Work at home ideas

[Dioritt]

As I've said before on here, I work from home and wouldn't want things any other way.

As there are obviously a lot of unemployed people about who are struggling to find a job, I thought I'd start a thread where you can post your ideas for work that can be done on a self employed basis.

I'm sure there are plenty of those who visit these boards who could just as well start a small business themselves as try to find employment elsewhere.

My ideas are:

Flat pack assembly - Almost all furniture is sold as in flat packs these days and needs assembling. Older people, some women, and even some men may find it difficult or simply don't have the time. Instead, they could pay you to come home to them and put the furniture together for them.

Gutter Clearing - Take a walk around your neighbourhood and just look at how many gutters have plants (and sometimes even small trees) growing out of them. Bird nests are also a problem as are leaves in autumn. All you need is a ladder and some cleaning equipment and you're set up.

Garden Care - A good seasonal job if you're out of work during summer or need an extra income. I know I'd jump at the offer if I could pay somebody to come and water my hanging baskets for me while I'm away on holiday. For one, I hate coming home to dying plants after caring for them since they were tiny plugs and two, dying baskets tell burglars that nobody's about.

Can't think of any off the cuff but I'll post more if I think of them.

Looking forward to reading what ideas others have.

[Camilla]

Good thread!

What about secretarial work?

For companies who have fluctuations in their work flow, it can be a better alternative to outsource the typing work rather than take in a temp (cheaper). For those stay at home mums who are trying to earn a little extra cash, I'd suggest contacting local businesses and offering your services. For the price of a few stamps, you could be lucky and build yourself a nice little income.

One thing I will say is be careful with the tax man! So many home workers think they can get away with working "cash in hand" and never pay tax or NIC but sooner or later, the tax man will catch up with you and that's when things stop being fun. Huge fines await and, depending on just how much you've worked and earned, you could be looking at a prison sentence.

It's much better to be up-front about everything from the word go. The same goes if you're on any kind of benefits.

~Camilla

I am doing ironing for people in my street and others and that gets me about £60 a week which I think is good because it helps a lot. Its easy to do it when the little ones are asleep and something that anybody can do, even men.

Thx
Lucy

[Carole]

Good thread

60 pounds a week ironing at home isn't bad, Lucy.

During a period when I had to stay at home for personal reasons, I ran a gift buying, wrapping and delivery service. I didn't make a fortune (if I had, I wouldn't have gone back to work) but it gave me some extra money I wouldn't otherwise have had, was fun and something I was able to do whilst carrying out other necessary duties.

Other ideas I had were:

• Investigating the history of people's houses
  Renovating junk furniture (I do this as a hobby and have sold a few pieces to friends)
  A book search service, and
  An antique furniture search service

The list of ideas of ways to make money from home must be endless!


Carole

[flight]

Personally, I earn some side money writing articles for various sites on the internet. Up and coming news sites, writing services, etc are always looking for new/extra writers. If you enjoy writing, it's a great way to go as part-time work.

[StefanJechel]

Yes. I also earned some cash in the past by writing articles for different sites over the internet.

Another ideas for people staying at home is to tutor kids with their homeworks over the internet - it's not so easy to find the customers, but once they're found that's easy money.

[Eatingveggies]

My wife loves children so she opened a small childcare in our home. It makes her a little over $3000 a month and she doesn't have to fight her way through traffic every morning. I still work my full-time job but things are starting to look like they are going to start laying off soon.