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Earn Extra Money Without Leaving Home!
The problem: I have five kids and I want to be a stay-at-home mom. Unfortunately, sometimes I feel like I am not pulling my weight in contributing to the family finances. What kind of job can I get that won't take me away from my children, but still ease our financial burden?
The Answer: I needed an attitude adjustment.
My first part-time job slashed my grocery budget by $30 a week. We built a greenhouse for $60 out of PVC pipe. (For plans, click here.) It took two days to build. Preparing the soil took a fair amount of digging, and of course, I spent an afternoon planting things. I've never had a green thumb before, but I figured that this year my "job" would be to get the garden going. Every morning, I spend five minutes looking the garden over for slugs, etc. Every evening, I spend five more minutes on slug patrol. I water the garden about every three days. Just before dinner, I run outside with my colander and "shop" for fresh vegetables. The PVC greenhouse has easily paid for itself. Not bad for ten minutes a day of actual work.
I have another job of seamstress, which is more of a hobby. Yes, it's true that nowadays it's cheaper to buy clothes on sale or at a thrift store than to sew it myself. I'm not talking about that. I'm personally intimidated by a huge sewing machine and its sharp needle that once went right through my finger. But I do sew by hand a lot. I fix ripped seams. And I make pillows out of kids' favorite shirts that have grown too small and purses out of old blue jeans. I once found myself mending all my nursing bras instead of buying new ones. But my secret is that I absolutely love to sew rag dolls and stuffed animals for my kids. This particular job doesn't pay as much, but truthfully I don't spend much on materials. The library has a lot of good books to keep me occupied for the few minutes a week I sew.
My highest paying job is the "restaurant" I run. I make everything from scratch. The big trick is not waiting until the last minute to decide what to make. Last year, I sat down once a month to plan the dinner menu. What does my family like to eat? What is in season? What do we already have in the pantry? This year, I'm merely re-using my old menus from last year, so the investment in time is not huge.
For school lunches, I make a ton of muffins, quiches, and crepes and freeze them. For breakfast on the weekends, I make a huge batch of pancakes or waffles that usually last through the week.
I had never cooked before, so I started with cookbooks aimed at college students. You don't have to spend six hours in the kitchen making Martha Stewart-type gourmet meals. By making meals at home, I don't have to worry so much about nutrition, and I satisfy the "health nut" side of me. And I save tons of money by not buying convenience food. I certainly spend less time cooking than it would take all seven of us to order in a fast food joint.
Once I gained confidence and experience cooking, I was able to get myself a "pay raise." Since I have a menu that I follow regularly, I am now able to buy in bulk. I know where to get the lowest price for each item, so I also spend less time shopping.
This year's slew of part-time jobs has already paid off. I find myself looking forward to next year, where I have a several possible job offers. I just splurged on a soy milk maker with the money I saved through my restaurant business. The kids are thrilled with the ability to experiment with flavors, and now I never have to buy expensive soy milk again. A side job next year will be to conquer tofu making. We're also considering a chicken tractor (a portable pen to keep chickens safe from predators). Moving it around keeps the vegetation evenly "mowed" and the bug population down. Taking care of layers would just about break even money-wise, but the important thing is that with both eggs and a greenhouse, I wouldn't have to waste gas going to the grocery store that often. Not to mention all the impulse buys that happen with frequent trips to the store. It's a job offer that I am giving serious thought to. It doesn't pay much but the benefits might make it worthwhile.
The most important thing is that none of my jobs keeps me away from my most important occupation: Raising five beautiful children into respectable adults.
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