Advice Needed - West Orange,NJ

Go to my website irenejaeger.myarbonne.com and have a look around. This company rates tops with the DSA (Direct Selling Association). My daughter just earned her Mercedes Benz last month. The company is in a position to skyrocket!!! As I said, go to my website and then be in touch. There is too much to explain in this small space. Best wishes, I.

Have you looked into using coupons to buy your groceries and other items (not just using a coupon here or there, but serious couponing)? It can be a part-time or even full-time job when you get started to do all the research to find the best deals, but once you get into it, it gets easier.

I worked full-time and left my job three years ago to take care of my chronically ill daughter. I did not want to return to work and started a consulting business, but it takes a while to get going. I had heard about couponing sites for a while, but didn't really pay attention to it until money started getting tight. I was able to start cutting our credit card bills by 50% or more, which might be better than bringing in more income (that is taxable), and it's something you can do when your children are asleep.

Check out some of these sites:

www.couponmom.com
www.hotcouponworld.com
www.afullcup.com
www.thegrocerygame.com (charges a fee, but worth it if you're just getting started)

There are also blogs where couponers will post the deals for you for your area. You can do a search to find them (e.g. Safeway coupon match-ups for XYZ city).

Obviously it depends how much money you need to bring in, but the couponing stuff could be a good start while you try to find a job, and then if you see the benefits of it, you might not need to get a job.

I really wish someone had clued me into it when my daughter was born so I could have stayed home, or at least saved a lot of money when I was working full-time so we could have paid off more of our mortgage.

Good luck!

I do not know if this will help you but I have an option...

I work at a grocery store very PT so that I can be a SAHM. I work in the bakery, 4am-8am M-F so that I am able to be home for my kids before dad has to go to work. At my store we have a position in the front end that deals with the money and the count room. This is (usually) a night shift only, starting at 7pm-11:30pm or closing. My store closes at 11pm.

If you cant find anything to do from home this might be a viable solution for awhile? I basically work for our groceries but every little bit helps, right? I love that I have found something that I can do to bring in money but also still be a SAHM.

*At my store we receive awesome employee discounts, which is very handy!

Good luck on your search!

~EDIT~
I just wanted to point out the woman giving the "couponing" advice are absolutely correct about how much money you can save for your family (if you are disciplined and put in the effort and time) because their is a woman who comes into my store about once every 6 months or so and saves a bundle! Last time she was in, our store manager came around and told us all that the "coupon lady" was back and we all went to the front to watch her check out! She literally had 2 carts filled to the rim of stuff (and good stuff too) and her bill was $33.63!!! AMAZING!!

I can give you some advice from experience.... You say you can't imagine working outside the home right now, so I have to make some assumptions--- are you saying that mainly because you don't want your kids in day care? If that is what you mean, imagine this.... if you were working outside the home in an office, how much would you get done if you had your kids there with you?? Now multiply that by the chores that are calling for you to be done. What I'm telling you is that I can tell you from experience that it is VERY VERY VERY difficult to get any work done while your kids are home with you. It's next to impossible to make phone calls (think about how it is now when you want to chat with a friend or relative, then imagine that as a business call when you need silence and concentration and zero distractions during the call!) and very difficult to focus on anything regarding paperwork or computer while your kids want your nearly constant attention. Think about reading a magazine during a typical day home with the kids... You start on an article and the baby needs to be fed-- you try to feed her while you read the magazine but it's hard to turn the pages while you hold her. It can be done, but it's difficult... Then you set her down for some tummy time or a nap and your son needs lunch...and a snack... and more to drink...and help in the bathroom...and your attention playing...and the washing machine just buzzed so you need to throw it in the dryer... and you keep thinking about how you want to drop what you're doing for just a few minutes to prep what you're making for dinner... and while you were in the bathroom you noticed how grimey it was and it's killing you that you can't drop absolutely everything to clean it this very second...and when was the last time you mopped the floor....etc, etc, etc! It;s much harder than people think to work from home. You have to be very disciplined, very organized, and for most jobs you WILL need to either have your children out of the house (in some sort of day care) or have someone in your home watching them while you work (husband, grandma, or paid babysitter). I am not trying to discourage you from trying-- I just want to make sure you and anyone else reading this who is contimplating a work from home career understands the reality of it. You end up spending less money on things like the communte, eating out for lunch, buying expensive coffee drinks, make up, new clothes, dry cleaning, etc. so if you can make it work I say go for it...But just keep in mind that you more than likely WILL need someone to watch your kids while you work, and there is a huge sense of feeling out of the loop in the work-from-home world. If others in your company work in an office, they tend to forget about you sometimes and go "oh, you didn't know that? We covered it at last week's meeting".

Now that I've covered the Ree Al Uh T of being a work from home mom... here is an idea you can look into...

If you are truely motivated to make this work, you need to pound the pavement for clients. My mom assists elderly friends of her's with their managing of their own personal financial affairs. Since your clients wouldn't be personal friends, you may have to look into getting some sort of bonding or licence or something, but it's worth it if you can make it happen. You basically appraoch nursing homes and assisted living facilities (or even better if you personally know anyone who you can start with and they can recommend you to their friends and it snowballs from there by word of mouth)... What my mom does is she takes several months of bank books and balances their accounts and makes sure all billd are being paid on time. She has also called companies on their behalf to help minimize or elliminate fees. She has discovered bills they have been paying that can be consolidated or reduced in some way for various reasons. She ends up saving them lots of money in the long run, so they don't mind paying her at all. I think she charged something like $20-25 an hour for the first time when she sits down with the client (and depending on the client, sometimes she has realtives of the client sit with them-- so they can see that she is not trying to steal from them and they can see how awesome she is!), and then once the client establishes how much and how often they need her then she charges a basic fee once a month when she meets with them. My mom works really well with and is very comfortable with the elderly, so she visits her clients in between visits, like if she is at the facility to work for a client and she has another client at the same facility, she will schedule time to make sure it's not just a pop in of hello but real time to sit and visit. Her clients all appreciate her genuine personality and time she gives them and they trust her and recommend her to others.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. So many of us struggle with being a SAHM and the financial burden of it... but it's only for a few years and then your kids are in school full time and you can always go back to work then, so be sure to cherish this time you have with them. Look at ALL of your monthly bills and see if there is a way to cut back on any of them. Do you really need that bundle on your phone that includes call forwarding and other features you never use? Can your family make the ultimate sacrifice and not have cable for a few years? Pinch pennies wherever you can and you may end up making more money than if you worked and all of the hidden expenses that come from working....

There are so many business opportunities for SAHMs. I believe you have to find one that you LOVE. My daughter is almost 11 now and when she was about 3 I started a Pampered Chef business. I have done an average of one show a week for 8 years. I love to cook and I really appreciate all the free products we get (my kitchen runneth over sometimes). I work a total of 4-6 hours PER WEEK and earn anywhere from $200-$400 per show with my average being about $286 per show.

It's NOT a get-rich-quick MLM scheme. It's work, but the company makes it very easy for us to make good money without investing a lot of $$ (only about $115-$155 max to start with minimal cost for catalogs - about $.40 each and they're reusable for six months). I've earned thousands in merchandise which I use every day to cook for my family. I've also earned trips (big one to San Francisco for my family and small ones - say a weekend in NY city at Christmas). It's the perfect business for me, but it's not for everyone. If you can read a simple recipe, you can do this.

Please feel free to contact me if you'd like more info. PS - I'm NOT a big recruiter. I have one other consultant on my "team". It's not necessary to bring others into the business to make good money, although there are rewards for doing so if you'd like to go that route which I don't.

Hello Dian.... so many SAHMs. I was forced to retire 9yrs. ago, a Proff. Nurse. ran out of savings in 6yrs. had to put purchasing a home on the back burner. A very old and dear friend reffered me to the most amazing company. Melaleuca The Wellness Co. A multi award winning, INC500, co. featured on CNN, Newsday and others.our CEO, sits on the Board of Directors for the US. Chamber of Commerce. A 25YRS. Green co. I became a member, haven't looked back. No selling, delivering, collecting money, stocking inventory. Not MLM or Pyramid, virtually no investment, no risk involved, money back gurantee. Becoming a Mela. member is the most amazing business, strictly a refferal co. allowing members to protect their families, the environment as well, by using the highest grade non-toxic products and creating lifetime residual income. We offer Webcast Presentations. Melaleuca does not advertise, thats why you never heard of it. A International Co. Crribbean as well. e-mail me at ____@____.com forward to hearing from you. No get rich quick scheme or scam, strictly legal, we ask, just keep an open mind.Melaleuca is also the Manufacturer of Nicole Miller Skin Care and cosmetics, you may also visit our website, melaleuca.com to learn more, view video clips, meet Frank Vandersloot our CEO. My name is V. Coley.
Thank you, and good luck.

Updated

Not all "Home Businesses" are scams, keep an open mind, I highly recommend you checking out Melaleuca.com. you will be pleasantly surpriesed.
V. Coley.

Updated

Don't mean to be pushy, but, our Company's Compensation plan is very impressive as a accountant you will easily grasp the concept. Visit the website, then let me know what you think, nothing to lose but a little time.
V..

Hi D.,

You have gotten a lot of good advice. I wanted to let you know about something that I recently started and think might fit nicely with your lifestyle. I myself work full time out of need and took on this second endeavor to see if we can finally afford to have a second child. I am now an AVON Independent Sales Representative. I picked this company for two main reasons: 1) I admire the company (founded by women to help women thrive) and 2) Almost 0 money needed to start, no need to maintain stock, or get people to sign up for monthly fees like some other companies out there.

I litterally had a $40 start up fee. $10 for signing up with AVON (this includes brochures for the next 2 campaigns) and $30 for business cards (you can get this for cheaper if you use free options like vistaprint -- I paid more because I wanted them right away).

You would be amazed at how many people use AVON. It is a company that has been around for a very long time that women feel comfortable with and the best part is that they sell quality products at amazing prices.

They also give you the option of having your own online store, which is great for some friends/relatives that might not necessarily live close to you and therefore it would be difficult to give them brochures. Some people still love to browse through the brochure though (I guess it depends on the age group) and some people simply associate AVON with the brochure, so you will still need to invest in a few brochures every campaign I think (they are 10 brochures for $5 I think). You will make it up with each order and more.

There are so many potential customers you probably encounter... from other moms at the park, your grocery store checkout lady, the drycleaner, your husband's coworkers, family, friends, really, anyone you encounter could be a potential customer. To give you an example, I bought something at a garage sale a few weekends ago in my neighborhood and had a nice chat with the owner of the house and decided to give her a brochure. Turns out she works at a daycare and I got a lot of new customers... you never know.

If you are interested, email me and I can get you hooked up with a meeting with your local AVON office. ____@____.com

All the best and GOOD LUCK with whatever you decide to do!!
Adriana

I am a mom (although 15 yr old now that seems to be busier each month) and I work from home. Our home business is NOT MLM but what I will say it is BUSY and FULL TIME working at home. I can't imagine doing my job with little ones in tow.

I am in constant communication with hubby (in or out of town), working non stop on Quickbooks, banking, travel arrangements, trucker schedules, etc. Working at home is a JOB and you have to realize that.

I would NOT be able to do this with little ones at home.

One thing I did was substitute teach at our daughter's Mother's Day out and her Elementary School. I continue to sub teach at her elementary school and enjoy the doy away from my office/home for a mental break.!

I have participated in focus groups in the Dallas area whcih have paid nicely in cash. Keep in mind, you pay your gas to get to the destinitation, etc. The money I make from those are gravy because it is CASH and since I drive about 30 minutes from my home, I do the survey and then enjoy a day of shopping at the mall. I have made as much as $250 an hour (RARE occasion) but most of the time I get $100-200 per focus group. You do it once to 3 times a year. NOT a real income but a couple bucks here and there.

I'm not a coupon mom unless I have GOOD ones.

Good luck.

Are there any freelance opportunities in the career that you've already had experience in? Keep in mind that most "real" jobs at home don't mean that you get to collect a nice paycheck while you care for your kids all day. If you are doing real work, it will require your full attention. An active toddler and an infant will need care while you work. That can mean paid daycare. It can also mean working in the evenings when your hubby is home and/or on the weekends - but that can cut into your family time, and may not be realistic, depending on the field that you work in (do you need phone availabilty during typical "business" hours?). Some women really do find that if you need some part time work, it's actually easiest to get a job outside the home where you arent trying to do two things at once.
Good luck

Your children are the perfect ages for Discovery Toys products. The beautiful part of our company is that you can gain satisfaction from playing with your own children and helping other parents do the same. Work becomes play, all while you're changing the world one child at a time! Award-winning educational and developmental toys sell themselves if you put them in front of people. They quickly see how their child will benefit. We're a member of the industry watch-dog, the Direct Selling Association www.dsa.org so you can join us with the confidence that we're not a scam. I've been with the company for over 15 years, and I can see the difference it made for my child....the ability to focus, follow rules, be patient, stick-to-itiveness.

I can help you get started and answer your questions. Visit me at www.toysofdiscovery.com . Your children will thank you!

I have a site that has different ways to earn extra money online, check it out at www.makemoneyonline.tonoftips.net

Also for work at home leads check out the forum at workplacelikehome.com

I started to run my in home daycare to help bring in money and still be home with my babies!

I found the perfect work from home job a couple of months ago. It has been a life saver because I’m able to get some extra money by putting in a couple hours a week. You can work at your own pace and make your family’s schedule BEFORE your work schedule. You could even try this out now so you’ll be well into the swing of things by the time the baby gets here! Let me know if you are interested and we can talk more.

the way we make it work in our family (because childcare is SO expensive) one of us (happens to be me) works full time, and my husband works nights and weekends, and stays with my son and takes him to and from preschool....it's not conventional but it works for us! and it's not forever :)

Oh D., I hear you on all accounts!! I too couldn't imagine going back to work but also wanted to bring money in. I've also had the scams. :( I'll tell you, the only company I have ever made any money with is Arbonne and I've tried a number of them! I was a customer of the products first and loved them so much I wanted to check out the business. I was very pleased with how they have everything set up. Please feel free to look at my website: http://APerfectMoment.MyArbonne.com. There is a lot of information on there and a before and after picture that is just amazing!!

Best of luck and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me: ____@____.com

Are there any Account managing businesses that will allow you to work from home? you can search the business in your area, look at their websites to see if they offer this (I know several people that work from home and conference call in/ may have to spend minimal time in the office.

good luck!

In the healthcare field, there is a need for help with ledgers. Maybe you could enquire at chiropractors, dentists, eye doctors, family practice etc. It is a challenge for a busy office to focus on treating patients and keeping up with insurance companies and private parties who don't pay. Insurance companies lose claims, or just don't pay, and need follow ups, and people who are on payment plans need gentle reminders. If you are willing to sign a confidentiality agreement, I am sure you would find several Dr's willing to hire you.