I made 16 recipes that were photographed this morning. They will be going on the website for my book. It was a pretty big effort and we will be doing another photo shoot soon to do the more of the recipes. It went really well and I will see the photo’s next week or so.
I also bought my domain names and a web hosting pack. I got one for the recipe book and one for another website I am going to create. I just need to write out the plans for what I would like on them, how I would like it to look etc...
I have contacted a few small businesses to see who would be interested in doing a business expo and I have a bit of interest, which is encouraging. It is looking like the end of November or early December that it will be done.
I have picked up a few more clients, and word is getting out that I am back doing hair and beauty. I hadn’t greatly advertised the fact because I was focusing on my book, but since it is pretty much done, I will be letting more people know. The auction I mentioned previously is on tomorrow, so that should be good.
Obviously since buying a domain name and hosting my total has dropped, but not by as much as I was anticipating. Paying the photographer meant my total has come down too. I am now at $460, but am I am closer to other things that will make me money.
I’m quite excited about something else too. A friend of mine has kids close to my older daughters age, and she is going to look after my daughter every now and then and I will do hair cuts in exchange. It will be so good, especially whilst I am trying to build my site. My daughter loves it there and I will get so much more done knowing she is happy somewhere else.
This week my plans are...
1.) Advertise my hairdressing business more (I will post my ideas for this later)
2.) Write up my website designs properly
3.) Strike a deal with my brother, I will be selling things for him and getting a %.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Free Money
If you would like free money just for opening an account clickhere to go to ING, but it is only available until December. I am not getting paid for this article, I just did it and I like free money, so thought I would spread it around.
Sign up to ING the orange every day account and once your first deposit goes in you get $20, once the first direct debit comes out you get $20 and once you use your debit card you get $20. And since you can have 2 of these accounts you can get $120. If you have a partner, why not get them to open one too and make yourselves $240.
ING is an online only bank at the moment, but they have a lot of positives. Currently their savings maximiser account has a higher interest rate than the banks. When you withdraw $200 or over from your everyday account, you get paid 50cents, instead of being charged fees.
Keep an eye out for other offers from banks. Most of them give out free money from one time or another to get more customers. I know of a few banks recently who have given $50 when you have opened an account with them.
It may seem like a hassle to constantly change your details, but I only change my eBay banking account, so it is not a big deal. When they want a salary deposited before they give money I simply transfer from a different account with salary as the description.
Not only should you be checking different banks for what extra incentives they are offering, but you should be checking your interest on everything, credit cards, savings accounts, mortgage and fees on your banking to see if you are getting the best deal. Banks don’t seem to reward loyalty anymore, so do what is best for you.
Sign up to ING the orange every day account and once your first deposit goes in you get $20, once the first direct debit comes out you get $20 and once you use your debit card you get $20. And since you can have 2 of these accounts you can get $120. If you have a partner, why not get them to open one too and make yourselves $240.
ING is an online only bank at the moment, but they have a lot of positives. Currently their savings maximiser account has a higher interest rate than the banks. When you withdraw $200 or over from your everyday account, you get paid 50cents, instead of being charged fees.
Keep an eye out for other offers from banks. Most of them give out free money from one time or another to get more customers. I know of a few banks recently who have given $50 when you have opened an account with them.
It may seem like a hassle to constantly change your details, but I only change my eBay banking account, so it is not a big deal. When they want a salary deposited before they give money I simply transfer from a different account with salary as the description.
Not only should you be checking different banks for what extra incentives they are offering, but you should be checking your interest on everything, credit cards, savings accounts, mortgage and fees on your banking to see if you are getting the best deal. Banks don’t seem to reward loyalty anymore, so do what is best for you.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Getting up there
My current total is $805, slowly I am getting there. I have been so focused on getting my book done, I haven’t really been doing much else to make money. I have also been helping my friend set up her own business.
I did do some market research and redid my business pricelist. As soon as my book is finished I will be focussing more on my own business.
I am booked in for an opal show on Nov 25th. It only takes a couple of hours and I usually make $100. It is my sister in laws business, not mine, thus I do not receive any profits, just a wage. It is a lot of fun.
I am getting more bookings for my hair and beauty again as more people find out I am doing it. I have also donated 2 gift certificates for an auction fundraiser night, so hopefully something will come of that.
The photographer for my book is coming on Thursday. She is really good. I have known her for some time. She is based in Canberra and specialises more in children. She is a natural light photographer and I love her work. I’ll post her site later.
So this week has been productive. My list for the coming week is...
1.) Get the photo’s done
2.) Finalise the layout for my book
3.) Go to the auction and let people know who I am etc...
4.) Find 5 other businesses to go in the business expo and find out when the venue I would like to use is free.
5.) Get started on my websites – 1 for my book and the other for an idea I am just about bursting at the seams to do!
I did do some market research and redid my business pricelist. As soon as my book is finished I will be focussing more on my own business.
I am booked in for an opal show on Nov 25th. It only takes a couple of hours and I usually make $100. It is my sister in laws business, not mine, thus I do not receive any profits, just a wage. It is a lot of fun.
I am getting more bookings for my hair and beauty again as more people find out I am doing it. I have also donated 2 gift certificates for an auction fundraiser night, so hopefully something will come of that.
The photographer for my book is coming on Thursday. She is really good. I have known her for some time. She is based in Canberra and specialises more in children. She is a natural light photographer and I love her work. I’ll post her site later.
So this week has been productive. My list for the coming week is...
1.) Get the photo’s done
2.) Finalise the layout for my book
3.) Go to the auction and let people know who I am etc...
4.) Find 5 other businesses to go in the business expo and find out when the venue I would like to use is free.
5.) Get started on my websites – 1 for my book and the other for an idea I am just about bursting at the seams to do!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Almost at $500
I have been a bit MIA this week, as I have been working flat out on my book, which is almost done!!! Though I am thinking of changing publishers, the one I was going to use I don’t think will suit me long term. I am checking out another one, but we’ll see what happens.
I did ok on eBay. I made $145 and since it was free listing, and I got most people to pay bank deposit, the fees were tiny this time. It was interesting though. Many items I though sure would sell didn’t, and things I was unsure of did. Go figure!
Add that to a few haircuts and my new total is $480. Yes, I am lagging well and truly behind, but I know future investments and projects are going to earn me more. I am only just starting out, but every little bit takes me closer to my goal.
I added up the value of my online survey things and I have $135 sitting there, spread out, but that is the total. Pretty good.
This week my plans are
1.) Research publishing options again
2.) Work out my price list, availability etc... for my hair and beauty
3.) Arrange to cash out all my survey money
4.) Organise a time with the photographer to get all the photo’s done
5.) Start planning the small business expo
I did ok on eBay. I made $145 and since it was free listing, and I got most people to pay bank deposit, the fees were tiny this time. It was interesting though. Many items I though sure would sell didn’t, and things I was unsure of did. Go figure!
Add that to a few haircuts and my new total is $480. Yes, I am lagging well and truly behind, but I know future investments and projects are going to earn me more. I am only just starting out, but every little bit takes me closer to my goal.
I added up the value of my online survey things and I have $135 sitting there, spread out, but that is the total. Pretty good.
This week my plans are
1.) Research publishing options again
2.) Work out my price list, availability etc... for my hair and beauty
3.) Arrange to cash out all my survey money
4.) Organise a time with the photographer to get all the photo’s done
5.) Start planning the small business expo
Friday, October 16, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Online Surveys
Online surveys generally do not pay that well. Some pay more than others and you get surveys depending on your personal circumstances. Not all pay cash, some pay gift cards etc... but since I am at home anyway and most do not take that long I do them. These are the ones I use and trust. There are a lot of dodgy companies out there, so I only deal with reputable ones.
1.) RewardsCentral is a daily one. I log on every day, do a quick survey, which is one click, plus a web click, and any bonus webclicks. You can also earn money shopping through them, you get sent reward mail and they have a sister company
MyOpinions. They have more surveys plus an instant win game you can play each week to get bonus points. Once you have 100 points, you can trasnfer them to your RewardsCentral account. 3300 points is $33. But you get charged $3 from that $33 to cash the cheque. You can get gift cards instead though.
2.) Pureprofile pays you to do surveys and visit sites. It varies, you just need to log on every day. Sometimes it's a website visit for 10c, sometimes it's a survey for $5. The most I had was a $12 survey. Once you reach $25 you can "cash out" and it gets deposited in your bank account. Too easy.
3.) Yourvoice is great for movie tickets and gift cards, but you don't earn cold hard cash from them. Still, it means you don't need to spend your own money to go out.
These are the main ones I use. If I come across anymore, I'll let you know.
1.) RewardsCentral is a daily one. I log on every day, do a quick survey, which is one click, plus a web click, and any bonus webclicks. You can also earn money shopping through them, you get sent reward mail and they have a sister company
MyOpinions. They have more surveys plus an instant win game you can play each week to get bonus points. Once you have 100 points, you can trasnfer them to your RewardsCentral account. 3300 points is $33. But you get charged $3 from that $33 to cash the cheque. You can get gift cards instead though.
2.) Pureprofile pays you to do surveys and visit sites. It varies, you just need to log on every day. Sometimes it's a website visit for 10c, sometimes it's a survey for $5. The most I had was a $12 survey. Once you reach $25 you can "cash out" and it gets deposited in your bank account. Too easy.
3.) Yourvoice is great for movie tickets and gift cards, but you don't earn cold hard cash from them. Still, it means you don't need to spend your own money to go out.
These are the main ones I use. If I come across anymore, I'll let you know.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Realising our worth
I was at my friends house today. She just finished her course and is now registered as a personal trainer, but it has not yet hit home. She knows the course is finished, but hasn’t yet realised what she is worth.
She has been a stay at home mum for over 10 years, so I guess it is hard to get out of the mindset that she is “just” a mum. We were discussing how she might set her business up, what she could do and what she would charge. What was amazing was what I thought she should charge is twice what she thought she should charge, yet is still a bargain as far as a personal trainer goes. She was shocked.
I guess it is easier for others to see what we are worth.
I have the same problem. I find it hard to charge what I really should for haircuts and the like. There are a few reasons for this.
1.) Where I currently live haircuts cost way more than where I used to live and I am still in the old mindset
2.) I think it is easy and can’t believe how much people pay for hair cuts
3.) I hang around with people who are all trying to save money, which is good, but makes me feel bad for charging.
I think 3 might be partly my friends problem too. People do not realise that if they had to go get things done somewhere else it would cost more.
Recently, it was my daughter’s birthday. We had a big party for her with my in laws, then another smaller party with my family. My mother made the cake for her the one with my family. When we were there she mentioned how expensive it is to make and she joked she should charge me for it. I jokingly replied, that’s fine, I’ll charge you for your hair.
She laughed at that and said it would take me forever to pay for the cake. At this point my sister in law butted in and said “Well, actually, people pay a lot of money for haircuts. At the cheap salon it is $25 minimum, but if you went to a better salon it is $50+.”
My parents could not believe, she looked at me and asked if it was true. “Yes, most of my clients pay $250+ for what I do to your hair.” She was floored.
It really made me think too. My sister in law is always telling me I should charge more. She knows lots of people who would pay it. I have always felt guilty because the last area I lived in was not exactly well off and constantly whinged about how “expensive” I was, when I was below average already.
I have been getting price lists to give me an idea of what I am worth, and let me tell you, I am way too cheap. I am revising my price list and will be letting everyone know.
I think it is important for all of us to take a step back and realise that what we do IS worth something, and people SHOULD pay for it PROPERLY.
Are you underselling yourself? Do a bit of market research and see what people pay for what you do offer. (Or are looking into offering) I am sure you will be surprised.
We need to realise that experience and qualifications are valuable. Not everyone can do what you can, or knows what you know and they will pay you for it!
She has been a stay at home mum for over 10 years, so I guess it is hard to get out of the mindset that she is “just” a mum. We were discussing how she might set her business up, what she could do and what she would charge. What was amazing was what I thought she should charge is twice what she thought she should charge, yet is still a bargain as far as a personal trainer goes. She was shocked.
I guess it is easier for others to see what we are worth.
I have the same problem. I find it hard to charge what I really should for haircuts and the like. There are a few reasons for this.
1.) Where I currently live haircuts cost way more than where I used to live and I am still in the old mindset
2.) I think it is easy and can’t believe how much people pay for hair cuts
3.) I hang around with people who are all trying to save money, which is good, but makes me feel bad for charging.
I think 3 might be partly my friends problem too. People do not realise that if they had to go get things done somewhere else it would cost more.
Recently, it was my daughter’s birthday. We had a big party for her with my in laws, then another smaller party with my family. My mother made the cake for her the one with my family. When we were there she mentioned how expensive it is to make and she joked she should charge me for it. I jokingly replied, that’s fine, I’ll charge you for your hair.
She laughed at that and said it would take me forever to pay for the cake. At this point my sister in law butted in and said “Well, actually, people pay a lot of money for haircuts. At the cheap salon it is $25 minimum, but if you went to a better salon it is $50+.”
My parents could not believe, she looked at me and asked if it was true. “Yes, most of my clients pay $250+ for what I do to your hair.” She was floored.
It really made me think too. My sister in law is always telling me I should charge more. She knows lots of people who would pay it. I have always felt guilty because the last area I lived in was not exactly well off and constantly whinged about how “expensive” I was, when I was below average already.
I have been getting price lists to give me an idea of what I am worth, and let me tell you, I am way too cheap. I am revising my price list and will be letting everyone know.
I think it is important for all of us to take a step back and realise that what we do IS worth something, and people SHOULD pay for it PROPERLY.
Are you underselling yourself? Do a bit of market research and see what people pay for what you do offer. (Or are looking into offering) I am sure you will be surprised.
We need to realise that experience and qualifications are valuable. Not everyone can do what you can, or knows what you know and they will pay you for it!
Late update
This week has not been my best! I did manage to list a stack of things on eBay, which all end tomorrow night. I did sew a bunch of things to sell at markets next week, only to discover my husband is busy that day, so now I can’t do it.
My total is still sitting at $305, but I have done a lot of preparation work for things that will earn me money later. I should get paid in the next week for the things I have listed. I have hopefully found my photo for my book. I did get most of my recipes done, only a few left now, and have got part of it edited.
I have come up with a few more ideas, that I will go into further later and I have found someone to help me with my website. (Ok, I already knew them, but I have made a time commitment to myself now!).
We decided against buying the house in my last post. One of the biggest factors was the fact that my husband has applied for a different job. In the long run the job will be better, but in the short term his pay will be cut by around $800 a fortnight whilst training. That goes for nearly 6 months. Thing is, it can take a few years for him to get into this job, so I sort of feel like things are on hold in a lot of aspects until we know about that.
Plus, if my husband does get this job, the training is over an hour away from our house and he has to live there. It will cost us more, as I do our groceries pretty cheap, but he can’t cook like me, so it would get expensive feeding him there. Basically, if he gets this job, we couldn’t afford the house as well.
It’s all good though, all these things are just obstacles for me to work around. I’ll get there!
My total is still sitting at $305, but I have done a lot of preparation work for things that will earn me money later. I should get paid in the next week for the things I have listed. I have hopefully found my photo for my book. I did get most of my recipes done, only a few left now, and have got part of it edited.
I have come up with a few more ideas, that I will go into further later and I have found someone to help me with my website. (Ok, I already knew them, but I have made a time commitment to myself now!).
We decided against buying the house in my last post. One of the biggest factors was the fact that my husband has applied for a different job. In the long run the job will be better, but in the short term his pay will be cut by around $800 a fortnight whilst training. That goes for nearly 6 months. Thing is, it can take a few years for him to get into this job, so I sort of feel like things are on hold in a lot of aspects until we know about that.
Plus, if my husband does get this job, the training is over an hour away from our house and he has to live there. It will cost us more, as I do our groceries pretty cheap, but he can’t cook like me, so it would get expensive feeding him there. Basically, if he gets this job, we couldn’t afford the house as well.
It’s all good though, all these things are just obstacles for me to work around. I’ll get there!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Opportunites - is it real or just a temptation.
Why is it opportunities come up at the most inconvenient times? Maybe I am being taught patience or maybe I should just dive right in?
I have found so many great opportunities to invest, but I never have the money. Now I have found one, but the money was going to be used for something else. You see, I was going to “borrow” from our joint account to launch my book. I was going to repay it, just like a loan, but with interest, as we would have been earning interest on it if I left it alone.
Here’s the thing... This week we saw a house (yes, another, I like real estate!) It’s fire damaged and would need a fair bit of work, but we could get it so cheap. I am sorely tempted. It would take all our savings for the stamp duty, legal fees etc... BUT once done would be a positively geared property or we could sell it for twice what it would cost us.
Its roof needs fixing, but we have a friend who is a roofer.
The fire originated in the kitchen, but we have a spare kitchen. That probably sounds unusual and is a really long story, but it’s got stainless steel appliances and everything.
We have a great plumber who does cheap work for us, plus one of our tenants in another property down the road from this one is an electrician, so we could strike a deal with him (it has been offered before)
Then it is just a matter of painting, doors, removal of rubbish etc... The bathroom looks completely fine.
The auction is on Saturday. What really shocked us though is my husband was rostered on to work Saturday, and took it as annual leave a few weeks ago for a family thing. That family thing got cancelled the day I found this house. My husband RARELY gets days off, and since the property is actually 3 hours away from us, we would have to drive up to see it and bid. Amazingly we are both free to do it this Saturday, which for us is almost unheard of. (Both being free at the same time)
Now, I would have to live up there with our 2 daughters and organise it all. It would be my project. My husband would come up to help with a few things, but essentially I’d own it and do it all and have to pay the loan back.
I cannot decide if it is an opportunity or just a temptation stalling my book.
What would you do?
I have found so many great opportunities to invest, but I never have the money. Now I have found one, but the money was going to be used for something else. You see, I was going to “borrow” from our joint account to launch my book. I was going to repay it, just like a loan, but with interest, as we would have been earning interest on it if I left it alone.
Here’s the thing... This week we saw a house (yes, another, I like real estate!) It’s fire damaged and would need a fair bit of work, but we could get it so cheap. I am sorely tempted. It would take all our savings for the stamp duty, legal fees etc... BUT once done would be a positively geared property or we could sell it for twice what it would cost us.
Its roof needs fixing, but we have a friend who is a roofer.
The fire originated in the kitchen, but we have a spare kitchen. That probably sounds unusual and is a really long story, but it’s got stainless steel appliances and everything.
We have a great plumber who does cheap work for us, plus one of our tenants in another property down the road from this one is an electrician, so we could strike a deal with him (it has been offered before)
Then it is just a matter of painting, doors, removal of rubbish etc... The bathroom looks completely fine.
The auction is on Saturday. What really shocked us though is my husband was rostered on to work Saturday, and took it as annual leave a few weeks ago for a family thing. That family thing got cancelled the day I found this house. My husband RARELY gets days off, and since the property is actually 3 hours away from us, we would have to drive up to see it and bid. Amazingly we are both free to do it this Saturday, which for us is almost unheard of. (Both being free at the same time)
Now, I would have to live up there with our 2 daughters and organise it all. It would be my project. My husband would come up to help with a few things, but essentially I’d own it and do it all and have to pay the loan back.
I cannot decide if it is an opportunity or just a temptation stalling my book.
What would you do?
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Educate yourself
Something I have noticed a lot amongst SAHM’s is that most do not have any formal qualifications. Now, I am not saying we are not smart, or have no educations, I am just saying that most of us do not have skills that easily come across to jobs, as far as most employers are concerned.
There are so many ways now that we can further our skills and educate ourselves. I always think, what if something happened to my husband, could I support my family. Yes, I could, but many I know could not. It doesn’t have to be expensive either. Uni is not the be all and end all.
There are courses at TAFE, online, by correspondence, night classes, short courses; you just need to look around. Yes, there are fees for schooling, if you need a certificate, but what about borrowing books from the library on things you are interested in or using the net to find out what you can. Maybe what you want to do doesn’t need proper schooling; you just need to find out more yourself.
Look around, do you know someone who is in the field you are interested in? Will they have a chat to you about it? What are their recommendations?
Getting an education is not as black and white as it used to be. It’s more flexible with time, places, funds, everything.
I am looking into photography. It is something I always wished I knew more about. I suggested to my husband I do a course on it. He thinks I take good photos, but I think they are average. Since it is not something I am really going to use to earn extra income, I am going to research everywhere first. I need to know more about cameras and how they work. This I can find out online or at the library.
Also, I can’t remember where, but my sister told me that you can buy a camera, try it out, and if it’s not right, you can swap it within a certain time frame. Since I would dearly love a really good camera, once I have done my research, I will be able to test drive.
There are so many courses out there that you can do, then once qualified, run your own business or just do hours that will suit you. It’s amazing how much of an income we can generate, once you have a piece of paper that says you know how to do xyz. And if it’s something you love doing, it wont even feel like work or school.
There are so many ways now that we can further our skills and educate ourselves. I always think, what if something happened to my husband, could I support my family. Yes, I could, but many I know could not. It doesn’t have to be expensive either. Uni is not the be all and end all.
There are courses at TAFE, online, by correspondence, night classes, short courses; you just need to look around. Yes, there are fees for schooling, if you need a certificate, but what about borrowing books from the library on things you are interested in or using the net to find out what you can. Maybe what you want to do doesn’t need proper schooling; you just need to find out more yourself.
Look around, do you know someone who is in the field you are interested in? Will they have a chat to you about it? What are their recommendations?
Getting an education is not as black and white as it used to be. It’s more flexible with time, places, funds, everything.
I am looking into photography. It is something I always wished I knew more about. I suggested to my husband I do a course on it. He thinks I take good photos, but I think they are average. Since it is not something I am really going to use to earn extra income, I am going to research everywhere first. I need to know more about cameras and how they work. This I can find out online or at the library.
Also, I can’t remember where, but my sister told me that you can buy a camera, try it out, and if it’s not right, you can swap it within a certain time frame. Since I would dearly love a really good camera, once I have done my research, I will be able to test drive.
There are so many courses out there that you can do, then once qualified, run your own business or just do hours that will suit you. It’s amazing how much of an income we can generate, once you have a piece of paper that says you know how to do xyz. And if it’s something you love doing, it wont even feel like work or school.
Making your house earn money
I had a look at an open home yesterday. I am not in a position where I can buy here yet, but my mind was buzzing after looking. I had gone for my walk and happened upon it, so decided to check it out. It looked fantastic from the front and inside was even better.
It was way out of the price range I would consider, but it had so much earning potential. By earning potential I don’t just mean renting it out. It would be a home we live in, but it could have been so much more.
It was a 5 bedroom home, with a double garage, large block and a swimming pool. It also had a bedsitter type unit downstairs, with its own entrance, toilet, kitchenette, bed area and lounge area, plus it had a side access, so it would be easy for someone to come and go without disturbing anyone. You could also section off the part of the garden near their door, so they would completely have their own space.
So the first earning potential was the unit.
The next earning potential was the master bedroom. It had an ensuite, was right near the front door, which had a lounge room near it. This could be rented out to a boarder, who would only need the kitchen for making their meals, etc... but since they would have their own lounge and bathroom, they would still have a lot of privacy.
You see, all the other bedrooms were located at the other end of the house, with another exit/entrance, another bathroom and lounge/dining area. So we could live in that section and rent the front section out OR just have exchange students stay in one of the other bedrooms and we have the main. Either way, there is earning potential number 2.
Number 3 is the pool. I am not a qualified fitness instructor, but if I was, I would run water aerobics classes in my pool. Have groups of 5, maybe 2 -3 a week; charge $30 - $40 each person for 1 hour, means $150 - $200 and hour. They get more personalised training and my pool gets used. But, since I am not trained, I could actually rent that to someone who is, charge them say, $30 for the use of the pool, they would still get $120 - $170 per hour and I would get money for nothing.
Potential earning number 4 was the big backyard. The options for this were endless, pet sitting, having bee’s and chickens, growing my fruit and veg and selling excess just to name a few.
Number 5 would initially cost a little to set up, but the long term gain would be worth it. Turn one of the garages into a salon. Obviously this would not suit everyone, but because I am qualified, it would work great for me. If I did a fitness instructor course, I could offer complete make-over packages, all from my house! (using my pool and salon). The costs for converting a garage vary but are generally upwards of $20,000.
Number 6 rent out the other garage for storage. Since storage places can be quite expensive, this would be quite appealing for many, one would assume. A few years ago we paid over $200 a month for a single garage size storage unit; I don’t even know how much they cost now days. But I assume more than that! Even if we only charge $40 - $50 a week, it is still cheaper than a storage facility.
Last but not least is potential number 7. The driveway was long, and wide, so you could easily store some ones boat or caravan. Actually, you could drive it up the driveway and sit it on the grass to one side. Again, this would save someone money, as we would charge less than a storage facility, since it would be out in the open, $30 a week would be fine.
After looking at all these options, which probably sound crazy to some, when you add them all up, it works out to be a fair amount of money.
The unit - $170 - $200 (in our area anyways)
The exchange student $200 per week approx, and we could actually have 3 in that house.
The pool sessions - $450 - $600 if I did a course or $60 - $90 if I rented it
Selling excess would take a while to set up, but pet sitting is $6 a day I believe or $42 a week
A salon, hard to judge, and since it would only apply to me, I will leave it off my total (although I will let you know it would be easy to get $700 - $1000 without trying too hard)
Garage - $40 - $50
Space for a boat or caravan - $30
Total minimum $542, max, without salon, but by doing a fitness course $1522 a WEEK!
Now I worked out that on a 100% loan, repayments would be about $1000 a week, that is with rates 2% higher than they currently are. So in actual fact, I would be making money, not just subsidising the mortgage.
I realise these sort of options aren’t for everyone and banks do not do 100% loans anymore and they wont take these sort of things into consideration when you are borrowing from them, but it might make you look at your own house in a new light!
And just so you know, whilst this is a good argument for buying this house, I am still not in a position to do so, yet!
It was way out of the price range I would consider, but it had so much earning potential. By earning potential I don’t just mean renting it out. It would be a home we live in, but it could have been so much more.
It was a 5 bedroom home, with a double garage, large block and a swimming pool. It also had a bedsitter type unit downstairs, with its own entrance, toilet, kitchenette, bed area and lounge area, plus it had a side access, so it would be easy for someone to come and go without disturbing anyone. You could also section off the part of the garden near their door, so they would completely have their own space.
So the first earning potential was the unit.
The next earning potential was the master bedroom. It had an ensuite, was right near the front door, which had a lounge room near it. This could be rented out to a boarder, who would only need the kitchen for making their meals, etc... but since they would have their own lounge and bathroom, they would still have a lot of privacy.
You see, all the other bedrooms were located at the other end of the house, with another exit/entrance, another bathroom and lounge/dining area. So we could live in that section and rent the front section out OR just have exchange students stay in one of the other bedrooms and we have the main. Either way, there is earning potential number 2.
Number 3 is the pool. I am not a qualified fitness instructor, but if I was, I would run water aerobics classes in my pool. Have groups of 5, maybe 2 -3 a week; charge $30 - $40 each person for 1 hour, means $150 - $200 and hour. They get more personalised training and my pool gets used. But, since I am not trained, I could actually rent that to someone who is, charge them say, $30 for the use of the pool, they would still get $120 - $170 per hour and I would get money for nothing.
Potential earning number 4 was the big backyard. The options for this were endless, pet sitting, having bee’s and chickens, growing my fruit and veg and selling excess just to name a few.
Number 5 would initially cost a little to set up, but the long term gain would be worth it. Turn one of the garages into a salon. Obviously this would not suit everyone, but because I am qualified, it would work great for me. If I did a fitness instructor course, I could offer complete make-over packages, all from my house! (using my pool and salon). The costs for converting a garage vary but are generally upwards of $20,000.
Number 6 rent out the other garage for storage. Since storage places can be quite expensive, this would be quite appealing for many, one would assume. A few years ago we paid over $200 a month for a single garage size storage unit; I don’t even know how much they cost now days. But I assume more than that! Even if we only charge $40 - $50 a week, it is still cheaper than a storage facility.
Last but not least is potential number 7. The driveway was long, and wide, so you could easily store some ones boat or caravan. Actually, you could drive it up the driveway and sit it on the grass to one side. Again, this would save someone money, as we would charge less than a storage facility, since it would be out in the open, $30 a week would be fine.
After looking at all these options, which probably sound crazy to some, when you add them all up, it works out to be a fair amount of money.
The unit - $170 - $200 (in our area anyways)
The exchange student $200 per week approx, and we could actually have 3 in that house.
The pool sessions - $450 - $600 if I did a course or $60 - $90 if I rented it
Selling excess would take a while to set up, but pet sitting is $6 a day I believe or $42 a week
A salon, hard to judge, and since it would only apply to me, I will leave it off my total (although I will let you know it would be easy to get $700 - $1000 without trying too hard)
Garage - $40 - $50
Space for a boat or caravan - $30
Total minimum $542, max, without salon, but by doing a fitness course $1522 a WEEK!
Now I worked out that on a 100% loan, repayments would be about $1000 a week, that is with rates 2% higher than they currently are. So in actual fact, I would be making money, not just subsidising the mortgage.
I realise these sort of options aren’t for everyone and banks do not do 100% loans anymore and they wont take these sort of things into consideration when you are borrowing from them, but it might make you look at your own house in a new light!
And just so you know, whilst this is a good argument for buying this house, I am still not in a position to do so, yet!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Oct 1st update
This week has gone better than I expected. I have been sick, but still managed to make some money. I did a haircut, sold some fabric and sold some Tupperware, which I was not expecting. I cashed in some of my points from one of the survey sites I go too and my total is now $305.
I am going so slow on this, but I know I will get better. I have had my household sick for a few weeks and I came down with it bad this week, which was no fun. I did get to do a fair bit of work on my book, so whilst it is not making me money yet, it is a step towards future income.
My husbands shifts got changed this week at the last minute, which has been happening a lot. It is quite frustrating, as it means I cannot do any “conventional” work. I can’t even book Tupperware parties, because I never know if I will actually be able to do them. It has been good, as it has really prompted me to find other ways of earning an income.
I am now researching actual websites. I have a brilliant idea for one, which I have only told my husband and my sister, both of whom think it’s a great idea. But I have to be good and focus on my book, before looking too much into that. I do plan on buying my domain name and everything soon, so it doesn’t go, although I checked quite a few variations of what I want and all are available. I am so excited about my website idea; I just have no idea about websites! I have typed a brief outline and saved it on my computer, so now just have to tell myself to leave it alone and focus on 1 thing at a time.
I have known for a while, but lately it has really been hitting home to me that I am a real ideas person. I have ideas running through my head all the time. It is great in some ways but in others it drives me crazy. I often find it hard to sleep because I have to write down ideas I have, not that I’ll probably ever use them but if I don’t write them down I will be up all night thinking about them. This has been a problem since I was a teen. If I could just work out a way to get paid for the million ideas I have a day, it would be fantastic!
I am going so slow on this, but I know I will get better. I have had my household sick for a few weeks and I came down with it bad this week, which was no fun. I did get to do a fair bit of work on my book, so whilst it is not making me money yet, it is a step towards future income.
My husbands shifts got changed this week at the last minute, which has been happening a lot. It is quite frustrating, as it means I cannot do any “conventional” work. I can’t even book Tupperware parties, because I never know if I will actually be able to do them. It has been good, as it has really prompted me to find other ways of earning an income.
I am now researching actual websites. I have a brilliant idea for one, which I have only told my husband and my sister, both of whom think it’s a great idea. But I have to be good and focus on my book, before looking too much into that. I do plan on buying my domain name and everything soon, so it doesn’t go, although I checked quite a few variations of what I want and all are available. I am so excited about my website idea; I just have no idea about websites! I have typed a brief outline and saved it on my computer, so now just have to tell myself to leave it alone and focus on 1 thing at a time.
I have known for a while, but lately it has really been hitting home to me that I am a real ideas person. I have ideas running through my head all the time. It is great in some ways but in others it drives me crazy. I often find it hard to sleep because I have to write down ideas I have, not that I’ll probably ever use them but if I don’t write them down I will be up all night thinking about them. This has been a problem since I was a teen. If I could just work out a way to get paid for the million ideas I have a day, it would be fantastic!
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