Legitimate work at home or part time jobs for moms?

[ZPT1022]

For the past two years I've been watching my cousin's kids in my home while she and her husband work. This evening she let me know that starting 3/23 she is being forced to take a new part time schedule at work and will no longer need me to watch the kids. Unfortunately we have come to depend on that money- that is our money that pays for all the extras- dinner out, kids sports and dance lessons, etc.....

I'm freaking out a bit right now because of the lack of notice I don't really have time to plan for the loss in income. We're not going to lose our home or anything dire like that but it is still going to be a difficult adjustment. Plus I really felt proud that I was contributing to the family finances and I'm really taking an emotional hit about not being able to.

A job outside of the house is not in the cards at the moment- I have three kids in three different schools, all age 7 and under. They are on such different schedules and I have no help from family or friends (they all work) so there is really no way for me to delegate stuff out and be able to pick up an out of the house job. DH works crazy hours and long days and can't really be counted on to have a fixed schedule.

Does anyone know of any companies or have any ideas for working from home? So many of them just seem so "scammy" if you will and I really don't need to be caught up in that.

Any ideas or suggestions will be appreciated

 

[flying_babyb]

I just started a thread on this yesterday. I reccomen you go to the techinal board and check out how to search the disboard through google. I found TONS of job links there
http://www.ratracerebellion.com/job_postings.html
http://www.workplacelikehome.com/forum/index.php
http://www.wahm.com/jobs.html

Also put a ad on creigslist looking for a child to watch. Ive done this before and made pretty good money.

 

[quasar4legs]

Not sure if you would be interested in doing ironing at home but I have a friend that does this and she has more work than she can handle. The up-side for her is that her work can be fitted in around the family schedule and much easier for her than having to be somewhere at a designated time.

Good luck, hope you find something that works for you and your family.

Trish

 

[melc0305]

Since you've already been watching kids at home, why not try home daycare? I am a home daycare provider and it allows me to be home with my own children, while earning an income. It's not for everyone, but it has worked out very well for me.

 

[Tree]

I have worked at several at home call centers since the kids were babies with my primary one being LiveOps. I do make about 3k a month but I work before the kids are up and while they are at school and then the weekends.
It is inbound sales or sometimes order taking.

Also there is a list of work at home call centers at http://wahjobs.blogspot.com plus some daily job listings

 

[msce2]

I tried Alpine Access, and it's a great company to work for. The tough part is that there is not a lot of flexibility in the schedule. IE if you are scheduled to work from 7pm-midnight M-Fri, you MUST work those hours. If you are 10min late it is an issue. For me DH takes the train from a major city, and there were too many occasions that he got home after 7pm, so it didn't work out for us. Good luck in finding something that works!

 

[Justsyd2]

When I worked full time, I found a day care center that would drop my kids off and pick them up after school until my DH or I got off work. It was inexpensive as they were not at DC all day. It's an option if you find full time work outside the home.

 

[kasandria]

There are a lot of ways to earn money from home. You just have to find your niche. From ebay to graphic design, freelance writing, computer programming, selling a particular product like Avon, etc. There are also survey sites, mystery shopping, and GPTsites. Just research research, research. Get the ins and outs of whatever you choose to do. Good Luck!
Kas

 

[YachtandBeachy]

I don't know if this is allowed to be posted, but I've always had luck with Cash Crate: http://www.cashcrate.com/

 

[flying_babyb]

IRONING? Really??? How does that work?

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Just a reminder that when you post "PM me if you have questions", it is generally interpreted by mods and WMs as a backhanded attempt at soliciting referrals (which is a no-no on the DIS ).

If you have something to contribute to the discussion, please share it with everyone through your posts so that we can all benefit from your experience. But if you post "PM me for details", I can guarantee that your post will be deleted or, at the very least, edited to remove the comment.

Thank you for your cooperation....(stepping down from my soapbox now ).

 

[Traveliz]

Mystery shopping can be done when the kids are off to school, sometimes with the kids, times when dad is home etc and even though you might not make a ton you can get as reimbursement much of what you need.

I do alot and do make money at it but in addition I get groceries, many small items, entertainment, glasses, gas etc --

It does take some time to get going on it but I have done it over ten years and have found it to be very worthwhile.

Liz

 

[katiedid36]

I do customer service for HSN. I work for a company called West. I take the calls at home. They have schedules 24 hours a day but I generally work after the kids are in bed. I usually make minimum wage but depending on call volume I can make more.

 

[princessfionasmom]

I don't know what kind of job you are looking for but if you are interested in like mary kay, avon, arbonne or something along that lines then I suggest that you look into a company called marketamerica. I am working for them now and I love it. They are not a sign you up quick crowd, they actually encourage people to look at their plan a few times before commiting to it. I don't know if anyone here has had other experiences with this company but I'm sure they'll tell you pretty quickly if they have. I hope I did not break any rules mentioning company names but I see other people naming companies so I assume I am safe. The reason I went in this direction is I have 2 young kids and working full-time and putting them in daycare was not an option for me. I know it works well from lots of people, and I have lots of friends who do it, this is a personal choice I made. With this job I get to be home with them during the summer and all school vacations and take them to the beach and on nature walks. If they are sick I don't have to worry about them because I am home caring for them and that's the freedom I love with this job. I looked at a lot of the wahm jobs but nothing has been a good fit for me. There are also mystery shopping jobs but that can be hard with little kids. Good luck with your decision.

 

[YachtandBeachy]

Just a reminder that when you post "PM me if you have questions", it is generally interpreted by mods and WMs as a backhanded attempt at soliciting referrals (which is a no-no on the DIS ).

If you have something to contribute to the discussion, please share it with everyone through your posts so that we can all benefit from your experience. But if you post "PM me for details", I can guarantee that your post will be deleted or, at the very least, edited to remove the comment.

Thank you for your cooperation....(stepping down from my soapbox now ).

Sorry! I just didn't want to go and on. Note taken. Anyways, my tip for the site is to purchase a PrePaid VISA/MASTERCARD and use those to complete the offers. Hope it helps, I know money is tight all around!

 

[bigdisneygroup]

IRONING? Really??? How does that work?

I'm curious on that one, too. I'd love to get into something like that - does she advertise on craigslist or somewhere? Do people drop it off and pick it up at her house? Thanks for any info.

 

[MovingThemOut]

I'm curious on that one, too. I'd love to get into something like that - does she advertise on craigslist or somewhere? Do people drop it off and pick it up at her house? Thanks for any info.

I'm not the OP of the idea but I see advertisements for this service in my area quite often. Seems it is an online service to connect those willing to do laundry/iron with those needing the service. Try researching here:

www.mylaundryonline.com

 

[kasandria]

Just a reminder that when you post "PM me if you have questions", it is generally interpreted by mods and WMs as a backhanded attempt at soliciting referrals (which is a no-no on the DIS ).

If you have something to contribute to the discussion, please share it with everyone through your posts so that we can all benefit from your experience. But if you post "PM me for details", I can guarantee that your post will be deleted or, at the very least, edited to remove the comment.

Thank you for your cooperation....(stepping down from my soapbox now ).

Sorry too! Was just trying to show what has worked for me and what hasn't. I think I've tried just about everything lol now working to be a travel agent, but have made bows, bracelets, done ebay, avon, graphics, mystery shopping, gpt,blogging, phone op., etc. You just have to really dig for the legit stuff and weed out the scams.
Kas

 

[ilandrazdsw]

I used and sold Herbalife for awhile. The products are good. You have a mentor that will train you and relay any additional training meetings/calls. Basically you buy the products at a discount and sell at retail. You can also become a supervisor and get commissions if trainees come under you. I reached supervisor status, never had trainees, but that meant 50% profit and off products that I used too. Unfortunately living where I do the extra costs of duty and frieght basically ate up any profit so it was no longer worth selling, but I do still use the products.

 

[ZPT1022]

Since you've already been watching kids at home, why not try home daycare? I am a home daycare provider and it allows me to be home with my own children, while earning an income. It's not for everyone, but it has worked out very well for me.

I live in a townhouse and have to abide by the rules of the co-op. One of the rules is "no cottage industries" and that has been determined to include child care. I've gotten around that because I was watching my cousin's children. It wasn't a business I advertised in the yellow pages or anything, I guess that's where the difference comes in. I am definitely putting the word out among my family that now that this cousin no longer needs my help that I would be willing to take on more kids. But outside of friends and family I can't really advertise too much. Clear as mud?

If they are sick I don't have to worry about them because I am home caring for them and that's the freedom I love with this job.

That is actually one of my biggest concerns with working out of the house. My kids are not always the healthiest. Two weeks ago I had one or more of them home every day for a week with the stomach flu. Last week youngest DD was home sick all week with a hacking cough and fever. DS is now catching that same cough. That's 10 days out of 15 that I would have missed because of kids' illnesses. I can't imagine I'd hold a job for very long with that kind of attendance record. I know that DH could pitch in but we made the decision that for now he would focus on his career and I would be primary caretaker for the kids. Not saying that's right for everyone but it's what we agreed on. Plus he works for the utility company and has a lot of late evenings and odd hours and is sometimes unreachable at work- so not that he's not a dependable person as far as the kids are concerned but due to his job we can't always count on him being able to take off.




I really appreciate all the ideas. I am going to go try to get some sleep tonight and think about this all some more tomorrow. It looks like a lot of great ideas though and I am really thankful. I'm feeling a bit less stressed than I was yesterday, so thank you all