Ugh... Broke and struggling... Ideas anyone?

[FarmerChick]

you are watching ur own kids (not sure if they are school age yet or not) but you sure could be a daycare provider

around me you can watch up to 5 kids without a license and all that nonsense and it is good money

also you could offer weekend babysitting daycare
yup all day saturday or sunday to give parents a day off to get their chores etc done...(kinda that Moms Day Out) many are willing to pay for a full day of kids activities to have that day for themselves or if they have an engagement or something

and when you have the kids, teach them gardening and such LOL
u could get yourself some free labor hahaha

 

[Dunkopf]

If your parents can watch the kids at any time, detailing the inside of people's cars is a good money maker. Depending on where you live, it can be quite lucrative....especially if you pay real good attention to details.


Selling stuff is a great idea also...my boys are currently out of work and really up against it. They got all their old video game systems out of the attic and are selling them on Amazon right now. Money, to date, is over $80 and they still have a big bag of stuff left to sell.

The grooming of small dogs is a good money maker around here also...very few people doing it and plenty of people willing to pay to have it done. With all the designer pups coming out of the puppy mills locally, there are a lot of mop-looking lap dogs needing a bath and cut.

Cleaning houses is also good money. You just have to provide a good service in all these ventures to corner the market. You need to be a real go getter and do a better job than anyone else.

That about says it for everyone. These days you have to be the best you can at your job to make sure you're not the next in line for a pink slip. Sometimes it doesn't help, but in a lot of jobs it does. The business owners that are making it have diversified. The rest are sinking.

Sounds like you got sucked in to one of those anybody can buy a computer gigs. Where they give you a computer worth about 500.00 for 26 easy payments of 65.00 but anyone can qualify. If that's the case you can't get rid of that expense without a bill collector coming after you. They always do it 3 years after the phone calls have stopped and blindside you.

 

[Dace]

Betta, you have gotten good advice! The only other thing that I can think to add is, can you work at night while your boys are sleeping and your parents are home?

A few hours of waiting tables, or cleaning offices might work out well for you.

I also think the babysitting may just be your ticket. There are so many folks who (like you) can barely afford to work, perhaps a reasonable babysitting rate would be well received. You can be helping out someone else who is struggling like you are. get a few families like that and you will be doing just fine since you don't have to bring in enough to run a household.

--

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Agree with all that was previously said.
When I'm in a tight spot, I look around and see what I can do that won't cost me anything but work, to make me more self-sufficient. Reclaiming some unused land can prove very profitable if you put your head and muscle into it.
I have parents, but I also have several daughters, so I can look at the situation from multiple sides. My suggestion is to bloom where you are planted the best you can. Do whatever you can to make money if possible and if not eliminate un-necessary expenses and then be an asset to your parents because in a way they can almost be viewed as your employers. Homemaking can be a profitable business if executed correctly.
One more thing. I don't know where these children's father is, but when I went to nursing school, it took me a while to get any financial assistance because I had the father with me. I eventually did get assistance with childcare and tuition, but I could have gotten it from the start if I had said my husband abandoned me. JTPA actually paid my own mother 18 dollars a day to care for my 2 children because no daycares would have been open at 5am. This was 18 years ago and the money helped my mother out also. It made me feel better about not abusing my mother. My only regret was the time I missed with my children that I can never get back, but they and the children I have had since have had the benefit of having a mother that is also a nurse, which has been wonderful in times of illnesses.
Perhaps you would like to be trained to do something.....Your disadvantage might prove to be an asset.

 

[lorihadams]

Are there any kids that you could watch after they get out of school? Get them off the bus and keep them till the parents pick them up. I have a friend that charges $50 per week per child to get them off the bus. All she requires is that the parents provide each child a snack everyday.

You could see about getting your parents to watch the kids in the evenings and offer to clean offices. A lot of people do that after they close and can make some decent money doing it.

Could you wait tables in the evenings while your parents watch the kids?

 

[urban dreamer]

Betta said she will not be on very much at all in the day comming. I'm not sure if the computer has gone out the door or if she is working. Just thought I'd let ya'll know.

 

[Bettacreek]

Thank you guys! As much as I'd love to take up the offers to sell stuff, I really don't want to be a bum and make everyone buy stuff out of pity. I know everyone has their own problems and I don't want to "force" people into buying stuff. I do appreciate the support though, it really means a lot.

I will put something in the classifieds for day time sitting at reasonable rates (I won't list a price, just play it by ear). Housecleaning would be awesome, I've done it before, but with two little ones, I just don't think that would work out very well, unless it's a vacation home that I could visit late at night. :/ I would not want to take the boys with... With my luck, they'd smash some million dollar antique!

As for the bills, no, I definately don't NEED the computer or the phone. I would survive without them for sure. But, to be honest, I don't know if my mental health would survive it, lol. I'm stuck at the house most of the time because of gas money and such. The computer and phone give me an outlet instead of just sitting here staring at the walls. Even the various "projects" I do with the boys, I end up using the computer to search for ideas. I also use it to sell stuff. The library isn't exactly an option. Gas money for one, and for two, two toddlers are easier to handle in my own, child-proof home than in a library. :/

 

[lalaland]

would add just one thing: don't invest any more money into supplies for soaps or such right now, you need to dig yourself out of the hole you are in.

Once you have a stash of cash from babysitting, errand running, housecleaning, etc, then...you can start gambling with making products (soaps, salts, etc) and seeing if you can sell them.

I would definitely second the idea of getting rid of the expensive wipes and the disposable diapers. you can't afford it, to be blunt.

ditto the phone. If your parents have a land line, that is what you can use, even if you are putting out flyers for babysitting, errands, housecleaning etc. If you have a contract, that might not work.

also, educate yourself about $ - go to the library and start reading, or use your computer and educate yourself that way - not to be harsh, but however you got your laptop was a big mistake.

If you have not applied for financial aid/welfare/ etc, now is the time to start. You owe it to your kids to get yourself on your feet - and while you may not feel good about the aid, you need it. You might find out you are eligible for child care funding while you go to school for example.

And, I would also second the idea of getting child support, assuming the father is still living. Go to your county, they can help you get started.

Really not trying to be harsh here, but if you don't make some plan to care for yourself and your children you are looking at years of poverty.

You have gotten great advice for the short term, but you need to think long term: how are you going to support yourself and your children for the next ten years? As your kids get older, it will be harder as their needs are greater. You need to get out of this spot - and I hate to say that I don't think selling things is going to work. Just like most people can't make a living acting, most people can't make a living making soaps and selling them. Yup, some folks do, but the odds are way against you.



So here is the good thing: where there is a will, there is a way!

Hang in there, keep plugging away, just get your head up enough that you can see the future . It will be brighter if you plan for it.

 

[Bettacreek]

Not harsh at all. I got the laptop when I was working. I made an impulse "purchase", now I'm struggling to keep up with it. As for the phone, our housephone works about 50% of the time. I really don't want to go without a phone if something happens. Parents haven't gotten around to contacting Comcast because they each have their own phones as well.
Long term, as in two years from now, I should be golden. I have the applications in for temporary cash assistance (to avoid a year long waiting list for subsidized daycare). After that comes through, I can get straight into daycare. I still have my job, I won't lose that no matter how long it takes to go back, I just need to be able to go, waiting on parents or daycare or something.
I will be doing nursing school. It was pushed back to next July, but I'm definately going next July. It's a one year program, then I'm hoping to get into a place that will pay for schooling to get me to RN.
Childsupport is in, he's in arrears. When I almost ran out of diapers, I texted him and asked him if he was paying support or would buy diapers or something. He says "Nope, I won't pay until next month", which would be the third month of non-payment. IE, I think he's only paying it every three months to keep his arse out of jail. It's set at $150 a month. So, I'm guessing I'll have $50 a month to "squander" on the two boys. I honestly don't even expect to see any money from him. He's the kind of person who'd rather sit in jail than pay child support.

 

[SKR8PN]

He's the kind of person who'd rather sit in jail than pay child support.

Then by God I'd do everything in my power to see him sit in jail!!
Contact the local child support office and see to it they do SOMETHING to help you out. At least maybe they could hook you up with a free lawyer to get his arse to court. The judges around here don't take to kindly to worthless bums that refuse to support their children. THAT is one of MY pet peeves!