Over on the Cheapskates Club YouTube channel a couple of weeks ago, Cath spoke about side hustles you can do to boost the family budget. Many of these side hustles Cath has done herself when money was tight. Even today I know she has many little income steams that helps keep her budget on track.
Over the years Darren and I have faced many financial hardships due to insufficient work hours, low pay rates and our choice to be a single income family while I stayed home to raise our girls.
Having a few little side hustles meant we could save for holidays, have enough money for groceries, buy gifts, replace our ' make do ' furniture for quality items and purchase cars with cash.
Here are some of the side hustles I've personally used to bring in a little extra cash. Some of these hustles I still do to this day.
* I polished silverware for a friend who was hosting Christmas at her place. The silverware was family heirlooms that she wanted to use and display for the occasion.
* Some of my cleaning clients needed their ironing done. This was additional work on top of my cleaning hours so I treated the extra money as a bonus. Some of these clients enjoyed my ironing so much that it became a regular part of my cleaning visit.
* Speaking of cleaning, my cleaning work first started because we were living below the poverty line. We desperately needed extra money to make ends meet but I didn't want to put our daughter in day care so I could work. Somehow I managed to fit in a couple of regular clients when Darren had a day off and my work has snowballed from there. When our girls were school aged, I would clean during school hours. When the school holidays came around, the girls would come to the cleaning jobs with me.
* I make jam from the fruit we grow. Most of the jam is put away for our personal use. I sell a few jars here and there which more than covers the cost of the sugar and gas used in the cooking. I also give some as presents which frees up some of the gift budget. This money is then put into other areas of our budget.
* During the long lockdowns of 2020, I made and sold many, many face masks. This was an unexpected side hustle that kept money coming into our home when I wasn't allowed to work.
* Making my own greeting cards started out as a money saver for our budget. The price of greeting cards had gone up from 4 for $2 to a minimum of $1 each in the discount shops. With the basic supplies I had on hand, I started making very simple cards to put with presents. Then I helped form a card making group and it turned into a hobby that earns me a little bit of money when I sell them on Facebook.
* I sell unwanted items on Marketplace. Darren and I have always been wise with our purchases so we've never really had much to sell. Still, I've managed to sell DVD cases, spare yoghurt makers, pet items, a snow suit from my teens, small electrical appliances, Tupperware and pieces of furniture.
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| Jam has been a good seller |
Some of the cards I've sold over the years -
Over the years, as a single income family with 11 kids, we have had more side hustles than I can count! We became the “go-to” family whenever someone had work to do that they didn’t want to do themselves and were willing to pay to have done. We have:
ReplyDeleteCleaned construction Debbi from inside newly built houses (our friend built custom homes). Besides the money, we were allowed to take any scrap wood, building materials that were laying around. Some of these would be large 2 x 4’s or 2 x 6’s that had one nail hammered in wrong spot so they were being discarded. That is literally how we built our pantry shelving for our home canned jars! https://pin.it/5An54yosb
We have built and sold wood furniture and decor from discarded, free wood pallets that we would forage for!
We built wooden rocking horses and sold those while kids were young. https://pin.it/1EBbXTGuF
I used 2 scraps of flannel to make “softies”, an eco-friendly soft alternative to buying Kleenex and sold bundles of them. https://pin.it/3d7J128dM
5 years ago, I was able to buy a used longarm quilting machine and started quilting people’s already made quilts together. It paid for the machine in the first year and there have now been around 500 quilts that we’ve been paid to quilt. https://pin.it/3kn7IruVE
Our family motto has always been- If it’s honest work, it’s honorable work!
You and your husband are really resourceful and I always loves seeing the things you both make. Your quilts are fantastic.
DeletePat, it was you who gave me the idea to sell our raspberry plant seedlings. I'll be digging up some in the next week or two.
I crochet basic granny square Christmas stockings, and what you call "beanies".
ReplyDeleteI also make dehydrated doggie treats from sweet potatoes.
They are great ideas for side hustles. Well done
DeleteHow did you charge for polishing friend's silver ... did she just kindly "gift" you, or did you agree up from?
ReplyDeleteWe agreed on an hourly rate and I kept a tally of the hours I spent polishing.
DeleteGood morning, I have been paid to make slices for a busy family for their Christmas. I just made double quantities of my own baking so it was no trouble even though a busy time of year, I have also looked after small dogs when the owners were away. They were known to me and just comfortably settled in beside mine, The owners new they would be treated like family, and of course it was much cheaper than a kennel. My sister used to mind a little girl, two days a week, with her own.She continued to have her before and after school for years! Lots of people have talents they can utilise. You’re always inspiring Wendy.
ReplyDeleteJenny, that's the best way to make the slices. Well done.
DeleteThese are all great ideas Wendy, and this post and Cath’s video are very timely for me. Just days ago my husband suddenly resigned from his permanent part-time job, he has other work options as a self employed handyman and casual work elsewhere but these jobs are a little hit and miss with regularity of income. I have a part time job, but there may be times I need to consider side hustle incomes too! Time will tell. From Cheryl 💜
ReplyDeleteCheryl, I really hope some regular work comes up for your husband.
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