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Sobyn
True Blue Farmgirl

752 Posts

Sabrina
Kansas
USA
752 Posts

Posted - Nov 04 2014 :  05:37:09 AM  Show Profile
Hi y'all! I'm hoping you can help me wade through some info any maybe you will think of something I haven't thought of....

Here is the situation: I would like to make a little extra money. I don't NEED extra money but we have some financial goals that extra income would really help with! (Hubby retires from the army in 6.5 years we would like to have a small hobby farm at that point, preferably one that supports itself and maybe supports us at least in part). Since he works 12+ hours a day already the only option is for me to have an income.

BUT Since we are stationed in Germany this is much much more difficult than otherwise would be. I have 3 (almost 4) kids and homeschool my oldest so I have to be at home.

I can't babysit more than 10 hours per week (on a regular basis-whatever that means) without being certified by the army but they require those who are certified to be open for at least 12 hours per day. So that isn't an option since I'd only want to babysit part time. I am willing to take a couple kids for a few hours but it won't be much.

I can't run any sort of home based business that markets to people here in person (i.e. direct sales where I actually go do parties or what not) without jumping through a bunch of hoops that make it pretty much impossible. I do have a direct sales business but I'm stuck with running it online only which has limited effectiveness.

I can't mail anything, while its not a problem for me to mail items occasionally (like a craft) I can't do it on a regular basis or I can get in major trouble from the military post office. So etsy isn't an option.

There are craft shows here twice a year, I've done them twice. They really don't get a very good turn out and I don't sell very much. Its worth it for me to go for the little I make but nothing to depend on. I have gotten a couple outside orders from people who saw me there (this is considered a "hobby" so I am allowed to sell on a small scale).

Also we are in military housing so in addition to the restrictions on home based businesses anyway we can't have a large garden or animals etc.

So with all those restrictions in mind I'm pretty limited to online things only. Also the time difference between here and the states is an issue (we are 6 hours ahead of EST)

My interests include crafts, natural living and health, writing and homeschooling (those are the broad categories I have lots of interests).

So I keep thinking blogging but my issues with this are 1. it is hard to actually make money doing it 2. I have trouble narrowing my focus to one area of interest and 3. I'm terrified of the criticism I'm sure to get (yes I need to get over this one). I've considered things like hubpages which help with getting traffic and would allow for more of a wide variety of topics but then I can't control the adds and such on them so not sure how I feel about that (I'd prefer to build my own blog/website and not be dependent on someone else BUT the other may get traffic quicker? and maybe there is a way to leverage both).

I've also looked into things like transcription (NOT medical as I've tried that and it makes me crazy), user testing, freelance work through places like odesk etc. The problem with most of these is it seems like people don't really make more than $3-4 an hour. I'm trying to take into consideration that I wouldn't be paying for childcare but I just can't decide if its worth it (not to mention that that pay doesn't take into consideration the hours spent trying to actually get a job through them).

I've also considered pet sitting buy my cat gets stressed lately so it would have to be in their home and I could only do it on a "for donation" basis (to avoid the HBB rules), which would probably be ok but how do I protect myself from someone accusing me of stealing or something? Do I need liability insurance for that? I am a doula but again I can only do that "for donation" and not a set price, and quite frankly what people are willing to donate doesn't cover my time, costs, and childcare costs (seriously I'd be lucky to get $50) plus having small kids myself childcare is an issue.

I've pretty much concluded that to make any sort of dent in our goals it would have to be a combination. Which is ok too but how do I decide how much I should be making an hour to take the time away from my kids? Are there any ideas I'm overlooking? Should I take the low pay for now in hopes to make more eventually?

Thanks
Sabrina

Farmgirl Sister #3275

kysheeplady
True Blue Farmgirl

1291 Posts

Teri
KY
USA
1291 Posts

Posted - Nov 04 2014 :  06:00:43 AM  Show Profile
Almost sounds as tho your hands are tied. Which limits any amount of real money you could earn.
You mentioned crafts? Like what? you make little things? do you design? can you cross stitch? Sew?
Here are a few things to think about ... If you design patterns, you can sell the pattern via PDF download delivery (no mail) If you sew or stitch and are very good at it, you can find work stitching other people's patterns for them.
Are you a good enough writer that you could sell an e book? With out really saying what your skills are it is almost impossible to help.
I wish you much luck tho ... trying to make extra cash is hard enough without having your hands tied by the military.

Teri
"There are black sheep in every flock"

www.whitesheepfarm.com
www.etsy.com/shop/whitesheepprimitive
www.google.com/+whitesheepfarm
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Sobyn
True Blue Farmgirl

752 Posts

Sabrina
Kansas
USA
752 Posts

Posted - Nov 04 2014 :  06:20:39 AM  Show Profile
Sorry I left my skills vague because it was already so long!

For crafts: I crochet, sew some (but don't consider myself good enough to sew for others at this point), do some jewelry making (just beading really) and do random other little things. I really like repurposing/upcycling too. I enjoy figuring out how to make or recreate something and like the challenge of learning new skills. The thing about that is, I can do those things for sale locally or via mail occasionally but if I cross their arbitrary line of "regularly" I can get in trouble for having an HBB without approval and/or using the mail system. As far as pattern writing, I WISH I could do that! Maybe some day I'll have that level of skill but for now I'm good at following other people's patters :).

Writing: I consider myself a proficient writer. I can express myself well and have big thoughts (my husband is always saying "wow you need to write that for others.") But I don't have any coherent ideas for an ebook. That's why blogging or article writing came to mind, lots of topics I can write an article or blog for, maybe some day I'll have enough on one idea to do a book :).

It may be that my hands are tied...and if they are they are. I'll just try to buckle down and work on a blog and maybe it will become something but want to make sure I'm not missing any ideas of things I could do while here. We have over 2 years left here so its a good bit of time.

Sabrina

Farmgirl Sister #3275
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl

7577 Posts

Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts

Posted - Nov 04 2014 :  07:49:59 AM  Show Profile
Sabrina... What about holding "classes" or "get-togethers" to teach other people on base how to crochet, sew or make jewelry? You could charge a nominal fee and they could bring their own supplies (you might hold an initial gathering where you give a brief outline of what you're going to teach them along with a small list of supplies that they need to bring to get themselves started). A lot of people are looking to learn how to do these types crafts in order to save money, especially at the holidays. It's not a direct-selling situation, it's a teaching thing, so I'm betting that you could do this without going through the hoops. You could start two nights a week (or, for that matter, a couple of hours for a couple of afternoons each week AFTER homeschool while the kids play together) teaching the basics and then progress from there, teaching more intricate stitches, patterns, etc. You could also teach natural living concepts! It might be worth a try! I believe in you - you can do this!!! Good luck! Hugs - Nini

Farmgirl Sister #1974

God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!


Edited by - Ninibini on Nov 04 2014 07:52:54 AM
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Sobyn
True Blue Farmgirl

752 Posts

Sabrina
Kansas
USA
752 Posts

Posted - Nov 04 2014 :  10:46:41 AM  Show Profile
Unfortunately I'd have to get approved for that too and they would probably deny me since there is a craft store on base that teaches classes. I could possibly find out how to teach through them but then childcare becomes a challenge. I've done kid's craft classes before and that was fun, maybe I'll ask them if they need more instructors but I think they do it either on a volunteer basis or only have people on staff there teach, I'm just not sure. But yes I've thought of that and again run into the walls. :( I *might* be able to do it if I don't set a price and just say "donations." So maybe that is an option. You have to get approval for any business out of your home here, people who do hair, nails, clean houses, detail cars, etc all have to get approval.

I guess if I can't do anything I'll just focus on honing my skills for when we move back and start my blog :). I know in the end everything will work out find and we are comfortable right now so its not an urgent need or anything just a hope I had.

Sabrina

Farmgirl Sister #3275
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl

3162 Posts

Shannon
Rozet Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts

Posted - Nov 04 2014 :  10:57:20 AM  Show Profile
Jumping through hoops when living on base is a pain in the neck! And I doubt you would be able to have enough kiddos to add to your own to make it worth your while to jump through the hoops, classes, inspections, etc for at home daycare. Soooooo my suggestion would be to do lots of little things.... If you do the multiple things for donations, those donations will add up! You can also "babysit" oppose to childcare, and that will add up, especially as we get closer to the holidays. The money from the craft shows might add up as well. What about sewing the stripes on? I know here you can be "hired" by the seamstress for the base and do it at home (though I do not live on base, and I personally HATE lining those things up well!) As for writing, what about seeing about writing for a magazine? You could write an article and try to get it published... or just write the editor, attatching some articles for him/her to peruse, and see if they might hire you to write an article a week. I have no clue how to make money off of a blog, so I am no help there. If you have a minute, I would love some help on that one, lol.

~ Shannon

http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/
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Sobyn
True Blue Farmgirl

752 Posts

Sabrina
Kansas
USA
752 Posts

Posted - Nov 05 2014 :  02:35:36 AM  Show Profile
Shannon-google Blogging with Amy, she has some great tips and suggestions!

I thinking its just going to be little things for now, a few dollars here and there. I will mull on the class idea I'm just afraid if its for donations then I won't make enough to cover costs. And yes I will probably babysit some for a little extra here and there. I'm also working on getting a position at the chapel doing their nursery that pays really well but baby is due in Feb and it may be a good 4-6 months before I'm ready to do that again (my babies tend to be high needs and David nursed every 1.5-2 hours until he was like 10 months old so it wouldn't be very practical). I wonder how upset other moms would be if I wore my baby the whole time I was in there?? LOL I like the magazine idea I'm just not sure if I have anything to say they would want to read. Maybe I should do some research on writing for magazines and finding out what sort of articles they are looking for......The craft show probably made me $100 (after costs, I still need to sit down and figure out exactly what I made), not bad for something I enjoy doing anyway. I basically roll that back into my "craft" budget to offset those costs :), and I have lots of leftovers. I take a pic of everything I make for my FB page so people can make requests or place orders.

My biggest debate right now is if I should bother writing for hub pages, where I would potentially get traffic but not sure how I feel about not being able to control ads (as opposed to a blog). And if I should do transcription that I would be lucky to make $6 an hour at or just spend the time focusing on things I actually like. I bought the book listed on the MJF blogging badge and I'm going to use that badge as a kick in the rear to actually start writing one!!

Sabrina

Farmgirl Sister #3275
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Southern Farmgirl
Farmgirl in Training

49 Posts

Alice
Inman SC
USA
49 Posts

Posted - Nov 05 2014 :  1:56:38 PM  Show Profile
Sabrina - looks like your options for generating extra income are really limited - sometimes it's better to concentrate on how you can save a little extra from your current budget rather than trying to overcome so many obstacles to generate just a little extra.
Southern Farmgirl #5933
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Sobyn
True Blue Farmgirl

752 Posts

Sabrina
Kansas
USA
752 Posts

Posted - Nov 06 2014 :  06:08:26 AM  Show Profile
Yeah we have pretty much exhausted our cost saving options, with food restrictions that my kids have and trying to eat healthy in general there aren't many coupons we can use (and don't even get me started with our limited shopping choices, forget sales!), we will try to have a better garden next year but the growing season is sooooo short and we either have to do containers at the house or get a plot in the community garden which is 10 miles away and requires me to load up and take the kids-however our farmgirl chapter is brainstorming how to pool our resources to plant different things and alternate assigned days that we each go out and check on, water and weed each others plots so there is hope there. There are things to forage but its challenging to find out where exactly to go. We got some apples this year, I'm hoping next year we can find berries, nuts, apples, pears, elderberries and if we can find someone who knows what they are doing mushrooms!! I clean with baking soda, vinegar and norwex rags so I'm not spending money on cleaning supplies (except laundry detergent, unfortunately homemade hasn't been cutting it with the hard water here and since I have to order washing soda and can't buy in bulk like I did in the states its not much cheaper), baby will be in cloth diapers, kids don't do extracurriculars really, we rarely go out to eat, don't have cable....there just aren't any places left to cut. Like I said everything gets paid I'd just like to make some headway on our goals instead of being at a stand still.

Sabrina

Farmgirl Sister #3275
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl

3162 Posts

Shannon
Rozet Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts

Posted - Nov 06 2014 :  06:43:26 AM  Show Profile
Sabrina - can you buy from Amazon and have it shipped there? I ask, because we order Charlie's Soap Powder in a bucket that lasts us a year! And that is for a family of eight, with two (hopefully now just one!) in cloth diapers. The link is http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044EV0SE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As for not having many areas to cut, I totally understand that! We live paycheck to paycheck, and there are times I think the only reason it stretches that far is by the grace of God! Food expenses are the worst for us, as we too have to buy special foods due to the gluten allergy. We have looked at going completely grain free to see if that helps heal the gut (the research I have been doing says just one time of cross contamination can cause enough damage that it will take 3-6 months for the gut to heal, especially if other non-gluten grains are still being eaten, you get a virus, or if you eat dairy :/ One of the links I was reading is http://realfoodforager.com/how-gluten-affects-your-gut-your-health-and-puts-you-at-risk-for-autoimmunity-2/ You may be interested in reading it) Anyways, do you have a chest freezer? Are you living in base housing? Is there somewhere you can buy a grassfed cow, or pasture raised chickens, etc in bulk after tax return? I always find it amusing when people push the commissaries... we do not even shop there any more due to the quality of foods offered and the small offering of gluten free. But we at least have other stores we can go to, where you do not have that luxery.

~ Shannon

http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl

7577 Posts

Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts

Posted - Nov 06 2014 :  2:05:42 PM  Show Profile
Sabrina - I'm so sorry you are so restricted with all of this.. I really hope something wonderful drops right in your lap, sister! Sounds like you're really giving it your all with cutting costs, too. Hang in there - I'll be praying for you!!! Hugs - Nini

Farmgirl Sister #1974

God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!

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Sobyn
True Blue Farmgirl

752 Posts

Sabrina
Kansas
USA
752 Posts

Posted - Nov 07 2014 :  06:41:14 AM  Show Profile
Thanks everyone, we really are OK without extra, we just don't have extra! LOL. I try to be thankful of how blessed we are but at the same time want to do anything I can to help my family kwim?

Shannon-that charlie's soap looks like a great deal, I'm going to look a bit closer but it should last us at least a year if it lasts y'all that long!! How is it with hard water do you know? That is our biggest issue here is the water is sooooo hard. My homemade stuff wasn't cutting it and the laundry was coming out smelling mustier than it went in!! We are on base housing and we do have a chest freezer. I also buy a lot of things from amazon, a lot of our specialty items I get through subscribe n save. When we were in the states we hardly ever shopped at the commissary, it was like quarterly and we just stocked up on the few things that were actually cheaper (coconut oil, olive oil and a couple other things). Here those things are more than they were in the states, they don't even have coconut oil so I have to order it (vitacost) and the olive oil is horribly priced but it is what it is. Same boat as you with the food, major gluten sensitivities and they can't have preservatives or dyes. Cost of living in germany is high anyway so the stuff off post isn't much better, I'm learning (slowly) how to compare (across currencies!) and find the best prices but its a challenge. In the states we bought a quarter of a steer at a time for all our beef-we split it with friends. We also occasionally split a pig (I don't like eating pork unless I know where it comes from), here I haven't found a way to do that and the prices of "grass fed" (which isn't free range here because nobody lets their animals range) here are higher than the grass fed beef at the commissary. we basically only use ground to keep the cost down but its still a lot higher than what it was on our cow share. So anyway, groceries are a work in progress but with diet restrictions its hard to cut much. Oh in the states we often did pick your owns and stuff too which aren't as common here. Oh well at least we can afford what we need. And yes we have talked about going completely grain free (we eat far too much corn-mostly organic/non gmo but still) and/or doing GAPS diet but the expense is prohibitive.

I've come to a place of peace with the small things I'm currently doing and just working on skills for when we get back to the states. :)

Sabrina

Farmgirl Sister #3275
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl

3162 Posts

Shannon
Rozet Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts

Posted - Nov 07 2014 :  2:21:55 PM  Show Profile
We did GAPS a couple years ago and it seemed to really help, though the intro was BRUTAL! We would still be on it, but honestly, we cannot afford it in the winter, even with all the canning I do! It is not as bad when my garden and the CSA we were part of, was in full swing!

~ Shannon

http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/
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Cozynana
True Blue Farmgirl

1123 Posts

Kem

1123 Posts

Posted - Nov 19 2014 :  10:10:46 PM  Show Profile
Sabrina, how about writing ebooks and selling them. If you like to write it would be right up your alley. There are ebooks on everything. Living in Germany you may be able to find topics that would be of interest to Americans. Hot to tutorials would be good to.
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sherone_13
True Blue Farmgirl

2460 Posts

Sherone
Evanston WY
USA
2460 Posts

Posted - Nov 20 2014 :  05:43:42 AM  Show Profile
How about selling items through drop-shipping....ie: World of Products

Sherone

Farmgirl Sister #1682

My Blog

www.annapearlsattic.blogspot.com

My Etsy

www.etsy.com/shop/annapearlsattic

Women are angels. When someone breaks our wings, we just jump on our broomsticks and fly! We are flexible that way!
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl

898 Posts

Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts

Posted - Dec 29 2014 :  3:41:18 PM  Show Profile
Just a thought, what if you crocheted a bunch of different things from yarn made in Germany, then when you come back stateside go to vendor events and/or farmer's markets? It would have a special appeal being the yarn is German. In my opinion anyway :)

Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee. ~Author Unknown

http://countryrenaissance.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowersAndHoney
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grandolph
Farmgirl at Heart

6 Posts

gin
franklin maine
USA
6 Posts

Posted - Apr 30 2015 :  07:17:42 AM  Show Profile
quote:
Originally posted by Sobyn

Hi y'all! I'm hoping you can help me wade through some info any maybe you will think of something I haven't thought of....

Here is the situation: I would like to make a little extra money. I don't NEED extra money but we have some financial goals that extra income would really help with! (Hubby retires from the army in 6.5 years we would like to have a small hobby farm at that point, preferably one that supports itself and maybe supports us at least in part). Since he works 12+ hours a day already the only option is for me to have an income.

BUT Since we are stationed in Germany this is much much more difficult than otherwise would be. I have 3 (almost 4) kids and homeschool my oldest so I have to be at home.

I can't babysit more than 10 hours per week (on a regular basis-whatever that means) without being certified by the army but they require those who are certified to be open for at least 12 hours per day. So that isn't an option since I'd only want to babysit part time. I am willing to take a couple kids for a few hours but it won't be much.

I can't run any sort of home based business that markets to people here in person (i.e. direct sales where I actually go do parties or what not) without jumping through a bunch of hoops that make it pretty much impossible. I do have a direct sales business but I'm stuck with running it online only which has limited effectiveness.

I can't mail anything, while its not a problem for me to mail items occasionally (like a craft) I can't do it on a regular basis or I can get in major trouble from the military post office. So etsy isn't an option.

There are craft shows here twice a year, I've done them twice. They really don't get a very good turn out and I don't sell very much. Its worth it for me to go for the little I make but nothing to depend on. I have gotten a couple outside orders from people who saw me there (this is considered a "hobby" so I am allowed to sell on a small scale).

Also we are in military housing so in addition to the restrictions on home based businesses anyway we can't have a large garden or animals etc.

So with all those restrictions in mind I'm pretty limited to online things only. Also the time difference between here and the states is an issue (we are 6 hours ahead of EST)

My interests include crafts, natural living and health, writing and homeschooling (those are the broad categories I have lots of interests).

So I keep thinking blogging but my issues with this are 1. it is hard to actually make money doing it 2. I have trouble narrowing my focus to one area of interest and 3. I'm terrified of the criticism I'm sure to get (yes I need to get over this one). I've considered things like hubpages which help with getting traffic and would allow for more of a wide variety of topics but then I can't control the adds and such on them so not sure how I feel about that (I'd prefer to build my own blog/website and not be dependent on someone else BUT the other may get traffic quicker? and maybe there is a way to leverage both).

I've also looked into things like transcription (NOT medical as I've tried that and it makes me crazy), user testing, freelance work through places like odesk etc. The problem with most of these is it seems like people don't really make more than $3-4 an hour. I'm trying to take into consideration that I wouldn't be paying for childcare but I just can't decide if its worth it (not to mention that that pay doesn't take into consideration the hours spent trying to actually get a job through them).

I've also considered pet sitting buy my cat gets stressed lately so it would have to be in their home and I could only do it on a "for donation" basis (to avoid the HBB rules), which would probably be ok but how do I protect myself from someone accusing me of stealing or something? Do I need liability insurance for that? I am a doula but again I can only do that "for donation" and not a set price, and quite frankly what people are willing to donate doesn't cover my time, costs, and childcare costs (seriously I'd be lucky to get $50) plus having small kids myself childcare is an issue.

I've pretty much concluded that to make any sort of dent in our goals it would have to be a combination. Which is ok too but how do I decide how much I should be making an hour to take the time away from my kids? Are there any ideas I'm overlooking? Should I take the low pay for now in hopes to make more eventually?

Thanks
Sabrina

Farmgirl Sister #3275



Basket weaving can be fun, educational and profitable!
baskets by gin since 1981
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grandolph
Farmgirl at Heart

6 Posts

gin
franklin maine
USA
6 Posts

Posted - Apr 30 2015 :  07:32:58 AM  Show Profile
[quote]Originally posted by Sobyn

Hi y'all! I'm hoping you can help me wade through some info any maybe you will think of something I haven't thought of....

Here is the situation: I would like to make a little extra money. I don't NEED extra money but we have some financial goals that extra income would really help with! (Hubby retires from the army in 6.5 years we would like to have a small hobby farm at that point, preferably one that supports itself and maybe supports us at least in part). Since he works 12+ hours a day already the only option is for me to have an income.

BUT Since we are stationed in Germany this is much much more difficult than otherwise would be. I have 3 (almost 4) kids and homeschool my oldest so I have to be at home.

I can't babysit more than 10 hours per week (on a regular basis-whatever that means) without being certified by the army but they require those who are certified to be open for at least 12 hours per day. So that isn't an option since I'd only want to babysit part time. I am willing to take a couple kids for a few hours but it won't be much.

I can't run any sort of home based business that markets to people here in person (i.e. direct sales where I actually go do parties or what not) without jumping through a bunch of hoops that make it pretty much impossible. I do have a direct sales business but I'm stuck with running it online only which has limited effectiveness.

I can't mail anything, while its not a problem for me to mail items occasionally (like a craft) I can't do it on a regular basis or I can get in major trouble from the military post office. So etsy isn't an option.

There are craft shows here twice a year, I've done them twice. They really don't get a very good turn out and I don't sell very much. Its worth it for me to go for the little I make but nothing to depend on. I have gotten a couple outside orders from people who saw me there (this is considered a "hobby" so I am allowed to sell on a small scale).

Also we are in military housing so in addition to the restrictions on home based businesses anyway we can't have a large garden or animals etc.

So with all those restrictions in mind I'm pretty limited to online things only. Also the time difference between here and the states is an issue (we are 6 hours ahead of EST)

My interests include crafts, natural living and health, writing and homeschooling (those are the broad categories I have lots of interests).

So I keep thinking blogging but my issues with this are 1. it is hard to actually make money doing it 2. I have trouble narrowing my focus to one area of interest and 3. I'm terrified of the criticism I'm sure to get (yes I need to get over this one). I've considered things like hubpages which help with getting traffic and would allow for more of a wide variety of topics but then I can't control the adds and such on them so not sure how I feel about that (I'd prefer to build my own blog/website and not be dependent on someone else BUT the other may get traffic quicker? and maybe there is a way to leverage both).

I've also looked into things like transcription (NOT medical as I've tried that and it makes me crazy), user testing, freelance work through places like odesk etc. The problem with most of these is it seems like people don't really make more than $3-4 an hour. I'm trying to take into consideration that I wouldn't be paying for childcare but I just can't decide if its worth it (not to mention that that pay doesn't take into consideration the hours spent trying to actually get a job through them).

I've also considered pet sitting buy my cat gets stressed lately so it would have to be in their home and I could only do it on a "for donation" basis (to avoid the HBB rules), which would probably be ok but how do I protect myself from someone accusing me of stealing or something? Do I need liability insurance for that? I am a doula but again I can only do that "for donation" and not a set price, and quite frankly what people are willing to donate doesn't cover my time, costs, and childcare costs (seriously I'd be lucky to get $50) plus having small kids myself childcare is an issue.

I've pretty much concluded that to make any sort of dent in our goals it would have to be a combination. Which is ok too but how do I decide how much I should be making an hour to take the time away from my kids? Are there any ideas I'm overlooking? Should I take the low pay for now in hopes to make more eventually?

Thanks
Sabrina

Hi Sabrina,
I read thru your posts before bedtime and my thoughts upon arising were of your situation. I sell baskets at wholesale trade shows that feature Primitive products. Primitive meaning, not perfect or beautiful but Real, grungy and well loved looking. You have time and no local outlet, so why not create items to sell when you return to the states and stock pile them like a savings account. Primitive dolls come to mind first. they would pack in with the furniture and they can be constructed of used and worn fabric for the most part. you can do research online for "primitive goods", try pintrest. also a book I enjoyed is Barb Moore's purely primitive dolls from Amazon.com The trick is to not use modern fabrics or to appear cute. admittedly I do not favor the primitive style for myself but I sell loads of it. I know from store owners that dolls are hot and not easy to find. Best wishes! Where there is a will there is a way.

Basket weaving can be fun, educational and profitable!
baskets by gin since 1981
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TexasGran
True Blue Farmgirl

4919 Posts

Marilyn
Stephenville Texas
USA
4919 Posts

Posted - May 21 2015 :  2:33:54 PM  Show Profile
Since you are home schooling, why not offer your original work sheets for sell on Teachers pay teachers. Seasonal pages, langauge arts and math are really popular with teachers of Pre K thru second grade here in Texas. Also if you can write the instructions for what you are crocheting, you can sell those patterns.All of these are downloadable.Simple crocheted caps with huge flowers are popular now. Also headbands, fingerless gloves and scarves.

TexasGran
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TexasGran
True Blue Farmgirl

4919 Posts

Marilyn
Stephenville Texas
USA
4919 Posts

Posted - May 21 2015 :  2:38:06 PM  Show Profile
Oh and I forgot. Crochet something. Take a photo. Make an etsy listing for that one item, then make a listing for the downloadable pattern. You only mail one thing, but the photo of that thing keeps bringing g you new customers.

TexasGran
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