Well this thing is getting closer and closer every day and I seem not to have put as much effort into it as I should have. I do have ads posted on Craigslist for Homebrewing classes and Gardening services:
Homebrewing: http://sacramento.craigslist.org/lss/1003028634.html
Gardening: http://sacramento.craigslist.org/hss/1003021379.html
I’ve also scheduled the necessary training to be an owner/worker at my Co-op. That friend that may need a room to rent has not said anything more to us about it, so I must assume that she’s found something else.
I’m honestly starting to think that I need to see if I can find a temporary job someplace. I know it will likely require me to work more than 16 hours per month, but that may just be what I have to do. I really can’t see any of these little Craigslist ads bringing in any significant income. It’d be nice and maybe in time something will come of it but for here and now I may need to cast my net a bit wider. Here’s what I plan to do:
1) Contact the local restaurants and catering companies and see if they can put me on an “on-call” list. This is so that if somebody calls in sick or they get a big job, they can call me in just for the day. I’ll offer my services as a prep-cook (easier to land than a real chef’s position) as well as a server (hate doing that but it’s work and typically there’s more need for servers than for cooks)
2) Scour the paper and craigslist looking for temp jobs. These will likely be clerical, labor, etc…which I truly despise but again, it’s work and if I can pick up $80 on a Saturday here and there…it’s worth it.
3)Continue with my craigslist ads. It can’t hurt to keep putting myself out there and the more ads for the more services I have…the more likely it is that one of them will get a hit.
For now…anybody reading, please take a look at the ads I’ve already posted and if you or anybody you know is in need of my services, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Also, as a reminder, the fine ads provided on this page by Google might prove interesting to some of you…and likely only take a minute or two of you time…so please feel free to check some of them out!!
Until next time…
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Easier than I thought?
Could it be possible that this whole situation will be solved more easily than I thought? Nothing so far has been pointing that direction so I never thought it could be. The Governor wasn’t backing down, the Legislature doesn’t seem to care (at least the Republicans don’t…just as long as no taxes are raised), and there was nobody waiting outside my door in the morning to offer me a 16 hour per month job paying me exactly the amount I needed.
But then something happened today that brought the possibility of an “easy” fix back into the light. It turns out that we have a room that we could rent, we’ve rented it before but only to close friends (due to a bad experience when we strayed from that rule). I hadn’t really thought that we’d be able to find somebody to fill the room because we’re getting to the point that all of our friends are past the point where they need to rent a room in a house…most of them can afford a real apartment. But then this morning a friend of ours happened to send out an email letting people know that she needs a room…just for a few months (perfect timing for us really). So now my hope is re-kindled.
Now, this solves some of the problems…at least in the short-term. The reason things get a bit easier in 4-5 months is that we plan to have all of our credit card debt paid off by then, so we’ll have lower monthly financial obligations. However, this isn’t a done-deal yet…we still haven’t heard back from this friend. Also, even if she does rent the room, we still face the very real possibility that my wife will be receiving half of her income as IOUs. So for now…any potential income from that room rental I will assume offsets my wife’s income, not mine.
So this leaves me back where I was really. So to get back to my plan, I was supposed to come up with two options and flesh them out a bit. Here are my first two options:
1)Outdoor garden work – This is a conglomeration of a few options that I had listed before but they seemed to go together. Pruning trees, gardening, pond set-up, etc… This is pretty self-explanatory really. I could offer to do all these garden-related activities for people just like gardeners do all over the place. I would have the benefit of offering organic expertise which might be in demand. Since I don’t have money for newspaper ads…Craigslist is the way to go. I’ll have to get an ad up…I’ll probably list my fees pretty low so that I’ll actually get some business (something’s better than nothing, right?)
2) Homebrew – So I am a fairly accomplished homebrewer, won a few state and national awards so I really do know what I’m doing. I’ve taught a few friends how to brew so I also know how to teach. I’ve thought of this before but never actually did anything about it. It wouldn’t be difficult at all for me to offer homebrew classes to people, either in their home or mine. The only problem I see is that it would have to be fairly pricey and I’m not sure that in this economy people would be willing to pay that much for something that will likely be seen as a luxury. But it can’t hurt to try, right?
As far as the score board goes, I’m counting the room rental for my wife, so things are as they were last time:
Money Needed: $360
Hours Available: $26
I’ll get my Craigslist ads up soon and post them here when they’re up. Plus next time I’ll figure out another couple ideas. If any of you have any suggestions for how to advertise, or how to differentiate myself in the marketplace (compete with all the other gardeners) please leave a comment!
But then something happened today that brought the possibility of an “easy” fix back into the light. It turns out that we have a room that we could rent, we’ve rented it before but only to close friends (due to a bad experience when we strayed from that rule). I hadn’t really thought that we’d be able to find somebody to fill the room because we’re getting to the point that all of our friends are past the point where they need to rent a room in a house…most of them can afford a real apartment. But then this morning a friend of ours happened to send out an email letting people know that she needs a room…just for a few months (perfect timing for us really). So now my hope is re-kindled.
Now, this solves some of the problems…at least in the short-term. The reason things get a bit easier in 4-5 months is that we plan to have all of our credit card debt paid off by then, so we’ll have lower monthly financial obligations. However, this isn’t a done-deal yet…we still haven’t heard back from this friend. Also, even if she does rent the room, we still face the very real possibility that my wife will be receiving half of her income as IOUs. So for now…any potential income from that room rental I will assume offsets my wife’s income, not mine.
So this leaves me back where I was really. So to get back to my plan, I was supposed to come up with two options and flesh them out a bit. Here are my first two options:
1)Outdoor garden work – This is a conglomeration of a few options that I had listed before but they seemed to go together. Pruning trees, gardening, pond set-up, etc… This is pretty self-explanatory really. I could offer to do all these garden-related activities for people just like gardeners do all over the place. I would have the benefit of offering organic expertise which might be in demand. Since I don’t have money for newspaper ads…Craigslist is the way to go. I’ll have to get an ad up…I’ll probably list my fees pretty low so that I’ll actually get some business (something’s better than nothing, right?)
2) Homebrew – So I am a fairly accomplished homebrewer, won a few state and national awards so I really do know what I’m doing. I’ve taught a few friends how to brew so I also know how to teach. I’ve thought of this before but never actually did anything about it. It wouldn’t be difficult at all for me to offer homebrew classes to people, either in their home or mine. The only problem I see is that it would have to be fairly pricey and I’m not sure that in this economy people would be willing to pay that much for something that will likely be seen as a luxury. But it can’t hurt to try, right?
As far as the score board goes, I’m counting the room rental for my wife, so things are as they were last time:
Money Needed: $360
Hours Available: $26
I’ll get my Craigslist ads up soon and post them here when they’re up. Plus next time I’ll figure out another couple ideas. If any of you have any suggestions for how to advertise, or how to differentiate myself in the marketplace (compete with all the other gardeners) please leave a comment!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
The Scoreboard
It's amazing how jarring an event can be, even when you are expecting it.
Yesterday the long awaited memo was finally released. My furlough days have been chosen, not by me, but by the Department of Personnel Administration. If you have not read the memo, you can do so at: http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2009/01/09/23/memo010909.source.prod_affiliate.4.pdf
Yes, I was expecting it, but I was also hoping that some sort of agreement would have come about between the legislature and the Guv to prevent what is most likely going to come next: IOU's. As I mentioned before, a portion of my wife's income comes from a contract with the state. On top of my 10% reduction in pay, my wife will only bring in 50% of her usual income starting in February should the IOU's in fact get disbursed. Oddly, my situation is by far better than hers since I can actually make up the income by using my furlough time generating income. She, on the other hand, must continue to spend her time fulfilling her obligations spelled out in the contract, thus preventing her from finding other clients to make up for the deferred payment. So, the scoreboard at home now reads: Fearful Furlougher- $400; IOU wife- $1700.
My first furlough day is February 6th, which means I have about 26 days to get a plan, act on it, and make it work.
I previously mentioned that I thought I could generate about $15 per month using the ads in this blog...well that doesn't seem to be working out. So I'm back to looking for the full $400. My first step is going to be looking into a program offered by the Natural Foods Coop that I shop at. They give you the option of working for 6 hours per month (unpaid) at the store and in return receive a 10% discount on all your purchases. We spend approximately $350-400 per month, so I'll be able to save $35-40 per month. Now, I realize that at this rate, I'm going to run out of my 16 hours before I make up the $400. I have decided that I'm going to plan on working 32 hours per month, or two weekend days per month on top of the furlough days.
Money needed: $360
Hours available: 26
Yes, I realize that I'm ignoring the 600 pound gorilla in the room (my wife's $1700 per month deficit) but this blog is about my experience...not hers. I'll spend the rest of the weekend fleshing out 2 more options. If anybody has any recommendations, I'd appreciate it. I'd also love to hear your stories. Just add a comment with your experiences or ideas!
Yesterday the long awaited memo was finally released. My furlough days have been chosen, not by me, but by the Department of Personnel Administration. If you have not read the memo, you can do so at: http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2009/01/09/23/memo010909.source.prod_affiliate.4.pdf
Yes, I was expecting it, but I was also hoping that some sort of agreement would have come about between the legislature and the Guv to prevent what is most likely going to come next: IOU's. As I mentioned before, a portion of my wife's income comes from a contract with the state. On top of my 10% reduction in pay, my wife will only bring in 50% of her usual income starting in February should the IOU's in fact get disbursed. Oddly, my situation is by far better than hers since I can actually make up the income by using my furlough time generating income. She, on the other hand, must continue to spend her time fulfilling her obligations spelled out in the contract, thus preventing her from finding other clients to make up for the deferred payment. So, the scoreboard at home now reads: Fearful Furlougher- $400; IOU wife- $1700.
My first furlough day is February 6th, which means I have about 26 days to get a plan, act on it, and make it work.
I previously mentioned that I thought I could generate about $15 per month using the ads in this blog...well that doesn't seem to be working out. So I'm back to looking for the full $400. My first step is going to be looking into a program offered by the Natural Foods Coop that I shop at. They give you the option of working for 6 hours per month (unpaid) at the store and in return receive a 10% discount on all your purchases. We spend approximately $350-400 per month, so I'll be able to save $35-40 per month. Now, I realize that at this rate, I'm going to run out of my 16 hours before I make up the $400. I have decided that I'm going to plan on working 32 hours per month, or two weekend days per month on top of the furlough days.
Money needed: $360
Hours available: 26
Yes, I realize that I'm ignoring the 600 pound gorilla in the room (my wife's $1700 per month deficit) but this blog is about my experience...not hers. I'll spend the rest of the weekend fleshing out 2 more options. If anybody has any recommendations, I'd appreciate it. I'd also love to hear your stories. Just add a comment with your experiences or ideas!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Further Complications
Just when you think your situation is difficult enough, more gets thrown on! I know last time I said I was going to think through the list I had and figure out how it would work. However, over the past few days a new problem has arisen. It turns out that the particular agency that I work for is being considered for elimination. So now not only am I faced with the 10% cut in pay associated with the furlough, I’m also faced with losing my job.
While it’s true that I’ll likely be able to find a vacant position at some other agency and therefore be able to stay employed, there are still some considerable issues surrounding that prospect.
1. I may end up hating the job I find as a replacement.
2. I may end up having to take a job somewhere that would require me to drive or take public transportation rather than riding my bicycle.
3. I may end up having to take a job with a lower pay range (on top of the 10% pay cut)
A quick look at these options and what may be surprising to some becomes obvious to me. The option that would worry me most is not being able to ride my bike to work, which would increase my living costs. I have worked at jobs I hated before, and it sucks, but not the end of the world. Also, a lower salary is a drag, but things can be done to increase my income. Out of that list, not riding my bike to work is the one thing that I really couldn’t deal with (I HATED every job I’ve ever had that required a commute). So, as I think through this, a few options come to mind.
1. I could start looking now, and hopefully get into a new position that I like before the whole agency is fighting for the few remaining positions.
2. I could wait things out and hope that I’m placed in a new position that I can stand.
3. I do the research now to prepare myself for the potential change but not act until this becomes a reality.
The problem with option one is that if I leave this job (which I love) for a job that I only kind of like…and my current agency is not dissolved after all…I’ve just given up a job I loved for nothing. Option two really is too risky for me. So that leaves me with option 3. Easier than I expected really…that’s a relief. So I suppose my job now is to research open positions that I would enjoy and are located close enough to my house that I could ride my bike. Wow…that feels much better!
Now I need to focus back on my original problem…the 10% pay cut associated with the furlough! But I think that’ll be my next post.
While it’s true that I’ll likely be able to find a vacant position at some other agency and therefore be able to stay employed, there are still some considerable issues surrounding that prospect.
1. I may end up hating the job I find as a replacement.
2. I may end up having to take a job somewhere that would require me to drive or take public transportation rather than riding my bicycle.
3. I may end up having to take a job with a lower pay range (on top of the 10% pay cut)
A quick look at these options and what may be surprising to some becomes obvious to me. The option that would worry me most is not being able to ride my bike to work, which would increase my living costs. I have worked at jobs I hated before, and it sucks, but not the end of the world. Also, a lower salary is a drag, but things can be done to increase my income. Out of that list, not riding my bike to work is the one thing that I really couldn’t deal with (I HATED every job I’ve ever had that required a commute). So, as I think through this, a few options come to mind.
1. I could start looking now, and hopefully get into a new position that I like before the whole agency is fighting for the few remaining positions.
2. I could wait things out and hope that I’m placed in a new position that I can stand.
3. I do the research now to prepare myself for the potential change but not act until this becomes a reality.
The problem with option one is that if I leave this job (which I love) for a job that I only kind of like…and my current agency is not dissolved after all…I’ve just given up a job I loved for nothing. Option two really is too risky for me. So that leaves me with option 3. Easier than I expected really…that’s a relief. So I suppose my job now is to research open positions that I would enjoy and are located close enough to my house that I could ride my bike. Wow…that feels much better!
Now I need to focus back on my original problem…the 10% pay cut associated with the furlough! But I think that’ll be my next post.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Getting Started
Well I figure there are a few things that I need to do first. The first question that came to my mind was, "Do I REALLY NEED to make up that lost income?" I suppose this whole exercise would be for nothing if it turns out that I can do without that 10%, right? So, it comes down to figuring out how much I'm going to lose and if there's enough room in my personal budget to take that kind of hit. It turns out that I'm going to lose between $350-$400 a month, which equates to one month of groceries. Looking at my budget, I see that while things would be tight, I could in fact absorb that decrease. But I can't stop there, because I live in a two-income household and my wife works as well. I also need to determine the likelihood of my wife's income being impacted. Now, my wife is not a State Worker so she will not be dealing with the furlough, but she is a business-owner partially supported by a contract with a state agency, and with the shaky economy, her income is not exactly guaranteed. So what does all this mean? It means that I do indeed need to make up that 10%, because if my wife's income drops (which could certainly happen), we would be in trouble.
That brings me to the next step. What CAN I do? What am I good at? I decided to make a list of things that I could offer to people as a service that could bring in money. This list was actually difficult to make, because there are a number of things that I've either given up (things I used to do but decided I didn't like enough to do as a living) or are things that I didn't want to do and decided to go to college in order to avoid. BUT...things are tough, so everything is a possibility. Now, there is one big issue that I needed to keep in mind when making this list...anything I do to generate this income can not coincide with or be a conflict of interest with my current state job.
The list includes:
Organic gardening
Award winning home brewer (beer, cider, and wine)
Chef (menu planning, food shopping, cooking)
Fence building
Laundry room remodeling (and other minor home improvement projects)
Massage (not licensed)
College degree in Ecology (can identify birds by their call, and similar activities)
Change oil in car
Tree pruning
Canning
Know how to hook up a VCR/DVD
Advanced excel spreadsheet skills
Painting (walls, not masterpieces)
Sewing (experienced in tree skirts)
Basic html
Can build a solar oven
Fluent in deciphering Mexican accents (thanks to mother-in-law)
Can make authentic special quesadillas (appealing to Imperial Valley transplants)
Highly experienced litter-box cleaner
Label designer for beer bottles
Awesome Internet researcher
Harry Potter expert (but who isn't?)
Looks good in eyeglasses- eyeglass modeler?
Hole-digger
Fish pond setup
Chemist (anybody get their kid a chemistry set for Christmas and don't know how to set it up?)
Math or science tutor
Now, it should also be said that this blog is one of my ideas for generating just a small portion of the lost income. If you hadn't noticed...there are some lovely ads on the right side of the page provided by Google. If anybody would like to check out some of the wonderful companies advertising there, please feel free...;) I figure that these ads may bring in about $15 a month of income. Only $385 to go!!!
So, now I have a list of things that I can do, but how do I narrow it down? How do I turn one or more of those into a real, income-generating activity? I'm not sure yet...some of them are more self-explanatory than others. I think I'll leave it here for today and think some of this over the next day or two and post again with my thoughts.
I have to admit that I'm a bit shocked that I have 3 followers already!! Thank you to whoever you are and I hope that I have something to say that helps you in some way. Please feel free to comment anytime. I wish you all luck and a very Happy New Year!!
That brings me to the next step. What CAN I do? What am I good at? I decided to make a list of things that I could offer to people as a service that could bring in money. This list was actually difficult to make, because there are a number of things that I've either given up (things I used to do but decided I didn't like enough to do as a living) or are things that I didn't want to do and decided to go to college in order to avoid. BUT...things are tough, so everything is a possibility. Now, there is one big issue that I needed to keep in mind when making this list...anything I do to generate this income can not coincide with or be a conflict of interest with my current state job.
The list includes:
Organic gardening
Award winning home brewer (beer, cider, and wine)
Chef (menu planning, food shopping, cooking)
Fence building
Laundry room remodeling (and other minor home improvement projects)
Massage (not licensed)
College degree in Ecology (can identify birds by their call, and similar activities)
Change oil in car
Tree pruning
Canning
Know how to hook up a VCR/DVD
Advanced excel spreadsheet skills
Painting (walls, not masterpieces)
Sewing (experienced in tree skirts)
Basic html
Can build a solar oven
Fluent in deciphering Mexican accents (thanks to mother-in-law)
Can make authentic special quesadillas (appealing to Imperial Valley transplants)
Highly experienced litter-box cleaner
Label designer for beer bottles
Awesome Internet researcher
Harry Potter expert (but who isn't?)
Looks good in eyeglasses- eyeglass modeler?
Hole-digger
Fish pond setup
Chemist (anybody get their kid a chemistry set for Christmas and don't know how to set it up?)
Math or science tutor
Now, it should also be said that this blog is one of my ideas for generating just a small portion of the lost income. If you hadn't noticed...there are some lovely ads on the right side of the page provided by Google. If anybody would like to check out some of the wonderful companies advertising there, please feel free...;) I figure that these ads may bring in about $15 a month of income. Only $385 to go!!!
So, now I have a list of things that I can do, but how do I narrow it down? How do I turn one or more of those into a real, income-generating activity? I'm not sure yet...some of them are more self-explanatory than others. I think I'll leave it here for today and think some of this over the next day or two and post again with my thoughts.
I have to admit that I'm a bit shocked that I have 3 followers already!! Thank you to whoever you are and I hope that I have something to say that helps you in some way. Please feel free to comment anytime. I wish you all luck and a very Happy New Year!!
Monday, December 29, 2008
What the F@*k am I gonna do?
Ok,
So we just got the news...as a State Employee in California I will be forced to take 2 days off each month starting in February. Sounds great, right? Well it would I guess if it was paid time off...or if the stock market didn't just completely tank...or if the housing market weren't falling out from under us...or if the unemployment rate weren't rising to ridiculous levels...or any of a million other things that means that taking a 10% pay decrease means tightening the belt more during an already uncertain economic time.
So here I am facing the prospect of having two days off work each month and 10% less income. Now the question becomes...what do I do with that time and how do I make up 10% of my income? I know there are a lot of people out there going through this same situation...not even all of them are State Workers...some are city or county workers. Even private companies are doing this...or worse layoffs.
In this blog I will detail my efforts to figure out how best to address this situation...my ideas, my fears, my struggles and hopefully my successes. If anybody out there reads this and is either touched by or has suggestions for anything on here, please comment.
For all those out there in the same or similar situation...good luck.
So we just got the news...as a State Employee in California I will be forced to take 2 days off each month starting in February. Sounds great, right? Well it would I guess if it was paid time off...or if the stock market didn't just completely tank...or if the housing market weren't falling out from under us...or if the unemployment rate weren't rising to ridiculous levels...or any of a million other things that means that taking a 10% pay decrease means tightening the belt more during an already uncertain economic time.
So here I am facing the prospect of having two days off work each month and 10% less income. Now the question becomes...what do I do with that time and how do I make up 10% of my income? I know there are a lot of people out there going through this same situation...not even all of them are State Workers...some are city or county workers. Even private companies are doing this...or worse layoffs.
In this blog I will detail my efforts to figure out how best to address this situation...my ideas, my fears, my struggles and hopefully my successes. If anybody out there reads this and is either touched by or has suggestions for anything on here, please comment.
For all those out there in the same or similar situation...good luck.
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