I posted a bit about this on the forums. My wife has decided to leave her job for various reasons and will be done at the end of the month. She works part time, usually 3 days per week, and brings home about $385/month on average. That will put a little kink in the budget but what I'll miss even more is the $500+/month that was going into her 401k between her contribution and the employer match. In her 6 years on the job, she's built up about $40,000 in her 401k account.
I'm striving to replace a chunk of her take home pay by upping my game with the medical surveys that I do. As I've posted many times, I'm not always consistent with responding to the invitations and doing everything that comes my way. With this new motivation, I'm really committed to taking advantage of as many offers as I possibly can. So far this week, I've done 5 surveys that paid a total of $295.
Of course, the supply of surveys isn't consistent or linear at all so I can't expect to earn that much every week, but I figure if I stay on track, I should be able to up my average monthly survey income by about $200 which would cover more than half of her take home pay and some months maybe even more. Time will tell but that's the plan.
The other thing is that she has started sewing and quilting and has already sold several items. We are picking up her new (used) sewing machine tomorrow which will allow her to work much better and more efficiently so that she can really start ramping up what she makes. The goal is to start doing some craft shows, community yard sales, bazaars, etc. and have her bring in some money that way. We don't really have a prediction yet for that business. It will all depend on how involved she gets with hit. She can also start selling items online to broaden her audience.
The thought at the moment is that she'll stay out of work over the summer and probably look for something new once school is back in session - unless the craft business really takes off and is bringing in enough to make that unneccesary.
Big changes afoot
May 18th, 2013 at 03:37 am
May 18th, 2013 at 04:26 am 1368847599
I don't know what fits your DW's style but life is too short to not try out opportunities since her income isn't core to household needs.
May 18th, 2013 at 01:30 pm 1368880220
May 18th, 2013 at 02:22 pm 1368883363
If and when she does go back to a "normal" job, it would still be something part time and flexible, so she'd be able to do that and still do the craft stuff.
Working didn't really bring much in the way of expenses. She wore her normal clothes, doesn't wear make up, doesn't get manicures, cuts her own hair, etc. And her office was only about 6 miles from home (the fabric store is farther than that).
Still, we're keeping open options at this point to see what develops.
May 19th, 2013 at 01:00 am 1368921642
May 20th, 2013 at 02:04 am 1369011849
May 20th, 2013 at 08:16 pm 1369077362
TIP: try vending at the farmer market/local art weekend events, school fundraisers, and church/synagogue events. The more she gets into it, the more she will find out about events.
The tax write off for a home business is fantastically beneficial. If you advertise on the vehicle (use magnet or window clings), mileage is deductible.
Be aware that home craft sales online need EXCELLENT photos. Do a search on Etsy for similar products to see how they are presented and priced.
Don't hesitate to ask me for other information, I've been doing it for 7 years.
May 20th, 2013 at 08:57 pm 1369079846