Making money for VBAC (long)

[drabekgirl]

Could u make freezer meals for people to have on hand (they buy the ingredients pay just for your services of putting it together) with lo with you. How about other services they need like lawn mowing.

Dusty dirty roads mean lots of windows that need washing, could you hire yourself out to wash windows? I know you said your parents need that income too, so perhaps a sibling could help as well. Houses also need pressure washing and repainting suppose u or your parents could do that?

Gardens need weeding and some people are physical unable to get down and weed but love the home grown food, perhaps they'd pay for someone to do that for them.

a big one for the elderly is also errand running for them. So you pick up their prescriptions and groceries for a fee. here they will also pay someone to pick up an elderly person and take them to and from appointments. if that would be an option when you have a car.

[B's Mommy]

Originally Posted by drabekgirl Could u make freezer meals for people to have on hand (they buy the ingredients pay just for your services of putting it together) with lo with you. How about other services they need like lawn mowing. Dusty dirty roads mean lots of windows that need washing, could you hire yourself out to wash windows? I know you said your parents need that income too, so perhaps a sibling could help as well. Houses also need pressure washing and repainting suppose u or your parents could do that? Gardens need weeding and some people are physical unable to get down and weed but love the home grown food, perhaps they'd pay for someone to do that for them. a big one for the elderly is also errand running for them. So you pick up their prescriptions and groceries for a fee. here they will also pay someone to pick up an elderly person and take them to and from appointments. if that would be an option when you have a car.

Those are all great ideas, but none of them would work around here. Everyone around here is in about the same place financially as we are (some are even worse off), so those aren't the kinds of things people are willing to part with their money for. Lol...I don't think anyone around here even washes their windows themselves. The "well off" people in town are the people hired by the school, and I know for a fact they start their teachers off at $25,000 a year, so I'm working with a very rural, low income area. I know it isn't ideal when a person needs to make some money fast, but it's what I'm working with. My cousin is going to hire me to pull up her hardwood floors in about a month, so that'll be helpful. And maybe I can get a few kids to babysit.

Does anyone know the best place to sell records? Like the ones that play music in record players?

[kalasin]

If your dh"needs" a smartphone for work, work should be paying for one. If not, he doesnt need it.

[minneapolisite]

Originally Posted by B's Mommy That's a good idea. The night out thing! Maybe if I spin it like a "Need a date night?" type thing, someone will jump on it! I'm going to make a flier and give it a try!

This is a brilliant idea!!!

[B's Mommy]

Originally Posted by kalasin If your dh"needs" a smartphone for work, work should be paying for one. If not, he doesnt need it.

He DOES need a smartphone for work - not by policy, but because only the people in his position who have access to the company email 24/7 and who can respond first to ever beck and call of the managers will be promoted to supervisor. Crappy? Absolutely, but we've both watched it happen time and time and time again. Just like if they don't kiss butt, they don't get promoted. It's just how it is. His company doesn't give raises, period, unless he is promoted, so our only chances of ever making more money is either a new job, or a promotion. There are guys there who've been with the stupid company since day 1 (more than 6 years ago) and they still make what they made that first day of training. If they see someone in his position who isn't going out of their way for the managers (as in, doesn't respond to emails within 30 minutes, doesn't answer questions even when not at work, doesn't kiss butt, etc.) then they stay in that position and are the first to be demoted when the opportunities arise.

Please don't act like you know our situation - trust me, the stupid smart phone isn't some luxuary we just aren't willing to give up - we have no such thing. Our bills and expenses are only what's necessary for our survival, and doing what's required to be considered for a promotion is part of our survival.

Okay, I guess we technically could "survive" if we didn't both go to school and then we could get rid of the internet, but in reality, my husband will never move up if he doesn't have a degree to back up his knowledge, and I'll be damned if I'm ever left a widow or single with kids to raise and no school to get a decent job.

[KrisM]

Originally Posted by B's Mommy We HAVE to have the internet because we both are in school full time (online courses), and he needs the stupid smart phone for work, which is an extra $30 a month. We are going to get rid of the Directv as soon as we get closer to the end of the contract (each month left will cost us $20 to cancel, so as soon as that amount is lower than our bill, it's done), and there's nothing else we can really cutback on. Luckily we are cc debt free, we don't eat out, our car payment is only $200 a month, etc.

If he needs the phone for work, can work pay for it?

If your DirectTV is $80/month and you have 8 months left, that's $640 you'll pay. If you cancel, you'll pay $20/month or $160. You'll save a lot over the next 8 months. If you wait until the cancel is lower, you'll spend a lot more overall. If you wait until you only have 4 months left so that the cancel cost is $80, then you'll have to spend $320 to get there. I'm making up numbers here, but make sure waiting isn't costing you a ton!

Can you sell your car and get something without a loan?

ETA: I just caught up and realize work won't pay for it. I don't think people are assuming they know your details, but are offering ideas and solutions, which is what you asked for. I don't think you can expect people to only suggest things that will work for you, since we don't know all the details of your lives.

One more - can you put school off for 1 semester? Would the tuition not paid be enough? Then go back to it when you can.

[B's Mommy]

Originally Posted by KrisM If he needs the phone for work, can work pay for it? If your DirectTV is $80/month and you have 8 months left, that's $640 you'll pay. If you cancel, you'll pay $20/month or $160. You'll save a lot over the next 8 months. If you wait until the cancel is lower, you'll spend a lot more overall. If you wait until you only have 4 months left so that the cancel cost is $80, then you'll have to spend $320 to get there. I'm making up numbers here, but make sure waiting isn't costing you a ton! Can you sell your car and get something without a loan?

I tried explaining why he needs it, and no they won't pay for it. The reason it isn't part of his job details is SO they won't have to pay for it. But they make it abundantly clear if he doesn't have it, he doesn't get to keep his shiny badge or get considered for promotions. He'll end up back on the phones making $1.50 less an hour. Trust me on this, it's an area of aggrivation for me as it is without being reminded of that $30 we could be using for food instead of eating WIC beans and bread for dinner 3 nights a week.

I understand about the savings with the DirecTV, but the problem is we can't afford to pay it off early - I've talked to them many times, if I cancel and don't pay the chunk amount, they send it to collections. End of story. We don't need that stress right now. Besides, we only have a couple more months before it'll be down to our bill amount...I'd rather let DH keep his TV for these last couple of months and not try to figure out where we are going to get the extra $40 to cancel the satelite. Once it's down 2 more months, it'll just be the bill amount to cancel, which obviously we can do. I don't even watch tv very often anyway and if we had the extra $$ it'd be canceled today, but we don't.

And the car is a no-go - if we sell, there will be a period where we won't have a car, and no way for DH to get to work, and I doubt we can sell it for more than we owe on it anyway. Besides, with DH driving 130 miles round trip each day, we need a car that gets decent gas mileage - cars you buy for $1000 don't typically come with that. lol

[B's Mommy]

Originally Posted by KrisM One more - can you put school off for 1 semester? Would the tuition not paid be enough? Then go back to it when you can.

I don't pay my tuition - I have federal pell grants and a scholarship. I actually get like $23 back from the school each semester. Lol He doesn't pay his school either because he has a GI Bill from when he was in the military. The only expense school is costing us is the internet.

[KrisM]

Originally Posted by B's Mommy I tried explaining why he needs it, and no they won't pay for it. The reason it isn't part of his job details is SO they won't have to pay for it. But they make it abundantly clear if he doesn't have it, he doesn't get to keep his shiny badge or get considered for promotions. He'll end up back on the phones making $1.50 less an hour. Trust me on this, it's an area of aggrivation for me as it is without being reminded of that $30 we could be using for food instead of eating WIC beans and bread for dinner 3 nights a week. I understand about the savings with the DirecTV, but the problem is we can't afford to pay it off early - I've talked to them many times, if I cancel and don't pay the chunk amount, they send it to collections. End of story. We don't need that stress right now. Besides, we only have a couple more months before it'll be down to our bill amount...I'd rather let DH keep his TV for these last couple of months and not try to figure out where we are going to get the extra $40 to cancel the satelite. Once it's down 2 more months, it'll just be the bill amount to cancel, which obviously we can do. I don't even watch tv very often anyway and if we had the extra $$ it'd be canceled today, but we don't. And the car is a no-go - if we sell, there will be a period where we won't have a car, and no way for DH to get to work, and I doubt we can sell it for more than we owe on it anyway. Besides, with DH driving 130 miles round trip each day, we need a car that gets decent gas mileage - cars you buy for $1000 don't typically come with that. lol

I added an edit about the phone.

Sure cars for $1000 get good mileage. We sold a 2000 Saturn for $1200 and it was still get 32-34 mpg when we sold it.

That's good that you only have 2 more months of DirectTV. That should be a good start to saving.

How much do you need to save? Is there a payment plan that you can do for part of it?

[B's Mommy]

I understand the ideas for saving money are just trying to help, but believe me when I say there is absolutely nowhere we can skimp on our bills or expenses. I'm just looking for ideas to make money. Maybe I shoulda posted in Off Topic or something instead of Thrifty since I'm not looking for money saving ideas.