A Little Bit Extra...

I originally published this list of potential side jobs a few months ago. Since then, more and more of of the people I know have pursued alternate sources of income. It just makes good financial sense in these uncertain economic times.

You don’t have to be a gifted entrepreneur to generate a decent supplemental income. Believe me—I’m not a brilliant business woman, but I have been earning a steady stream of non-salary revenue for over a year now. I certainly don’t plan on quitting my day job any time soon, but I have been able to rest easier knowing that Donnie and I are not entirely dependent upon our paychecks.

Here are some of the ways my friends, family, and coworkers are earning extra cash. How do you diversify your income?

• Planning weddings, bar mitzvahs, and other social events.


• Selling flea market finds on Ebay.


• Providing small-scale home repair and contracting services.


• Teaching music lessons.


• Taking on freelance writing, copy-editing, and graphic design gigs.


• Tutoring.


• Providing consulting and project management services for small businesses.


• Selling craft projects on Etsy.


• Participating in community garage sales and flea markets.


• Singing or playing an instrument at social events.


• Delivering pizzas.


• Selling fresh milk, eggs, produce, and baked goods at farmers’ markets.


• Providing translation services to local businesses.


• Baby-sitting, pet-sitting, or house-sitting.


• Selling homemade dinners to busy coworkers and neighbors.


• Designing, hosting, and maintaining web pages for local businesses.


• Decorating birthday and wedding cakes.


• Providing lawn, garden, and small-scale landscaping services.


• Taking on a paper or phonebook delivery route.


• Doing minor sewing and tailoring work.

Frugal Fabrics

I try to make a point of donating used items, especially clothes, to the needy. However, sometimes Donnie and I wear our clothes until they're too faded, stained, or torn to be of much use to anyone.

Since we're trying to live both frugally and sustainably, we use the fabric from these unwearable clothes in a variety of ways. Here are some of my favorites.

• Make shorts or a skirt from an old pair of pants.


• Use mismatched socks to make beanbag toys.


• If you're feeling ambitious, make a hooked rug or quilt from scraps of fabric.


• Make a cute purse from an old pair of jeans.


• Use an old T-shirt to strain homemade broth.


• Tightly braid strips of old cloth to create a dog toy.


• Use large pieces of worn clothing as dust rags or washcloths.


• Make a heating pad from an old sock (without holes!).

How do you make use of clothing that's beyond repair?

Free Samples for Saturday

Total Cereal

Canker Melts - canker sore remedy

Cream of Wheat

Fruit Rollup Snack

Homemade in a Hurry

Many of my coworkers tease me about being a "health food nut," because I cook and bake from scratch. I wouldn't go that far, but I do like to keep our meals as natural and healthful as possible.

People who know this about me often ask how I manage to do this, while also working full time. In truth, it isn't always easy, but the peace of mind I get from knowing that we aren't ingesting chemicals, and the money we save, are worth the effort.

Here are some of Donnie's and my strategies for cooking healthfully, on a budget, with limited time. What are yours?

We keep it simple. Most of our favorite meals require a limited number of ingredients, and only a few preparation steps. Plus, we eat many Mexican, Italian, and Asian-inspired dinners, all of which allow room for ingredient substitutions and other modifications. This greatly reduces the amount of time we spend preparing dinner in the evenings.

We cook on the weekends. We prepare many of our more labor-intensive dishes on Saturday, then freeze for later use. We also bake bread, assemble casseroles, prep fresh vegetables, and perform other time-consuming kitchen tasks on the weekends. This allows us to spend less time making dinner during the work week.

We use the crock-pot. There's nothing better than coming home from work and smelling fresh chili, stew, or Italian sausage simmering away in the crock-pot. Plus, it's much easier to avoid the temptation of take-out when you know dinner is already done!

We plan ahead. Shopping with a grocery list, stocking the pantry with staples, and menu-planning on a weekly basis means we never have to ask, "What's for dinner?" This helps us avoid last-minute ingredient purchases, fast food stops, and other money wasters.

We keep the kitchen clean. If I know I'm going home to a messy kitchen, it's very easy for me to say, "Let's just get take-out. The kitchen's not clean enough to cook." On the other hand, if the kitchen is neat and organized, it's much easier for me to enjoy making dinner. Thankfully, Donnie usually cleans up after me as I cook, so that when dinner's over, we don't have much more to do than load the evening's dishes in the dishwasher, and wipe down the dining room table.

We cheat. Sometimes I get great deals on baking mixes or packaged foods......so we just eat them and enjoy. :)

How do you balance healthy eating, frugality, and the other demands on your time?

Money Saving Tips from AARP

Check out these two great articles from AARP:

Pay Less for Anything suggests techniques for negotiating lower prices on groceries, magazine subscriptions, consumer electronics, and more.

9 Money Resolutions for 2009 recommends nine strategies you can implement to stay financially secure during these tough economic times.

Happy reading (and saving)!

Frugal (and Free!) Fun

Donnie and I may be frugal, but we also love to have fun. Fortunately, there are plenty of fun, free activities for us frugal folks. Here are some of my favorites. What are yours?

• We take films out of the library, or get them free from Redbox.


• We attend inexpensive minor league sporting events, or watch sports together at home.


• We use coupons to go bowling or mini-golfing on the cheap.


• We cook (and eat) our favorite meals together.


• We take turns reading aloud to one another from books we both enjoy.


• We play board games or video games together.


• We work together on household chores, to make the time more enjoyable.

Menu Plan Monday - Week of 1/5/09

We're trying hard to get back to our regular grocery shopping and meal-meal planning routine after a busy holiday season!

Breakfasts:

Peanut butter chocolate chip muffins

Waffles with brown sugar syrup

French breakfast puffs

Blueberries (from the freezer)

Fruit juice

Milk

Hot tea

Lunches:

Pasta with two sauces

Leftovers

Breadsticks

Peas

Oranges

Apples

Dinners:

Three bean chili, tortillas, rice, corn, cheese, sour cream

Bacon, eggs, cheesy potatoes, toast, fruit juice

Nachos topped with chili, cheese, and sour cream; carrot sticks

Steak fried rice loaded with veggies

Harvest beef stew (beef, pumpkin, acorn squash, white potatoes, sweet potatoes), broccoli, homemade wheat bread

Pasta topped with bacon, pepperoni, and cheese; breadsticks; green beans

For more great menu plans, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Fitness - for Free!

The start of a new year is the perfect time to begin an exercise program. Unfortunately, many people assume that the only way to exercise effectively is to spend a fortune on a gym membership or expensive fitness equipment. That’s simply not the case. There are many, many ways to get fit while spending almost nothing!

Here are some of my favorite strategies to burn calories—without burning a hole in my pocket.

• Sweat the small stuff. Find little ways to replace inactive behaviors with active ones. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, get off the bus one stop early, or walk to a co-workers’ desk instead of sending an email. Little changes add up to big results!


• DIY. Now is the time to tackle those big home repair projects on your to-do-list. Work up a sweat by painting the living room, stripping your wood floors, rearranging your furniture, or even just steam-cleaning the carpet.


• Get walking. Start your day with a brisk walk (or jog) to set your heart pumping while you enjoy plenty of fresh air and sunshine. Begin slowly if you aren’t accustomed to physical activity. Even ten minutes a day will make a difference.


• Refuse to sit still. Pace the room, pump your calves, march in place, or do simple stretches as your read, sew, or engage in other sedentary activities. You can fidget your way to burning hundreds of calories a week!


• Check it out. Choose from a wide variety of exercise videos at your local library. Just don’t limit yourself to one type of workout! Try your hand at aerobics, Yoga, Pilates, dance, tai chi, strength training, and more. While you’re at the library, pick up a few books that show you how to develop a fitness plan that works for you.


• Play with your kids. There are literally hundreds of fun, physical games you and your children can enjoy together. Hop scotch, jump rope, Simon Says, tag, freeze dance, dodge ball, Red Rover, Ring-Around-the-Rosie and hula hoop are just the tip of the iceberg. For maximum family fitness and fun, try a new game or activity every day. You can even invent your own!

How do you stay fit without breaking the bank?

Originally published January 2007.