Second job ideas?

[Micki_Streeter]

Some great suggestions Zoes MaMa That is one thing I have found with having a home based business... the deductions are GREAT, even when you do not do it as a active business. I have a article somewhere on tax deductions for a home based business I will have to see if I can find it and post in this topic. There are so many things people forget they can use!

 

[JDarling]

Zoesmom -
Thanks for the ideas! The problem with the business is everything was free. The guy I worked for paid me back for postage. The paper I printed out his stuff on was free, the computer I used was free. We did take the renters deduction and that took out $100 (yeah!) since we rented a room for that whole year (yeah - 2 people in a 10ft x 10ft room. Did I mention we didn't have a closet... it was a VERY LONG YEAR...and $700/month! But it was still cheaper than any apartments in our area).

I think we'll be able to pay off a LOT of our debts after that. Since one of our mortgages is intrest only, we'll be able to deduct that next year. Yeah! It's just a little tight this year.

But we're grateful for all the important things we have. Which gives me an idea for a fun new thread!

 

[d-man's mom]

I agree that you need to read the Complete Tightwad Gazette- you should be able to check it out at the library. I have my own copy that I bought at BJ's and refer to it often. This will help you re-think your current spending/finances.... although from the sounds of it in your posts, you have examined every option and know where every dime is going.

Here are my questions-

If you get a second job (retail waitressing or whatever), is it going to bump you & dh to the next tax bracket?? If it does, then you will probably be putting yourself in the same situation next year as you are in now- working just to pay taxes. There's a tax message board at MSN money that you could check out for answers if you don't know an accountant.

Do you or dh currently put money into a 401K or retirement account? If you do have one that you contribute to, you should look into reducing the contribution amount so that you have more in your paycheck. You can always raise the amount later on when you are financially stable again.

Certain 401K's will let you take a loan out against your balance. In the long run you will be taking a loss because the money that is in the loan will not be earning you any money, and compounded over the years, it could be a decent chunk of change that you are missing out on. However, if you are to the point where you can't survive week to week, then this is something to consider.

Other thoughts for $$- start selling stuff on ebay, have a yardsale (organize it with the other condo owners or have it at a friends house in a good location).

What is your grocery budget for a month? List everything you buy and figure out what you can do without, or what you know is cheaper at another store. I shop at 5 different grocery stores- one store for meat because the cost is significantly lower than my local grocery store. The local grocery store for everyday stuff, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods for my son's allergy free foods, and BJ's for bulk items like juice boxes and toilet paper. This method has worked for me for two years now- I go to BJ's approx every 6 weeks, and since this is the one store that's out of my way, I coordinate it with other errands in that area (the mall, fabric shop, etc) so that I can justify the gas for the trip. Do you have an Aldi's or a Shop N Save out there where you pack your own groceries & pay for the grocery bags? These are usually the lowest prices around- I just found one near our new house & will add that store into my shopping list for canned goods, rice, and other staples.

This is getting lenthy! If you want, send me a note! ~Kathy

 

[d-man's mom]

Oh, and if I can-

Congratulations on losing 80lbs!

I wonder if there's anyone here (or on a weight loss group, or on Freecycle) who used to be in your current size before losing weight who could send you some things that fit? Have you checked out your local Freecycle website? google for Yahoo Freecycle.

I lost a dress size and most of the clothes don't fit well anymore- I ended up putting most of the clothes in a donation bin because I couldn't anyone to take them. This was before I checked out my local freecycle message board unfortunately!

 

[JDarling]

Kathy - thanks for the great suggestions! I'll definately check out my library this week and get a card and see if I can find that book. I do keep tabs on every penny and DH and I are definate bargin shoppers! We aren't destitute. We are able to pay our bills, but it just seems like things keep coming up and there isn't much left over. I had budgeted out $375.00/month for our disneyworld vacation, but then the car blew up (well, not literally, but needed $1500.00 worth of work in 1 month, yes we looked at trading it in for a newer car, but they couldn't get the payments we wanted for them, so we didn't do it), and then DH could no longer put off a cap he needed for his tooth. The cats both need teeth cleaning (the professional kind) - but we're putting that off for the moment... so we've only managed to put away $200 where we should be at $700 by now.

I've started selling on Amazon.com and done pretty well there. I've also just signed up for E-bay, but my item isn't selling, and I don't want to invest a bunch of money in trying to sell the blasted thing. We're going through and finding other things to sell as well. We're renting out the storage space in our garage to a friend of ours starting next month, so there's an extra $20/ month. DH is talking about starting his own gem cutting business this year with a friend, which would make some money, but it's a substantail investment to start with, so they'll probably just break even, but we are providing the space for it out of our garage, so we can deduct that next year.

We don't have a 401K right now. DH is going to sign up with his work one starting next month. Thankfully (and I know everyone says this) we're young and have more immediate needs for that $$$.

As for our grocery budget - We only spend about $120-$180/month. This includes the pet supplies. We're training our boxer to be a show dog, so we're hoping to win some prizes there, but if we don't - that's okay too. He's our "furkid" for now. We shop at Trader Joe's, Albertson's (mostly for cleaning supplies and manufactured/ processed products like milk - which we don't buy every month since it's now upwards of $3.50/gallon of non-fat), and Henry's (aka Wild Oats)(for great, cheap, produce and often whatever cut of meat is on sale). We don't have the other places you mentioned in our area. So for 2 people, I think we do well in the grocery department.

 

[d-man's mom]

Silly question, but what do you need milk for? If it's for cooking, you could use condensed milk in its place. Just a thought....

 

[JDarling]

Other than to drink - we don't use it. We don't buy it often. Maybe once every couple of months.

 

[d-man's mom]

Are you doing online surveys already? Could you put up a note at the local senior center to if anyone needs a grocery shopper/errand person? If you are super organized, maybe you could put an ad in the paper offering your skills to organize someone's garage, etc.

 

[PatricenPete]

What about looking at the website wegoshop.com - they are looking at ways to expand, etc.

DH and I have made over $100 this week in selling some of old stuff on Ebay this week and we are also planning a garage sale at the end of this month.

I left my job where I was making $40K a year to stay home with my DS this past October - I was a major contributor to the finances, but we learned that if we just cut things out, we could manage fine on just 1 income......

I recently got a part time job in a Custom Frame shop - I work 10 - 15 hours a week. The money is alright, but it is something that I really enjoy doing. You could try finding something that you really LOVE - this way you wouldn't feel like you were WORKING.....especially after working a full time job.....

Good Luck!

 

[JDarling]

I haven't tried wegoshop.com. I'd be limited to weekends and evenings though - since we only have one car... or... I could take the bus around to accomplish errands... Hmm.. Now there is food for thought! I don't mind running errands or working with the elderly (took care of my grandmother doing things like for about 8 years). Thanks for the great ideas!

 

[JDarling]

Are you doing online surveys already? Could you put up a note at the local senior center to if anyone needs a grocery shopper/errand person? If you are super organized, maybe you could put an ad in the paper offering your skills to organize someone's garage, etc.

I just started doing survey's on line. So far I haven't recieved a penny, but gotten TONS of junk mail. Surveyspot seems to be the only legit one I've come across.

Oh - and thanks for the congrads! (Sorry I'm late in replying to that one). I haven't checked out the freecycle area. If I get this new job, I won't need to get new clothes until I lose more weight (and even then, the snugger clothes I have will just loosen up I'm sure. I didn't go down a size until I'd lost 50lbs).
Keep your figures crossed for me! It's a completely casual office. The adminstrator I interviewed with was in jeans and a t-shirt!

 

[PatricenPete]

Seriously - try Ebay - it is not that much to list and let's face it - one man's junk is another man's treasure

You could also try dog walking or in home boarding - I know that CA has some strict rules, but if you do it on the DL.... A friend of mine lives in LA (actually, she just moved to Van Nuys) and she does dog boarding out of her home. She charges $25 a night. Since your dog is still a puppy - it could work out and would even be beneficial to him since it would socialize him with other dogs (which would help if you paln to get another dog in the future) Your only problem MAY be since he is a show dog and still, ahem, intact he may not be fond of other intact males.......

 

[JDarling]

LOL Actually, he is 100% non-agressive. He's more likely to lick you to death. He's tried to play with dogs who want to eat him alive. He just doesn't get it. He's not intimidated by other intact males (at this point anyway). BUT...he's just discovered female dogs. I would love to do boarding, but our HOA only allows 2 domesticated animals in the condo's. It's also only 900 sq feet. So with 2 cats (they are inside cats so the HOA has decided to look away as long as we don't get any more 4 legged friends) and 1 puppy and the 2 of us, it's pretty darn crowded. We don't have a yard. The only reason things work out with Clydas (our boxer) is because he's crate trained, and we can take him to the dog park and out for long walks in the spare time... but maybe we could do something like doggy days - take a couple animals out for a day at the dog park and "puppy sit" while the parents do something else. If it as even $10 extra per animal per day, we could work that out.

 

[Blueberry]

If you do not go out friday or saturday nights and have kids..how about starting to watch kids at night while the parents are out. We used to do this a lot when we were young and our kids were young. Our kids loved it having other kids to play with and an easy way to stay home and make some money. Also used to keep kids of friends for weekends, so the parents could get away, that made pretty good money too.

I know you work full time and could not do this, but maybe someone could. For years i took in after school kids, school agers who needed a place to stay till Mom and Dad got home and who's parents thought them too young or did not want them to be latch key kids....

 

[JDarling]

Great ideas! We don't have kids, but that's a good one!

Actually, I think I'm going to talk tonight to a friend about running an errand service for some elderly folks. We can start with some people at his work - he works as a security guard for a rest home. A very wealthy rest home.

 

[Feralpeg]

Some great suggestions Zoes MaMa That is one thing I have found with having a home based business... the deductions are GREAT, even when you do not do it as a active business. I have a article somewhere on tax deductions for a home based business I will have to see if I can find it and post in this topic. There are so many things people forget they can use!

According to my CPA, you can only deduct items on a home based business that is actually making money.

 

[iluvallthingsdisney]

Try starting your own Dog Waste Cleanup service. People can't stand cleaning up their yards. You could hand out flyers outside your local pet store and post on bulletin boards at your local vet's office. Just need a pooper scooper and plastic bags. You could set up visits for 1, 2, or 3 times a week. Charge about $5 per dog per visit. Takes very little time. You could do it before work or after work, and do it together with your husband. Easy way to rake in the dough quickly. Good luck with the taxes.

 

[cra-z-4-dizney]

How about cutting coupons??? I don't think I saw that mentioned. I often shop at 4-5 different stores and use coupons and sometimes get stuff for free or very cheap...I always buy 2-3 sunday papers, and when stuff is on sale and my local grocery store has triple coupons, I really save big. One time I got 10 packs of dannon yogurt for like $1.50 (yes, for all 10 packs) Each week I look through my coupons, and look through the weekly circulars to see what I can use. Anyway, good luck!!! And congrats on the weight loss!!!!!

 

[minkydog]

Have you ever given thought to providing respite care for families with handicapped children? Every family that i know who has a handicapped child is in need of a weekend away. Here in GA we have occasional respite from Friday night to Sunday night--48hrs off! Heaven! Our biggest obstacle is finding people who are willing to provide the respite (and can pass the drug and criminal checks). His providers charge $12-18/hr. And he's an easy kid.

DH & I have considered doing it ourselves (in fact, we have done it for friends who have a child even more handicapped than our own.). As a provider you can control which kids you provide respite for--if you get a holy terror you don't have to do it again. Our last providers were fabulous & and they took him everywhere--to the park, Walmart, the pool. He had his own bedroom. They had dogs and a grandma in the home and Christian loved them dearly.

If you are interested, contact your county department of children's services. Respite is not as demandnig as foster care and so rewarding.

 

[JDarling]

Wow! You all are coming up with great ideas! The dog waste thing sounds really good - and it's also something I can my friends into that are going to WDW too. We can put the money in the WDW savings fund. Since we all are a bit spread out, it sounds doable 100%. Between that and some "doggy camp" afternoons, I think we could really do pretty well in our free time. And we can set our own schedules more than working for another boss!

The respite care sounds interesting too. Actually, Clydas is a WONDERFUL therapy dog. He's been around a couple of autistic kids who were scared to death of big dogs (by "big" I mean bigger than a cat), but they just take to him right away. He even played fetch with one of them for HOURS. And he does NOT play fetch - he's a boxer, not a retriever. (He'll get the toy for you, run to you, and then play keep away ).
Besides - I can't blame them! Who can resist this face?
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