Work at home a myth?

[RedFury]

Hey everyone, I've got a question for those of you who have/had/currently worked from home.

My wife is intersted in finding something that she can do from home and make us a little extra on the side, if not more. The problem is that she's kinda stuck staying at home for another 2 years until the youngest starts 1st grade.

We aren't looking for those garbage work at home things...you know- stuffing envelopes, making bead jewelry. Those suck.

I'm talking legitimate here. Does this even exist? A legitimate work from home job? She's been a stay at home mom for the last 6 years and never really had much for job skills before becoming a mom. I'm just fishing for ideas, knowledge, anyone's experiences with this kind of thing.

[xenon200]

The only "legitimate" thing I think that she could do from home is start her own home-based business. Find something she likes and/or doesn't mind doing, and something that can be done from home. But, that CAN be tough. Especially if the budget is tight.

Aside from that, I think options are pretty limited.

~x2

[CMonster]

Well, my best friend has worked pretty much from home for the past 10 years or so -but then he has two masters degrees: electrical engineering and business administration -he is also a UNIX expert with experience programing.

You could look into medical claims billing, but there is a lot of competition now and probably some cash layout required.

[kenyg]

my wife does work-from-home - she does word-processing for a local firm. It's not real lucrative - but it is more cost-effective than day-care.

They provide her with ocr'd text files, and she cleans it up and puts sgml tags for publication. She has to go in once a week and drop off/pick up work.

Ken

She could baby sit less forunate kids whos mom has to go to work...I had a friend who stayed home and never had to work while she raised her kids because she just added 2 or 3 more.
Plus your kids have playmates at home.

[Knothead]

She could baby sit less forunate kids whos mom has to go to work...I had a friend who stayed home and never had to work while she raised her kids because she just added 2 or 3 more---Surreal

My mom did that for a couple of years when we were little, I thought it was great!

I know a lady who does proof-reading at home. Good $$ when there's work, but it's infrequent.

Or, she could craft something...if she has the moxie to get out and 'market' it...maybe stained glass windows or lamps? Hang 'em out in the front yard, catch the drive-by traffic?

[RedFury]

Thanks guys, you pretty much summed up what I figured the answer would be.

Great idea Knot, but I don't get any drive by traffic! That and we really don't have an area for her to do much crafts-wise ( pretty much the living room coffee table )

Kenyg's idea would work probably the best for her as she is a pretty decent typist and it could be done on the computer.

I don't have much of a problem laying out a few bucks to start something, I just don't want to cash out for a scam.

I'd love it if she would watch some kids daycare wise, but my kids drive her up the wall as it is and to be honest, I don't know if she fits the daycare mold ( then there is the space issue...we don't really have the space for our own kids to play...it's really a bad living arrangement for kids our age. If you really want to know the details, ask me, otherwise I'll go off on a rant )

How are her writing skills? Freelance writing offers the potential to make a few dollars on the side. Topics can be about nearly anything these days, but do understand the pay is rather low as compared to just a couple of years ago.

http://freelancewrite.about.com/cs/a...ards/index.htm

Robert Richmond

[Ed_S]

Sounds like you've already ruled out the daycare idea, but I'll toss in my experience just in case!
We went that route. BIG mistake. You know all the wear, tear, & damage ONE kid can do? Multiply it..
Picture this - she's busy dealing with one kid while five more are bouncing off walls in the next room. She's too tired to clean up after thay leave, so you do it after YOUR workday. And I don't mean normal housework, (that should be shared duty), I mean a daily heavy-duty mess.
Furniture wears out fast, as do carpeting & paintwork. And don't expect parents to pay when their little Johnny destroys something!

It led to a lot of stress between us, and it impacts the kids badly too. Their things become everyones, their Mom is spending a lot of time with other kids, etc....


Financially it's short-term profit, long-term loser.
In every other way, all-time loser.