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WAHM: Your Ticket to Being Home with the Kids & Earning an Income for Your Family

Have you ever dreamed of a job where you could spend time with your family and earn money at the same time? Most traditional jobs don’t offer that. But, becoming a WAHM could be your ticket to your dream.  With the creation of Times Tales we (Jennie, Marillee and Dena) found ourselves with our own successful business that has grown substantially over the years. We’ve been blessed, but there have been challenges as well. I hope to write a series of posts dealing with various aspects of home business if I find there is an interest. But, to start out, here is some helpful information detailing what it’s all about.

WAHM?

Just what do these letters stand for? WAHM stands for Work At Home Mom. Over the past 20 years, more and more women have come out of the workplace and gone back into the home.

The decision hasn’t been an easy one. It became apparent a long time ago that men were the only ones being allowed to “have their cake and eat it too.” They could pursue a corporate career and still come home in the evenings to the family.

Women with careers had a different path to follow. Besides working longer hours to achieve the same pay and credibility as their male counterparts, they also had to contend with the housework and the kids. After a long day at the office and doing the household chores, the kids sadly got what was left over which was usually a very worn out mother.

That has since changed. WAHMs are proving everyday that women can contribute to the family financial situation and nurture their families. Both online and off, a network of support has been created for any woman who wants to consider an option that will help them meet their needs.

How to get started?

When you talk to your family about the possibility you want to have an idea of the direction you will take. Check out sites like justaddsweat.com for lots of good ideas and affordable getting started guides. Other informative sites are  internetbasedmoms.com and wahmtalkradio.com. They offer helpful hints to moms getting started with a work at home enterprise and also a network of opportunities for connecting with other WAHMs.

If your income has been a big part of the monthly family finances, then switching to a work at home enterprise will cause your finances to take a hit. Be sure there is enough financial cushion in your bank account to weather the first six months of your new career. It will take time to establish your business.

Opportunities

First, figure out your interests and skills. WAHMs can find business opportunities to work for someone else doing everything from audio transcription to writing articles to accounting. Be aware that there are scams about and that legitimate companies looking for professionals won’t ask for money upfront from you. you can find out more about these options at justaddsweat.com.

Some WAHMs carve out their own niche and begin an online business, which is what we did with Times Tales. Over time our business grew to include more of our own products such as our e-books and Cleaning Systems.  These products grew from finding solutions to our own problems and putting those solutions into a format we could share with others.  Eventually we began offering products we were impressed with from other authors as well. Our “niche” is ‘creative learning’ so we stick with products that fit that title.

If you are skilled with crafting, you can create a website to promote your crafts and sell products. A blog is also another idea. Blog about your area of expertise and develop a following. Combine that with affiliate or search engine marketing to generate revenue.

Making it work

With new career comes the issue of balance between home and work. Just because you are home doesn’t mean you won’t need help around the house or time away from the kids in order to work. Consider these tips for creating a balance:

•    Develop a set schedule for work and play on a weekly basis
•    Discuss dividing up household chores between you, your spouse, and older kids (or use our cleaning systems to get the kids involved!)
•    Do pre-work such as fixing lunches, prepping breakfast, choosing clothing the night before
•    Hire a babysitter once or twice a week
•    Separate home office space inside the house

There are advantages to being a WAHM. Plan carefully and be patient. Support from your family makes all the difference.

Cheapo Blister Preventative

I have a very nice of brand name running (walking, in my case) shoes that never fail to leave a blister on one of my heels. Since a friend and I walk every morning, I have to put moleskin on my heel to prevent a blister. I usually take it off right after walking and re-use until it no longer sticks. Unfortunately, the last brand I bought (Dr. Scholl’s) was good for only one use. Sigh. I was afraid I’d need to either invest in a new pair of shoes or a never-ending supply of moleskin.

Well, this morning when I went to walk I discovered I was out of moleskin. As they say, “necessity is the mother of invention”. I grabbed a roll of duct tape and a couple of cotton balls and taped the balls into the back of my shoe where it seemed to be rubbing. Then, for good measure, I slapped a small piece of duct tape onto my heel as well.

Would you believe I arrived home with no blistering? Now I just have to figure out if the tape on the shoe fixed the problem, or if it was the piece I stuck to my heel that did the trick. Either way, it’s significantly cheaper than moleskin and equally effective.

Duct tape to prevent blisters works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.

Schools are for Fish!

Another wonderful illustration by Inflatable Studios…CLICK to see more of his cartoons!

Closet Make-Over

After all the work this house took, the closets were way down on the list for improvements. When we moved in, I just put our stuff in there and  ignored the rest. For some reason, right before Christmas I got motivated to spruce up the master bedroom closet. It took me one day,  some left over paint and peel and stick tiles. Cost aprox. $30

BEFORE

AFTER

Yard Sale Tips!

Summer means it’s YARD SALE SEASON! Here are a few tips for both buyers AND sellers.

SELLER TIPS:

1. Be Prepared! Make sure you have lots of coins and small bills, tarps (in case of rain), and your items marked, BEFORE the customers come.

2. Keep valuables that can be pocketed (video games, jewelry, etc.) at your money table. And never, I mean NEVER leave your money box unattended.

3. Make sure to have lots of shopping bags (for your customers to put their items in), stickers, markers on hand.

4. Start marking down EVERYTHING during the last few hours of the sale. Wouldn’t you rather get something for that junk rather than having to haul it somewhere else when your done?

5. If your item is more than 10 years old, price it LOW..or give it away for free. Just because your Grandma paid $600.00 for that floral couch in the 80s, doesn’t mean it’s worth $400.00 today. With the exception of vintage items,  there is little to no market for older goods (couches, drapes, lamps, etc.)

6.. And please, please, TAKE DOWN YOUR SIGNS when your yard sale is over!

BUYER TIPS

1. Early birds gets the worm! Or should I say, the early bird gets the best stuff. I personally hate getting up early, especially on Saturday morning, but if you want to get the creme of the crop, you have to rise with the sun.  Most of the good stuff is gone within the first 90 minutes of yard sales.

2. Make sure you have lots of cash on hand. Most people won’t take a check.

3. Don’t be afraid to barter. If you make an offer and it’s turned down, leave your name and number with the seller. You never know, if they don’t sell their overpriced item, you might get a call at the end of the day.

4. If you see an item you are even thinking about buying, carry it around while you continue looking. You might go back to it and it will be gone!

5. Map out your sales ahead of time, so you’re not backtracking through town. This can not only save you time, but gas as well.

Happy Hunting!

Free Charlotte Mason Style Ebooks

I was just browsing around at Simply Charlotte Mason and came across several free resources they offer. I downloaded Smooth and Easy Days, which focuses on building good habits (without nagging) and see that it’s filled with good, useful info. We all need a little help getting/keeping on track every so often. Here are a few of the other free resources I found on the site. I hope some can be of help to you. Just click on the covers to read a description and download.

Be sure to spend some time browsing the main site as well. There is lots of good info here.

Tile Right Over Old Countertop for $50.00

Are you tired of looking at that burnt-orange counter from the 1970s but don’t think you can afford a nice counter top? Well, here is an inexpensive way to add tile right over your old Formica.  All it takes is a few hours, a trip to Home Depot, and about $50.00. The best part, is ANYONE can do this project, even if you have never tiled before.

The pictures are from a rental property that my husband and I recently worked on. I didn’t want to spend much money, so tiling was the best way to get a nice counter top on the cheap. All the materials (including cement board, tile, grout and screws) were just under $50.00. This project took me aprox. 5 hours to complete, over a two day period.

1. Disconnect plumbing and pull sink out.

2. Scuff up the Formica counter top with course sandpaper. It should be dull and void of any shine. This will help the thinset mortar (cement) adhere to the Formica better. Pull off the Formica strip, (exposing the plywood underneath) that goes around the edge of counter. Cut cement board to replicate the  counter top (sink hole, etc), this can be done by making a template.

3. Apply thinset mortar onto the Formica using a notched trowel.

4. Lay cement board directly onto the Formica (with wet mortar). Screw cement board into the Formica, being sure to add screws every 8-12 inches. You will need a good screw gun for this, once the screw hits the Formica, it takes some strength to get it to penetrate. You might want to make pilot holes to alleviate this problem.

5. Once cement board has been secured with screws onto the Formica, you are ready to tile and grout. The sink can be placed back in the hole and the plumbing reconnected.

Most people will choose a bullnose tile for the front strips. But since budget was a consideration (bullnose cost way more than the normal tile pieces), I just cut strips of tile to make my own pieces for the edge.

Since it’s a bathroom, be sure to seal your grout before use.

Free Stuff for Good Grades!

It’s that time of year again when school children are being offered free goodies for the “A”s they get on their report cards!  But wait! Homeschool kids don’t get report cards! Well, I say, “why not?”

You can print out a free report card from printablehomeschool.com.

Here is the link: http://printablehomeschool.com/reportcrd.html

Want to find a list of places that offer freebies for good grades?  Click HERE.  You will find ice cream, movies, donuts and more!

Sanctuary for Mom and Dad

  There have been many books, articles and seminars that teach how to keep your marriage alive. Let’s face it, when you throw children into the mix, putting time into the marriage, often goes on the back burner. I recently read an article that talked about the importance of turning your bedroom into a sanctuary; in other words, a “kid-free zone”. The benefits of creating boundaries for the bedroom, are not only just for the marriage, but can also offer a place of escape for a stressed out mom who just needs a short time to rejuvenate and rest.  

Rules for Turning Your Bedroom Into a Sanctuary.

1.     No one enters without an invite, of course after a knock first.

2.     No Legos, dolls, forts, bed jumping allowed.

3.     If the phone rings and the door is shut, take a message.

Make Your Own Upside Down Tomato Planter

Upside down tomato planters are definitely a hot gardening item this year. The average price runs between $10-$20.  In my opinion, this is just a plain rip off!! I mean, it’s basically a pot with a large hole in the bottom. So in the vein of frugal living, I decided to make my own, for just the cost of a hanging pot.

How to make your own upside tomato planter:

#1 Cut a large hole in the bottom. I did this with a power drill. The hole has to be large enough to “thread” the tomato plant through, but not too big as the dirt will spill out.

#2.  Carefully wrap the leaves in saran wrap to get them bunched together. This will make threading easier. Next, pull a mesh barrier (with a hole in the middle) carefully over the leaves and down to the dirt. I used a piece of landscaping fabric. This will help keep the dirt from falling out of the hole.

Once your meshing is pulled over the plant, you are ready to carefully thread the entire plant through the hole. This takes some time and has to be done very delicately so you don’t tear any of the stems. The best way is to slowly wiggle and pull.

#3.  At this point you will have to either hang the planter or have someone hold it (if you put it down, you will smash the tomato plant!). Fill the rest up with dirt. I decided to add flowers to the top, just for fun.

Here it is right after I finished. You can see the leaves are in shock, so they are a bit droopy. By the the next day, they perked right up! I will post some more pictures when it really gets going.

Saving money doing it myself really works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.

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