# my ideas 4 yours!!



## Slugmar (May 26, 2008)

How much land do you have to use ? You could make well over that if you have a decent size garden and selling the extra veggies at farmers market, local restaurants and stores.


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## JIL (Aug 25, 2007)

rabbits are easy if you have an area to place them in they multiply quickly. sell bunnies or meat or to pet shops.


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

Are you within a reasonable driving distance to a college/university? Put together "survival kits" for cram weeks and birthday cakes and other goodies. Market it to the parents that are a long way aways and feeling helpless for giving these things to their kids. Get a list of names from the university office. 

I saw a brochure for one that had a very country feel. Old time stove w a woman in old costume working. Focus on the new organic, etc. appeal also.

Delivery would be critical to its success.


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## How Do I (Feb 11, 2008)

Have you checked out Ken's ebook *How To Make Extra Money in the Country* yet? He has some really good ideas in there that can maybe help you brainstorm some ways to make money.


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## georgec (Jul 9, 2007)

I'm mentioned it here before, but I will mention it again. Guru.com, people post jobs that they would like done, then gurus bid on them. Just last week I wanted a white paper (techical document) written from some notes I had jotted down. I posted what I wanted done, after 24 hours I had about 8 bids. I didn't go with the low bid, but with someone that had some nice examples in her profile. I paid her $100 for about 4 hours work. It was well worth it to me (she did a great job).

Next week I will be posting a job for some graphic design work. I need a logo for a business that I'm starting.


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## MariaAZ (Jun 5, 2007)

I've been approached in the past to answer phones for businesses during times when there was no office staff, like at lunch time; they would forward the line to me and I would bill for the time the phone was forwarded. I never explored the possibility but it sounds like a good way to make a few extra dollars if one could work out the logistics.


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## seagullplayer (Nov 6, 2008)

Watch Craigslist, you will see part time (one day) jobs come up.

Also, it is easy and cheap to sell, buy from yard sales, take a picture, post your free ad...


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

Are garage sales and ebay a possibility?


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## GoldenSeal (May 21, 2009)

Soap making is really easy. You can make shampoos and laundry detergent to sell off the bars you make as well as the bars themselves.


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## bnlfan (Jul 15, 2006)

aunt fannie said:


> live in trailor park...no land...no garden....no rabbits!


In door possibility.

Birds. Exotic pets. Reptiles.

You may want to try making emergency prep kits.

Get some used paint cans and rinse the paint out. Remove the labels. Then create emergency kits for automobiles. Sell them in classifieds of magazines related to survival, automotive, etc... You can also purchase the paint cans.

Look at magazines such as Grit and sale some creations through there.

Go to backwoodshome.com and do a search for bird houses from pallets. Make and sell them.

If you have a good voice, create audio books (check if legal) of popular titles that are not available and put them in publications for the blind and elderly.

Make shadow boxes and market them to individuals interested in what ever area you choose. 

If you can knit, create clothes for pets. Market them to pet shops and pet publications.

If you have the knack to do engraving, engrave high end pencils with peoples names.

Okay, some of these are out in left field but, they are ideas that you can expand on them.

Good luck to you.


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## bigmudder77 (Jun 9, 2008)

what has helped me is buying and selling i make any where from $500-2000 a month 

now im back right around $500 a month which is not very good at all since that is all i do 

but craigslist is NOT the place to find jobs i replied to one and had about 20 spam e-mails in the same hour 

but being older and not having a good back id do the buy and sell things not just big stuff but small stuff go to garage sales pick stuff up cheapish and resell on ebay for a good profit but know what some stuff is worth or you will loose alot of money and add the costs for ebay fees to the shipping price to cover it 

auctions are a good place to go to find good deals just know what the stuff is worth i went to one auction and hay wagons went for over 2k you can get a brand new one same size for 3k and these were beat wagons but other stuff like a whole box of barb wire and electric fence stuff like a whole pile of stuff i got for $5 sold both the new barb wire tubes for $20 each that paid for my gas to get to the auction and back used the other fence stuff. also got alot of piles of stuff for $1 found some old coke bottles that were in one box sold on ebay for $147 plus shipping for the 4 and that was $1 for the whole lot of stuff 

another type of auctions i go to are storage auctions some times you win and get alot of good stuff for resale some times you get junk i got one that was filled with 4 wheeler -3 wheeler and dirt bike parts and whole stuff that i only paid $250 for the whole thing opened it up and was like WOW made over 6k on all the stuff that was in there 

hope some of that helps you


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

A coworkers wife use to make custom chocolates and confections painted with edible paint. wrap them up in pretty cellophane pop them all in a basket and go buisness to buisness she did pretty good she also worked part time at the place she bought her supplies and got a discount.

she also baked cakes for people and that combined well with her candy buisness. you could take it a step farther and do pies and cookies and such.
thiers a few folks up here that started out parttime with the pie thing and have 3 or 4 different shops now.

One lady use to come in all the time with little jars of preserves she made at home , Im sure she did well.

one gal I worked with sold her custom baskets.

candles, and soaps are good also. 

I always wanted to combine all that together into gift baskets wich can be a real cash cow , more so if you offer a decent value to the customer.

so if you know a few other people in need of some income and they can fill some of the nich and take on a bit of the work you all could profit.

though sometimes its hard to work with other people. 

if you dont have anyone who can make baskets ( wich could really add some cost to the final product) you can get them wholesale pretty cheap and some nice ones too. 

so maybe run an add for candle makers,soap akers,bakers,confectioners,and maybe a few part time workers that can do the door to door and help pack baskets ( I reccomend some pretty young ladys they seem to do the best in those kinds of sales,its a marketing ploy and no offense towards the older gals.)

oh maybe some gardners then you could include seasonal fruits vegtables and fresh herbs or even herb infused oils and vinegers or herbal satchels.

oh more ideas comeing you could put together soup mixs and baking mixs a cookbook or two a few utensiles maybe some mood setting stuff for a romantic evening the list is endless if you think about it just need to have a little creativity. dont forget the sausage and cheese and crackers if you could get them at a reasonable price. even if you couldnt might be a little dressing to the package theres another one dressing mixs or just a few bottles of dressing with the fresh produce baskets. 

So what do you think so far?

you could put you add on craigslist but I find theres alot of wakos there maybe bestfarm buys?

oh one more idea watkins products included in the basket. or even noveltys and gag gifts.

heres the piece de la resistance (dont know if thats right but you get the drift) put all your various lines together in a catalog and let the customer decide what to fill the basket with.


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## mtnest (Mar 11, 2008)

GoldenSeal said:


> Soap making is really easy. You can make shampoos and laundry detergent to sell off the bars you make as well as the bars themselves.


Please, please don't sell soap if you are still at the beginning stages! Soapmaking CAN be profitable however; selling your "learning experiences" can have bad results for your customers as well as give ALL handmade soap a bad rep for any future sales to those customers. 

Regarding what you can do to make money: First, choose something you LIKE to do and start talking it up to people. Find out their reactions to your idea in order to be able to figure out if it is a reasonable line of thinking. IF/WHEN you get positive response, decide how to market it and go with it.

Do you craft anything that costs very little to make but that you can sell for a nice profit? Don't forget to provide for your labor in figuring these details.

D


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## GoldenSeal (May 21, 2009)

" Please, please don't sell soap if you are still at the beginning stages! "

Well duh, lol. Most people want the product they sell to be perfect before revealing it to the public.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

If you are in good health basically, maybe you could do basic housecleaning.
There are people that will pay, just to have you come in & dust,sweep,vaccum & clean, & will usually pay you under the table & be steady clients.

Ive also thought about offering shopping services to the elderly,they tell you what they want & you go to the store & pick it up for them. At price, brand & a delivery fee of course. If you could get 4-5 orders the same day, at least once a week, it might work.

Im just to far out of town to make it worthwhile. Maybe get with the local church & see what people need & offer them a service at a reasonable price. Their are people in need that will pay for basic housecleaning, groceries, or assisted care


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## mtnest (Mar 11, 2008)

GoldenSeal said:


> " Please, please don't sell soap if you are still at the beginning stages! "
> 
> Well duh, lol. Most people want the product they sell to be perfect before revealing it to the public.


You would be surprised then to find out that there are a LOT of people who begin making soap and then decide to sell their "learning experiments" in order to get rid of them and/or make "some money back". It's rather scarey. They don't think about the consumer, just their own pocketbook. Not everyone has the same quality levels and people who have bought from a beginner have had serious skin issues from using it. I wasn't trying to be mean or give anyone a "duh" moment... just wanted to voice a word of caution is all.


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

GoldenSeal said:


> " Please, please don't sell soap if you are still at the beginning stages! "
> 
> Well duh, lol. Most people want the product they sell to be perfect before revealing it to the public.



Yeah, but you would be surprised at the number of people that will try to sell handmade products like soap when they first start out! Well, at least some of the ones I have seen at local crafts fairs and such sure do look like someone's first attempts at making soap. Either that, or they just have no clue about how appearances can make a difference when it comes to marketing.


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

OOPS.....helps to read thru to the bottom of the thread to see what everyone has posted before I post........ :doh:


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Where I live, a Licensed Care Provider can offer light services, too, based on his/her physical condition. Many Clients are ambulatory and need a little help/assurance for safety. 

There are many part time positions for Nannies.

There are interesting opportunities to provide "shopping services" for those infirm or elderly. Not all services will meet their needs. You can research what is available in your local area.

It is time to make ornaments if you are selling them for Christmas. Since there are so many different kinds to be made, that is pretty easy. You can take advantage of school bizarres and other locations that charge little to nothing.

Craigslist has been extremely valuable to us. We have sold unwanted extra appliances, tools, a propane fireplace, etc..., even traded our 29 foot travel trailer for a 19 foot one (got $1,000 in cash, too, and that put us ahead in cost/value). Even though you live in a Trailer, you may be able to set up to grow African Violets or some other plant. What I did this year was to find out what the Nurseries didn't have or stock, and then grow it.

I know someone who is purchasing wholesale and selling retail. Not STUFF, but what people need. If you buy packages in bulk and split them up, this is easy to do.

I have seen the Thread for Cha Cha. It isn't the type of job for me, but it wouldn't hurt to look into it. That may appeal to you.

You can teach just about ANYTHING. I taught Calligraphy classes in AZ, just charged a fee per class. My friend here, teaches Flower Arranging. I was asked to teach a Beginner Gardening Course. There are Teachers for Beadwork, Sewing, Cooking, Spinning, and the list goes on and on. Draw back from your personal experiences, which are many from what you have described, and consider what is enjoyable to you.

Lastly, specialty niches are a great way to make money. I did Gardening Consulting and it was a lot of fun. This year, there was a HUGE demand for Heirloom Seeds. You may look into partnering with a local Seed Producer, buy them in bulk, re-package & sell.

I would stay away from baking unless you find there are no health dept problems with that. Here, that is prohibited.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

> but craigslist is NOT the place to find jobs i replied to one and had about 20 spam e-mails in the same hour


My daughter, Andrea', found an Acting Job in a Docudrama (legitimate and was a lot of fun for her). She secured a Real Estate Assistant position via a Craigslist Ad. She tried out and was hired to be a Lead Singer at the nicest resort in Breckenridge, CO (made great money & even gifted me an all expense paid vacation there). When the season ended, she moved to Florida, and then found another Lead Singer position with a local professional band. This has led to valuable experience and training she wouldn't otherwise have received. She is currently recording her first CD. While she is recording, she performs locally, and also works two jobs (she supports herself 100% and is 21 years old). Yes, an Achiever with a Capital A. Important to note, again, that one of these two jobs (part-time) was secured via a CL Ad. Yesterday, she tried out for an Acting Part in a movie via, you guessed it, a CL Ad. Now, my son, Robert, also is 100% self-supporting at the age of 19, and lives in his own apt in Seattle. He secures positions via CL Ads, too.

There is good and bad everywhere you look. It isn't always easy to discern. My children always ask me to look at what they are applying for and ask my advice frequently. They aren't seeking approval as much as they are trying to save themselves from making preventable mistakes.

Now, that all said? I have a recommendation for any one who doesn't want unsolicited spam after applying for a job (I sure don't):

Set up an alternate email address that is only used for this purpose.


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## Mommylisa (Jun 3, 2002)

In the past I have made money by babysitting, selling crafts at businesses, by crocheting or knitting for others, selling baked goods, Ebay, selling items in our local swap paper, doing typing, and by doing genealogy research. 

Lots of good ideas here.....Good Luck.


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