Earning Extras

I, like many moms out there who are also about to go back to work after maternity leave, am DREADING my return. Not because the work stinks or because I don't like the people I work with, but because the thought of leaving my 2 little dah-lings in the care of another bothers me.
I hate the rushing in the morning, the conflicts with other kids (however few they may be), the huge expense, the weepy goodbyes, and so on and so forth. BUT, like most of us of there, what can I do? I would love to stay home with my kids but, can we afford it? What would we have to sacrifice? Do I really want to give up my independent self that exists outside the home? Do I want to give up my pension? SO many things to question and really think about...meanwhile, I have this ticking clock saying, "make your decision now because you are running out of time!". Usually what ends up happening is I stress about it and then push it deep down and think that I'll worry about it later. So, this is getting me nowhere - fast!
I don't know what I will decide in the end but what I do know is that with all this soul-searching and money fretting I've come up with a few ways that I could make some extra dough, doing things that I actually would enjoy. I wanted to share them with you because, who knows, maybe you've already decided to make that plunge to stay at home and need a few ideas on how to raise some extra cash! So, ta-da! - here are a few things that can earn you that extra bacon: 1.Become a vendor for a home-show company. Yes, they can be annoying at times but if you find a company whose product you really like then it could make a lot of sense. If you have a passion for something people can generally sense that and become more invested in what you are presenting to them. Do your research and find out what companies have to offer in terms of compensation, support, sales requirements, product, etc. You don't have to be a pushy sales person who is always bugging friends and family to support you. Use the tools (often times free)out there to build a network...create a Facebook Business Page, pin your stuff on Pinterest, put an add on Kijiji, place a sign advertising your items on your community bulletin board, and whatever else you can think of!

2.Start a blog. Believe it or not, you CAN make money by writing a blog. Okay, well I don't make any money but I've heard of it being done!! How you ask? Well you start a blog and write about what interests you! Sewing, cooking, photography, whatever! You can monetize it through your blog provider or sell your own advertising space. If you're not sure how or where to start...check pinterest (yes my go-to place)...there are tons of ideas and tips there for blogs!3.Open an Etsy account. If you craft, bake, or create you could have an Etsy account. If you're not sure what Etsy is it's an amazingly awesome website that's like an on-line farmer's market. You can open you're own shop and sell your handmade goods that you've made from home. Click HERE to go check it out.

4.Pay more attention to your loyalty programs. Depending on what loyalty programs you are involved with you could really benefit from these at key times during the year. For example, my sister gets points through her credit card. She uses her card to purchase big items throughout the year (even if she has the money to actually buy something, she uses her card and then pays it off immediately on-line) and then at Christmas time she always has enough points to order gift cards for everyone in the family. There are so many point programs out there I can't speak to all of them but what I can tell you is that if you focus on one or two that you can redeem for something worth while to you (flights, free groceries, free gas, etc.) you can actually end up saving yourself quite a bit! My personal example is that I collect points for flights. I have a credit card that accumulates these points, I go to the pharmacy that gives me them, shop for items that give me bonus points, etc. In the 5 years I have been collecting them I have redeemed my points for 5 flights to Las Vegas, 2 flights to Vancouver, and I already have enough for a flight to Europe now!

5.Consign things that you no longer need. Decluttering your home can benefit you in several ways. When you get rid of the things clogging up your place it can actually be quite liberating for one. Why not make a few bucks at it too? Go though items and weed out the ones that are consignment worthy. Depending on where you consign them you could sell clothes, toys, small household items, DVDs, accessories, etc. If you don't know of any consignment places around you, check on Facebook - chances are there is one organized on FB by someone living in your area (be sure, however, to check out how many followers the page has and read their policies closely before bringing any of your stuff to someone you don't know.)

I'm sure there are so many ideas out there how to save cash and how to raise cash. Please feel free to share in the comments section because, like I said, I'm still decided on my own situation and the more money earning ideas the better!!

little changes, big results

I have recently started to enforce a major change in my household. With all the recent news we've been hearing here in Canada about retiring ages going up, the poor economy, pension problems, etc. I knew we needed to start doing something now to prepare for the future we have envisioned for ourselves.

I am a huge Pinterest freak so I started there. There are so many great ideas on Pinterest on how to save money, plan for your future, waste less, be more productive, being sustainable, and I could go on and on. I also found several absolutely fantastic blogs via Pinterest who's main focus are centered on being frugal and smart with your hard earned cash!

I decided to start small and to make myself the promise that this lifestyle change would not mean that we had to be "cheap" or go without but, rather, it would mean that we would cut where we could, make smarter decisions, and really look at wants versus needs. I think to start out with small changes is a great idea because it can ease you and your family (because without their support, it'll never work) into thinking this way and will set you up for success.

Here are a few small changes that we have made that is already resulting in some actual results:

1) Make a list of small things you can change to save some money in your budge that you wouldn't even really notice. The point of this is to show how little things do actually add up! I made a list of eight things I knew we could easily change. They included, turning off lights when we are not actually in the room (we were sooo very bad for this), unplugging the coffee maker during the day, watch a little bit less t.v. (therefore less power), following through when I wash a load of laundry (to reduce having to rewash if I left it too long), etc.

2) Take advantage of that food that's already in your freezer and pantry! We have an entire freezer full of meat in our basement and the one on top of our fridge is always equally as full. So much so that we often struggle to pack more stuff in it! Why on Earth am I always buying more, before I use what I actually have? So plan ahead. Make a weakly meal plan, using what you have on hand first, which cuts down on your grocery bill.

3) Put your spare change to work! Contrary to many people, I actually enjoy doing laundry because my husband never empties his pockets. I secretly pick his pockets and always keep the money I find inside (hahah!) - I consider it like my pay check for cleaning his underwear! :) I started putting all that change into a large mug hidden away in the laundry room....and really, it hasn't taken that long to grow to $50! Sweet, I'll take that and put it towards something I usually don't have enough extra cash for (like in my RRSP!). Think about it...$50 here and $50 there adds up!

4) Make a few more things at home. This has been one of my favorite changes! We've always been a family that bakes and crafts but focusing that energy more towards what we actually need has been great. Whether you make some more baked goods (and buy less granola bars, bread, or fruit snacks at the store), your own Windex or laundry detergent (which is probably better for you anyways), or art supplies for your kids (like eco-friendly finger paints) you are just putting money in your pocket. You can usually make your own version of the store brands for way less and it's generally better for you! Not to mention the invaluable time you are spending when you do these things with your kids!

5) Consider growing some of your own food. I've always wanted to have a garden, however, a lack of time, knowledge and space has always stopped me dead in my tracks. With my beloved Pinterest on my side this year, I'm ready to make the plunge. You can have a garden or a garden-esque type set-up in any living space. We have a backyard so I'm going to attempt to make two raised garden areas and include a few "garden pots". Even if you lived in an apartment and had a small balcony you could do a few "garden pots" (check these out on Pinterest...love them!) and grow your own herbs! With a little planning ahead I am hoping to find success here! An added bonus is that I will be including my 3 year old in the process and she's going to love learning and growing some veggies from seeds!

So, the five things I mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg! There are so many things you can do to make smarter money choices and, remember, it's not about going without it's about getting the most for your hard earned cash! Over time, small changes make a big impact on your wallet! Think about what you and your family need rather than what you want in this moment. If you've made any changes please share because I would love to hear them!!!

p.s. This afternoon, my daughter and I were raiding the stuffed freezer in our efforts to use what we had. We found a half of a bag of frozen berries just waiting for us. The result...super delicious Pro-biotic Frozen Pops!! In total I had to spend $3.50 on the Greek yogurt because I already had everything else I needed to make them!

Pro-Biotic Mixed Berry Pops

Ingredients:

Frozen Berries (I had half a bag in my freezer)

2 Tbsp sugar

3Tbsp of lemon juice

3 Tbsp honey

1 Container of Strawberry Greek Yogurt

Instructions:

Mix the frozen berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Stir together well and let sit for about an hour.

Put the berry mixture and honey into your blender or food processor and mix until completely blended.

Pour mix back into bowl and then add the container of Greek yogurt.

Pour this mix into some popsicle moulds or whatever you would like. Put into freezer for at least 4 hours.

Enjoy!

**I was able to make 8 pops out of this recipe. With the brand of yogurt I used, each pop works out to 150 cals.