Friday, May 3, 2013

Exhausted from making extra money?

I've found that it's a balancing act when I try to make extra money. It doesn't really matter if it's outside my home or projects IN my home.  Too many hours added on top of an already full job taking care of my home and husband can begin to feel like a pressure cooker and I'm the one with the short fuse. 

I've had some experience making extra money.  I've done ironing, sewing, typing, babysitting and foster care all from home. I started my own used homeschool book business and ran it for 10 years. These are all things I did while my children were under 18 years of age. Recently, I've worked part time outside the home when my husband became disabled. I currently work 2 days a week/3 hours a day. I've never worked full time outside my home.



A few months ago I realized that working 5 days a week (even though it was part time) was putting me into a 'zone' where I was tempted to be irritable with my husband. We talked about it and decided to cut back my schedule to 6 hours a week. (There were other things that counted towards this decision too).  This has been the perfect amount of hours for me. I'd rather pinch pennies at home and work less hours and have peace in my home. Better to do with less. God gave us wisdom to know when to quit!

Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
    Be wise enough to know when to quit. Proverbs 23:4 NLT





(I wrote an article on home businesses here). 

How I saved money this week at home:

1.  I made a list of leftovers and posted it on the fridge door. I lost a bowl of coleslaw last week and found it too late. Money down the drain. I plan to write any leftovers that go into the fridge on this list and check it before dinner each night. 

2.   I've harvested spinach, strawberries and broccoli from my garden. YAY!

3.  We've been pulling a weed out of our front lawn hoping that we won't have to spend $25 on a weed fertilizer.

4.  We don't have central heat and air so I'm always looking for ways to keep the house cool.  I've been cooking outside on a camp stove when it's hot.  I have a high BTU camp stove and also a large counter top oven in the garage. 

Boiling egg shells for liquid fertilizer
5.  I made my own tartar sauce (for the fish I fried on my outdoor grill). Mayo, ketchup and pickle relish. 

6.  I've been buying 2 boxes of canning lids from each paycheck so I'll have a nice stash by the time canning season hits. 

7. I packed away the electric blanket for the summer. My mother always taught me to not sit on electric blankets and store them away when not in use to help them last longer

8.  My mother gave me some flowers from her yard. FREE landscaping. 

How about you? Did you start any new projects this week to save money? I appreciated  your good advice for saving money on flea meds.


15 comments:

  1. I must confess that I work substitute teaching for several reasons:
    1) To have respite from caregiving while there is a Christian man looking in on my husband
    2) To pay down credit cards (I know you don't have those balances, Georgene)
    3) To motivate young people

    I don'r work so I can be with my husband also and attend to homemaking tasks at home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .. do all for the glory of God!

      I can't pretend to know what God's will is for anyone's life unless it's specific in God's Word. I haven't been able to find a command that says a woman cannot work outside the home. I know you are trying to get the debt paid down so you can be home with your husband in the future. Love you Carol!

      Delete
  2. Your work schedule sounds about perfect. Sometimes the pay is not worth being away from home all the time,

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the idea of a weekly leftover list. I wipe down the fridge on Fridays and can start a new list then.

    I SO understand about having a job and it causing more problems in so many areas~ especially well being. Good on you for cutting back where you need it. Many would barrel through and suffer as a result.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  4. I love the left over schedule idea .. my son gets left overs made into something 'new' for his school lunch .. from stir fries with left over rice and steak .. adding a few veggies .. to meatloaf sandwiches .. and a tossed salad.

    For natural flea remedies for use on animals .. check into using therapeutic grade essential oils .. here's a site with suggestions.

    http://www.thewholedog.org/EOFleas.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. We are actually in the process of making some changes to my work schedule. I can probably work half the hours I am now and make the same amount of money at a different job. We'll see how this goes in the next few months and what's out there.

    I appreciate your perspective on this and sharing the verse from Proverbs about knowing when to quit.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love this idea about leftovers! I think I will try this along with the egg shells boil for fertilizer.
    We are cooking fresh cold salads and sandwiches on these hot days. Cooking later in the day has helped since we don't have central heat and air. Lots of fruits as a meal has helped us.
    Doing all loads in cold water and fewer has saved pennies. Thanks for blog...good stuff

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  7. Love this post! I have found all this to be true for me.

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  8. Georgene, (if you have an electric outlet outside), have you ever used a crock pot outdoors? My husband had that idea last summer, and I'm hoping to be able to avoid heating my kitchen so much when it's sweltering outside.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I do use a crock pot in the garage. I also have a large toaster oven to bake in the garage. Sure helps keep the heat down in the house. :-)

      Delete
  9. I also use a toaster oven outside, one big enough for 10 inch pies! Definitely cooler and cheaper.

    Love your blog and wisdom.

    Sally

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  10. Ways we've been saving: The past 2 wks we've been eating out of the freezer and pantry, thereby cutting our grocery bill substantially and only having to buy some fresh fruit, bread, and milk. It's been good to get all the frozen leftovers and tidbits out of the freezer! I've also been incorporating more of our fresh eggs into meals this spring to help save on the grocery bill (continuing to do the majority of our grocery shopping at Aldi and saving lots of money by doing this. Recent bargains were 1 lb. strawberries and fresh whole pineapples for 99 cents,1.99 for a 4lb bag of navel oranges). We just went through an unusual cold snap and had to use the central heat a bit, but we all put on a sweater so we could keep the temp low. I made a batch of homemade powdered laundry detergent because my stash was low, and I happily continue to use white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser... much cheaper than commercial fabric softener, softens the clothes, disinfects them, and leaves no vinegar smell. My husband acquired an old go-kart frame several months ago and has been steadily working on it... rebuilt an engine for it, sanded and painted the frame, put new tires on it, etc. It looks brand new and we hardly have any money tied up in it. We gave it to our son Saturday on his 9th birthday & he was thrilled! Several of my herbs from last yr have come back up in my big herb pot near the back door so I will not have to buy those seeds to replant. Thanks Georgene, for the tip on using egg shells as fertilizer...instead of adding the shells to the compost I am going to make fertilizer with them.

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  11. I agree with so much of what you said about the irritability that grows from working outside the home. My mother worked full time and now my sister does as well. they are two irritable people! My mother said that staying home would have made her more irritable, who knows? I have been looking to do something with an arts and crafts business from home. I am looking at several ideas. It's only partly about money, but also that I need a creative outlet and to get out of the house and see people more than I do. My health problems mean that I have lost some things I used to love to do, like walking daily, going to the beach, window shopping. I have arthritis and bursitis in my knees and hips.

    As for saving money, I decided to do a big grocery shop the first of the month, I have been going every week, and I thought I would see it this would save us in the long run, not so many trips to the store. We'll see. I was home most of the week, so I used very little gas. I watched "Call the Midwife" on Netflix in the afternoon while I worked on a cross stitch project. Ate all meals at home except for Friday night, we used a coupon for Applebees.

    lynn, what is your recipe for powdered det'g. I think I would prefer that over a liquid. Love all the ideas everyone has!

    ReplyDelete
  12. You can use white viniger to kill weeds in the grass if that is a problem.I found certo sure jell 4 pk
    at 99 cents only so I bought 4. Did freezer cooking and fit it in my above the frig freezer. I would love to have a chest freezer. Made up pancake batter and put it in a pourable container in the frig. It was great for mornings. Things are just starting in the garden.We got
    lettuce today. We have a little community garden plot. I just love
    it.
    Have a blessed week
    Patti

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