SamanthaCarter Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 Can anyone make suggestions on how to make money at home when you are already homeschooling full time? I don't have the best set up for doing anything computer related, no way to get out of the middle of traffic/activity. I am a former CPA, I could go back to work part-time, but would only make enough to cover tuition for my kids to go to a school I feel good about. So going back to work would kind of be a wash. Besides that, I am less and less inclinced to throw my kids into upper-middle-class-land that they would find themselves in at this school. I used to run a bakery. I can cook and bake pretty well, but have found that food service work of any kind pays so badly it is barely worth the time. I would love to try to do a little home business doing cupcakes, scones and treats for coffee shops and restaurants, but I don't have a good set up for that either and I don't think the income would justify the expense of trying to set this up and find the customers. I feel like I need to find a way to contribute financially. We just aren't keeping up on one income. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 As a CPA, could you do freelance work for some small business or private clients? People I know to work from home do a variety of things: tutoring teaching music lessons, foreign languages web design, graphic design online teaching develop content for online learning software social media/web consultant for business paper editing and then there are a variety of artists and artisans who work from home: potters, sculptors, fiber artists... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted July 15, 2016 Author Share Posted July 15, 2016 I know I could make a little bit of money teaching a class at a homeschool academy ($10/mo per student, no real overhead). They will take on pretty much any subject that a homeschool mom is willing to prepare and teach a class on. Problem is I don't feel qualified to teach anything. Bookeeping, yes, but who needs that in their homeschool line-up? I probably could have taught Econ at one point but I don't feel qualified on that anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RKWAcademy Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 I'm a CPA in the exact same boat. The inability to leave my kids in order to have client meetings plus the costs of insurance and software, etc. has deterred me from attempting to hang out my own shingle in any capacity. My husband works crazy hours so I can't commit to any schedule, even on the weekend, if I look for a low level job just to make a little bit of money to help. My only valid consideration has been to reach out to former coworkers still in accounting for any side work they may have that can be done at home. I guess I'm fortunate that I've only been out of work for four years, so I still have a few connections. We're moving and things are chaotic now, but I do plan to go that route if possible later in the year. What if you ask local CPA firms for any busy season work they may have that you could do at home? Good luck finding what works for you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted July 15, 2016 Author Share Posted July 15, 2016 Busy season help. That's a thought. Of course that's not rolling around again until January. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 I've been a part-time professor since mine were babies, but my other work started from teaching local homeschool classes. I got into teaching local classes over a decade ago. With mine in classes at the same time with a group and needing some $$$ for their classes, it made sense. I taught grade school classes initially in hands-on science so that mine could have science, and that paid for their other classes there. I didn't net much, but it was a lot of fun. I figured that I could handle grade school science. We made some friends there that continued to today. In time that expanded into other areas locally. I found that I really loved teaching children. I was in scientific research and program management for 15 years before children, so that was an insight that was new to me! It's tough to break into, but now I teach children full-time online in addition to being a part-time professor. I also usually have some contract writing projects going. All of this has built gradually as my children have grown. They're now in college and 12th grade. So anyway, just goes to show that you might explore some areas that may grow into something more. I work 100% from home now, and it's been a huge help to our bottom line. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 I'm not quite sure how you can push your way into a circle like this... but if you know of any entrepreneur type people who are crazy busy with lots of ideas, they often depend highly on part-time smart people who can help them with a variety of misc. projects. For example, one of my dd's happens to know someone like this who hires her constantly for a huge variety of projects, which my dd can do at home in her own time. She has done things for her like editing papers, making short videos (with i-Movie pre-set software which is very easy to use), entering hundreds of papers into digital archives, repairing the frame on an antique mirror, designing flyers for events, and many other random things. I know my dh used to hire people like my dd himself for a variety of random projects, and once he found someone who he know was smart and who he could rely on, he'd continue to go back to them. Anyway, I know it's kind of a random suggestion, but there you go. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 I've been a part-time professor since mine were babies, but my other work started from teaching local homeschool classes. I got into teaching local classes over a decade ago. With mine in classes at the same time with a group and needing some $$$ for their classes, it made sense. I taught grade school classes initially in hands-on science so that mine could have science, and that paid for their other classes there. I didn't net much, but it was a lot of fun. I figured that I could handle grade school science. We made some friends there that continued to today. In time that expanded into other areas locally. I found that I really loved teaching children. I was in scientific research and program management for 15 years before children, so that was an insight that was new to me! It's tough to break into, but now I teach children full-time online in addition to being a part-time professor. I also usually have some contract writing projects going. All of this has built gradually as my children have grown. They're now in college and 12th grade. So anyway, just goes to show that you might explore some areas that may grow into something more. I work 100% from home now, and it's been a huge help to our bottom line. How do you teach children online from home? As a 'brick & mortar' educator, I'm curious how to possibly take that route in the future in order to gain some additional income. Hmmm.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolinagirl1 Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 Do you like animals? Maybe you could take a dog grooming course and groom dogs in your home. They make a pretty decent income. Teach lessons In home day care, babysitting, or after-school pick up Otherwise, I can only think of computer related ideas - bookkeeping, selling on ebay. Maybe you could do some videos or an e-book for bookkeepers or small business owners looking to learn the business. I do bookkeeping for my husband's business and I learned how to use quickbooks by watching a course on Lynda.com. Maybe you could do a course on bookkeeping for certain types of businesses, for example, "Bookkeeping for Medical Practices". If you could get out for a few hours at a time, you could clean houses. Just a few ideas I've had for myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 (edited) How do you teach children online from home? As a 'brick & mortar' educator, I'm curious how to possibly take that route in the future in order to gain some additional income. Hmmm.... I teach live classes through one of the online providers. I prefer not to say who for obvious reasons, but it's work I enjoy. A friend had been involved since it was started, and I had done some of that at the college level with recording lectures, writing online exams, and holding online office hours. It ties you down to a certain schedule and there are lots of controls, more like a bricks-and-mortar school versus a local situation where you run the show. I'm happy with it overall though and have been doing it for awhile now. Edited July 15, 2016 by G5052 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 (edited) OH there is so much. Babysitting nanny before and after school care date night go on care.com and i bet you will find stuff in your area could you sub at the schools at all? Teaching at coops? Pet sitting Dog walking newspaper delivery Blogging Sell things on Ebay, amazon, etsy, poshmark you could easily start a biz doing this. But first sell everything you dont need or want in your home. Also have a garage sale. how about saving some money ebates for shopping online. Are you signed up for this yet? Let me know if you need a refferal. I do my shopping online and get rebates of 30-100 a few times a year. ibotta checkout51 earning giftcards swagbucks shopkick can you attack your budget? Cut anything? That would get you instant money. Do you get a tax refund? Tutoring- you already are a teacher with your kids. You can do this online or in person can you teach anything else? Music? Suveys Cosign clothes Sell things on CL Do you have reward ccs? You can get cash back for your purchases, giftcards, or airline or hotel points microjobs on Easy Shift, Field Agent and Gig Wall. Mystery shopping scroll Craig's List for paid forum and mock jury opportunities Drive for Uber Rent a room from your home. Can you be a runner lady? Run errands, do shopping, pick things up? Are we allowed to post direct links to sites? I have a few websites to tell you about too. Edited July 15, 2016 by mommyoffive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RKWAcademy Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 I know I could make a little bit of money teaching a class at a homeschool academy ($10/mo per student, no real overhead). They will take on pretty much any subject that a homeschool mom is willing to prepare and teach a class on. Problem is I don't feel qualified to teach anything. Bookeeping, yes, but who needs that in their homeschool line-up? I probably could have taught Econ at one point but I don't feel qualified on that anymore. Later in the summer they may have a lot more work as extensions deadlines are coming due for their corporate clients. I guess it depends on their client load. I did corporate taxes in industry so I don't have a feel for how a small firm operates. Public Accounting has a busy season later in the year, too (I was only in Big 4 for two awful years). Not sure how small firms work. Even aside from actual tax filings, I'm sure small firms have audit work toward the end of the year. Or even just quarterly bookkeeping. Hope to find someone who has just a tad too much work consistently but not enough to justify another FTE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 Home health aid. There are companies all Over the country looking for employees. This is a job you can do nights. Think of it as a highly paid babysitter. Or, offer after school care in your home for special needs kids. They are often hard to find after school care for. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 In your position, I would offer a consumer math and financial awareness class or an introduction to accounting class for high schoolers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 (edited) I have such a classical-CM-liberal arts educational philosophy that I tend to think that homeschoolers wouldn't want a principles of accounting class for thier high schoolers. Because I wouldn't really. But DH reminds me not everybody has our philosophy. <shrug> I hate the idea of providing childcare. I know it seems like the most obvious choice. But our home is small and my own kids drive me crazy. I'm pursuing the idea of finding work at a CPA firm from mid Jan through mid April. I have a Masters in tax but more experience in audit, internal audit and financial reporting, so I like to think of myself as pretty well rounded. If I could do an April through December school year, that might work. I hated the public accounting work environment, but think that now that I am older I can deal with it a bit better. I have ten years experience with these three kids after all, that's got to count for something. ;) And it would only be three months. Edited July 17, 2016 by SamanthaCarter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 If anybody else has some suggestions, please contribute! I'm still listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmom Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 (edited) I know a few people who do just part-time bookkeeping for a small business. I don't know how they found those jobs. I imagine they stumbled onto them, right place, right time. But you could start putting out feelers like that. Look at ads online, ask your friends on facebook, etc. There might be a small business who needs someone 10-15 hours a week and you could do it from home. ETA: Something like this, just for an example because I have no idea where you live: http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Nickolas-M-Savko-&-Sons/jobs/Bookkeeper-12f1563ba8b2e0c2?q=Bookkeeper Edited July 18, 2016 by Grantmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tita Gidge Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 A woman at my church is a CPA who quit working after her third child. Her husband is an NFL scout who is often on the road. She tutors math to kids at our local public school, which is pretty flexible and not too hard to work around her husband's fluctuating work schedule. Because it's MATH, and occasionally CHEMISTRY, people are willing to pay on the higher end of what tutors might normally earn. Does your husband have a regular schedule that you can plan around? I know you said computer work wasn't ideal but it's the most flexible (in my opinion). I retired about three years ago, but a former client contacted me and asked me to work on a temporary project. It's a 2-3 year project as a technical writer, integrating the training manuals of his existing company with the company he just bought. Even though I'm not a technical writer by trade or experience, he's paying me the going rate of $55/hour. It's nowhere near what I earned before but it's worth getting out of bed for. My kids are older so I leave them at home and go write at the library, the Starbucks, etc. Your kids are younger so that's not an option but it might be if your husband had a regular schedule you could work around. I'm sure there are technical writing jobs for CPAs. I'm only expected to work 10-12 hours a week, so it's very part-time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdrinca Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I felt this pressure very much about 18 months ago. I made a giant list of the ways I could help contribute to our family income - lots of the ideas mentioned above. Nothing would have given me consistently a minimum hourly wage salary, and, frankly, my hourly contribution to our family is more valuable than that. (Meaning: the opportunity cost of hustling online, selling odds and ends, editing YouTube videos, was much higher than the income generated.) So, in the end, I realized I could contribute to our bottom line by being a good steward of our family's resources. I'm not bringing anything in, but I am keeping as little flowing out as possible. I know this doesn't add extra dollars to your savings account, but it is another perspective on how one can contribute financially without necessarily bringing in a second income. That said, there are a few side-hustles I'm always working. These require no real extra time on my part, which, with five small children, is important. I am always looking for free items to flip at semi-regular garage sales. (These sales support our homeschool co-op, but offset our expenses so it benefits the family.) Our local university often has research studies that require volunteers. Payment varies, and is often gift cards, but those can be used as Christmas or birthday gifts. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I would look on this URL of Kim Kommando and on other reputable web sites, for ideas. There are A LOT OF SCAMS, so look before you leap. https://www.komando.com/columns/366226/3-legitimate-ways-you-can-make-money-online Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternallytired Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I know I could make a little bit of money teaching a class at a homeschool academy ($10/mo per student, no real overhead). They will take on pretty much any subject that a homeschool mom is willing to prepare and teach a class on. Problem is I don't feel qualified to teach anything. Bookeeping, yes, but who needs that in their homeschool line-up? I probably could have taught Econ at one point but I don't feel qualified on that anymore. I can see this going two directions, given the skills you've mentioned--a financial literacy class for teens (budgeting, credit cards, mortgages--perhaps viewed as more practical than a class with an "accounting" title?) or a baking class. I'm not sure about the tone/climate of your region, so I'm not sure how either would be received, but I know I've seen FB posts from locals looking for the former, and I was planning to sign my kids up for a popular baking/cooking class this summer until I learned that the person who had been giving it moved away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted July 18, 2016 Author Share Posted July 18, 2016 (edited) I could pull off a pretty great cake decorating class.... (Somebody's already teaching the Dave Ramsey course for teens) Edited July 18, 2016 by SamanthaCarter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmom Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I bet the cake decorating class would be a huge hit! With all the kid chef reality shows, those kinds of classes fill up quick around here! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmom Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Do you have one of these near you? http://www.surlatable.com/category/cat500429/Summer+Series+for+Kids+and+Teens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted July 18, 2016 Author Share Posted July 18, 2016 No, no Sur La Table. We are a small-mid sized city, in a pretty rural surrounding area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I bet the cake decorating class would be a huge hit! With all the kid chef reality shows, those kinds of classes fill up quick around here! Yeah do it! Our coop did a cake decorating class year and the kids loved it. I say try a few things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted July 18, 2016 Author Share Posted July 18, 2016 (edited) Just to not leave you folks hanging who mentioned budgeting/tightening the belt, we've been on that for years now. There's very little if anything we can/will still do. This desire to bring in some money is a result of hitting the point were we can't squeeze any more out of DH's paycheck as the kids grow and our homeowner's expenses grow. No cell phone plans, no cable, dining out only when necessary, no new clothes (except underwear and such), no haircuts, no family vacations, groceries low enough to be tight, but not low enough to be unhealthy, you get the point. It's a wonderful idea if there's a lot of potential savings in your budget. Just not here. Anyway. I think you all are right that I should float a few of these income ideas. Thank you. Edited July 18, 2016 by SamanthaCarter 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 How do you teach children online from home? As a 'brick & mortar' educator, I'm curious how to possibly take that route in the future in order to gain some additional income. Hmmm.... A friend works for Ed2go for extra ad hoc income. Her students are mostly teens and adults. She was a public high school teacher and a part time community college lecturer. The instructors and instructor aides for my kids CTY JHU courses work from home. The courses offered start from 2nd grade level. The writing class has no online sessions, my kid's instructor for his writing class is a current high school teacher. His chinese class does have fixed time slots online sessions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 No, no Sur La Table. We are a small-mid sized city, in a pretty rural surrounding area. Michaels? A former neighbor teach knitting and sewing there as well as at a neighborhood mom and pop shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 How much do you need to supplement? Are we talking $200/mo or $700/mo? I ask because I clean an office here in town twice a week. It's Wednesdays and the weekend - I can pick the time (or divide it up) anytime during closed hours which coincides nicely with my kiddos sleeping. It supplements $200/mo and keeps our remodeling budget going. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 A couple hundred a month would take the pressure off as long as it didn't require unrealistic hours. Too may hours would cause too much pressure of another sort. My kiddos are full on ALL OF THE TIME, especially the oldest, so I'm kind of limited to nights and Saturdays when DH is home. I don't figure I could make enough to cover childcare and have anything left over. Our church office pays the admin assistant to clean the church office. I think she makes $150/mo. I could see if that's really something she wants to do or if she does it because no one else has stepped up. Good idea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 A friend works for Ed2go for extra ad hoc income. Her students are mostly teens and adults. She was a public high school teacher and a part time community college lecturer. The instructors and instructor aides for my kids CTY JHU courses work from home. The courses offered start from 2nd grade level. The writing class has no online sessions, my kid's instructor for his writing class is a current high school teacher. His chinese class does have fixed time slots online sessions. Thanks so much for this info! Good to know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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