This post is about how to work from home so you can homeschool… and I threw in a fun farm update for kicks.
I’m sure you are sick of farm updates by now, but I want to be real… because if you think that downsizing into an old farm house is easy, you would be mistaken. There are hidden costs lurking around every corner… and some disappointments you aren’t expecting… so I’m sharing the good, the bad, and the nitty-gritty – just in case you are sitting there with your Realtor, about to make an offer on your own 100-year old “cottage”.
There are a lot of things you can do to work from home so you can be a stay-at-home mom, a work-at-home mom, a part-time worker outside the home and a stay-at-home or homeschool mom at the same time.
On top of finding new streams of income, you can also curb your spending, downsize your lifestyle, and/or take up hobbies that can help you save money or make a little money every week (like gardening, washing your own car, making things, helping others while you are helping yourself, etc.)…
I was on a Facebook Group browsing aimlessly before bed (bad way to unwind – even with blue-blocker glasses – since the blue light just makes you not able to fall asleep or get tired properly)… and I came across a post where someone was asking “Does anybody have a good way to work from home?” to a group full of Texas homeschool mamas. You know homeschool mamas (and Texans especially) are a rugged pioneering bunch… so I had to click over to read the bunch of comments that were accumulating there.
One lady posted – I KID YOU NOT – a list a mile long with LINKS that she had taken from another group. It would take me weeks to research every one of them, but I decided to copy it all off so I can check them out if I ever decide I have enough free time to get on the computer to do much besides a weekly blog post, bills, the dreaded daily email check, and picture editing and uploading for my weekend job. I use my phone for pretty much everything else… sometimes even the emails.
I hate the computer. If I had the money, I would hire someone to do everything on it for me so I could focus on DIY, gardening, cooking, housekeeping, homeschooling and art/photography. OH, OK. I would hire someone to do the housekeeping, too.
I know that sounds weird coming from a blogger… but if they made spiral notebooks that would transcribe to the INTERNET by magic – even if you used a regular pen, I would be blogging every day. Magic is usually done by secretaries, virtual assistants and maids, though. I can’t afford any of them.
I totally get your pain, mama. Money sucks when you don’t have enough of it. You feel like you’re up against the impossible. Lucky for you, impossible is not impossible for God… nor is difficult too difficult for a homeschool mom with grit and determination.
You want to stay at home with your kids and think you can’t afford it?
Want to earn some extra cash to be able to buy groceries in this tight economy and continue to homeschool?
Check out this extensive list of ideas on how to make money from home or work side jobs that will allow you to homeschool and be home more often:
WAYS TO SAVE OR MAKE MONEY FROM HOME
(…SO YOU CAN STAY HOME WITH YOUR KIDS AND HOMESCHOOL)
My Ideas
– Selling your own children’s books (self publishing)
– Selling your own cook-book
– Teaching classes on a skill or topic you love (vlogging and making money through Youtube)
– Blogging and taking ads/sponsorships (blogging never paid my bills, but it did help us with free homeschool curriculum and some travel/field trip opportunities for my kids)
– Run errands for other people (elderly)
– Work part time in a church office as a receptionist or secretary
– Work part time helping others dog sit/house sit
– Do yard work for neighbors (putting out a few flyers and enlist your kids to earn, too)
– Help your kids set up lemonade stands (now that it’s legal in Texas)
– Create art and sell on Etsy
– Take a newspaper route
– Learn to refinish wood or fix old furniture / reupholster stuff
– Sew things or do handcrafts and sell them at craft fairs
– Quilt for others or teach fabric skills to those wanting to learn
– Teach music or art
– Run someone else’s social media accounts
– Reach out to a brand you love and be their ambassador
– Offer to help a friend with their business for a certain number of hours each week
– Babysit
– Be a photographer and work on weekends
– Be a party planner / wedding planner on weekends
– Do in-home cosmetology (you could also do up-dos, braids, make up and such for weddings)
– Make digital graphics and sell them online
– Become a web or blog designer
– Learn to take or edit videos
– Become a personal chef and cook for others who are too busy
– Become a part time nanny
– Clean houses
– Leave your number up at the local grocery or library and offer mentoring for homeschool moms or hourly “household help”
– Share your number with your local church secretary or Yahoo Group and offer your services for whatever skills you have at a discounted rate for church members (some churches have their own business directories and some Yahoo Groups also have business email days where you can share your information to get clients)
Other ideas if you have some land or live rural…
NOTE: (Many of these ideas can also double as agricultural tax write offs for your property, thus saving you money, too)
– Growing Plants
– Tree Farm
– Bee Keeping
– Selling Eggs
– Raw milk drop/co-op
– Raising Animals
– Field Trip Farm Classes or Nature Classes
– Growing Pumpkins or Berries
– Selling preserves, produce, herbs, body products, baked goods or eggs at farmer’s market
– FHA projects with kids for prize money
– Breeding cats or dogs for sale
– Farming
– Open a Wedding Venue
– Open a community garden club
– Help move people on weekends for cash (if you have a trailer or truck)
Ideas shared on the Facebook Group…
– Be a MYSTERY SHOPPER: https://mspa-americas.org/
– Open an AirBNB
– Work for Beautycounter (non-toxic cosmetics, #1 Googled Brand)
– Sell Usborne Books
– Become a Virtual Assistant and work your own hours
– Be a Freelance Writer: writerswork.com / earnmorewriting.com
– Become an Independent Travel Agent
– Do Medical Billing and Coding
– Sell essential oils – Young Living, etc.
– Join the Business Minded Homeschool Moms (FB group)
– Become a Uber/Lyft driver (there are also grocery delivery and food delivery services you can do)
– Tutor Others online or in person
– Teach Online
– Write for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
– Technical Support Services (Support.com)
– Google “Pinterest work at home jobs”
– Get a RN job from home
– Be an account manager remotely
– Teaching English online to people in other countries
– Be a “Social Media Evaluator” – www.connect.appen.com/qrp/public/jobs/
– Teach homeschooled kids on VIPkid
– Open a home daycare
– Reach out to a favorite homeschool vendor and offer to work for them part time (even if they don’t have a job for you, they might let you volunteer at conventions in your area once or twice a year to get some free curriculum)
Downsizing and budgeting is not overrated…
I already mentioned you can downsize your lifestyle to save money instead of making money working. Some people might think this is extreme. You certainly have to weigh the costs. It is physically taxing to renovate and more expensive than you might think, so start with a clear head and a long list of pros and cons. ANYONE can do Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace plan, though… no matter if you live in a tiny shack on the prairie or a cookie-cutter suburban home.
MORE WORK FROM HOME IDEAS
Here’s a list of links that was shared by a mom who copied them off from another facebook user...
1. Live Ops – www.liveops.com
2. TeleTech – TeleTech.localjobster.com
3. Amazon – Amazon.JobsOnline.com
4. Sutherland Global Services – http://www.sutherlandglobal.com/careers.aspx
5. UnitedHealth Group – https://careers.unitedhealthgroup.com/
6. Dell – http://jobs.dell.com/north-America-jobs
7. IBM – www.ibm.com/employment
8. U.S Department of Agriculture – www.usda.gov
9. Working Solutions – http://workingsolutions.com
10. Humana – www.humana.com
11. Aetna – https://www.aetna.com/about-us/aetna-careers.html
12. Intuit – www.Intuit.com
13. Kaplan – kaplan.com/work-with-us/our-culture
14. Kelly Services – www.kellyservices.us/US/Careers/KellyConnect/Kelly-At-Home
15. Cactus Communications – https://www.flexjobs.com/jobs/telecommuting-jobs-at-cactus
16. Westat – https://www.westat.com
17. Salesforce – www.salesforce.com/company/careers
18. PAREXEL – https://jobs.parexel.com
19. CyberCoders – https://www.cybercoders.com/…/work-from-home-php-developer
20. American Express – https://jobs.americanexpress.com
21. Vmware – telecommuting-jobs-at-vmware
22. SAP – www.sap.com/career
23. Xerox – https://www.xerox.com/en-us/jobs/work-from-home
24. First Data – https://www.firstdata.com/en_us/about-first-data/careers
25. US-Report – www.us-reports.com/jobs
26. Oracle – Oracle-Work.Jobsgalore.com/Jobs
27. CACI International – careers.caci.com/key/work-from-home-jobs.html
28. A Place for Mom – www.aplaceformom.com/jobs
29. Anthem,Inc – careers.antheminc.com
30. DellSecureWroks – telecommuting-jobs-at-dell_secureworks
31. World Travel Holdings – www.worldtravelholdings.com/careers,work-home
32. ADP – www.adp.com/careers.aspx
33. Aon – telecommuting-jobs-at-aon
34. University of Maryland University College – www.umuc.edu/visitors/careers
35. Allergan Inc. – www.allergan.com/careers
36. K12 – www.k12.com/careers
37. U.S. Department of Transportation – https://www.transportation.gov/careers
38. CSI companies – thecsicompanies.com/candidates
39. Robert Half – www.roberthalf.com
40. Nielsen – sites.nielsen.com/careers
41. Red Hat – www.redhat.com/en/jobs
42. Adobe Systems – www.adobe.com/careers
43. Overland Solutions, Inc. – overlandsolutionsinc.com
44. BCD travel – www.bcdtravel.com/get-to-know-us/careers
45. Connections Education – www.connectionsacademy.com/careers
46. Deloitte – www.deloitte.com/careers
47. Apple – https://jobs.apple.com
48. Mckesson Corporation – https://careers.mckesson.com
49. Thermo Fisher Scientific – corporate.thermofisher.com/en/home.html
50. Precyse – careers.precyse.com
51. Haynes & Company – www.haynesandcompany.com
52. Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc – www.ppdi.com/careers
53. IT Pro Philadelphia – www.phillymag.com/property/2013/10/22/live-work-homes
54. Cingna – www.cigna.com/career
55. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt – careers.hmhco.com
56. Sungard Availability Services – sungardas.com
57. Infor – www.infor.com/company/careers
58. Sodexo – www.sodexousa.com/home/careers-usa.html
59. About.com – About.com/Can I Work From Home
60. Altegra Health – altegrahealth.com/careers
61. GE – jobs.gecareers.com/
62. Western Governors University – www.wgu.edu/about_WGU/employment/work_remote
63. Grand Canyon University – jobs.gcu.edu/admissions-enrollment-jobs
64. Walden University – https://www.waldenu.edu
65. Vivint – www.vivint.com/company/careers
66. BroadSpire – https://www.choosebroadspire.com
67. Covance – careers.covance.com
68. Ellucian – www.ellucian.com
69. HD Supply – hdsupply.jobs
70. Perficient Inc. – www.perficient.com
71. Teradata – https://www.teradata.com
72. Wells Fargo – https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/careers
73. Symantec Corporation – www.Symantec.com
74. Real Staffing – www.realstaffing.com/en
75. Science Applications International – www.saic.com
76. AmerisourceBergen Company – www.amerisourcebergen.com
77. Appen – www.jobs.net/jobs/appen/en-us
78. Hartford Financial Services Group – https://www.thehartfordatwork.com
79. RetailDatat – retaildatallc.com
80. SYKES – www.sykes.com/Careers
81. CARA – www.jobbankusa.com
82. Citizens Financial Group – citizensbank.jobs/work-at-home
83. CVS Health – cvshealth.com
84. Healthfirst – https://healthfirst.taleo.net/careers…/hf_ext_cs/jobsearch
85. American Heart Association – careers.heart.org
86. BMC software – www.bmc.com/careers
87. Hibu – https://hibu.com
88. inVentive Health – www.inventivhealth.com/careers
89. Rosetta Stone – jobs.jobvite.com/rosettastone
90. Erie Insurance Group – https://www.erieinsurance.com/careers
91. Deluxe – https://ww.deluxe.com
92. Clevertech – https://weworkremotely.com/jobs
93. Achieve Test Prep – www.achievetestprep.com
94. Worldpay – www.worldpay.com
95. DataStax – https://www.datastax.com/
96. CDK Global – www.cdkglobal.com
97. Teleflex – www.teleflex.com/en/careers/workingAtTeleflex
98. Aquent – aquent.com/find-work
99. Parallon – www.parallon.com/careers
100. U.S Department of the Interior – https://www.doi.gov/careers
That’s a crazy lotta ideas, am I right?!?!
I think everyone can do at least one thing they aren’t doing now to increase their income or decrease their outflow. Set a goal. Put a sticky note on the calendar or fridge. Remind yourself to hustle.
You could also go all Marie Kondo and sell things in your house that you don’t need any more. I know a young homeschool graduate who is now a married mom of little tiny people that is a professional RESELLER – (look that up on google). She buys things at estate sales, thrift shops, Good Will, garage sales, and the like… and she resells them on sites like Ebay and Poshmark. I still don’t have the total inside scoop, but I love watching her Instagram magic. I’ve also seen antique store resellers doing much the same with high end antique items they buy the same way.
I’m about to “resell” all the stuff I own in three storage units to some auction/liquidators that do auction-based reselling and make a profit this way, too. Hopefully that will reward me a little more than endless trips to Good Will have.
Every dollar counts.
Too bad Good Will doesn’t really give you any dollars until you file your tax return. YOU ARE ITEMIZING your charity, right???
If you do decide to downsize – like all those tiny-house crazed millennials and Pinterest farm-house style lovers…. I aim to be real here at the #TinyTexasFarm and let you know about hidden costs you might accrue choosing this lifestyle. I applaud you if you have your eye out on a tiny fixer-upper farm in the country… but I want you to walk in to the closing office without a blindfold on.
Last month we had a sewer pipe bust that kept us from using our master bath for more than a week. Five of us using one bathroom was not ideal. That cost me 300$ to fix… and it could have cost way more. I had another roof leak that was fixed also. It was a contractor error, so that was free. There’s quite a bit of sheetrock damage in the hallway that will need fixing (will cost me more moolah), but that was there prior to us moving… so anything we are saving on not having a mortgage payment has been going towards debt for repairs and renovations and the old farm truck falling apart three times in the past month.
It’s difficult to have a farm without a truck, just sayin’. Even if that truck is old. You wouldn’t believe how much we’ve used that flat bed trailer since we got it. Thank heavens my husband already had an old truck before we moved here.
Unfortunately, you might also run into “brick walls” with your design plans and have to dash a few dreams. You’ll need to prepare mentally for that.
WHAT IF you CAN’T re-create the space you need? WHAT IF you have to IMPROVISE?
I found out recently that a wall I wanted to bust down is a load bearing wall. Back to the drawing board on my tiny kitchen and dining area. We LOVE home cooked food around here and are just not feeling the love in such cramped spaces. I need to borrow a designer so I can figure out how to maximize my small floor plan and maximize the amount of storage I can hide in everyplace it will fit… I’ve never felt so stumped (or crowded with JUNK THAT NEEDS A HOME OUT OF SIGHT).
You might also run in to time snags living in the middle of your renovation project. Patience is key (easier said than mustered up).
Now that both my big kids are moved out, it’s just the four of us. We are rearranging and getting ready to do more DIY together. The boys spent half of today cleaning the 2nd bedroom (we only have 2) after big brother left and they are thrilled they don’t have to sleep on cots or couches any more. What a terrible parent I am for letting them sleep on make-shift beds for six months. Oh, well, they will have stories to tell their kids about how they should quit whining because “grandma made me sleep on a couch and a cot for half a year.”
Ha! Even the kids have had to sacrifice a bit.
On the outdoor front… living in the country is a game changer. YES to the prairie wilderness views… but… June is glaring at me like: “I’m gonna melt your world, bruh.” Texas + polycarbonate and glass greenhouse = “Why didn’t I get that shade fabric installed before now????”
This week I moved the strawberries to the porch so they could get some shade. They were looking crisp after convention when hubby wasn’t aware he needed to water daily (oops). I planted the tomatoes in the ground as they were root bound in their terracotta pot. I planted a ton of garlic this weekend and put my tiny Moringa tree in the ground. The pumpkin vines are so big you might need to look for my house inside them in a week or two.
Moreover, there are additional things you might consider moving to the wild… like the snake we found near the garage (saw his tail flicking about under the rolling trash can on the way out to get something from the outside refrigerator)… and the WASPS. We have more wasps than anywhere on planet earth, I think. I was stung by yellow jackets that swarmed me when I went to open the metal storage container Saturday. After the poison didn’t work (hate that he used it), he got the blowtorch out on them. That did the trick. Fire and the heel of your boot are always fail safe ways to kill wasps.
As for positives… you can learn a lot and work a lot harder in the country. With that in mind, I might mention that my 10 year old would-be farmer learned how to mow last week (not the riding mower, just the push mower). He has grand dreams of opening a landscaping business making a ton of money.
We watched a YouTube video made by a Hispanic guy who mows for a living talking about his favorite mower and he heard the guy say he made “50,000$ in two years mowing” and now he’s ON FIRE to mow every chance Daddy will let him. Little does he know, mama and daddy won’t ever be able to pay him that much, and since all our neighbors have cows and tractors, I’m not sure where he’s going to find clients. Ha! I haven’t the heart to step on his dreams just yet…
That’s ok, though. Living out yonder is a great way to teach your homeschooled city-kid some farm and life skills that will stick with them forever. Only you know if you can hack the difficulties of country life to reap the benefits.
If you are looking for ways to bring in that extra buck or be able to homeschool and stay home, I hope you get the answers you need and are blessed by God with bountiful provision. It isn’t easy to give up conveniences, pinch pennies, or downsize, but it is truly worth every moment you get to spend with your babies. You only get 18 or so years with them. Make them count!
If there’s a will, there’s a way!