Comments on: This & That

By: Melaniesd

Melaniesd — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:40:44 +0000

Dinah, I have to agree with Saverqueen – your work is lovely! I LOVE the slippers!

I have been selling Epicure Selections for the last year. I love the products and you can do well with it if you persue the business. For me, I found it difficult to fit it in as my husband works shift work and we have a 3 yr old. So now I’m looking at other options.
I paint and do photography as well. I’m looking at planning more & selling more of my painting.

By: Louise

Louise — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:30:00 +0000

Thanks psychsarah!
That’s a great idea — I’m a grad student and could certainly make some extra money doing this too!

By: psychsarah

psychsarah — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:13:37 +0000

Just thought I’d chime in about ways to make money at home. I used to edit papers/theses/dissertations and tutored in grad school for extra money. If you paid attention to spelling and punctuation in grade school, you can do this too. Also, I know people who do medical transcription from home. It’s a bit of an investment for training and testing (you have to pass to get jobs) but I know people who do quite well at this.

By: Louise

Louise — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:56:52 +0000

Thank you for the downloadable spreadsheet Gail! I had actually made my own on excel based on your model ages ago – and I redo my budget every month (I work on contract to my earnings fluctuate) — but it will also be a good tool to use as well since mine doesn’t break down my expenditures into percentages. Thank you again for all of your tools. They have made a huge difference in my life. I recommend a budget and reviewing it monthly to everyone! It helps to give a true sense of where one is at!

As for home earnings — I used to make jewellery and sell it every so often at a stall. It is amazing how much women love their gems and the returns were good! Also – it is fun and creative. There are some excellent websites out there to get inspired and buying beads from a good seller online (international) is cost-effective. I haven’t done this in ages though, and need to earn a bit more over the next months, so I’m looking into Etsy and calculating whether a small business is feasible costwise given my other commitments/budget (calculating: time/material costs/packaging/mailing etc). Any advice would be most welcome if any of you sell your own home-made products! I am also open to giving advice!

By: Angela w

Angela w — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 04:53:24 +0000

We finally put together a budget, we will see how it goes this week. I planned out our meals for the week and bought just what we need. I think the only thing we may need is milk before the week is up.
Im starting to really get excited about doing a budget. Its been a crazy week for us, from funeral to lost luggage to being hacked, im still dealing with the hacking problem, i changed passwords and opened a new email account that is linked to any important accounts. Monday we talk to computer people about getting it checked out.
Money that is not budgeted, but will be somehow.

By: Darcy

Darcy — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:30:23 +0000

I also make extra money from home. I sell Epicure selections. I also work full time and my husband, because of the economy, has just lost his job just before Christmas and every penny counts. This is actually the first time we have ever had to budget. Epicure Selections allows me to earn as much extra money as I want. It’s all about how hard I want to work and how much I want it. I want it!!
If anyone would like more information about this great business opportunity please feel free to contact me.
ddobson1@cogeco.ca

By: Tammy

Tammy — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:09:34 +0000

This is great. Thanks so much Gail.

I finally have a weekend off from the part time jov and was planning to use it to sit down and do my 2009 budget since I jus started a new job so this is perfect timing.

Happy New Year!

By: Emiliano

Emiliano — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:48:21 +0000

For those using Mac OS X, if you are having trouble getting the file…. i put a link so that you can download as well.

go to

http://idisk.mac.com/emiliano.introcaso-Public?view=web

and download it from there.
Emiliano

By: Brenda

Brenda — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:23:31 +0000

John – I had problems with Firefox – use Explorer and you will see the links on the bottom of the Budget Worksheet.

By: John Hernik

John Hernik — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:08:59 +0000

Hi Gail I can’t find the budget on your web site. Im using a Mac with OSX and Firefox as my browser is this the reason ? If so could you email it to me?

Thanks so much Gail you rock !

By: Tracy J

Tracy J — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 05:13:04 +0000

Me and a lot of my friends work at home and/or work and some just earn EXTRA money from home (for planned fun expenses).
I am a Graphic Designer and Freelance Photographer… unfortunately it took 2 years of schooling and 6 years of working for others in an office to gather the experience and loyal clientele to go out on my own, but it is very rewarding work and childcare isn’t necessary.
I also put out the word that I can read schematics and follow instructions, so I lucked out being a fill-in contractor putting together manuals for mechanical systems, it’s really part time and very different!
My husband fixes dirt bikes, atvs, hydraulics and cars after work and weekends sometimes, he saves the money from that to buy parts and run our dirtbikes.
I have a friend that sells from a catalogue in her spare time.
I also have a friend that set up a hairdressing salon in a spare room in her home, and does house calls for shut-ins. She’s great!
I know an at-home massage therapist and a reflexologist, a specialized small magazine publisher, a novellist, data entry, a computer programmer, someone who does custom presentation programming for special occassions, computer repair, marketing consultant, web designers, seamstress, furniture/toy woodsmith, boat restoration, professional craft painter, scrapbooker for hire, and MANY other work at homes! Really your imagination (and local laws) are the only limits!
For extra cash (but not quite at home) I know flea market vendors, housepainters, landscapers, handymen, dogwalkers, paper route delivery drivers, even a young lady that offers her services weeding and mulching your flowerbeds on weekends. It seems there is no service too small, no block of time too insignificant to find a task that needs doing that someone will pay for!!!!!
phew…. I know there are people I am forgetting, but you get the idea. I think there are 3 requirements, you need to be willing to tellEVERYONE that you are available, and the drive to really sacrifice your time to do it and the willingness to do it really well so they tell their friends how wonderful you are!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 04:10:09 +0000

Gail, Gail, Gail – I think that sometimes you want us to just work hard! My husband worked long and hard to create an exact duplicate of your budget sheet (I’m talking down to the colour coding!) and now here it is downloadable – you make me laugh. He did an awesome job and here we are 6 weeks later with cash in the accounts and money left in the jars week to week – even starting out in overdraw.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

By: Emiliano

Emiliano — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:58:51 +0000

Gail… THANK YOU for making the planner downloadable !

By: Krista

Krista — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:44:26 +0000

a big thank you from the “spreadsheet challenged!”

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:52:28 +0000

thanks so much for the downloadable format, i have a excel budget that i use that works for us, but i like to have yours to be able to see our %’s, something i’m not too good with on my own sheets!!