With the Summer upon us and MOPS being done until next Fall, I am looking for new sources of income, even if they are small. I am finding that my little bot of income from my MOPS job really did help even if it was less than $100 a month most months. I've been brainstorming and I have come up with a few ideas.
One of the things that I already did and had great success with was selling off extra lupine and raspberry plants from my garden in the Spring. I am thinking I will do this again next Spring but also add various Columbine plants to that sale and possibly some thornless blackberry starts too.
Our Heather, the little boys and Jeff and I are going to sell some of the cherries from our huge cherry tree this year to friends and neighbors. We have done this in the past and it was really successful. Heather and the boys will help us pick, wash and package them up and she will take some back to her town to sell to her friends there. We will be splitting the profits right down the middle. We won't make a lot of money off it but it should be enough to help each of our families out a bit.
I'm going to be selling off some of our household items that we no longer need or use on some of the local buy, sell and trade online sites. Our house is so cluttered and things have got to go!
The lovely SJ, who has become a wonderful online friend and frequently comments on this blog, suggested that I become an Amazon Affiliate. I have mulled that idea over for awhile now and I decided to go for it. I do order many products through Amazon for our family and I thought this might be a way to help earn some additional income to do so. I am now regularly ordering some of my supplements through here to help manage my Fibromyalgia and they do seem to be helping manage my pain levels and with energy levels too, I have had several people ask me about what I am taking so I thought I would share them here in case you are interested in checking them out also. As always, my disclaimer is that I am not a medical professional and I am only sharing my personal experiences with these products. Everyone's body chemistry is different and what works for one person may not work for another. Make sure to check with your doctor, especially if you are taking other medications before taking any supplements to make sure that they will not cause any adverse effects when combined with any medications you may be taking.
Now Colostrum
Amazing Formulas Acetyl L-Carnitine - 1000mg, 120 Tablets
Disclaimer: Both of these are my affiliate links with Amazon. If you click through these links it will take you directly to the product page. By going through my link, whether you choose to place an order for this or any other product, I do get a small percentage of the sale.
I have also considered doing some tutoring on the side. My only fear with that is that I may get some students who are not motivated and try to fight me on doing their work. I just can't deal with that anymore so this may not be a viable option for me at this time.
If anyone has any other ideas, please let me know!
Hi Debbie!
ReplyDeleteSince you have some land to plant, you can also sell Physalis (Cape gooseberry) plants or fruit. They are easy to grow and give lots of fruits. This link is helpful:http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/content/cape-gooseberry.htm
:)
Thank you Paula! I grew up eating those in Hawaii where they grow year round. We called them Poha there. Looking at the growing requirements I am not sure if they would do well here but I have been curious to try and see if they would. :) Great idea!
DeleteYou can always make it perfectly clear to the parents that you won't tolerate any type of trouble from the kids or they will be dismissed.
ReplyDeleteLast month I made $30 filling out surveys with Opinion Outpost. It's not a lot, but a friend made $100 doing it. I think she spends more time on it. If you decide to try it, would you mind contacting me for my referral number? Thanks. You've got some good ideas going. Over the years, I've sold a lot of books and curriculum on Ebay. That's my main PayPal money. PayPal money pays for our school books or things I want that are extra.
God bless you!
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
Hi Laura, I hope you are doing well today my friend. :) I do Swagbucks, Pinecone Research and MyPoints. Do you do any of those? I have already sold or given away most of my homeschooling books and what I have left will go to my DIL Heather since she is homeschooling my older two grandsons.
DeleteYou are right about making it clear that I will not tolerate any type of trouble from the kids if I decide to go the tutoring route. Today is the last day of school so if I want to do that I need to make that decision today.
What a nice compliment - I've so enjoyed getting to know you here as well.
ReplyDeleteCould you put an Amazon link on your site permanently - like Brandy does on the Prudent Homemaker?
There's also a way to sell book on Amazon and be able to scan the ISBN number on the book to know what it might sell for. Would be a great source of income for scrounged textbooks when you treasure hunt at the Univ.
My other idea has to do with plants. A friend sold at a local farmer's market. She'd only go the first few weeks of the market and she specialized in what you'd use for hanging pots and lots of marigolds. A lady here in my neighborhood sells tomatoes in the spring.
I know every little bit helps out. I miss my crossing guard job even though it was only on-call and 2-hour shifts.
More of a committment is hosting foreign exchange students in your home if you have an extra bedroom. I did this about 6 years and loved it. The students were mostly college age and taking a semester break. In the summer, though, we were part of a program that hosted high school kids. My experience was that almost all of them were very motivated young people and a joy to work with. In six years, we only had two placements that were a challenge and only one needed to be 're-homed'. Most of the placements lasted a month- some less, some more. It may not work for you though if you're out in the country. Being in the city, transit is almost out my front door. So the kids could get around on their own.
Hope you're feeling better. Cheers, SJ
Hi SJ, I am trying to figure out how to do that with a permanent link but so far have not managed to get it there. I am going to need to ask Amazon for help with that. I have heard about the book thing through Amazon also. I think Jeff's Android phone would be able to scan barcodes but I know mine could not. Great idea!
DeleteSelling plants out of my home worked well and I fear the cost of the booth space at Farmer's Market would eat up a bunch of my profits. You have to be approved to sell at the local one near me and it is a long process. I have friends that sell there. Maybe I can ask if I could pay them a small fee and sell through their booth. Hmm.....
Hosting a foreign exchange student would be wonderful, but with us living out in the country, I would have to drive them everywhere and as far as I know, at least in this area, you do not get any financial compensation for doing so. We have had friends that have done this and although it was a wonderful experience for them, it ended up costing them a lot of money to host these amazing kids. To be totally honest, I think I am also at a point in my life where I don't have the energy to deal with teens full time anymore either. ;) I like my freedom way too much and have my hands full with the grandkids and helping out there when needed.
Be blessed my friend and I do hope you are doing well. How is that community garden coming along?
Much love to you!
I still had a teenager and my husband's cousin living with us. So more people to house and feed was not a problem when I did homestays. We cleared $500/room when we did it - and our only costs were food and a little bit more on utilities. I could have made more money but I always fed the students what we ate. Some hosts would short change the students on what they fed them. I didn't think that was fair. The summer program with the high school kids paid more but was only for three weeks. And the kids only had Sundays off. They'd go to school five days a week, had activities most nights and on Saturdays.
DeleteWe went through an English language school. The local universities and 2-year schools (what would be Junior Colleges in the states) had similar programs and pay structures.
In parts of Canada, there is also a program called 'Farm Stay' where the college kids live and work on a farm. Some of our students went on to do that program as well.
You're right,though, if it didn't pay, I would not have done it. The junior hockey program is like that here. You host a teenage athlete with no compensation. I couldn't afford to do that.
Gardens are doing ok but not great with our cool spring. Strawberries are coming in - or were until today's rain started. Asparagus earlier in May was awesome - highly recommend committing to it. It's a minimum of 3 years from planting to first harvest. this was my 3rd year. But then it's supposed to keep producing for years.
Energy wise, it's been challenging. Cheers! SJ
I'm sorry that things have been challenging energy wise, but as you know, I can understand and relate to that. I had planned on planting more today but storms have been rolling through with a chance of hail so I am glad I did not plant anything today after all. I did harvest some rhubarb for my neighbor today though from my garden. :)
DeleteAll the best to you always. I usually cut corners as best I can. No cable. Buy reduced priced items, don't buy, thrift store finds. I think I am going to try selling some things on eBay and/or amazon. I have had garage sales running out of my ears. Had a booth until recently. Closed her down. There's a local sell your things on Facebook that I might use. I have never used eBay....have to talk to myself to get it going. We have pawned some things before. Keep on keeping on.
ReplyDeleteHi Deanna, I cut corners too and to be honest, I don't miss having cable or satellite TV because I can find most of the shows online anyway. ;) I have thought about ebay too but have heard from others that it can be a hassle. There is a local consignment shop that I have sold clothes through and I think I will also take one of my vintage leather Coach purses there this Fall and try to sell it. I have had good luck with selling things through some of the local Facebook groups though. :) I hope you can get some things sold too!
DeleteHi Debbie, it is always nice to have some extra income. I've found that selling things on ebay can result in getting rid of some extra things around the house. Maybe start with a few things around your home and see how they do. List them for "buy it now" instead of the auction, as that option seems to do better especially for clothing. I will be praying for you that something opens up for you! Hugs :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Marilyn! Is it true that you have to have paypal to sell on ebay? I have had horrible problems with them in the past and lost money with them.
DeleteWhat a wonderful idea to help supplement your income! Every little bit helps. I'm glad you've found something to help with your fibromyalgia. I'm sure that can be challenging. Wishing you all the best. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Anna. It has taken me years to find something that helps with the Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia. You should see the handful of supplements that I take each night before I go to bed. ;)
DeleteThe columbine is beautiful. I have one plant that i brought from my old house. It's thriving in a pot. There were 2 tiny baby plants in another pot, and I put them in the dirt. So far, they haven't done much, but they aren't dead anyway.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about ways you could make money, but the ideas you have are better than any I can think of right now.
I do know people who took in foreign students and were paid for doing it. In fact, it was their summer income, so it must have been a substantial sum. I never asked the exact amount.
I think the tutoring is a good idea because there is no cost to you, unless you buy small prizes, or drive to their houses. I agree that you don't have to keep any student if they are not a good fit. I taught piano for over 30 years and the times I've had trouble with kids have been very few. I gave everyone a fair shot, and then talked to the mothers on the rare occasions I did have trouble. (Like the child who thought sitting on a piano bench for the lesson meant he had to have one hand on it while he circled it with his body) I gave him a little time, and then suggested that he should wait until he was older.
It will be fun to see what you decide on.
Thank you Becky for sharing your experiences with me. :)
DeleteDon't you just love columbines? I just planted a new one with frilly double blossoms yesterday, which in unlike any I have ever seen before and am curious to see what it looks like when it blooms. Do your's ever go rogue and change colors? I have one that is a burgundy and white that has one branch that went all white on me. It is pretty! :)
Be blessed my friend!
Debbie, sounds like you've given a lot of thought to the possible sources of income. I second the selling of plants and tutoring. Maybe, too, have garage sales to re-sell some of the items you pick up from the thrift stores?
ReplyDeleteHi Bless, I am going to be selling plants next year again but have decided against tutoring for various reasons. I need to lower the stress in my life again and tutoring would only add to it. We are planning on a family yard sale this summer. :)
Delete