LucyStoner Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Since you have littles, it may not be practical, but...you could find out which local-nonprofits are helping women enter the work force. If you can put together a how-to-dress-on-a-budget seminar, you could get paid by the non-profit for presenting that. Volunteering for Dress for Success or similar would also help pinkmint gain experience and could lead to paid work there. One way to find childcare is to trade with another mom from church. "Can you watch my kids on Thursday afternoons while I volunteer at Dress for Sucess? I can watch yours on a different afternoon of your choosing." 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Start a fashion blog with tips on budget shopping, putting outfits together, and linking to deals for great pieces. That was the first thing that popped into my mind, too. When my kids were home and I was actively working on living on the cheap, I used to read this blog regularly: http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/ She does an occasional post with an outfit she put together with thrift store finds, and I always enjoyed seeing what she did with that. Her blog is now a money-making proposition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 You're a girl after my own heart. I love fashion, but have no budget, so I do similar to you and buy consignment (thrift stores are few around me), sales, etc. and put together creative outfits that don't look like anyone else's. It's a fun hobby for me, but I know there are many women who ask for advice and would gladly pay someone to come and do things like: Edit their existing wardrobe and put together complete outfits for them. Partial or complete wardrobe re-vamping (if you do it seasonally, you would get repeat business and it spreads their cost out) Personal shopping services for special events, work wardrobe, weekend wear, daily wear, etc. (either going with them, or without them) If you have great thrift finds, you could try selling online for a mark-up. I notice that fashion sells better on e-bay, for example, if it's styled well. Some people sell full outfits or mini-wardrobes complete with accessories, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 This is a thing--personal thrift store shopping: http://www.secondsies.com The above describes their business practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acadie Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I would pay for tips on good finds at inexpensive stores. Years ago I bought a gorgeous, sleeveless white blouse at Walmart, and wish I could find another to replace it today, but not everything there is great quality. It would be very cool to get a heads-up that some flattering new style is currently on the rack at Walmart, Target, or wherever. I don't love shopping and often find those nicer items only after my size is sold out.... Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Thanks, everyone. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the effort or not. I mean we're all good at various things that we don't make a business out of. Just trying to figure out if this particular talent is special enough. I know there are fashion blogs out there, but how many are equipping people with single digit clothing budgets? Maybe that's something. I don't know. Also, I'm not a "fashionista" and I don't really care much about trends so I don't know how valuable that makes my fashion sense. To me, something looks good or it doesn't. That's where I'm coming from. I'm not into looking super dressed up either. My thing is simple, easy, comfortable, kind of basic outfits with attention to fit, fabric, print, color etc. and I know that you usually get what you pay for in terms of quality, so I feel somewhat passionate about breaking the barrier between lower income people and classy clothing and the thrift store is key in that. I don't want to feel like I'm stuck wearing looney toons printed shirts from Walmart just because I'm lower income. (Walmart is great if you can be strategic in combining basics with higher end items from the thrift store though) I agree about the humor too. Maybe I could gently poke fun at the messy athleisure mom look. I do have my personal rules. No hooded sweatshirts. No "bad hair day" baseball caps. etc. I agree that this is a great skill to have. What I think would be difficult about it in terms of being a stylist or personal shopper is that people who want their sweater to cost $4 don't want to pay someone a nice sum to go find the outfits and put them together. People who are psychologically used to/comfortable with hiring a stylist or personal shopper are often people who are not interested in wearing thrift store clothes. There are definitely people who would never consider wearing used clothes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Have you ever seen the show "What not to wear"? It's off the air now but you could do something similar locally. Market yourself as a local expert. Charge people $50 for a one hour consult. Go to their house, sort through their clothes showing how to put outfits together. Maybe take pictures so they can remember what goes together. Give them a list of a few basics that would help fill out their wardrobe. For another $50 you go shopping with them for 2 hours. Whether someone is shopping thrift stores or boutiques many need help figuring out what looks good on them. Work with your friends first to develop a process and a portfolio. I suspect through word of mouth you could develop enough clients to stay as busy as you want. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Seriously wishing I had your talent. The only thing I'm good at is buying ridiculously cute and expensive clothes....and still looking like crap in them. I have no suggestions but I wanted to say that I'm glad you are starting to feel better and I sincerely hope something good can come from this!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) I'm sorry, I missed the how to monetize question before. Yes, you can turn blogging and other social media into a job that pays $100k or more, but it does require 1-3 years of work and some smart strategy, just like any business. There are a lot of bloggers out there that have written posts about this sort of thing. Basically, you put ads on your blog. You can use google to do so. And you create corresponding YouTube videos on the posts. The blog needs a lot of new, original content with decent photos, and you need to capture a freeze frame of the most attractive vertical photo with the title of the post to make it Pinterest worthy. You also need a horizontal freeze frame with a title for a YouTube video graphic. If you post interesting, original content 5 times a week or more, you could make a decent income in probably about a year. Especially if you start doing sponsored posts. It wouldn't be easy, and it would be approaching 20 hours a week (or even full time), but you can make really good money doing so. ETA: Expect to have about 300 posts or videos before attracting much of an audience, and look into Wordpress (not wordpress.com) and SEO. Edited August 17, 2016 by Katy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkmint Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 I agree that this is a great skill to have. What I think would be difficult about it in terms of being a stylist or personal shopper is that people who want their sweater to cost $4 don't want to pay someone a nice sum to go find the outfits and put them together. People who are psychologically used to/comfortable with hiring a stylist or personal shopper are often people who are not interested in wearing thrift store clothes. There are definitely people who would never consider wearing used clothes. Probably a good point. People who are in the position to pay a personal shopper don't need my ability to find extreme bargains. And the whole thing that makes this special is the prices I get things for. It's sort of 2 separate talents I guess. Having good fashion sense and then getting things for dirt cheap. It probably isn't as easy to combine the 2 into a marketable thing as it seems. It's very possible this will not go anywhere or at least for now but I do appreciate the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) Follow QuickSprout and Neil Patel, but don't pay for any advice or webinars yet. Read everything out there that is free first. Study other successful bloggers and learn from them. Participate in guest posting opportunities to build your credibility and get backlinks. Keywords will be "influencer marketing" "fashion blogging" and "professional blogger." FWIW, my blog from ages ago that linked and reviewed homeschooling resources may a little money (very little). I am using the same URL now, with a new format and am not making anything. But, I'm not aggressively promoting the blog. DO NOT invest money in anything other than a URL until you truly know what you are doing. Otherwise, you will blow all your income and then some on fancy seminars, apps, etc. that promise the moon and don't deliver. There really aren't any shortcuts. Making $ at blogging is just like making $ in any small business- hard work and hustle. Here's your niche: https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=thrifty%20fashion%20bloggers Forgot to add- make sure you are aware of copyright issues for images, etc. and disclosure requirements for sponsored content and advertisements. Edited August 17, 2016 by MomatHWTK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) I have a friend who has a little internet boutique. She does not have a store front, but sells entirely on facebook. She is able to buy clothes at wholesale just like a "real" store, and sells her finds for pretty good prices. I'm not sure how she is able to do that, but she has talked about going to "Market" to search out clothes for the next season. And I'm sure it's about the same process that any store would use. To sell her clothes, she posts a photo of herself wearing the item (with cute accessories and shoes, etc) then lists how many of each size she has (3 small, 3 medium, 3 large or whatever) and the people who follow her group post a comment of what size they want, and she usually sells out of the item in less than a half hour. You pay through paypal, and she generally ships it out the next day and it arrives within 3 days. She is a military spouse and started with a good number of friends on facebook, and that has spread as others have invited their friends to join the group. I know this is not exactly what has been discussed throughout this thread, but I like the concept - I think it's a really cute idea for a mom-job and have thought that other types of boutiques could follow the same pattern. I'm sure her little boutique gets more "foot traffic" than the cute store that sells the same type items in our little downtown area. Your boutique could have your own twist on it - you get to choose what things you think are cute, and you could mix retail with used to create a unique "store", without the overhead of a storefront. Here is a link to her facebook boutique (Fashion Plate Boutique) I don't think it's private: https://www.facebook.com/groups/770518359742385/?fref=nf if it is private, I think I can invite you to it?? edit - it is a closed group, sorry! Edited August 17, 2016 by wendy not in HI 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Probably a good point. People who are in the position to pay a personal shopper don't need my ability to find extreme bargains. And the whole thing that makes this special is the prices I get things for. It's sort of 2 separate talents I guess. Having good fashion sense and then getting things for dirt cheap. It probably isn't as easy to combine the 2 into a marketable thing as it seems. It's very possible this will not go anywhere or at least for now but I do appreciate the input. I wouldn't discount the number of people who have some disposable income but who either highly value the recycling of thrift or who are on very snug budgets due to the economy or perhaps being "house poor" (high mortgage payment that means they need to live on the cheap). That's one reason I suggested a clothing swap in tandem with your eye to help people put outfits together. You can charge each person a small fee but it adds up to a bit of change for you and it brings a group together for a fun night. Since the clients are bringing the clothes, you can help a lot of people at once. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Probably a good point. People who are in the position to pay a personal shopper don't need my ability to find extreme bargains. And the whole thing that makes this special is the prices I get things for. It's sort of 2 separate talents I guess. Having good fashion sense and then getting things for dirt cheap. It probably isn't as easy to combine the 2 into a marketable thing as it seems. It's very possible this will not go anywhere or at least for now but I do appreciate the input. I do not mind used clothing but have no fashion sense. I would be willing to pay someone to thrift shop for me if the clothes were in decent shape and flattering. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Probably a good point. People who are in the position to pay a personal shopper don't need my ability to find extreme bargains. Yeah they do. You are finding cheap clothes which will allow them to pay for you, and feel huge amounts of relief that they now have something decent to wear to that wedding/bat mitzvah/whatever. I've been wearing the same blouse to each court appearance for the last 18 months. When it comes to trial, I can hardly wear the same top five days in a row. If you were local, I'd totally hire you to make me buy some new court clothes because i DON'T WANT TO! My desire to look respectable in court and my desire to run away to Arnhem land are pretty well perfectly balanced in a state of inaction. You're not selling outfits, you're selling self esteem, stress reduction, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelAR05 Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 What about something like this: http://www.missussmartypants.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 I used to get so frustrated looking in magazines to find "budget" clothes and see one white blouse for $50, yeah, not my budget for a basic shirt. So a blog that deals with small budgets would be great. Also, I'd love to see a comparison of items between stores or even certain fits in stores. I was looking for a chambray shirt last summer. I bought one at Walmart and it just fit too funny, so I returned it. I ordered one from Old Navy and it was too big and I didn't want to bother exchanging it. Thing was, I had a very similar (thought was the same style) Old Navy shirt is one size smaller that was just too little (bought it at a thrift store), which is why I ordered the larger size. A blog post that compared a similar shirt at different stores would be cool. Also, taking people of different shapes and sizing to a thrift store and blogging about it would be great. I'm in a weird place fashion wise. As a college student, I wear really casual clothes, but I keep 3 business outfits per season in my wardrobe for conferences or meetings. I've put them together through thrift stores and sale items. You could have a recurring type post, something like 3 for 1 where you put together 3 outfits for less than the price of 1 retail. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 What about an ebay business? I am ridiculously bad at dressing myself. Basically, I only own black pants and shirts that have black somewhere in them, so that I know they go with black pants. I wouldn't pay for a fashion consultation, but if there was an ebay store that would sell an outfit where someone had gone to the trouble of finding a sweater, a tshirt and a necklace that all went together (and went with black pants LOL) and sold it as a package, I'd pay more than thrift store prices. So, if you could find say a $4 shirt, and $6 sweater and a $5 necklace, and sold the set for $25, I'd buy it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa R. Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Since you're looking to earn money, I'd target people who have money to start with. So, to start, I wouldn't target the "looking good on a small budget" crowd. If I were you, I'd be a stylist charging by the hour. Start offering a well- connected friend your services for free on the condition she spread your name amongst her friends. (People who have money know others who have money.) Given your eye for this, it wouldn't be hard for you and would likely be an enjoyable diversion. Offer to go with them and look in their closets to keep what looks good and donate the rest. Offer to go shopping with them and let them know what styles look good with their body type and what colors look good against their skin and hair. You can offer either or both services for hourly fee. Then you can think about putting together a class at a community center later with pictures you've put together of your work. In the meantime, you can do thrift shopping, make a couple of your awesome bargains and offer to sell these pieces (up charging--good deal for them and you) to your new clients. I like the idea of starting a blog. It would be good for advertising but it's not a great way to make money unless you're one of the few lucky ones. So, I wouldn't focus my efforts there for awhile. Your time is limited. Focus where you can make money right away, right now. In short, you can do what you love and what you're good at and should find the best way to monetize that right away. Blogging and videos are lots of effort with little return for most. Hourly consulting would be immediate return. Market yourself saying you're actually causing people to spend less money, even with your consulting fee, because they're buying clothes that they'll actually wear. So many people have clothes in their closer that collect dust...this is where you come in and help! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooksandBoys Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 I wouldn't discount the number of people who have some disposable income but who either highly value the recycling of thrift or who are on very snug budgets due to the economy or perhaps being "house poor" (high mortgage payment that means they need to live on the cheap). That's one reason I suggested a clothing swap in tandem with your eye to help people put outfits together. You can charge each person a small fee but it adds up to a bit of change for you and it brings a group together for a fun night. Since the clients are bringing the clothes, you can help a lot of people at once. This is an interesting idea for a niche. People who have money but still want to protect the environment and avoid supporting low-paying sweat shops by buying used but want serious style. I like it. Someone mentioned doing this with Thred Up inventory. That would be interesting too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Is there anything that could come out of doing a blog? Personal shopper is definitely an idea. Just not sure I have the time for that right now. Plus the thrift store magic is partly because there are no guarantees when you go in there. There could be nothing good one day, and then $2 J Crew wonderland the next week. I feel like I'd like to do something to more inspire and teach people how to shop if I can articulate it. One of my sisters has been blogging for five or six years, her blog has a significant following. There are ways to monetize a blog--she's only halfway invested in earning money through blogging (she does it because she enjoys it, the family doesn't necessarily need the income) but she made about $10,000 last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Yeah they do. You are finding cheap clothes which will allow them to pay for you, and feel huge amounts of relief that they now have something decent to wear to that wedding/bat mitzvah/whatever. I've been wearing the same blouse to each court appearance for the last 18 months. When it comes to trial, I can hardly wear the same top five days in a row. If you were local, I'd totally hire you to make me buy some new court clothes because i DON'T WANT TO! My desire to look respectable in court and my desire to run away to Arnhem land are pretty well perfectly balanced in a state of inaction. You're not selling outfits, you're selling self esteem, stress reduction, etc. agreed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Probably a good point. People who are in the position to pay a personal shopper don't need my ability to find extreme bargains. And the whole thing that makes this special is the prices I get things for. It's sort of 2 separate talents I guess. Having good fashion sense and then getting things for dirt cheap. It probably isn't as easy to combine the 2 into a marketable thing as it seems. It's very possible this will not go anywhere or at least for now but I do appreciate the input. It just means that you can't expect to make money directly from the people to whom you are pitching the product. However, if you can provide these people a service for free (that is to say, a blog post or a video or whatever), then you can advertise to them and be paid by the advertisers. It does take a while to build a base of viewers, and a lot of the skills you'll need to develop are entirely peripheral to your actual talent - things like writing, photography, marketing, branding, graphic design, etc. Luckily you seem to be a decent writer already and you have a degree in graphic design, so I think you're farther along than the average person looking to start a successful blog :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Also, as someone who started a successful small business from literally pennies, while we were super poor (rice and beans poor), the value of doing *something* - putting your energy out into the universe to see what happens - is real. I started out making and selling simple clothing and I think fabric coasters? It was not successful for quite some time. Then I got better at various aspects and it started to make some money - still not quite enough to pay the bills, though. But one thing led to another and I started making a different product, thinking it would just be a side income to the clothing store, and the different product took over and became the focus of the business. If I hadn't started somewhere, though, there would have been no way to find the thing that led to success. So if you have the inclination to do something - ideally something you enjoy - you can develop the skills on the fly to market that something and then use the skills if you eventually switch focus to something else. Acquiring the skills (writing, photography, graphic design, branding, SEO, marketing, social media, pricing, customer service, purchasing, shipping, etc.) is the important thing, because they are applicable to many different ideas or developments. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 You could thrift and resell outfits? There's a woman who makes extra money thrifting brand name or in great condition plus size clothes and reselling them on a local plus size buy/sell Facebook page. This is what I was thinking of. Also buy brand name items and sell as a bundle or buy individual items and sell as an outfit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Haven't read the other responses. There used to be that blog Everyday Mom Style. I love it! What about something like that with affiliate links to the pieces?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 I think an ebay shop and a parallel blog would be good. If you can find an outfit for $6 and sell it for $50, you'll still be saving people a lot of money, and making a tidy profit for your family. The blog is more of a long term play. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 It seems to me that this particular talent of yours encompasses several other skills. Your ability to pull together attractive, inexpensive outfits, demonstrates you have an ability to find bargains and combine colors and fabrics nicely, as well as having a sense of style which others appreciate. The skill you have with clothing might translate well into other areas, such as home and/or office decorating. Many fashion designers branch out into other areas of decorating. I don't know what kind of career you are looking for or what amount of time you have available to pursue a career or start a business. You can to contact the owners of the shops where you purchase your finds and help them display their items better to maximize their sales. You could either offer to work for them part time or start up a Fashion Merchandising business. http://jobdescriptions.net/professional/fashion-merchandising/ Somewhere I read that the average salary for fashion merchandising is 32,000-53,000 per year. And even if you do nothing else with these skills beyond what you are doing, they allow your family to live a more pleasant life for less money. A penny saved is a penny earned. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 My aunt resells clothing from thrift stores on ebay. She also uses Shout (and should also use ox gall soap - that stuff is magical) to remove stains, so she takes stained, unwearable pieces from the thrift store, gets the stains out 75% of the time, and resells them online. Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 The heyday of money making blogs is mostly over. There would be a lot involved to make more than a few dollars a month. However, there are people who buy designer clothes at cheap prices at thrift shops and resell them on eBay for a good profit. Most of the successful ones live in an area with good thrift shops where people donate high end clothes (I don't, nor do I have the patience or the knowledge of what labels people will pay for). If you can do this, it can range from making a few extra bucks to enough to pay for next summer's family vacation to an amount people would consider a good second income. If you already have an eBay account, it can't hurt to try listing a few items. If you're on facebook, there's a group called Stay at Home Moms Selling on eBay. It's run by an eBay coach, but all of the members are helpful and try to answer newbie (and veteran) questions. It's a closed group, meaning you have to request membership, but that just means telling the group owner a little about yourself and why you want to join. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 I don't know how hard it is to monetize youtube or a blog, but I think starting something like that could be a good idea either way. It can be done at low- or no-cost, if you already own a camera/phone (or possibly can borrow one). It will build your skills and start to give you an idea of what you do and don't like to do, and what the audience responds to. It is something to put on a resume. If you ever have the chance at a stylist job in a store like other posters talked about, it would be a great plus. It gets your name out there. Not least, it gives you something to work on that is yours and not child or family related. I worked too hard for too little money for a long time at the newspaper, because it was one of the few part-time jobs that were flexible and adaptable enough to work with young kids and then homeschooling. I liked using my skills, I liked people acknowledging that I was good at my job, I liked having less of a hole in my resume, and even a little bit of money was better than none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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