not even worth it let alone if its still
working or not they just got carried away with the bidding and didnt do their research.
We once went to a Base auction and I have to say I sort of
like these a bit better. We have through the years gotten our dining table
($15.), chairs($5.00 each), sofa($15), antique desk($15), shelfing for my
husband shed it took us 3 truck loads to unload it hahaha for $21.00. My
husband and his computer friends once bought tons of computer equipment
for really cheap fixed them up and clean them up and sold them. They never
did it again but it was a learning experience. It took time.
I have gotten a whole fruit orchard from a nursery going
out of business. Another gold find are the home open house auctions. I
have a friend that buys whole house stuff then sells them at her flea
market she also goes to storage room sales. Sometimes she dosent know
whats in the boxes, it could be junk or worth a lot of money.
Conclusion: In my own opinion back to the realestate: Those realestate courses we have taken
tons through the year some have been really good and others worthless, you
could find more info just searching the governement sites on your own.
Like HUD housing or Veterans programs or Seniors -Dept of Health & Human Services
Resources, FDA housing
site or try Disability
housing
I have to honestly say we have learned through each
course, different things about realestate which by the way you could buy a
book on realestate and get the same information.
Are we rich and is each one of these courses legit?
No , Do your research first, see what you can learn
on your own first. I don't regret taking the courses though I do
regret the cost we paid for them. We have never gotten rich off of them,
but we were better informed when we did buy our first home and
what loan programs to use for an outstanding interest rate. We were able to sell one
for another and pay 3/4 of it off our current price and we have an awesome
interest rate that we should pay off in
3 1/2 years.
Right now in our state and city its a buyers market! If
you dont know what that means then you need to do some serious
research.
Email Scams: You have seen tons of these
Bill gates, Free give aways, or microsoft is giving away money just
write you name on top of the list and forward the email what do you got to
lose? "Just in case I am forwarding this to you", says a well meaning
friend.
Reality: Sometimes some of these emails
want you to forward your email to a certain email on on top and guess what
your now email has now been sold to advertisers. It sounds to be good to
be true, well it is, its a scam its forwarded by people that are bored
with nothing else too do or well meaning people that don't do their
research and are so new to the Computer World.
If you get this, email them back "Your Friend" with an
"Urban legend website like SNOPES or About.com Urban legends
and it will let them know if its a fake and how it orginated
etc...They will appreciate the link then just delete the
message.
Other email scams:
Scam: The foreign minister or prince of
so and so country needs your help to get his funds help him and he will
help you.
Reality: I get at least one or two of
these each week. They are trying to convince you to give them your bank
number before they are found out and will have to start from another email
address. Its a scam report the ISP address and delete.
Scam: Ebay, Half.com, Paypal says they
have added another user to the account or something is wrong you need to
update it. Forward this letter to the real contact people. If you go to
the website you will notice it looks similar but its NOT. If your really
concerned. Open another window and go to the orginal site by orginal url.
Sign in from their not by the email link and check to see if you have any
messages. They will never ask by email to update your records that way.
Advertising your
product/Self:
Location, Location, I bet you have heard those words
before. But before you go off and rent yourself a place see if your
product will actually sell first. I see to many little shops go out of
business in a few months because they didnt do their research.
Consignment shops: A lot of these will offer you a percentage
for selling your goods, antique places, See if it sells by placing
it here first.
Flea markets: Find yourself a busy flea market and rent
their for a weekend to see how your product sells better a weekend rather
then paying for a shop for a year.
Websites: Anyone can make a website, however getting it linked to a search engine
so people can find it is the tricky part. The good thing about having a website
is so people can find out more info on your product and make sure to
put it on your business card.
Google a search engine will go out and find
these websites so the trick is to name your html site the name of your
product so google can find it easier and have it in peoples search
results: Example Your selling baby bibs, call it something like Baby Bibs
by Laura, just get that name baby bibs in it and then save it as
babybibs.html
Another helpful way is to link to webrings. These are a
list of sites with a similar theme that are all attached to each
other.
Online sales
Ebayers!: Wow yes its true if you have a good product
you can sell stuff online. You must have a digital camera which helps
tons~ The best way to do this is by places that will sell take a
percentage out only if you sell it. Auctions like Ebay will charge you
every time you list it. Ebay though does have Online stores now which are
great~ For the people that have large inventorys these work out great and
they have great software now online that can help you keep track of
it.
Last I heard
it was something like $16.00 a month. Best to do this on your
own and read up on how to do this.
Remember good FEEDBACK is your goal make sure you follow
through on your selling otherwise you will ruin your credit online.
Ebay sells everything but food items, which I hope will
change in time. Search ebay, keep track of some auctions that are similar
to what you want to sell to see how much it went for and what actually
sells.
Before going to EBAY try your local yahoo
groups Garage sale. Go to
Yahoo Groups then "Find a Group" Type in
Name of State you want, garage sale example: Texas, garage sale Try also a
play of words look for your city instead. Homeschool forums are great
to sale your homeschool books
If your a homeschooler try these sites first they are
free!
or
Half.com sells things like books, Cds, movies and they
will only take a percentage if it sells. You must be able to check your
email each day though because if someone wants it and you dont respond
they can leave a negative feed back.
Home Business
Ideas
There are tons of jobs out there, make sure
to find something that suits you that you will have a bit of experience in
or at least think you will like I am going to list a few that I
think are useful otherwise check out the links below they list nothing but
ideas for moms and it would be a waste for me to list him here all over
again.
Services: These I see
the most in and there is always a demand for them.
Childcare: Takes a lot of your time but this is a top
notch stay at home business if your at home anyways all the time. Remember
though you wont be running errands with this business.
Baby sitting: This is a bit more
flexable then Childcare. You can offer this on this as
drop in care for nights or weekends or running errands. Customers: Friends, Homeschool groups,
neighbors, church members kids.
Baking/Catering: Do you bake wonderful pies,
cakes, cookies, cupcakes then this is the
job for you to do from home. Customers: Friends, neighbors, church members.
Bookkeeping: If your a good
accountant and know some
of the software out there you can offer your services Customers:
small businesses like roofers, capenters, plumbers.
Teachers/Tutors: Gosh get connected
to a homeschool group to offer tutoring in your home for all kinds of
subjects. I once taught beginning computer skills. If your a certified
teacher even better try the online schools that have online tutors and
teachers to see if they have a job opening. Advertise on newsletters to
your church members, community, homeschool group.
Birthday/Wedding planner: Do you make great parties
this is the job for you. Most likely you will work the weekends!
Converting VHS-DVDs: Are you computer Suave! If you
know how to do this, this is a great time to advertise this since VHS are
going away and people are turning towardds DVD's. Add a little music words
from videos that were old family gatherings, parties, makes a great
annversity present. One of the main things I have been seeing is funeral
homes offering this service or a family member that got this done scanning
in pictures to make a video for loved ones to see happier times of the
their loved one that passed away.
Going mobile: People need you to go to them! Try
turning your business into a mobile business and go to them, A vet, a
groomer, a hair dresser, etc..
Arts and craft projects:
Do you make something that is wonderful that everyone loves.
Dolls, blankets, baby bibs, Pinatas, soaps, candles etc. What is your
talent?
Sales Businesses:
great if you
know a network of people:
Tupperware
Avon
Scrapbooking
Baby products
Jewerly
Mary Kay
Organizing
Pampered chef
Homeschool supplies
Offering classes online/locally
If your a person with class room experience there are a
few places you can teach online course-One would be your local community
center ask them another would be
http://www.links-for-learning.com looking
for other stay at home mom's with B.A.'s to work for us. "Click Here to Email her"
I have never tried the above besides taking classes in it
myself If your looking for more jobs for a teacher looking under anyone
that offers tutor or classes online, really big with homeschooling, you
can find out who they are buying going to a homeschool yearly book fair
with vendors. Anyone that offers online teachers will most likely being
looking for teachers.
Jobs with
Heart
Its not a whole a lot of money but you get paid with a lot
of love try contacting your local city department on Fostering a child.
You get a certain amount of allowance each month for each kid plus you in
turn give them a kind heart and they really need that.
Bring culture into your family: Hosting a exchange student
from abroud could be an exciting adventure for your family especially if
you homeschool. Some give you a set amount of money each month for room
and board plus the kids usually bring their own necessity items for the
month or longer. Other exchanges might only have them bring their
necessity and you pay for the rest however you may be able to deduct some
of during tax season. Taking them out in outings and homeschooling with
your own kids could be fun. For Homeschooling exchanges try I love Homeschool or Yahoo directory of
exchanges is Yahoo Directory
Links Please be careful with any of these I don't
vouch for any of them I am just listing it. If they ask for money or
direct deposit number-run & report.
Fast Money
Garage sales-Get rid of junk or your
neighbors for a small fee check out the dollarstretcher.com search under Garage sales for the perfect ideas to sell your
stuff.
Buy items from garage sales, flea
markets and sell them online. Trick
is to know what to buy and barter to get it cheap. Find
free garage sale listings for your city online by doing a search.
Holidays: Need some extra cash and have a little time big
time stores are always hiring partime stocking jobs for the holidays -This
is a great temp job.
Delivery phone books once a year-This is a great family
project though your kids cant deliver them they can help you pack up the
goodie bag. I did this two years for extra money it was fun. Everyone was
always happy to get their new phone books. I had some great exercise
walking while husband drove the truck to each house with the books.
Taxi Drive a few kids: Make sure to have good insurance.
Customers: Schools bullentin boards. Places like Karate, gymnastic
places.
Dollar Strecher has some great ideas
from readers check out the library index scroll down to "Making Extra
money"
Take the time to cut out those coupons, search
online
Avoid late fees so you can have that extra cash
Stop or at least semi stop a habit of buying cokes, or
star bucks coffee, videos or even a newspaper for a month and save that
extra money for something you really need.
Look
for extra change, under sofa, in the cushions, in jackets in your
car.
Get money for those return bottles or recycloed cans
Have a bake sale
Crossing guard. Contact local
schools for crossing guard jobs
Become a Mystery shopper. Make a few extra bucks or get some really good deals on restaurants etc.. it wont make you rich but if your going to shop at a certain place already why not.
Sale fire works for a few weeks during the holidays, true it takes away your holiday time but I learned recently you could make $15,000 in a few weeks if you have some good honest workers to help you.
Gather all those tin cans and any metal offer to help clear a neighbors junk tin and metal and then go sell it.
Join a temp agency and do temp work for a day, week just the holidays.
Do without: Here is a list of stuff that I based on 30 days/year in my area:
Do without cabel for a month save $60 month or $720 a year buy rabbit ears and get a life outside the couch!
Do without a soda a day at a $1.00 a pop and save $30.00 month or $360.00 a year
Do generic soda for 25cents each instead spend 7.50 a year $90 a year thus saving $270.00 a year
Movies (7.50 ticket)once a week stop going would save you $29 a month or $348 a year minus popcorn etc.
Videos (3.50 movie) once a week instead $14.00 a month or $168.00 a year saving $102.00 from movies.
Dollar theaters $4.00 a month or $48.00 a year saving from regular movies $222
Library Free saving you at least $270 a year plus or less
Restaurant (One person) $30 a week plus tip Month $120 Yearly save $1440.00
Fast food (One person) $6 a week Month $24 Yearly $288 saving you from restaurant $1112
Your own lunch (One person) $2.50 a week $10.00 Yearly $120 saving you from
Restaurant $1320 a year
Phone options Call waiting, Caller ID, Call Forwarding Month $9.80 Yearly $117.60-Check what you have once a year to make sure your not over paying.
Magazine subscription 2 at $15 each $30 a year-swap with someone or check out the library magazines
Yearly cloth shopping for family of four based on $300 each equals $1200 year save buy consignment shopping, putting things on layaway when on sales, buying a season ahead to get good bargains, garage sales. Save at least half of that or more thus saving $600.00 a year
Stop buying that coffee each day and bring your own or drink water Saving of that $1.80 at expensive coffee house $12.60 a week $50.40 a month $604.80 a year!
Country Home
job Ideas
Sell wood
Sell fruit/veggies/nuts/herbs
Sell cheese, soaps made from them
Breed livestalk the best ones are the
ones if you can't sell you can eat yourself. Otherwise breeds like
alpacas/Llamas are only good to breed to sell to other people wanting to
get into the business to breed. This can be costly and hard to find the
market that everyone else is doing it already!
If you see it on TV
so has everyone
else!
Rabbits, Sell to 4-H, Pet shops, meat
Unless you know of a knitter or knitter/weaver group that
needs wool or yourself this business with the sheep wool is pretty
much dead.
Sell eggs chicken and ducks-some people really like duck
eggs
Make sell baskets-Use those wild
grape vines to make them with
Set up a petting zoo
Start a maze if you have a field and there is no other
near you.
Offer self reliant classes on your farm for adults
Offer classes in milking
Offer a class on canning. Yes canning! Its a lost
art
Offer class in herbs, candle, soap/lotion making
Offer a class in quilting or a basic sewing class
Offer a boarding place for horses, cows.
Is your place nice? Have a river to swim? Put some picnic
tables and offer it to rent it to churches or other large groups.
Put a small cabin up to rent for people to get out of the
city or at least a camp fire site cleared away.
Offer horse back riding lessons, train horses
Start a nursery if you have the room for smaller plants or hard to
find
plants.
Holiday plant pumpkins, Xmas trees,
pick your own berries which are easy to grow-I saw an article once of a
family that sold pumpkins and different color squash 3 days a year only
near Halloween! They planted everything all close together not just in
rows so this way it could be all colorful-it worked! Anything left that
they had from the three days they would put in a wagon
and sale near the road.
Have a one night camp out followed by looking at the stars
through a telescope
Have a weekend or one day camp for kids wanting to learn
about farm life and have hands on experiences
Sell worms for fishing & compost
Sell Compost for gardens strain it with rabbit droppings
and get an instant organic spray
If you have a pond try raising fish
Beekeeping if your not afraid of these little darlings
they do most of the work. Free honey for yourself and to sell
Dog breeding-Training-boarding If your good with dogs this
is the job for you.
Sale bales of hay
Lease out to hunters if you have a lot of land.-Remember
to be kind and dont over book it and kill off your wildlife
Make and sell wreaths from home using items found on your
land for a country theme.
Make and sell wooden signs at craft shows
Use that tractor for snow plowing jobs, plowing a field
for someone, mowing a field
Offer a tree removal service, charge them for hauling away
the tree then sale the wood too!
Got some pasture? Buy some calfs cheap in the summer let
graze on your field, then right before winter sale them off.
Links:
For more Frugal ideas look under the Frugal link page
above.
WAHM Work at hom Moms
orgainzation http://www.wahm.com/
Mommy Enterprise http://www.mommyenterprises.com/
Moms Network http://www.momsnetwork.com/newmomsnet/
4 Moms at home great articles on start up businesses at
home
Mommys place Net http://www.mommysplace.net/index.html
Clothing/Baby Stuff
Gardening Ideas on
a Budget
Realestate- Finding
House in the Country
Frugal
Links