Thx Gordo
Some background
This thread is a spin off of another thread in which the original poster informed us that their daughter is on hard times- her monthly food stamp allowance went from $230 to $30 and the deadbeat dad hasn’t paid support in a year. I commented on the thread that the poster and their daughter should stop expecting the father to do the right thing or the state to pay her way and that we could all come up with ideas to make up the $200 a month food stamp cut (and then some)...
Some folks thought I was rude and lacked compassion. We argued the point and finally it was suggested that we start a new thread on what someone in this situation might do…
Here are some of my ideas for generating additional cash flow:
Take in a roommate
More than likely this would net you much more than $200 because you would get money toward rent/mortgage plus cut the utility bills. Perfect world, make it a win/win- find someone in the same situation as yourself (single mom w/kids in need of clean, affordable, safe housing) and you and the other mom could watch each others kids which would decrease your cost of childcare and allow you to use more of the money you earn from working for groceries and bills...
Have a yard sale
If you are anything like most Americans, you have a lot of stuff you don't need. It is a one time only event but more than likely you will net one or more months worth of what your foodstamps would bring in...
Sell stuff on E-bay
? A friend of mine buys baby clothes from the Gymboree clearance rack in her region and then sells them for 1.5 to 2 times as much on Ebay. Keep the tags on and remember that you make your money when you buy cheap...
? A friend's daughter goes to Goodwill second hand stores in affluent areas and buys high end women's clothing for dirt cheap. She then sells this stuff for profit on E-Bay...
? After your baby outgrows something (so long as it is in good shape) sell it on E-bay.
You could do this Ebay thing 1 hour a night while the baby is sleeping. You don’t have to work hard to get to $200 doing this and you didn't even have to leave the house except to ship stuff once a week...
Move in with your parents temporarily
If it is an option, quit paying rent for a while and move in with your family. Provide them with a plan as to how long you need to live there, what you will be doing to get back on your feet and when you will be doing it. Follow through...
Start a housecleaning business
I marketed my mom's housecleaning business with a free newspaper ad in a wealthy community. The ad pointed to a website I built for her. Within a week she had to call the newspaper and cancel the ad because she filled all her available time. Keep in mind- getting the clients is the easy part- you still need to show up and clean. It is hard work…
Watch other people's kids
Instead of you paying someone else to watch your kids- stay home and watch your own kids along with other peoples' kids. Good quality, affordable daycare (or nightcare) is hard to find in many areas. An ex-girlfriend of mine did this just so she could raise her own daughter and in the process built an extremely profitable home based business. She had her basement remodeled, added a separate entrance to it, has three girls running her business now and she makes a fortune…
There are so many things one can do to bring in an extra $200/mo.
I will add more ideas (also want to add ways of cutting expenses) but first I want to see what others have to say…
More soon,
G