Times are rough and even I have thought about getting a part time job just to bring in a little extra cash to stash away for emergencies. You may consider one of these ideas to help find some wiggle room in your budget.
Got a green thumb? – Consider starting a vegetable garden. Seeds are relatively inexpensive, $.99 - $2.50 per pack and you make that back 10 times over when you don’t have to run to the store for those tomatoes or bell peppers.
Not enough space to garden? - The City and the County have plots you can rent yearly for around $40, again this investment can be reclaimed with your vegetable harvest. Or you could consider using the container garden method. I have a garden plot that is 10’ x 15’ and I surround that with large pots filled with hot peppers, bell peppers and cucumber bushes. Less space needed, less work involved if you get the pots that self water, and you still end up enjoying garden fresh veggies at lower prices then the grocery store.
Got a green thumb? – Consider starting a vegetable garden. Seeds are relatively inexpensive, $.99 - $2.50 per pack and you make that back 10 times over when you don’t have to run to the store for those tomatoes or bell peppers.
Not enough space to garden? - The City and the County have plots you can rent yearly for around $40, again this investment can be reclaimed with your vegetable harvest. Or you could consider using the container garden method. I have a garden plot that is 10’ x 15’ and I surround that with large pots filled with hot peppers, bell peppers and cucumber bushes. Less space needed, less work involved if you get the pots that self water, and you still end up enjoying garden fresh veggies at lower prices then the grocery store.Join CLUCK – Charlottesville League of Urban Chicken Keepers, they have a facebook page 
under the same name. I have 5 chickens in my backyard and I get about 5 fresh eggs a day! They are easier then you think to keep and kids love them! I buy organic feed for around $20 every other month. If there’s no money for groceries, there’s always Brinner! (Brinner = Breakfast for dinner) Tractor supply sells little week old chicks for less then $3.00, or the price of a carton of eggs. And you don’t need a rooster for the hens to lay eggs! Check out http://www.backyardchickens.com/ to learn more about yard birds.
Need extra cash? - Try a part time job/business. There are several jobs or businesses you can start up to bring in a few extra bucks including, babysitting, elderly care, pet sitting, dog walking, house cleaning, mowing lawns, running errands, handyman services. Be creative, bake cakes, cookies or pies, have a yard sale, do grocery store demos or become a mystery shopper. Check out http://www.jobslinger.com/ to learn how to be a legitimate mystery shopper. You have to sign up, but it’s free. Never pay anyone to become a mystery shopper. Mystery shopping is legitimate if you go through the right companies. I use to do mystery shopping here, and my top month I made $400 in food, groceries, cash, gas and products.
And don’t forget you can turn your hobby or passion into a business. Are you a freak of nature when it comes to organizing homes and closets? Great at scrapbooking and could do it in your sleep? Does your yard look professionally landscaped? Turn it into a part time business. Or, barter these services! You never know what you’ll get in trade!
Bartering - I know I’ve said it before, but as the economy has weakened, bartering has strengthened. The most common thing I hear when I mention bartering is “I don’t have anything worth trading”. You just need to be creative! Barter your extra garden veggies for veggies you didn’t grow this year, or swap veggies for eggs or vice versa. I’ve bartered my extra eggs for veggie plants for my garden, fresh baked muffins, homemade bread and even used them as gifts at Easter! If you have a green thumb offer starting a garden for someone who’s never done it before.
And what ever you do, don’t try to place a monetary value on your item. Each item is only worth what someone is willing to pay or barter for it. So trading 1 dozen free range organic eggs, which typically cost anywhere from $2.50 - $3.50 for 8 bell pepper seedlings, which if you bought at Lowes might cost you $2.00 per plant, may not sound like a fair trade. But the eggs were extra and so were the plants and neither one of us had to shell out hard earned cash to get the items we both needed. http://www.craigslist.com/ is a great place to see who is bartering and to place ads.
under the same name. I have 5 chickens in my backyard and I get about 5 fresh eggs a day! They are easier then you think to keep and kids love them! I buy organic feed for around $20 every other month. If there’s no money for groceries, there’s always Brinner! (Brinner = Breakfast for dinner) Tractor supply sells little week old chicks for less then $3.00, or the price of a carton of eggs. And you don’t need a rooster for the hens to lay eggs! Check out http://www.backyardchickens.com/ to learn more about yard birds.Need extra cash? - Try a part time job/business. There are several jobs or businesses you can start up to bring in a few extra bucks including, babysitting, elderly care, pet sitting, dog walking, house cleaning, mowing lawns, running errands, handyman services. Be creative, bake cakes, cookies or pies, have a yard sale, do grocery store demos or become a mystery shopper. Check out http://www.jobslinger.com/ to learn how to be a legitimate mystery shopper. You have to sign up, but it’s free. Never pay anyone to become a mystery shopper. Mystery shopping is legitimate if you go through the right companies. I use to do mystery shopping here, and my top month I made $400 in food, groceries, cash, gas and products.
And don’t forget you can turn your hobby or passion into a business. Are you a freak of nature when it comes to organizing homes and closets? Great at scrapbooking and could do it in your sleep? Does your yard look professionally landscaped? Turn it into a part time business. Or, barter these services! You never know what you’ll get in trade!
Bartering - I know I’ve said it before, but as the economy has weakened, bartering has strengthened. The most common thing I hear when I mention bartering is “I don’t have anything worth trading”. You just need to be creative! Barter your extra garden veggies for veggies you didn’t grow this year, or swap veggies for eggs or vice versa. I’ve bartered my extra eggs for veggie plants for my garden, fresh baked muffins, homemade bread and even used them as gifts at Easter! If you have a green thumb offer starting a garden for someone who’s never done it before.
And what ever you do, don’t try to place a monetary value on your item. Each item is only worth what someone is willing to pay or barter for it. So trading 1 dozen free range organic eggs, which typically cost anywhere from $2.50 - $3.50 for 8 bell pepper seedlings, which if you bought at Lowes might cost you $2.00 per plant, may not sound like a fair trade. But the eggs were extra and so were the plants and neither one of us had to shell out hard earned cash to get the items we both needed. http://www.craigslist.com/ is a great place to see who is bartering and to place ads. Email me any tips, suggestions or stories and I'll post them!
No comments:
Post a Comment