Ready to start, but have a financial question
jamieminnis
First, let me say thank you to everyone who answered my previous
questions (regarding a reluctant spouse, etc.)! You all are such an
encouragement and wonderful dose of reality for me!
Now that my husband is in complete agreement with me that we need to
unschool our boys, we are trying to figure it out financially. Does
anyone work from home? How do you make it work? Does anyone have any
suggestions for a job that I can do from home? I know working is not
ideal, but it IS a necessity for our family. Any thoughts/tips would
be so very helpful! I just want to get started unschooling right away!
Thanks!
Jamie
questions (regarding a reluctant spouse, etc.)! You all are such an
encouragement and wonderful dose of reality for me!
Now that my husband is in complete agreement with me that we need to
unschool our boys, we are trying to figure it out financially. Does
anyone work from home? How do you make it work? Does anyone have any
suggestions for a job that I can do from home? I know working is not
ideal, but it IS a necessity for our family. Any thoughts/tips would
be so very helpful! I just want to get started unschooling right away!
Thanks!
Jamie
Debra Rossing
Depends - what is your background? do you have a marketable skill of
some form (need not be a 'profession' as such - things you see as a
hobby can often turn a profit in one way or another - for example,
teaching classes at a community college in photography or pottery or
whatever, not always necessary to have a degree for that sort of thing
if you're not looking for tenure)? A network of former
coworkers/employers to work from? can you work around your spouse's
schedule (that is, work in the evenings if he works days, work days if
he works nights, and so on)? How much work/income do you need? Would 20
hours at $10/hr be enough? 30 hrs? fulltime? Would you need to subtract
childcare expenses? transportation costs? professional attire (whatever
that might be)?
I worked from home for a year and some before DS was born (DH was in
college fulltime - long story). I worked on contract for my former
employer - I was in OK and they were in CT. That's why contacts/networks
can be useful - they already knew me, knew I had the skills they needed,
knew I'd do the work I was being paid to do - it was a win/win
situation. I also did a short term project for another company because a
couple of former coworkers had moved to that company and knew I had the
skills to complete a particular project.
I'd suggest doing an inventory of what your background is, what your
networking capacity is, what the costs associated with your working
would be, what kind of money and schedule you'd need, then see what is
available where you are.
Deb
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some form (need not be a 'profession' as such - things you see as a
hobby can often turn a profit in one way or another - for example,
teaching classes at a community college in photography or pottery or
whatever, not always necessary to have a degree for that sort of thing
if you're not looking for tenure)? A network of former
coworkers/employers to work from? can you work around your spouse's
schedule (that is, work in the evenings if he works days, work days if
he works nights, and so on)? How much work/income do you need? Would 20
hours at $10/hr be enough? 30 hrs? fulltime? Would you need to subtract
childcare expenses? transportation costs? professional attire (whatever
that might be)?
I worked from home for a year and some before DS was born (DH was in
college fulltime - long story). I worked on contract for my former
employer - I was in OK and they were in CT. That's why contacts/networks
can be useful - they already knew me, knew I had the skills they needed,
knew I'd do the work I was being paid to do - it was a win/win
situation. I also did a short term project for another company because a
couple of former coworkers had moved to that company and knew I had the
skills to complete a particular project.
I'd suggest doing an inventory of what your background is, what your
networking capacity is, what the costs associated with your working
would be, what kind of money and schedule you'd need, then see what is
available where you are.
Deb
**********************************************************************
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify
the system manager.
This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by
MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses.
CNC Software, Inc.
www.mastercam.com
**********************************************************************
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ren Allen
~~Does
anyone work from home? How do you make it work? Does anyone have any
suggestions for a job that I can do from home? I know working is not
ideal, but it IS a necessity for our family.~~
I have worked from home in the past, but currently work 30 hours per
week outside the home. It's a balancing act for sure, but lucky for
me, dh can flex around my schedule most of the time since he's a
realtor. I also have older children which makes it easier to find
solutions.
We have typically found ways to work and have one of us home for the
kids. Finding a job with flexibility can make that happen. There are
tons of ways to work from home too of course....I suggest basing it on
an interest or passion because that will fuel your energy and make it
seem like fun rather than "work".:)
We've been very fortunate to do work we love, which makes all the
difference.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
anyone work from home? How do you make it work? Does anyone have any
suggestions for a job that I can do from home? I know working is not
ideal, but it IS a necessity for our family.~~
I have worked from home in the past, but currently work 30 hours per
week outside the home. It's a balancing act for sure, but lucky for
me, dh can flex around my schedule most of the time since he's a
realtor. I also have older children which makes it easier to find
solutions.
We have typically found ways to work and have one of us home for the
kids. Finding a job with flexibility can make that happen. There are
tons of ways to work from home too of course....I suggest basing it on
an interest or passion because that will fuel your energy and make it
seem like fun rather than "work".:)
We've been very fortunate to do work we love, which makes all the
difference.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
tbain2
I work from home and it can be done. It is easier now that my ds is
older. When he was a toddler especially it was really a balancing
act. I have a couple of strategies that are working and have been
for awhile. I get up an hour or two before ds, and I try to do my
more focused work then. When he was little, there was another window
during nap(s). Also, dh gets home from work at 3pm, so there's
another window after that. It really can be a challenge to juggle
and you have to be a good multi tasker and able to change gears from
work to mom to work again fairly quickly and smoothly. That said,
I've been doing it for almost 10 years and I am no super human. Now
that ds is older, he has things he likes to do on his own so if I
need to work, that's the plan. I try to keep him posted ahead of
time about my work schedule so there are few surpises. I think you
can do it if you are flexible, creative and willing to persevere.
Hope this helps!
Toni
--- In [email protected], "Ren Allen"
<starsuncloud@...> wrote:
older. When he was a toddler especially it was really a balancing
act. I have a couple of strategies that are working and have been
for awhile. I get up an hour or two before ds, and I try to do my
more focused work then. When he was little, there was another window
during nap(s). Also, dh gets home from work at 3pm, so there's
another window after that. It really can be a challenge to juggle
and you have to be a good multi tasker and able to change gears from
work to mom to work again fairly quickly and smoothly. That said,
I've been doing it for almost 10 years and I am no super human. Now
that ds is older, he has things he likes to do on his own so if I
need to work, that's the plan. I try to keep him posted ahead of
time about my work schedule so there are few surpises. I think you
can do it if you are flexible, creative and willing to persevere.
Hope this helps!
Toni
--- In [email protected], "Ren Allen"
<starsuncloud@...> wrote:
>are
> ~~Does
> anyone work from home? How do you make it work? Does anyone have any
> suggestions for a job that I can do from home? I know working is not
> ideal, but it IS a necessity for our family.~~
>
> I have worked from home in the past, but currently work 30 hours per
> week outside the home. It's a balancing act for sure, but lucky for
> me, dh can flex around my schedule most of the time since he's a
> realtor. I also have older children which makes it easier to find
> solutions.
>
> We have typically found ways to work and have one of us home for the
> kids. Finding a job with flexibility can make that happen. There
> tons of ways to work from home too of course....I suggest basing iton
> an interest or passion because that will fuel your energy and makeit
> seem like fun rather than "work".:)
>
> We've been very fortunate to do work we love, which makes all the
> difference.
>
> Ren
> learninginfreedom.com
>
marji
At 09:33 2/27/2007, you wrote:
that I can do it, and so is my son. I do medical transcription, and
I think if I could do it over again, I'd try to do something from
home that involved less of my brain and my attention so that I could
be doing my work and still be able to talk and listen to Liam.
What's good about what I do is that I can be fairly flexible. I can
stop typing at a moment's notice and drive Liam somewhere, or get up
and whip him up something to eat, or help him spell something or...
well, you get the picture, and then I can get back to work later
on. What's not good about it is that I am always behind in my work
and I feel kind of lousy about that. I'm an independent contractor,
so I get no paid time off or sick time or anything, and no vacation,
but I work my butt off, and then I can take time when I feel the need
to and nobody can tell me I can't.
I don't recommend MT for someone who wants to, as you say, "get
started...right away." It takes a long while to be able to earn good
money doing it, and you're not likely to be able to find work from
home right away anyway because experience is really necessary to be
able to do this kind of work in an isolated environment.
I think if I had it to do over, I'd try to do some kind of
craft/artisan work or gardening work-- something with my hands that
my kid(s) could get involved in, too, if s/he wanted to. It's really
hard for Liam to help me out with my transcription work (but I'm a
lot fun to play Scrabble with!), and I'm a great resource for all
things anatomical!
Anywho, I gotta get back to work!
~Marji
_.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._
<http://gaiawolf.org/>GaiaWolf ~ music for the planet
<http://myspace.com/gaiawolf>Visit GaiaWolf on MySpace
"The animals of this world exist for their own reasons. They were
not made for humans any more than blacks were made for whites or
women created for men."
~Alice Walker
_.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>...Does anyone work from home? How do you make it work? DoesI do, I do! Believe me, it ain't perfect, but I'm really grateful
>anyone have any suggestions for a job that I can do from home? I
>know working is not ideal, but it IS a necessity for our
>family. Any thoughts/tips would be so very helpful! I just want to
>get started unschooling right away! Thanks!
>
>Jamie
that I can do it, and so is my son. I do medical transcription, and
I think if I could do it over again, I'd try to do something from
home that involved less of my brain and my attention so that I could
be doing my work and still be able to talk and listen to Liam.
What's good about what I do is that I can be fairly flexible. I can
stop typing at a moment's notice and drive Liam somewhere, or get up
and whip him up something to eat, or help him spell something or...
well, you get the picture, and then I can get back to work later
on. What's not good about it is that I am always behind in my work
and I feel kind of lousy about that. I'm an independent contractor,
so I get no paid time off or sick time or anything, and no vacation,
but I work my butt off, and then I can take time when I feel the need
to and nobody can tell me I can't.
I don't recommend MT for someone who wants to, as you say, "get
started...right away." It takes a long while to be able to earn good
money doing it, and you're not likely to be able to find work from
home right away anyway because experience is really necessary to be
able to do this kind of work in an isolated environment.
I think if I had it to do over, I'd try to do some kind of
craft/artisan work or gardening work-- something with my hands that
my kid(s) could get involved in, too, if s/he wanted to. It's really
hard for Liam to help me out with my transcription work (but I'm a
lot fun to play Scrabble with!), and I'm a great resource for all
things anatomical!
Anywho, I gotta get back to work!
~Marji
_.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._
<http://gaiawolf.org/>GaiaWolf ~ music for the planet
<http://myspace.com/gaiawolf>Visit GaiaWolf on MySpace
"The animals of this world exist for their own reasons. They were
not made for humans any more than blacks were made for whites or
women created for men."
~Alice Walker
_.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._.:~`^'~:._
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Lisa Heyman
there are a variety of ways to work while unschooling. takes creativity -
but so does unschooling.
when i've needed to work i taught art classes to kids so my children could
come along. i then organized classes. i also have organized many
homeschooling activities so that my cost is discounted. discounts or
freebies are akin to making money or saving money.
there was a period of time when i worked from home writing and hired
childcare to come into the house and be with my dd while i was here so that
if she needed me i was available. it took practice on my part to be able to
work with her in the house. in truth the best writing i got done was when
dh took dd out for the day when he could. i had always managed to find very
inexpensive and wonderful people who are still very much important part of
our lives (adopted grandmother and adopted older sister - now 24). i help
out for exactly what i wanted and always found it. its worth the effort if
that means you can stay home with your kids when they are young.
Lisa Heyman
_________________________________________________________________
Refi Now: Rates near 39yr lows! $430,000 Mortgage for $1,399/mo - Calculate
new payment
http://www.lowermybills.com/lre/index.jsp?sourceid=lmb-9632-17727&moid=7581
but so does unschooling.
when i've needed to work i taught art classes to kids so my children could
come along. i then organized classes. i also have organized many
homeschooling activities so that my cost is discounted. discounts or
freebies are akin to making money or saving money.
there was a period of time when i worked from home writing and hired
childcare to come into the house and be with my dd while i was here so that
if she needed me i was available. it took practice on my part to be able to
work with her in the house. in truth the best writing i got done was when
dh took dd out for the day when he could. i had always managed to find very
inexpensive and wonderful people who are still very much important part of
our lives (adopted grandmother and adopted older sister - now 24). i help
out for exactly what i wanted and always found it. its worth the effort if
that means you can stay home with your kids when they are young.
Lisa Heyman
_________________________________________________________________
Refi Now: Rates near 39yr lows! $430,000 Mortgage for $1,399/mo - Calculate
new payment
http://www.lowermybills.com/lre/index.jsp?sourceid=lmb-9632-17727&moid=7581
[email protected]
~~Does
anyone work from home? How do you make it work? Does anyone have any
suggestions for a job that I can do from home? I know working is not
ideal, but it IS a necessity for our family.~~
**************************************************************************
I do FT since 1998. _http://wwwcountrymoosekids.com_
(http://wwwcountrymoosekids.com) & _http://www.drewsbrittanys.com_ (http://www.drewsbrittanys.com)
Go with what you enjoy and build around that. Your family has to live with
what you choose so what I did is talk to them about it. My son who was 8 at the
time (15 now) was the one who suggested my business without realizing it.
What he said was "so if you like them so much why don't you sell them".
Much like unschooling really how it all started.. Every thought following
that was easier once I knew I could do what others thought was impossible.
Laura
Unschoolingmaine.com
<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free
email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at
http://www.aol.com.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
anyone work from home? How do you make it work? Does anyone have any
suggestions for a job that I can do from home? I know working is not
ideal, but it IS a necessity for our family.~~
**************************************************************************
I do FT since 1998. _http://wwwcountrymoosekids.com_
(http://wwwcountrymoosekids.com) & _http://www.drewsbrittanys.com_ (http://www.drewsbrittanys.com)
Go with what you enjoy and build around that. Your family has to live with
what you choose so what I did is talk to them about it. My son who was 8 at the
time (15 now) was the one who suggested my business without realizing it.
What he said was "so if you like them so much why don't you sell them".
Much like unschooling really how it all started.. Every thought following
that was easier once I knew I could do what others thought was impossible.
Laura
Unschoolingmaine.com
<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free
email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at
http://www.aol.com.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Kelly
Hi Jamie,
I work from home, as does my husband. It was really tough the first few
years, particularly because both of us were working from home. My husband
designs and builds furniture, I am a massage practitioner and also act as
administrator/bookkeeper for my bil's landscaping business. I started out
working during my eldest daughters nap times and after she went to bed. I
was exhausted all the time. I need at least 7 hours sleep, even if it's
somewhat broken sleep (we have a family bed, and my daughter flops like a
fish on dry land :-)). I have since hired a trio of "playmates" - otherwise
known as sitters - who are young and enthusiastic and love to engage and
play with my kids. My office is in the main playroom of the house, so we're
usually all together, unless my daughter chooses to play somewhere else.
(Right now, she and "her friend Kat" are outside exploring the backyard,
looking for signs of spring and playing with the dog.) Having this trio has
made it possible for me to do my work without there being the tension
between my work commitments and wanting/needing to be with the kids. They
sitters are here anywhere from 12-20 hours/week, usually starting in the
mornings, leaving our afternoons free to spend time with our unschooling
friends (none of whom even wake up before 10 am! LOL), play, paint, snuggle,
whatever we want.
If you have decent computer skills, there's a LOT you can do from home.
Doing data entry for an Access or Excel system is a pretty straightforward
thing to learn (hey, I did it and I started out as a computer illiterate!)
and, depending on where you live, you can make anywhere from $20-30 and
hour. As your skills grow, you can take on more responsibility, and make
more money. I started out doing just data entry and creating invoices, and
have grown into client relations (meaning, I chase down the money when
clients don't pay on time :-)), tax preparation, quarterly sales tax filing,
bill paying, etc. At this point I am being paid a percentage of my bil's
gross. It's not something I could live on as an only income, but it makes a
huge difference when combined with my husbands.
Someone else mentioned medical transcription. My sil does this, too. Again,
if your skills are decent, and your learning curve is short, you can do
okay, and even well with this.
Then there are the non-computer jobs like house/pet-sitting. My mom uses a
young mother of 2 to care for her dog and cats, water her plants, take in
the mail, etc, while she is away. She pays (I believe) $12-15 a day for this
service, and the woman takes care of about 4 homes a day. Not a lot of money
on it's own, but again, when combined with her husband's income, it really
makes a difference.
Use your imagination, think about the things you love to do, and see how
those things can benefit someone else, and you'll have the beginnings of a
home-based business!
Good luck!
Kelly
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I work from home, as does my husband. It was really tough the first few
years, particularly because both of us were working from home. My husband
designs and builds furniture, I am a massage practitioner and also act as
administrator/bookkeeper for my bil's landscaping business. I started out
working during my eldest daughters nap times and after she went to bed. I
was exhausted all the time. I need at least 7 hours sleep, even if it's
somewhat broken sleep (we have a family bed, and my daughter flops like a
fish on dry land :-)). I have since hired a trio of "playmates" - otherwise
known as sitters - who are young and enthusiastic and love to engage and
play with my kids. My office is in the main playroom of the house, so we're
usually all together, unless my daughter chooses to play somewhere else.
(Right now, she and "her friend Kat" are outside exploring the backyard,
looking for signs of spring and playing with the dog.) Having this trio has
made it possible for me to do my work without there being the tension
between my work commitments and wanting/needing to be with the kids. They
sitters are here anywhere from 12-20 hours/week, usually starting in the
mornings, leaving our afternoons free to spend time with our unschooling
friends (none of whom even wake up before 10 am! LOL), play, paint, snuggle,
whatever we want.
If you have decent computer skills, there's a LOT you can do from home.
Doing data entry for an Access or Excel system is a pretty straightforward
thing to learn (hey, I did it and I started out as a computer illiterate!)
and, depending on where you live, you can make anywhere from $20-30 and
hour. As your skills grow, you can take on more responsibility, and make
more money. I started out doing just data entry and creating invoices, and
have grown into client relations (meaning, I chase down the money when
clients don't pay on time :-)), tax preparation, quarterly sales tax filing,
bill paying, etc. At this point I am being paid a percentage of my bil's
gross. It's not something I could live on as an only income, but it makes a
huge difference when combined with my husbands.
Someone else mentioned medical transcription. My sil does this, too. Again,
if your skills are decent, and your learning curve is short, you can do
okay, and even well with this.
Then there are the non-computer jobs like house/pet-sitting. My mom uses a
young mother of 2 to care for her dog and cats, water her plants, take in
the mail, etc, while she is away. She pays (I believe) $12-15 a day for this
service, and the woman takes care of about 4 homes a day. Not a lot of money
on it's own, but again, when combined with her husband's income, it really
makes a difference.
Use your imagination, think about the things you love to do, and see how
those things can benefit someone else, and you'll have the beginnings of a
home-based business!
Good luck!
Kelly
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]