Sisyphus Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I have a child engaged in a very expensive extracurricular- ballet. Of course, he is brilliant at it, and needs to go away to summer intensives at the tune of 5000 dollars. And his brother plays three instruments and needs lessons. And he would love to do summer camps in forensics or archaeology or whatever. And we would all love to go on a vacation that didn't involve driving 14 hours to an unlovely Midwestern state and staying with relatives. But, we can't afford it. We can survive on one income, and pay for school stuff, and ballet school tuition...but that's it. Older Ds is teaching himself piano (he has years of music theory so it's not as bad as it sounds) and knows lessons aren't in the cards. No way a vacation is happening, if I can somehow squirrel away money, its got to go for a summer ballet program (and that is with scholarships- he will/has to get scholarships). I need a JOB! But- when!? Dh is gone 6am- 7pm, with the hellish commute. Ds needs to get to dance every evening from 5-7 or 8, and in the morning older Ds is dual enrolled and needs to be at school at 7, then picked up at 830 some days, 10 others. And home school band. And Chemistry class. All things during the day that make carving out a 4 hour shift (doing what?!) impossible. Help me, please. I can't squeeze our budget anymore (but you never know, ideas welcome) and I am at a loss for job ideas. But I really need one. Just 5-600 a month and we could do all the "extras". There has to be something I'm not thinking of. I am just like that picture you see of the guy on the Internet banging his head on the desk right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Could you make something to sell at a local farmer's market? Can you do some tutoring here or there? I was reading a blog a few months ago that cracked me up bigtime. This woman was tired of waiting while her ds had karate lessons and so she went to the pizza parlor next door and asked if she could work there for the two hour lessons twice a week and they were delighted. She was having fun washing dishes for minimum wage during time she normally would have wasted sitting in her car. Can you find something creative to do during your down time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS in LA Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 No (good) advice. But I sympathize. Would converting your car to run on used restaurant oil be an option? (No kidding. We know people who've done this, and it does save on gas money.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 All I can think of is babysitting an easy going, easy traveling baby. Or get a job on the weekends. I have worked weekends for years, to pay for kids tuition, activities and camps. It isn't the easiest on DH and I but we are both independent people so we make it work. Starbucks type places often have early part time shifts, so you may still be home early enough to see your dh. They are usually fast paced and hectic, but not overly stressful (as long as the boss doesn't make it so). I know people who clean offices at night but that would be hard to do with your day time schedule.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Another thing I should add.... We NEVER count on my income. Anything that is getting paid from my income, must be saved first and then paid. We have never put ourselves in a position that I had to work to pay an upcoming bill. Even my kids private school tuition...I make myself save Every penny, each year, before they are enrolled. Even though the school offers a payment plan with no additional cost, I still pay it all up front or at least have it all saved in a special savings account that I don't use for anything else. This has kept us from getting behind and having the extra stress of my Having to have a job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 How about a job that lets you work evenings (with your DH picking the one son up from class after work) and weekends? Or an early morning paper route. Or a job that let's you work as you can be available from home, such as online tutoring? Can your kids get themselves to any of their activities via public transit? Could your son work very part time to help defray his own costs (perhaps assistant teaching younger students at his ballet school)? Are you crafty enough to start an etsy type business? How about dog walking or pet sitting? Or weekend childcare? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Oh, if you're healthy you might qualify to donate plasma. Most places are drop-in and once you're in the donor system it only takes a couple of hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 What skills do you have? Can you do anything from home? A few things my friends do from home: web design, editing, tutoring, instrument and foreign language lessons, programming, writing content for online teaching programs, translations. Some also teach night classes (community college, GED prep, birth prep). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphus Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 Dh actually had an old truck years ago I really, really, really wanted to convert to using restaurant oil! I found kits and plans online, I'm telling you, I could totally do it with my 2 years of auto shop in high school. But he wouldn't go for it. :-( I thought about babysitting, but I don't really want to go through the hassle of getting background checks, license for care, all that stuff. Maybe an informal type thing would work? I'm not sure working weekends at retail would be enough money to be worth it- it'd be 16-20 hours a week, tops, that's including Friday nights which still have obligations for kids to be places, but dh might could pick them up as he leaves fairly early Fridays. Earlier, anyway. Tell me more about this cleaning offices at night thing, please! I am a grade a neat freak and generally great cleaner, and I (sickly, I admit) actually would enjoy that. Late enough in the evening (7-11/12) would work. What do I look for in a job listing? A cleaning company who does this? Tell me more! I can't really make anything...I don't think. I don't bake. The pizza place idea is intriguing. I may have to think on that and put myself "out there" it doesn't hurt to ask, eh? He has 2-4 hours at dance and its not very feasible to come home and waste gas...hmmm. But still, not much money. I need to win the lottery, but I suppose that's out since I never even buy a ticket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphus Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 I don't weigh enough to donate blood (so embarrassing!) but perhaps plasma is different? I can't think of any skills I have that aren't terribly outdated for tutoring- we live in an academic pressure cooker area and hence, tutors are $$$ and have masters and doctorates. I speak several languages, but am not a native speaker, and I am not particularly qualified to teach anyone elses kids anything, for this area. Not crafty. Tell ke about dog walking- I could do that in a two hour stint in the day, or in the evening. Does one hang up fliers around advertising? I thought about doggy daycare/home boarding dogs (they can sleep with us! And play! No kennels here!) but the insurance implications make me nervous- like daycare, are there a ton of hurdles to jump through? If I do it informally, do I risk getting sued? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutdoorMom Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I ran in home daycare for 10 years and tutored Elementary Aged students. I only had a few kids during the day but quite a few before and after school. It could be something to consider. It did provide extra income for fun things and helped pay some bills. I also loved it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphus Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 The dog care idea is quite intriguing- lots of agencies advertising for walkers and in home care. We have a big fenced backyard, two older kids who love dogs, and a congenial but elderly lab who spends 23 hours a day sleeping in the cool basement. This could work! I could watch dogs daytime or for vacations, they would get walks, playtime and can sleep and hang out with us, no kennels or scary boarding. And this area is ga-ga for doggy daycares and such. I found an agency that provides insurance/bonding and you pay them a percentage of anything you make, you solicit clients via a profile. Anyone (long shot) have experience with this? I'm very knowledgeable about dogs, willing and able to understand common behavior problems (we only adopt from shelters, so I've run the gamut) and...this could really work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Are there any arrangements that you could make with your dance studio, such as cleaning the studio in exchange for tuition? I know a family that does that at our dance studio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 The only thing I can think is that you'd need a weekend or night job. Grocery store cashier or stocker might not be bad. 150/wk would be 20 hrs at minimum wage, though, and that is pre-tax. Even at a moderate tax bracket, you'd probably be looking at 25% or more marginal rate, so that means you need to earn more like 200/wk to clear 150. :( So, that'd be more like 27-28 hr/wk. That is a heck of a lot of hours. Personally, I'd drop the extras for the kids before giving up all your family and spare time. IMHO, unless you have a marketable skill that can clear you a lot of $$ hourly, I'd forget about trying to earn it. Your family needs a mom more than it needs a workhorse who is never home -- just working to pay for extras. FWIW, in my limited experience, I've seen boys that were even mediocre in ballet get full scholarships to intensives and class tuition, etc. Most schools are desperate for boys. I'd set a firm limit on expenditures (and be fair to your other dc and yourself) for ballet and stick to it. Just tell the school you can't afford intensives, etc, and he needs full scholarships (or you can pay travel cost only or whatever) or he can't do it. Likewise, put a cap on class tuition and tell them up front before the fall starts. The only other thing would be if you have some major expense like a car payment. If you're willing to ditch the nice car and drive a junker, that might save you substantially, but I wouldn't be willing to do it for an extra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I actually have a great idea for you. There are several of us on here that work for this company. Kristin (K2Bdeutmeyer) introduced us to it. It's called Lionbridge. Basically they're contracted to Google. There are several positions for working from home. It is very legitimate, part time, independent contractor work. They are based out of the UK. They direct deposit your pay once a month. It's no joke junk job. They pay quite a fair wage. For the position I have, Internet Assessor, you have to pass a three part exam. They send you a pdf study guide that's about 150 pages long that explains in detail the sort of work you'll be doing, and they give you a week to study and pass all three parts of the test. Basically, I rate google results; how well the results answer the intent of the user's query, how good the webpages are, stuff like that. It's very technical, and kind of boring, to be honest. But the hours are completely flexible; they ask that you work between 10-20 hours a week. And actually, in the two-ish months I've been working for them, they've been offering to let people work up to 30 hours a week about half the time, because they have a surplus of work. Many of the job descriptions say they require a bachelors degree. This does not appear to be true. The one I applied for said so. I don't have a bachelors; I don't even have an associates. I do have a computer aided drafting career background in the years before kids, as well as some college, which I guess proved that I have something of a "techy" background. But that was TEN years ago. I haven't worked since then. And they hired me. Kristin doesn't have her degree either, though again she does have some college. If you have any more questions, feel free to post a "Hey anyone who works for Lionbidge" thread. Like I said, there are actually several of us now thanks to Kristen recommending it. It was exactly the sort of job my dh and I had been wanting me to find, but didn't think actually existed. Here's a link to the job listings in the US. From what I understand for the different postions, the pay range is $13-$16/hr. I have no desire to go back to the CAD field I was in before kids (nor could I without putting the kids in school, which is not something we'd consider),but those are the only skills I have that could make me any sort of decent money. Dh and I didn't think it worth it for me to go earn minimum wage somewhere for 15 hours a week. I mean, if we NEEDED the money, for sure I'd do it. But this was the perfect compromise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 How much do you weigh? I looked up the minimum and it seems to be 110. It's less stressful to the body than whole blood donation, though--you can do it up to twice a week. A retail or food job may not pay a lot, but it's better than nothing. 20 hrs. at $7.50/hr is $150/wk. After tax you'll still be close to that $500/mo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I'd check into the dog care or midday walking. If you could do 3 thirty min walks five days a week, you could make around 420 a month after taxes. I would not accept less than 10 a walk, and that would be with a company.On your own, see what the market will bear, but you could prob get twelve a walk--but license and bonding and initial set up would eat into that a bit. Dog sitting is unreliable but lucrative, and involves being avail at holiday times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 The boys at our dance studio get scholarships. It used to be full scholarships. Most studios near me offer significant scholarships for boys. I'd look around at other ballet studios and ask about scholarships. Then, I'd ask at your current studio about the possibility of scholarships. Do you sew? Our dance studio recruits people who can assist their seamstress for the big shows in December and may. You can look for evening work and have your dh pick up your ds from the studio. Your other ds is dual enrolled. Is first thing in the morning the only time he can take his classes. Most cc offer multiple sections of classes. If his class time changed you could an early morning shift (deliver newspaper, be on staff at opening at a gym or Y--usually 5 to 9 am) Dog walking is very big where I live. That is generally midday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 lots f great suggestions have already been offered. is there anything you can do at the studio? cleaning or something? I learned to referee basketball so I could pay the court fees of my children playing. I cannot catch a ball, but that doesn't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I did LiveOps super early mornings. Other people do it late evenings. Talk2rep, if you were half decent (and fast), would make you $10/hour (some people make less; some more, of course, but $10 seems easily do-able from what I understand). You'd have to be able to commit to 4 hours at a time (late afternoon/evening) and 15 hours or more per week. Respite for foster parents if you're good at cheap meals and activities? Can you cook? clean? I was looking at having this lady do our every other week housekeeping and once a month cooking (plus a few breakfasts and lunches). It would still be cheaper than what we're doing now and would give her a little income. On the housekeeping thing....a house would go down to 90min to 3 hours depending. My stepmom did it full time in the late 80s making $4000/mo and was still home most of the time when we got home. So you easily could do part time, I'd think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I think the weight requirements for plasma and blood are the same, 110 min. I donated plasma in college but even if I were willing here, the plasma center is 40 min. each way and by the time I factor in gas and commuting, I would make less than $4/hour. Not worth it for me. Dawn I don't weigh enough to donate blood (so embarrassing!) but perhaps plasma is different? I can't think of any skills I have that aren't terribly outdated for tutoring- we live in an academic pressure cooker area and hence, tutors are $$$ and have masters and doctorates. I speak several languages, but am not a native speaker, and I am not particularly qualified to teach anyone elses kids anything, for this area. Not crafty. Tell ke about dog walking- I could do that in a two hour stint in the day, or in the evening. Does one hang up fliers around advertising? I thought about doggy daycare/home boarding dogs (they can sleep with us! And play! No kennels here!) but the insurance implications make me nervous- like daycare, are there a ton of hurdles to jump through? If I do it informally, do I risk getting sued? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I work nights and weekends for an agency that provides in-home care for people with disabilities. The overnights are fairly easy since the clients are generally asleep, and I'm there just in case there's an emergency. In particular, I like working the weekend overnights (8pm-8am) because they're very relaxed and I'm still able to get lots of reading, homeschool planning and some rest during the shift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisyphus Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 I have a funny blood donating story, actually. When I was in the military we had a blood drive day. Those that donated got in line and donated and were off. Those that didn't- many could not due to recent deployments to risky areas and whatnot- had a general field day type day. Painting stairwells, filing papers, raking leaves, that sort of thing. Well, who doesn't want a day off? So I donated anyway. Big mistake- huge. I was completely wiped out for a week, my "day off" was a waste since I slept all weekend. I drank gallons of water to try and help, but it was not a nice feeling, and the next blood drive I just buffed floors and didn't risk it! Ds has already gotten scholarships to the 2 summer programs he tried out for, and to a residential school. But they are partial, and not for the room and board part of the expense.He just started this year, and we hadn't planned on him getting to programs or really liking it (and doing so well with it). In the future if it pans out and he wants to really do this, he will I'm sure, but for the next few years it's an expense we will have to bear. His school tuition- yes, I could probably get it reduced. But we can pay it, and it's a small school, the main teacher and his wife (both Russian immigrants) have 3 young kids and also work second jobs delivering pizzas, plus dance in local production when they can for extra money. They are wonderful people and while I know they would do it to keep him, I don't feel right about that. If it was the only way for him to keep dancing, sure, but it's really matter of finding income for the extras. And those dumb slippers he burns through at a pair a week! Thank you all so much, I have real possibilities to explore now thanks to this thread. Feeling a bit more hopeful I can find a way to make our budget not so darn tight. I've said it before, but gosh darn I love this board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Do you know your ds's size and brand for slippers? This may not help because his foot may still be growing, but I get my dd's point shoes online. Her feet are not growing. Pointe shoes have like five measurements. I searched the brand through multiple online sources to find her exact size (some retail sources don't stock her exact sizing) and the cheapest price. I think I'm saving $20 a pair over what her studio was selling them for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS in LA Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I actually have a great idea for you. There are several of us on here that work for this company. Kristin (K2Bdeutmeyer) introduced us to it. It's called Lionbridge. Basically they're contracted to Google. There are several positions for working from home. It is very legitimate, part time, independent contractor work. They are based out of the UK. They direct deposit your pay once a month. It's no joke junk job. They pay quite a fair wage. For the position I have, Internet Assessor, you have to pass a three part exam. They send you a pdf study guide that's about 150 pages long that explains in detail the sort of work you'll be doing, and they give you a week to study and pass all three parts of the test. Basically, I rate google results; how well the results answer the intent of the user's query, how good the webpages are, stuff like that. It's very technical, and kind of boring, to be honest. But the hours are completely flexible; they ask that you work between 10-20 hours a week. And actually, in the two-ish months I've been working for them, they've been offering to let people work up to 30 hours a week about half the time, because they have a surplus of work. Many of the job descriptions say they require a bachelors degree. This does not appear to be true. The one I applied for said so. I don't have a bachelors; I don't even have an associates. I do have a computer aided drafting career background in the years before kids, as well as some college, which I guess proved that I have something of a "techy" background. But that was TEN years ago. I haven't worked since then. And they hired me. Kristin doesn't have her degree either, though again she does have some college. If you have any more questions, feel free to post a "Hey anyone who works for Lionbidge" thread. Like I said, there are actually several of us now thanks to Kristen recommending it. It was exactly the sort of job my dh and I had been wanting me to find, but didn't think actually existed. Here's a link to the job listings in the US. From what I understand for the different postions, the pay range is $13-$16/hr. I have no desire to go back to the CAD field I was in before kids (nor could I without putting the kids in school, which is not something we'd consider),but those are the only skills I have that could make me any sort of decent money. Dh and I didn't think it worth it for me to go earn minimum wage somewhere for 15 hours a week. I mean, if we NEEDED the money, for sure I'd do it. But this was the perfect compromise. Wow. Thank you for mentioning this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I have a child engaged in a very expensive extracurricular- ballet. Of course, he is brilliant at it, and needs to go away to summer intensives at the tune of 5000 dollars. And his brother plays three instruments and needs lessons. And he would love to do summer camps in forensics or archaeology or whatever. And we would all love to go on a vacation that didn't involve driving 14 hours to an unlovely Midwestern state and staying with relatives. Oh my - I have no advice, (although the Lionbridge thing sounds promising) but having one in ballet and one in music, I can certainly sympathize with you. Forget lessons for the youngers. Anything they want to learn has to be able to be taught by dh or I :D . This past year we took my younger girls out of ballet, partly because of finances, but mostly because I know we just won't be able to sustain having 4 girls in ballet. Even if they never go beyond basic classes, the expense in time, clothing, shoes, recitals, and classes is unreal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckabell Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I do general transcription from home. I usually work 15 to 20 hours per week and it brings in extra money. To be a good transcriptionist you need to treat transcribing as a real job, have excellent grammar skills, and possess a good ear. Two great forums to join if you're interested in learning more about the industry are Transcription Essentials and Transcription Haven. I have also started a blog about transcribing (since many people in real life and online have asked me about the industry) and you can PM me for the blog address. I know that you can also do a search on general transcription on this forum and it will bring up some old threads. Becoming a virtual assistant is also something that you could look into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I'd talk to your kid's dance studio about opportunities to work off your tuition or apply for a scholarship. We have about 8 moms at our studio that run things behind the scenes - office management, web page updates, custodial, one has served as a stage manager for big shows, etc. The online work options are good too. I wouldn't necessarily prioritize the ballet intensive over the other child's desire to learn an instrument with a teacher, especially since ballet kid is doing ballet every day already. Is music kid interested in pursuing music beyond high school? It is possible to try for full scholarships at the intensives too - I know a girl that got into one that way in NYC this summer. Financial concerns are a problem for their family too - her mom works at our studio. Do you have any local intensive opportunities? How old are your kids? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I want to link this thread for you for ideas. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/478376-so-if-you-had-to-save-up-close-to-3000-in-3-months-what-would-you-do/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I have earned as much as $50 an hour tutoring in my home. You could charge much less and it would still be worth your time. My good friend has students come to her home with their school math assignments. She basically reteaches the material and gets them started on their homework-- she does no prep work. The going rate around here is between $35 and $50. My husband teaches high school math as has been offered $75 an hour to tutor calculus. Could you tutor middle school math? There's a demand for that level. Parents start to panic that their child is still confused about percents/decimals/fractions and will pay for tutoring. You may even be able to tutor siblings of dancers at your son's studio? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/477153-i-need-to-earn-7k-i-need-ideas-please/?do=findComment&comment=5027048 Here is another thread with ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Personal Care Attendant for an elderly person or a disabled child/adult. Around here, they are always short on people to fill the spots. Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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