# How to make money



## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

So full time jobs are scarce, rent is going up, power costs are skyrocketing, a pound of hamburger is enough to make one cry.

Does anyone have workable ideas on generating extra income? And not have a tag sale kind of thing or pawn the TV. Thinking more of a longer term thing.

Most of the things out there are scams, but something has got to be legit. We need to be able to find something capable of a couple hundred a month to make up for a shortfall in lost hours. It is only going to get worse with the upcoming government regulations.

Any ideas?


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## Trip286 (Oct 18, 2012)

I'm planning on making a few knives. Cheap in materials, cheap in sale price. Here's one that's cost me a total of about 50 cents. If I sell it for $20 bucks (very cheap for a handmade knife), that's a.... Several thousand percent profit.

It's not for sale though. It's my personal, purpose built for my needs. Short, stout blade, easily carried...









Forged high carbon scrap steel. I have a ready supply. Handle is poplar, pins and lanyard hole are the only thing I bought, in a long brass rod and two brass tubes as materials.

I'm going to make more. I've also made an ulu from an old saw blade that I use almost daily in my kitchen.

Keep the costs in materials and labor to a minimum, and keep the sale price low to move them good. The knife took me a total of about 3 hours work. The ulu took about 6.

I don't know why it attached two pictures...


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## pawpaw (Dec 21, 2011)

Metals recycling? You're limited only by your imagination as far as sources for steel, copper, brass, etc. AND you work you own hours. I often simply happen by where someone has just set a dishwasher,old transmission, or even a broken wood stove out by the curb. I wag it home, and turn it in only when I know I've got a pickup truck full. You might be surprised.


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## cnsper (Sep 20, 2012)

That knife looks good but if you are going to operate as a business then you have to add your time into the cost of the knife.

As for extra money, deliver pizza at night and you can make several hundred dollars a month.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

A second job part time which doesn't require a purchase of tools, or permits? Security Guard in some states. Possibly part time taxi cab driver, part time second job...

National Guard and Reserves?

Does this help at all?


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

What skills do you have?


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

These are all good ideas and we have been looking at the second job route. The hard part is trying to find something that will fit into my current schedule. I work mon-fri with weekends off. But that is when I have the kids from my first marriage and I can't very well say hi kids, I am off to work now.

My wife (current) is home with our 3 week old and goes back to work on friday, but she is a cashier where hours are being cut, she will probably average 12-15 hours a week. She can only work when I am not so we are not taking a paycheck and paying it right to a babysitter. She is also a CNA for a home care agency, but those are hard to get decent hours with as the demand is getting smaller because of peoples wallets getting lighter.

Another problem with a second job for me is the issue of child support. I currently pay almost 50% of my take home pay. Please no-one think I am complaining here. The biggest problem I have seen with talking about paying support is the automatic assumption to the listener that the talker is trying to get out of it! But when you look at the logistics of a part time job, a quarter to a third go to taxes (more than one job is a killer from the IRS) then I will have a huge chunk of whats left go to my ex. So for every hour worked at say 10, I will get only a few bucks. Is it worth it? Depends on the job and hours worked. Time away from family, time not able to rest, wear and tear on the car and such all add up money and emotionally wise.

I know it is not fair to post a question then put the caveats in, but this is what has been driving us nuts recently. Everywhere we can cut has been done. This kinda makes me feel that it is all a good way to prepare for whats coming. But if we are not careful, we will eat through all of our prep canned goods just trying to get by!

Skill set is not bad, I am horrible at wood working, but decent with electronics. I have repaired several LCDs and Plasmas but the market is not there to make any real profit. I am lucky to get an extra 20 back over what I put in. TVs are so cheap that not many want to buy a used set. That and I have no training in electronics, so I won't do a repair type service. Last thing I need is to screw up someones set. Instead I buy a broken one, fix it and then sell it.

My schooling is in medicine and I am out of that field. Strangely the government does not like people working in that field if they are no longer licensed to do so! I spent 17 years in EMS and do not have the ability to go back into it (variety of reasons.)

We have looked at selling seeds on ebay and such as a emergency supply since that is now my career field, but with everyone already selling on there, I can't actually make something even though I can buy it at cost!

The services are not a feasible option as of right now. Army / Marines are a no because of flat feet (already looked into it) Navy would be nice but I am in my mid 30's and they want mid 20's and Coast Guard won't take me as I was on ritalin as a kid. At least when I was 18 they had a prohibition against it.

All security guard jobs I have seen require a cert, and being as how I live in CT, I bet the standards will be a little bit more strict.

Scrapping isn't a bad idea, just have no land to put it on.

Thats a nice knife, I have thought about making B.O.B.s for ebay, maybe one with some actual useful stuff in it.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

I know it's hard to find any 'extra' in budgets today, but by taking a good hard look at daily expenses y'all might could find some things to do without. I'm talking personal choices, so what works for one might not work for all.
Cloth diapers, taking lunch to work, combining trips for errands instead of multiple drives, cooking from scratch and once a week type freezer meals to stretch a dollar compared to more processed foods, store brands or bulk items, mending clothes, cleaning with vinegar or baking soda instead of multiple store bought cleansers, finding ways to lower electric and other bills... you may already have cut your budget as tight as you can for what works for y'all, but there may be something left that you've overlooked. A month of writing down every expense sounds tedious, but would help you both see on paper if there is anything else to substitute to shave a few dollars here and there. It all adds up.


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## mp5girl (Oct 24, 2012)

What about an eBay business? If you're crafty, you might be able to make stuff and put that up. I've always thought that snagging the free stuff section on Craig's list and selling it would be easy. No overhead. You could also donate it and keep the tax receipts.

Another option is to look into independent distributorships. There are many types of companies/products to choose from. Anything from make up and jewelry to health products and kitchen gadgets. I'm sure there are more masculine options.  but those allow you to make your own hours and some have very little start up expenses. 

Depending on your skills, you could always provide a service. Could be something simple like junk removal, yard cleanup, washing cars, or more advanced things like handyman stuff or appliance repair. Labor is always a welcomed purchase. 

You could raise plants or animals and sell those.

Ok. I'm tapped out. Good luck!!!


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

I agree with you on the expense tracking! A penny saved is a penny earned. I eat a lot of PB&J at work and our local discount grocer has TV dinners for a buck. So between breakfast and lunch at work I spend 2 dollars a day. I am a soda-holic (but I don't drink coffee which I suppose can off-set it!) and bring a store brand cola into work which will last me 3-4 days per 88 cent 2 liter. I usually try and do errands on way home from work as I pass places anyways. My wife is a clipper and we try to use as many coupons as possible (keeping in mind that the store brand might still be cheaper) our last shopping trip we saved about 25% from coupons.
We eat a lot of pasta at home, and crazy as it sounds, but a little ceasers pizza for $5 may be cheaper than cooking up a steak. Even then we don't do that often. We do want to make more crock pot meals that can be eaten for several days in a row. We have had reasonable success with this before, but the new baby threw off our schedule.
Already replaced the jetdri (which never works anyways) with vinegar which seems to work, need to order the citric acid for dish detergent and amazon has some good deals on laundry detergent supplies. Thanks I almost forgot about that, and we did get 2 $25 amazon gift cards last night (washing soda, borax, 4 pack of ivory = 24.98 with our prime membership... SWEET!!!) Holding off on the dishwasher detergent for now, citric acid is pricey.
Amazon also has decent pricing on wipes ($11 for 7 refills of pampers wipes) and diapers. Oh great I am a walking ad for amazon. We looked at the feasibility of cloth diapers and may go that way once he get through the boxes and boxes we got from baby showers. 
Our power bill was a real shocker. We have gas heat and gas hot water so the winter months usually mean cheaper power bill. Last year this time we paid around 50 a month, this month the bill was 90. Wow. Well we are doing some more laundry, but still... that led to a walk-through and I do not think there is a incandescent in-use in the house right now.
What do you do when you have already cut what you can? Maybe I am just complaining but I know I am not the only one going through this. My wife and I decided to skip gifts for us in order to get for the kids this year. And something tells me next year will be worse.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I am unclear but it seems that you are working five days a week but your hours are cut back to part days. Might your boss adjust your hours to free up a day or two each week so you can find other work? How about teaching? I used to teach First Aid and CPR. I taught a lot of classes where people needed a card to get or keep a job. With 17 years in EMS American Heart Association, Green cross, or one of the other recognized programs should welcome you. I have friends that do well with art and crafts. A friend paints all winter and sells the art to the tourists in the summer. Another friend makes jewelry and sells it at craft fairs. With someone at home all the time a small daycare operation might be an option. You don't want to pay daycare but others do. Under a certain size some States do not get involved. Good luck, I hope you find something you enjoy.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Here is a money saving tip that I am surprised has not been mentioned...

Cloth diapers and cloth wipes. If you plan on having more kids with your current wife cloth is the way to go. You don't have to spend a ton to start. We started with 12 prefolds and 3 covers. Now our stash is 8 dz prefolds and 12 covers. I wanted to be prepared in case we had 2 or more kids in diapers at once. I made the cloth wipes myself. 120 flannel squares for the cost of 3 yards of fabric. Considering a 26 pack of Huggies diapers are over $8!

I also have cloth pads for myself. That saves us a bit each month too!

I make catnip cat toys and sell them on etsy.com. I have a huge bag of toys I made stashed in our closet! The cats have learned to open the closet to get to the bag!


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

We did our best to get a realistic figure on the expense of cloth diapers and it didn't pencil out.

70 size 5 Luvs are $14.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

PackerBacker said:


> We did our best to get a realistic figure on the expense of cloth diapers and it didn't pencil out.
> 
> 70 size 5 Luvs are $14.


I guess cloth was cheaper for us. We started when Roo outgrew size 1 diapers. The rate she was going through disposables was horrible! Plus we don't have to spend anymore money to diaper any babies we may have. We can also sell our used covers and inserts back to Cottonbabies.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

The teaching thing sounds interesting and I will check into it some. One problem I am aware of right off the bat is that American Heart is hard to teach for. I was an instructor with them (also did Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support) and AHA changed the format about 7 or 8 years ago to be very regimented. It went from teaching and lecturing to popping in a tape (now DVD) and hitting play.

Day care is an option as well and I will bounce it off my wife. My hours are good, full time m-f 8-430 it is hers that stink. With the new heath care law, she works for a company that is cutting hours rather than provide insurance. I saw some of this with my first two kids, but the economy was better then and I was making double what I do now.

All of my licenses are lapsed and short of a several month and couple grand investment, I will not be getting them back. I also have my own issues about going back into healthcare. Too many bad situations, bad back, my own problems, etc...

I have talked to my wife, who is a certified nurses aide, that even though there is not much open with homecare agencies she can still do some on her own. We where thinking of putting up craigslist ads for her senior-sitting. Basically you want a night out but grandpa may burn the house down. She has background with dementia and alzheimers and will come in after a client interview for so much an hour with no actual medical expectations, just someone who has some background.

Maybe I just need to branch out more, look at marketing B.O.B. on ebay, maybe write a ebook and sell it for a buck. Years ago I used to write applications for the palm pilot platform. Kinda dead location right now, but iphone apps can't be that hard to write.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

Grimm said:


> I guess cloth was cheaper for us. We started when Roo outgrew size 1 diapers. The rate she was going through disposables was horrible! Plus we don't have to spend anymore money to diaper any babies we may have. We can also sell our used covers and inserts back to Cottonbabies.


Is water, hot water, dryer gas, and washer and dryers free?

Not to mention sore bumms and leak outs.



JimMadsen said:


> So full time jobs are scarce, rent is going up, power costs are skyrocketing, a pound of hamburger is enough to make one cry.
> 
> Does anyone have workable ideas on generating extra income? And not have a tag sale kind of thing or pawn the TV. Thinking more of a longer term thing.
> 
> ...


Stop paying rent.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

PackerBacker said:


> Stop paying rent.


If only it was that easy!

The cat toys sound interesting, but then our cats always played with whatever they can get their paws on. It is amazing how long they play with a hair elastic. My wife will look into etsy to see what she might do with her crochet abilities. Although I am wary with the cost of yarn now a days.


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## Friknnewguy (Jun 30, 2012)

Sore butts and leaks happen with disposables too .


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

PackerBacker said:


> Is water, hot water, dryer gas, and washer and dryers free?
> 
> Not to mention sore bumms and leak outs.


Actually, never had diaper rashes with Roo or leaks with the cloth. When my mom used disposables when she babysat the diapers leaked all the time. I guess if you check cloth diapers often and/or use doublers leaks don't happen.

We own our own washer and dryer free and clear. Water, heat and gas is paid by our landlord. Even when we went to the laundromat cloth was cheaper than disposables. What is an extra $2.00 a week to wash the diapers when that same $8 a month wouldn't put disposables on Roo's butt for a week!

With disposables costing X amount every week for however long your child is in diapers I see cloth diapers as a sound investment. Would you rather pay a one time fee of Y or a monthly fee that adds up to 4 times Y?!

Cottonbabies has banner ads on this site for a reason...


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## Friknnewguy (Jun 30, 2012)

I applaud you for using the cloth diapers . I personally don't , but I don't have a real reason why I never tried them . My baby #2 constantly had diaper rash with the disposables . At one point we averaged 56 disposable diapers a week in our house . I keep 300 to 400 diapers in my stock, so if the SHTF , I'll be looking for a diaper alternative in just a few months .


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Friknnewguy said:


> I applaud you for using the cloth diapers . I personally don't , but I don't have a real reason why I never tried them . My baby #2 constantly had diaper rash with the disposables . At one point we averaged 56 disposable diapers a week in our house . I keep 300 to 400 diapers in my stock, so if the SHTF , I'll be looking for a diaper alternative in just a few months .


Thanks. I look at cloth diapering as a prep in its self and a way to save money.

I can see why some people think it is expensive with all the single size covers or all-in-one diapers. We opted for the adjustable covers and organic cotton inserts by Econobum. Their own site recommends 2 starter kits is all you need to cloth your baby from birth to potty training. That is only $100.

My DH grew up helping his mom change diapers on the kids she babysat. He swore when we had Roo he did not want to use cloth. When I started transitioning from the disposables we got at the baby shower to cloth he was shocked how easy it was. I got the Econobums because there was no pinning involved.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

Friknnewguy said:


> Sore butts and leaks happen with disposables too .


A minute fraction.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

Grimm said:


> I can see why some people think it is expensive with all the single size covers or all-in-one diapers.


Like I said I did the math and it didn't pencil out.

Not to mention time is valuable. We can make or save more money working the garden and canning food or umpteen other things that need/could be done around here.

I guess my point is you have to actually figure out what something costs/saves using realistic numbers. Just because something looks cheaper on the outside doesn't mean it is when you factor in all the expenses. It doesn't pay to go backwards.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Funny though how cheap labor becomes when you no longer have money. Or should you lose your source for the handy disposables or even lose the guy that comes and hauls em away for ya.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

PackerBacker said:


> Like I said I did the math and it didn't pencil out.
> 
> Not to mention time is valuable. We can make or save more money working the garden and canning food or umpteen other things that need/could be done around here.
> 
> I guess my point is you have to actually figure out what something costs/saves using realistic numbers. Just because something looks cheaper on the outside doesn't mean it is when you factor in all the expenses. It doesn't pay to go backwards.


I see your point of view.

Right now we don't have a garden or livestock so the cloth do save us money. Since I can after the family goes to bed or when my DH has time off work I see the ten minutes to throw the diapers in the washer as no big deal. Plus I normally hang dry them unless it is raining. Folding them is fun with Roo. She helps do a lot of the little chores around here. 

Plus we are trying to live a bit greener. All that plastic and waste from disposables...

Just my personal point of view. I'm not trying to convert you.


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## Friknnewguy (Jun 30, 2012)

PackerBacker said:


> A minute fraction.


At 56 diapers a week , and 2 babies that are only 11 months apart , I think I am pretty familiar with diapers , diaper rash and leaky babies .


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

PackerBacker said:


> Like I said I did the math and it didn't pencil out.
> 
> Not to mention time is valuable. We can make or save more money working the garden and canning food or umpteen other things that need/could be done around here.
> 
> I guess my point is you have to actually figure out what something costs/saves using realistic numbers. Just because something looks cheaper on the outside doesn't mean it is when you factor in all the expenses. It doesn't pay to go backwards.


Funny how you didn't quote the whole statement that it ONLY COST US $100 to cloth diaper our baby! How is that NOT cheap!?!

Plus when my DH was laid off we didn't have to worry about where money was going to come from to buy diapers!


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## mp5girl (Oct 24, 2012)

Wait a sec... Saving 25% in groceries is low. If done properly and strategically, you could save 70%+ and score free items. If I don't save at least that, in not a happy camper. Let me know what stores are around you and I can shoot you some links.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

mp5girl. We have stop&shop, bigy, pricechopper (where my wife cashiers) and the discount grocer we use is save a lot


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

I hate to be the one to break it to you but you kinda gave up sleep & time at home when you quit your career without a back up, men with 3+ kids don't have that luxury. Sounds like you're going to be working 16 hour days.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Are you ex mil? Taking a couple online college courses or actually going to school will make you gi bill eligible. Other than a second job and/or cutting expenses thats all ive got. I hear panhandlers do well. Might need to make an initial investment on bum clothes at goodwill. You could probably get a metal cup there as well.


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## drissel (Oct 23, 2011)

Cut back on expenses...cable tv? high speed internet..go slower...use library to watch videos, internet...smart phone....house phone...turn out lights when not in use...alot of ways to cut back....make extra money,,,snow belt.shovel snow, walk dogs, clean cars...I use to wash, wax and clean the inside for $20...sure it was labor, but when you aren't doing anything $20 is better than nothing, could do a few cars a day...mow grass....run errands...are you handy with tools, be a handy man, make things with wood to sell...shelves, spice racks, ...drop some insurance on an older vehicle, get a higher deductible will also save some money...old car, drop collision...there are many ways to make money, some just takes time, some takes luck...


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## Trip286 (Oct 18, 2012)

cnsper said:


> That knife looks good but if you are going to operate as a business then you have to add your time into the cost of the knife.


If you knew the kind of schedule I keep, you would understand exactly what I mean by "spare time" 

I sat down and figured it up a couple days ago. I generally have about 5 hours per day that aren't occupied, and that's NOT counting sleep. So, often, I take maybe 10-15 minutes and maybe just hit the blade with a file for a bit. This knife that took me about 3 hours of actual work time to make, accumulated, was about three months total from start to finish. The ulu, I just got lucky with and found myself with an absurdly non busy day. I knocked it out in one session.

That's really the only reason I don't have many, many, more that are finished.


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## jadedsoul (Feb 15, 2012)

Metal recycling has been a good way to supplement my income. For the most part I search Craig's list for anything free, I also keep an eye out for mufflers and other metal at the side of the road from work. A good truckload of metal goes pretty far and I am not ashamed to tell anyone that asks why I collect "junk". My girls have fun helping me tear things apart. In my area I have scored with things like wrecked aluminum boat docks, stainless steel bulk tanks and once even had a guy give me 45 old used batteries. Not everything is worth a fortune but if you have a space to store it eventually you will have enough for some pretty good money. It's good honest money for your hard work. 
I have done quite a few things to supplement my meager income due to child support. Some things people are not willing to do I will jump in feet first to get an extra buck.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

JimMadsen said:


> So full time jobs are scarce, rent is going up, power costs are skyrocketing, a pound of hamburger is enough to make one cry.
> 
> Does anyone have workable ideas on generating extra income? ...


Web site design...


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

It's hard to stay away from scams... How is your wife's computer skills? Perhaps she could visit a local staffing office - Randstad or Manpower. Find simple clerical work, etc... Perhaps looking at other jobs for her is the key here. The home baby sitting / day care could be a good thing, but look at getting some extra insurance "just in case"... The concept of sitting older people could also be profitable, but the pre-screening needs to be thought out, quick interview type thing... Also, this could build into a good business for you... There is a company like this health star or something well star? Anyway, best of luck.


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## AuroraHawk (Sep 12, 2012)

JimMadsen said:


> If only it was that easy!
> 
> The cat toys sound interesting, but then our cats always played with whatever they can get their paws on. It is amazing how long they play with a hair elastic. My wife will look into etsy to see what she might do with her crochet abilities. Although I am wary with the cost of yarn now a days.


While watching Craig's List, watch for yarn deals. I found some fantastic deals on yarn last month and managed to almost triple my yarn cache for less than $150.00. I will be busy for months using all of this yarn.

Check out Goodsmiths. You may find that listing craft items there will be less expensive than eBay and/or Etsy.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

AuroraHawk said:


> While watching Craig's List, watch for yarn deals. I found some fantastic deals on yarn last month and managed to almost triple my yarn cache for less than $150.00. I will be busy for months using all of this yarn.
> 
> Check out Goodsmiths. You may find that listing craft items there will be less expensive than eBay and/or Etsy.


Knitpicks.com has some very nice yarns for cheap. I get all my wools and superwash yarns from them. Orders over $50 are free shipping. They also have a very nice line of dyeable yarn in various fibers. You could always try dying yarn and selling the hanks. I love browsing all the hand dyed yarns on etsy and ebay. I just wish they were cheaper. 

Another great source for cheaper yarn is Walmart. You may not get wool yarn but you can get a great deal on cotton.


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## nomadjanet (Mar 28, 2011)

When my kids were to young for school, I stayed home & did home daycare for other people's kids. I made more money than I could have at a part time job and I got to be at home for my kids. I don't know if your wife has the space or the disposition for this but it can be lucrative. Even just after school care is expensive most places. My daughter pays $50 per child for after school care per week. If you can keep 4 kids thats $200 a week for about 8 -12 hours of her time and she gets to stay home with the baby all day. Full time care can be even more lucrative but of course is more work.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

Wow this is a lot of ideas. The home day care is a very real possibility. My wife is also looking at CNA jobs again. It is tough because she needs to maintain insurance from her job. Right now I pay for only my medical insurance. A doable 60 a month. But when I add on family (wife and kids) my cost goes to 1300 a month out-of-pocket. None of my kids are uninsured and I pay extra to cover my first two kids medical insurance. But the cost breakdown is to the point where she needs to keep her own for herself and the new kid. I know people will want to chime in about insurance options and such, but when I was in medicine, I ran our union local (one of the reasons I got into a new field) and am used to dealing with insurance policies. Every time the company adjusted things, we had to review, approve, and explain to the 200+ members. Also I am the office manager at my current job and I review the medical insurance plans there!

Invision, we will of course do the interviews like you suggest. I anticipate a file needed to be filled out and available with all the medical information along with a trial run to make sure they are able to get along. It ain't childcare! She at least has several years as a CNA in a dementia unit as well as home care exp. I would love to see this develop into a full time thing! She knows other CNAs that are also looking for work. Her computer skills are so-so and I mean so-so. She is a people person, not a computer one. If she knew them better (and I am trying to get her up to speed) then she would have a lot more options.

The yarn thing sounds good and we do have some nearby walmarts to check yarn prices on. We are daily on craigslist looking for some good scores. We actually got a full pump setup for the little one for free. That along with a couch and other furniture.

I saw some people telling me to man up as it where. I agree with you, but it appears some more information would be beneficial. I had a $60k plus job with overtime and now my wife and I now combined make about $24k. There are many reasons to leave a career in public safety. An injury can force you out, or emotional (how long will the cops in Newtown stay with it?) patient complaints (groundless or not) or even being black listed. You cannot just pick up and go to another state. There are all sorts of things to work out with licensure to do that. My closest choice (and still be near the kids) would be MA. But MA has their own training academy and I wouldn't be able to transfer my training in. When I was a medic, I worked 56 hours a week. I am no stranger to hard work. My ex stayed home with the kids, she worked a few hours a week because she wanted to. I am doing everything I can to allow the same for my wife now. I went through a bad time and my employer saw and opportunity to get rid of a thorn and they did. I got out of public safety in 2010 and went into another good job. Money and hours dried up there and now here I am. We did have a bunch set aside for her maternity leave but we had to use it. Between our two cars, I have had to replace a gas tank, brake lines, brake calipers, serp belts, batteries, alternator, harmonic balancer, undercarriage crossmember, lateral arms, door handle, temp sensor, leaf spring shackle, need to replace her heater core and my strut mount. This is all since Sept of this year. I did the vast majority of it myself from trial and error and google. We are down 10k in income since Jan this year. I am not trying to sob, I am looking for ideas and have gotten a crap load on here. I don't need to be told to man up.

Couple other great ideas to cut things, and they are worthwhile. We do not have smartphones and have the lowest cell phone package. We do not subscribe to any premium channels through cable and have a starter package for cable. I am actively looking at cutting cable altogether and using our Roku box. We are at the lowest tier of internet and use a magic jack for home phone (well faxing ability mostly, only $20 per year). Our TVs are nice but where bought broken and fixed. Seriously I have a 50 in plasma and a 46 in LCD that I spent total combined $230 on. I have looked at cost benefits of selling them because of other repairs that I have done and I know that the market isn't there for me to get that much for each. Car insurance in CT has state minimums so you can only drop it so low. But for 2 cars combined with renters ins we are only paying 200 a month. All the cuts suggested are worth doing. I just already made them!

Please no pity, but no hating either!


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