October Budget

We’ve been pushing the checking account to its lowest limits lately and something has got to give. As a result, I’ve been having moments of panic quite a bit and this always puts the thought that I need to get a job into my head. The last time my husband and I discussed this option he said not yet. I know that the only type of job that would work for us financially would be for me to work the hours when he is home. Even this might not work financially as he gets sporadic overtime that far out earns anything I’d make working part time. Also it would seriously diminish the quality of our family life.

October happens to be a three paycheck month as well as the month my husband receives a lump sum check for the retroactive pay raises from their recently approved union contract. My goal this month is to maximize the additional income by keeping our flexible expenses as low as possible. This is really going to be a challenge as the pantry needs some restocking, we need pellets for the pellet stove, the truck needs new tires and it looks like I will be taking a trip to Florida within the next month to help my father in law start sorting and packing up his house to move (more on this at a later date).

I managed to get Halloween costumes already from a local consignment shop, I’ve been doing a lot of cooking from scratch and have been back to my previous mode of bargain shopping for groceries and household needs.  I’ve also sold some clothes to the consignment shop and have more clothing as well as kids toys to bring down.  We also have a few larger items and pieces of furniture that I’d like to get out of the house so I’m going to list them on Craigslist. 

Hopefully by being smart, and of course with some luck, we can get a little bit ahead of the game before the upcoming holiday expenses start setting in. Now I'm off to finish clipping coupons and making my grocery list for tomorrow.  I’ll keep you posted on our success. Note that I used the word SUCCESS – positive thinking right???!!! 

Additional Income Required

This May I will have been out of work for 2 years. My unemployment has run out and the one year severance I received is being tapped far too quickly. It's time for me to get serious about supplementing my husband's paycheck with some income of my own.

My goal in earning income is to minimize my 'cost of working'. Costs of working include; daycare, clothing, gasoline, lunches, and less time to bargain shop and prepare meals.  It is also important to me to maintain balance in our home and for our children.  I want my kids to know that mom is here for them before and after school.   I want them to be able to stay home when they are sick and to experience summer vacations.  I want my husband to have the flexibility to work overtime when it's available - something that increases his income tremendously.

Monday morning I have an appointment at the local school bus company to apply for a job as a driver. My work days and times will match those of my daughter's school and both she and my 3 year old son can ride along on my route.  I will have a chunk of time each day to take care of household tasks, doctor appointments, volunteer opportunities at school and hopefully just to catch my breath.

Since the training and certification for driving can take up to two months, I spent some time today working on listing some unused items on Craigslist.   Tomorrow I am going to go through the bags of outgrown clothing we have and get them down to the consignment store.  Hopefully within the next month or so I can bring in a little cash by re-selling and then get certified to drive the bus.

Money Saving Mom's "Becoming a Work At Home Mom" Series - Part 2

Starting with Small Things (Part 2)

Part 2 of Crystal’s “Becoming a Work At Home Mom” series is posted at Money Saving Mom. Each post I read has me anticipating the next one! In Part 2 Crystal shares with us the small things she started doing to earn an income from home. If you’re interested in learning more please check out this post at Money Saving Mom as well as all the comments posted.

I would have to say this is the stage I am in right now – dipping my feet in the water and seeing how things feel. One of the easiest ways I’ve found to make quick cash is to sell off items on Craigslist or eBay. I also use Swagbucks and have earned about $20 in Amazon.com gift cards. (See this post for more information on earning prizes and gift cards by using Swagbucks.) I haven’t tried any of the survey sites and I’m not sure I want to take that path – it sounds like an investment in time that doesn’t pay a lot. I really am enjoying blogging and while it hasn’t paid off yet I feel good about building something and having a tangible ‘product’ out there in the world. I like writing and am hopeful that this experience will hone my skills and perhaps open the door to future writing projects.

Do you do things from home to earn additional income? What things seem to work best for you and what kind of advice do you have for someone starting out?

Swagbucks

I’ve been using Swagbucks as my search vehicle for well over 6 months now. It’s a site where you search the web, click through to purchase products from affiliated vendors and trade in old electronics to earn Swagbucks. With Swagbucks you can purchase items and best of all redeem your earned bucks for gift cards. So far I have earned $20.00 in Amazon Gift Cards just by simply using Swagbucks as a search vehicle – and it’s all FREE!!!

Click on the icon above for more information or to join Swagbucks and start earning some swag cash!

Money Saving Mom's "Becoming a Work At Home Mom" Series

Crystal at Money Saving Mom has Part 1 of her Work At Home Mom Series posted. Check out Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom: In the Beginning…(Part 1). While this post is mostly an intro, it does give you background on Crystal and her husband’s journey to multiple income streams. Crystal is a respected blogger and definite mentor in the on-line work at home world. I’m looking forward to learning more from her series. I also hope to share here at Finding My Way at Home, my own attempts to increase our household income using alternative means.

Money Saving Mom's "Becoming a Work At Home Mom" Series

Crystal at Money Saving Mom is doing a series on becoming a work at home mom. She's gotten an overwhelming response to her introduction for the series. Check out this post at Money Saving Mom and keep an eye out here for future links to this exciting series.