Money Monday: Increase Money Coming In?

One of the obvious approaches to remedy a financial shortage is to bring in more money.  The 2 ways I can think of to do that are selling something we own, or producing more income by getting or creating a job.  So I've considered each.

Selling Something... But, what?  The house and a vehicle were always my last-resort, fall-back options.  The house still has lots of trim and other details that would need to be finished, and now, a big hole in the ground for the planned garage.  Besides all that, our house, like all real estate, has lost value in the current market.  It'd be difficult to re-house the 9 of us and come out any better, financially. 


...And the one car with any significant value that I thought we might be able to do without, our Toyota Sienna minivan, is now dead in the yard.  It would require spending quite a bit of money before we could take any back in.  At this point, it's a question whether we could come out ahead at all.


Onward to
More Income... Hubby already takes on every little extra job that comes his way.  He does it as much to help others as he does to help our financial situation.  So what about me?


I was recently helping Princess Sassy with her job-hunt, and was tempted, for myself, by an open position at the local community college, as Assistant Director of Financial Aid.  My education and prior experience in retail management, and as Student Accounts Asst Manager at a private university more than met the required qualifications.  Not that I'd relish jetting out of here early every morning, facing a 45 minute commute, and working full-time away from home, but the $40,000+ yearly income would surely help pay the bills.



I considered all the affects on the family and our home life.  It would be a big change for the kids to be in public school full-time, but as intelligent kids, I was sure they would adapt.  
That was no small consideration, as homeschooling is an important part of what we want for our family.  We see the positive results in our grown kids, so want the younger ones to have that same opportunity.  But there were more:

... How I wouldn't be home to even start dinner until 6:00 PM, while it works best for us to eat together as a family at 5:30 

... How homemade breads and granola would become late-night and weekend projects, or possibly/probably a thing of the past 

... And especially, not only would I not be home when the kids got out of school in the afternoon, but I also would be gone long before they left for school in the mornings.   Yikes.

That might work for others, but not for us.  We have developed certain standards for our family life throughout the years, and none of this would be a fair or positive adjustment for the family now.  I know my calling is to be a mother to our kids, first and foremost, and home is where I need to be to do that.  


Some might think I'm making excuses, and convincing myself of why I "can't" do this or that.  It's not about "can't" as much as "won't."  It's about what I know is right for us, even if it limits other options and doesn't let me see an immediate answer to our current financial dilemma.

When the older kids were young, I had my own business sewing clothing, bibs, and crib bedding for a children's boutique and various consignment shops.  I'm not sure I ever profited much to help us, and eventually, it robbed time that my kids needed from me, too.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
For the past few years, I've been keeping my eyes open for a business opportunity that may present itself.  I believe that if I keep following my interests and skills, and share them with others as my heart leads, a door will open.  Maybe for me, maybe for the family.  I could see us having an Etsy store if we come up with the right product.  I'd love to do more woodworking and build furniture, including kitchen work tables... Maybe the unfinished garage will be part of that puzzle.  


One of the things I keep doing is sharing our lives here.  When I was first encouraged to blog, it was suggested as a possible way to work into something that will produce more income for our family.  I still don't know if that may happen in the writing, or in a skill we have or new interest we discover along the way, since blogging inspires me to try new things.  It is part of my spiritual journey to wait on God and watch for His leading in this way.  He's been trying to teach me patience for a looooong time!  ;-)                                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                    
P.S.  A little income is possible for me via some of the ads and Amazon links I have on the blog.  A blogger gets tiny amounts of money every time readers click on certain ads from stores or Google placed on the blog ... No buying necessary, just click an ad, or, for instance, follow the link in the right column to view Williams-Sonoma's "Recipe of the Day."              
Also, if you're already planning to shop on Amazon, go first to your favorite blog that features an Amazon link (as shown below) or search box (as shown in the right column of this page), and click through that link to get to Amazon -- Then add items to your cart and complete your purchase, as usual.  It doesn't cost you any more, and your favorite blogger receives a small percentage of the purchase.  (We cannot purchase through our own blogs to 'pay' ourselves, so I pass on the courtesy to another blogger when I shop.)  I use my Amazon proceeds mostly for kitchen needs I share here, and, at this time of year, to augment the kids' Christmas gift fund in our budget.  Thank you.


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