I was just curious if any of you sahd's do some kind of home based business to contribute to the household income? I would feel better if my kids were able to stay out of daycare, but we can't afford to live on one income. I know there's a lot of options on the internet, mostly scams, so I wanted to know if any of you do have a business that is legitimate. Thank you!
Income
Well, I don't necessarily have an on-line job for a 2nd income, but I do have two additional part-time jobs outside of the home to bring in money-totalling about 32 hours/week. I work nights and weekends, so I'm home w/ the kids during the day. It is certainly difficult, especially regarding time w/ my spouse-but we don't really have any other options for making enough money at this time. But...I would love to find the right business online, so then I wouldn't have to work evenings out of the house!
There are a couple of things to look for in your area
Some local charities pay folks to make calls from your home regarding pickups of donated goods. All you have to do is call and tell folks there is going to be a truck in the neighborhood and if they would have anything to donate. Then you do a follow up call the night before to remind all the folks that said yes. Also check Craig's List for part time work. One that interested me is a rental car defueler. You take rental cars that are going to be sold or auctioned and remove the gas from the tanks. Some of the companies will let you work on your schedule as long as you have the cars completed by a certain date. Also stores like Wal-Mart, Sears, Target, etc. have positions that are evening or night jobs assembling furniture, bikes, gas grills and the like.
I think the main thing is to keep an open mind as to the type of job. It doesn't always have to be something that you actually do from your home. I really haven’t found any viable jobs where you actually work from home that doesn’t involve some investment, school or class that requires upfront money. Some people swear by eBay, but that can be a great deal of work for a relative small margin per item. But you never know, that’s why I say keep an open mind.
Mike Stilwell
Daddyshome, Inc.
DC Metro Dads
Teach, baby, teach
I post something like this to every mom discussion about income and mostly get the same response of "I could never do that!" I suspect more people could teach than think they can teach, but perhaps I'm just an optimistic homeschooler.
If you have at least a BA, go get a job with Kaplan or Princeton Review and learn to tutor the SAT. They'll pay you about $20/hr with regular raises so you can learn the ropes and bust out freelance and earn more like $75/hr, which is what I charge in the northeastern NJ -- granted, your mileage may vary depending on location. Just 40 miles south of here, the rate is more like $30/hr, in NYC and the feudal lands of Connecticut, it's over $100/hr. You can start out with Huntington, like I did, at $11/hr, but that, uhhh, sucked for the year I did it.
During the busy fall season, I clear a grand a month working just weekends, but the demand seems to be there for after-school hours as well, which I can't do. Granted, I drive a lot, but tutoring beats the hell out of mindless retail or other weekend work.
Thanks to the lethal storm of NCLB and increasingly distracted parents, tutoring is definitely a growth industry.
That Homeschooling Dad
Homeschool Hut