Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Today, there are many work at home options available. In order to stay motivated and succeed, you will want to choose something you are good at and enjoy.
Of course, there are scams out there that promise you thousands of dollars for doing nothing but what you want all day, and this simply isn’t realistic. Working from home is still work! It will be much easier, though, if you choose something that interests you and that you enjoy doing. Here are some options and how you can determine what works for you.
Time
Be honest about how much time you have. If you have young children, you’ll need to arrange for childcare or work around their schedule. If you only have ten hours a week to put toward a work at home job, then it’s better to go ahead and admit that now rather than bite off more than you can chew.
List your skills.
Making lists is not always our first instinct, but it’s a good exercise for looking truthfully at your abilities, hopes, dreams, etc. Begin by making a list of your practical skills – these can run the gamut from meal planning to typing to teaching.
Then, make a list of all your income needs. How much money do you need to quit your day job, or to pay the mortgage? List all expenses from groceries to car payments.
Finally, make a list of your goals and dreams for your business. Where do you envision your business going? Are you content working for others or do you want to go into business for yourself? Include in this list your financial goals – maybe you’d like to afford a vacation, a new car, or just the utility bill.
Having these lists will help you determine if a work at home opportunity is a fit for you. If it doesn’t help you meet your goals, it probably isn’t right for you.
Practical Steps.
If you’re working from home, you have a computer and an internet connection, right? So, get online and research. If you are going to work at home for a company, research that company thoroughly.
Another online option is to join a work at home community where jobs are posted regularly.
How much money do you have to invest?
Some legitimate companies do require a cash outlay. If you are going into business for yourself, you will need to consider the cost of a website, possibly hiring a designer, marketing and advertising.
Next: Top Business Ideas for Work at Home Moms on a Shoestring
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
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Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
With the current state of the economy and many people getting laid off from their job or getting hours cut, budgets for many are getting tighter and tighter. Even if the current economic crisis hasn’t much affected you personally, you may still be taking proactive measures to be more frugal. You may be wondering how you can start saving some money in various ways that will allow you to free up some space in your budget. Believe it or not there are a variety of do it yourself ideas that you can easily incorporate into your life that don’t cost much at all. Here are some great ideas to try out that will help your budget and free up some money for you.
Learn to Sew your Own Clothes
One excellent do-it-yourself idea that can be a huge help if you have a tight budget is learning to sew your own clothes. Purchasing new clothes is not cheap these days. This is especially true if you have children, who need new wardrobes nearly every year. However, if you learn to sew, you can make clothing yourself and save big time. Even if you have to take a sewing class, it will be well worth it if you are able to sew your own clothes and some clothes for your family. If fabric costs are a concern you can always design new clothes using thrift store finds. For example, you can buy a couple cheap tank tops at a thrift store and sew a twirly fabric skirt onto them, creating low cost sun dresses. If you need new clothes and you don’t know how to fit it in your budget, consider sewing and you may be able to save some money.
Grow Some of Your Own Food
Groceries are getting more and more expensive as well. It’s so difficult when you go to the store and you find that simple food items have doubled in price. Shopping for groceries really costs quite a bit of money, but there is something that you can do to save. Growing your own food can help you to save on your grocery bill. Planting some food in a garden or in a container garden is not expensive at all. You can easily purchase seeds or even plants that have already been started. Start growing them and you’ll soon have some produce of your own. Lettuce, tomatoes, and strawberries are all easy crops to start with. This can provide some nice savings on your weekly shopping bill.
Do More Cooking Yourself
Another simple thing that you can do yourself that will make some room in your budget is to do more of the cooking yourself. If you aren’t a great cook, you can learn. You can read articles and easily get recipes online. Ask friends to share their favorite, simple to make, meal recipes. Instead of spending so much money eating out or spending a lot on pre-made foods at the grocery store, you’ll find that it is a whole lot cheaper for you to buy raw ingredients and make the meals yourself. Not only will it save you quite a bit of money, but you’ll be eating healthier meals as well.
Make Use of Used Objects
Making use of used objects in your home can be helpful. Get creative with making things yourself. Do you have an old pair of jeans lying around your home? If so, use your sewing skills to cut them off and make shorts. Do you need a new handbag? Simply cutting the legs off a pair of old jeans and using the top of the jeans can be used to make a cool handbag that looks like a designer bag. A tin can will look good as a pencil holder or planter. A glass pop bottle can be a flower vase. Look around your home and find things you don’t use. Figure out how you can use them for another use to save some money.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Family, Judith Cassis, Member Contributions
If there’s one thing I love it’s a nice, expensive suit. Since presently my budget is targeted for things like trade shows and computer repair, let’s just say I’m a little dated in the fashion department. Okay, a lot dated…
I remember the days when my professional attire vacillated between a bathrobe or sweats and at times a bath towel. Oh yeah, there’s a story here, and I’ll bet when you hear it, more than one work-from-home parent will relate.
From a birds-eye view, the daily shenanigans of a work-from-home household are literally a three ring circus, sans popcorn. We learn to balance responsibilities and juggle chores with one hand, while caring for our children with the other. The day can be flowing along nicely when all of a sudden, the phone rings. Yikes – a client! Quickly, dry your hands, turn off the stereo/TV, close the door (if possible) to the playroom (if you have one), clear your throat, smile and answer the phone. Whew!
I did this for many years –yes, often in my sweats or bathrobe, and none of my clients was ever the wiser. So, what about the towel? You guessed it – fresh out of the shower and the phone rings. No one ever knew.
Judith Cassis,C.Ht. is a Personal Development Consultant with 26 years experience. Known as “The Bounce-Back Coach”, she works with people who are “bouncing back” from failure, loss or tragedy. Judith was the co-owner of a small newspaper, Tidbits of Santa Clarita Valley, www.tidbitsscv.com a family business she and her late husband, Lee Cadena ran with their sons. Through a monthly teleseries, Mama Come Home, Judith supports mothers in staying home or returning home to raise their children.
![Ideas for a Dwindling Budget]()
Resource Articles
If you are like most working parents, you’d prefer that your child not see a nanny, or the inside of a daycare, more than they see you. Well, here is some good news: becoming a self-employed parent is a possibility for everyone. Yes, even you. You are not alone in wanting more for children and parents everywhere are uniting together in support of a new movement that will increase your odds of work-at-home success. The Parent Entrepreneur community has grown exponentially over the last 5 years and it even comes with its own set of rules that will allow you to put family before your work. With meticulous planning, lowered expectations and a positive outlook you too can transition to becoming a work-at-home parent.
Many corporations are already on board with this new movement and are accepting more proposals to telecommute than ever before. For a basic telecommute proposal template to get you started visit: http://www.ourmilkmoney.com/resources .
You must be willing to make sacrifices. Quitting your job will most likely result in making major budget cuts and the need to make up for that lost income. Offer your skills in exchange for payment or barter, and be prepared to work a lot more for a lot less. Never take your eye off the prize: precious time with your children is priceless.
Self-employed Parent Enthusiast Ally Loprete is the Founder of OurMilkMoney.com, a nationwide online business directory of self-employed parents, and the host of This Little Parent Stayed Home, a live weekly radio show which is part of the Her Insight Group on Toginet.com. Ally is on a mission to help others deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of leaving a full time job to start a new business, while running a full time household and raising kids. She is resolute about creating a haven in which parents across the nation will continue to thrive and obtain the support they need in their personal journeys.
![Ideas for a Dwindling Budget]()
Resource Articles
So, you’ve decided to become a full time stay-at-home parent. Re-evaluating your budget is one of the hardest first steps to letting go of that second income because it means you are going to have to let some things go. First, realize that just because you have to cut down on some indulgences does not mean you are living in poverty. You will survive. Start by taking a look at your credit card statements, your cell phone bills and your other spending habits. This will give you some clues where to cut first. Lower your cell phone plan minutes, brew your own coffee, use the library to borrow books and videos. Consider how often you use your gym membership and if your physical activity can be replaced by taking the kids for a walk or joining a weekly stroller strides group. Start a ‘swap’ group in your community and rotate things like videos, toys and books. Instead of meeting friends out for drinks, which now includes the price of a babysitter, invite them over for game night. Let go of your season tickets and watch the games on TV for free, or check your local listings for community events such as free concerts in the park. Most likely, you will begin to enjoy the creative activities that you are able to come up with as a family. On the rare occasion that you are able to hire a sitter and get out with your grown-up friends, it will mean more to you than it ever did before.
Self-employed Parent Enthusiast Ally Loprete is the Founder of OurMilkMoney.com, a nationwide online business directory of self-employed parents, and the host of This Little Parent Stayed Home, a live weekly radio show which is a part of the Her Insight Group on Toginet.com. Ally is on a mission to help others deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of leaving a full time job to start a new business, while running a full time household and raising kids. She is resolute about creating a haven in which parents across the nation will continue to thrive and obtain the support they need in their personal journeys.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
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