I found your web page the other day and came to lurk, but the folks here seem so nice, I wanted to ask you something. Sorry about the fake email name, but this computer stuff is still new to me.

When we divorced, my ex husband took our truck and camper and left us our homestead. I have a small barn and 3 acres of pasture. The rest is in woods. Our homestead was left to me when my maw-maw died so I have very little bills. What I want to ask is can you share some ideas that I can think about for my son and I to do at home to make extra money to replace some of our lost income. My part time job and his fathers monthly support check cover our bills and insurance, but we want to do something here to pay for our extras and entertainment. Thank you in advance.

-- Single Mom (lurker@stillwaryofthenet.lurking), April 16, 2002

Answers

Go over to the Countryside forum on Lusenet and look for the recent posting by Ken S. for a copy of his book. He'll email it to you for free, or if you email him, he'll send you a copy on disc. It's got a load of ideas in it you might want to consider and the price is right. Good luck.

-- Fran (on MD's Eastern Shore) (simpleplesurzfrm@dmv.com), April 16, 2002.

Welcome single mom, I'm one too! My two sons and I live on 40 acres at least half is wooded. I've been thinking of making nick-nackie type things, say shelves, frames, trellis, you get the idea. We have birch and maple. I know the market in the Cities and I know exactly where to sell the stuff. I haven't got off my butt to do any of it yet. I was just fired from my job :( and right now feel too discouraged to try the work world again, just yet. I'm thinking I may give myself the summer to be a "flunkie" and play with this idea and others.

Last year I sold eggs. This year I may sell my asparagus. I also have the childsupport which helps. I think they are working on the main highway this summer and the traffic may be diverted past the house. This is good in one sense and VERY bad in another. So before road work begins I'm going to get motivated to get some idea completed. This is also a tourist area so it could be an interesting summer.

Welcome, and yes we are a nice and fun bunch. Just so you know, I have never had any adverse e-mails or spams.

Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 16, 2002.

Kens email is scharabo@aol.com or send him 5 class A stamps and he will mail you a floppy with his material, a lot of good ideas.

For instant income I would consider horse or pet boarding if you can creat facilities from what you have on hand, but do the homework!! Liability, insurance, zoneing, ect. What marketable skills do you allready have? Can you teach piano playing? Can you tutor math students? Do your quilts, paintings, art work, crafts, baking skills have saleability? Is there a farmers market in your area that has no one selling specality veggies? Do you know about beekeeping? Is there a market for rabbits in your area?

Work with what you have in hand, is paid for, and you are sure about. Don't chase pipe dreams or borrow money to start something you are not sure about. Look for the communities needs that you can fill.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), April 16, 2002.

P.S. After you read this go to the top of the page and click on Lusenet, you will get a list of forums, check out Cooking and Crafts for ideas of stuff to make to sell; Country Families for furgal living tips; Countryside for practical ideas on homesteading, note the archives about Income there, (at the bottom of the questions); Dairygoats; Raising rabbits for profit; the ideas are endless.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), April 16, 2002.

Hi Single Mom, If your looking for income where you are all you need to do is look around. Maybe start with a garage sale. Look at your interests, animals, sewing, teaching etc... There are a number of ways to gain income without a "real" job. Good luck.

-- Sherry (tlnifty@ecenet.com), April 16, 2002.

Hy single Mom Welcome to our little nitch on the web!! You mite try selling on Ebay I work construction and when im off i sell on there!! If u would like to know more just ask !! Ill help in any way i can!! again Welcome!!

-- Grizz workin near D.C. (southerneagle@yahoo.com), April 16, 2002.

Hi "single mom". I too am a single mom with a son. My X left right after our son was born and has never been seen or heard from since and that was 13 years ago. Needless to say, he doesn't pay child support either. I have supported us both all of these years and have never worked away from my home. If you will email me privately I will be happy to tell you some of the ways that I have made a living for us. Good Luck!

-- Jodie in TX (stanchnmotion@yahoo.com), April 16, 2002.

dont bother with kens "e book", its nothing but junk. You didnt say where you are,, but how about selling firewood?, or campfire wood to local parks and such, market garden?? hows the soil??

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 16, 2002.

Grizz, welcome home, haven't heard from you in awhile. Would you consider doing a thread on the e-bay thing. I have considered it but am sort of afraid of it all. I'm sure others would also be interested.

Jodie, you too! Would you consider doing a thread on the things you have done to get by. There are many of us in the same position and I thin a sharing of ideas is what this forum is about.

PLEASE Grizz and Jodie and anyone else do a thread on the things you have done to make extra cash or a living for you and/or your families.

Thanks, Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 16, 2002.

Stan,

Ken's e-book, while not telling how to do everything in it step by step is far from "junk". It is a compiled perspective to trigger an idividuals thought perspective and worth the price. I was able to used seven of his listed perspectives so far.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 16, 2002.

Stan:

I've distributed about 1,000 copies of my book, How to Earn Extra Money in the Country, through direct hardcopy sales, free e-books or for my cost for a diskette. Yours is the first negative comment I have heard towards it. Well, I guess, consider the source.

Ken Scharabok

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), April 16, 2002.

you forgot to add to your book,, how to have people ask for something thats totally useless. The reasaon my was the first negative comment,, the the DELETE button !!!! ISnt one thing in the stupid "book" that could work worth a damn. Go back and sell more denteed cans,, where them as a hat,, should fit perfectly

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 16, 2002.

If you could give a little more to go on, then maybe there could be some more specific ideas posted. Like how close is the nearest town and how big is it, how many tousrist things in your area (national parks, many hotels, farmers markets, flea markets, etc.), are you close to a highway (for setting up some sort of shop), do you have crafts that you already do (soap making, weaving, crafts, etc.), where are your interest (what would you enjoy doing or a background/experience that you want to build on), and have you delt with businesses (as in selling to a business or run a business).

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 16, 2002.

You might try propagating landscape plants, or heirloom tomatoes or bedding flowers. I would stay away from whatever kmart or walmart are offering. Try something a little unusual for your area. I've noticed that most crafters end up selling their stuff for little more than the cost to make it (if that!) and get nothing for their time, unless they have something extremely unusual to sell.

-- kim in CO (kimk61252@hotmail.com), April 16, 2002.

I also would be interested in hearing some first hand experiances with ebay. I'm going to try it, but any advice would be most helpful.

TIA, Patty

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), April 17, 2002.

CliffNotes has a very informative condensed guide for ebay.

www.cliffnotes.com

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 17, 2002.

Thankyou very much! I'll check it out.

-- Patty (SycamoreHollow@aol.com), April 17, 2002.

clifnotes is good !! Ebay for dummies is very good and the ebay help line is great!! If you ever get chance to go to a ebay university that ebay puts on GO!! The ideas and time saving things and the great people u meet is well worth the trip!!

-- Grizz workin near D.C. (southerneagle@yahoo.com), April 18, 2002.

As for the plunge into eBay-land, here's a suggestion. It's free to sign up, and as a bidder you don't have to provied much information. Once you've signed up (and maybe before, even), you can browse all the help files, ask questions, read comments, and the eBay FAQ and help files are pretty clear and would answer most your questions.

My wife and I started using eBay right after they started - it was a lot different then. You weren't protected much at all from fraud, for instance. Now I know that eBay insures that if you buy something that costs up to $200 and you get burned in the deal, they cover it somehow and go after the deadbeat. Haven't had that happen yet (and we've been eBaying a long time!), but it's good to know there's some level of protection.

As for making money on eBay ... not a problem to do, but we haven't gotten rich yet :-)! I've told my wife several times when she doesn't think something will sell, "If we make a quarter on it, it's a quarter we didn't have before." As for crafts, someone else mentioned that unless it's pretty unique there's a good chance you won't make enough to justify your material, time and energy in most projects. We sell craft items and make a little, but we'd do the crafts anyway because we love doing it ... we don't even think about the "how-much-per-hour" value. Best money making thing we do on eBay has been mentioned ... buy at garage sales, flea markets, estate auctions, etc., go through things and list the good stuff on eBay. We got a box of mags at an auction once for $.50 ... at the bottom of the box was a first edition "Sports Illustrated" in a plastic cover and in great shape ... brought $80 on eBay. Bought a box of Star Trek paperback books at a thrift shop recently for $15 that made over 4 times that much on eBay.

So there's money to be made on eBay and it's fairly safe, and some people do it as a sole source of income. I would say to any with questions or reservations about it to give it a try - you never know if you don't try. And if you get lucky and get rich, email me and tell me just how you did it, won't you???? :-)

-- Phil in KS (mac0328@planetkc.com), April 18, 2002.

For a long haul investment, asparagus is hard to beat. My half acre of asparagus is really beginning to pay off. Think of it as a bank of future funding for the kids' college education or whatever. It will last over 20 years and keeps on paying for itself. A half acre can bring in nearly $10,000/year, retail, when in full production. If you ever sell your place, that asparagus patch with its past production records, will up the sales price considerably.

-- bruce (niobrara55@hotmail.com), April 19, 2002.

I have a good asparagus patch and this year I was considering selling them. Yesterday on the news on NPR they were talking about the bottom falling out of the asparagus market. The California (I think that is who they said) farmers are destroying their crops and getting out of the business.

Did anyone else hear this?

Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 19, 2002.

Susan,

I haven't heard of that, can you find anything on the web about it?

If that's true, it might be because of all the imported "junk" asparagus coming up from south of the border and flooding the market. No telling what chemicals or other pollutants are in them. And the flavor, forget it.

This may be great news for the small grower. People aren't going to loose their taste for asparagus just because some of the big growers get out of the business. They have to sell at wholesale prices of around 60 cents a pound or so. That's likely what's killing them. The small grower can market his at retail prices and come out looking pretty good.

-- bruce (niobrara55@hotmail.com), April 20, 2002.

Just as I had suspected:

Imports affect asparagus market

Competition from Mexico has driven down prices earned by Imperial Valley asparagus farmers. Farmers say they're receiving break-even prices for asparagus, in part because of high volumes of Mexican imports. Production from the desert accounts for about 15 percent of the state's asparagus crop. Harvest in the main growing region, the San Joaquin Delta, hasn't yet started.

-- bruce (niobrara55@hotmail.com), April 20, 2002.

Bruce, I noticed how low the price was at Easter time. They shot up for a week or so but the last time I was at the market they were low again. By the time my ground thaws and the asparagus begin to grow, maybe the Mexican ones will be long gone. There are always the tourists, sort of a captive market. I can havest 2-3 pounds a day from my patch. I can't claim they are orgainic by law but there are no pestisides or anything used on them.

Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 20, 2002.

Susan,

I checked our local IGA today and they have a "special" on Dole asparagus at $1.99. Shriveled up stuff I wouldn't eat on a dare.

On hot days, I've got up to 100 lbs. a day from my patch. That's a lot of picking!

-- bruce (niobrara55@hotmail.com), April 20, 2002.

Saw those same Dole banded asparagus here tonight for .77/lb at the Vons/Safeway, they looked fair. Seen it cheaper than that at the produce markets here in southern Cal.

-- Dave (multiplierx9@hotmail.com), April 21, 2002.

Yep here they were $1.34 a pound yesterday and only looked marginal. Dole too! I'm hoping people will pay the price for local asparagus. If they don't I'll dry them and freeze them.

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 22, 2002.

Don't worry about getting your price for local asparagus. I get $2.00/lb. and have had no complaints. I don't sell to grocery stores, just directly to customers and restaurants, which I do give a price break on quantities.

-- bruce (niobrara55@hotmail.com), April 22, 2002.

The e-bay business for us has been great. My husband and i run a seasonal business and use e-bay for income on our off seasons. We are able to support us plus our 4 kids. Look for garage sales, estate sales, wholesale dealers, oe even family and friends giving away items.

-- Michelle Lee (leewkgb@aol.co), August 11, 2003.