Everyday Skills You Can Turn Into Extra Income

As a stay-at-home mom homeschooling two kids, and moving multiple times, I haven't held a regular 9-5 job in over 20 years.  But I have done a variety of things from home, sometimes together with the kids.  When moms in our homeschool community ask, "What can I do from home to earn money?", my first advice is always to look at what you can already do, what you are already good at, and what people already ask you to help them with.  Is there a way that you can monetize a skill you already have?  

• Cleaning - Offer general housecleaning services, Airbnb or VRBO turnovers, move-out cleans for apartment buildings, commercial cleaning for local offices, post-construction or post-renovation cleaning.  If you live near a military base you may be able to be put on a list for move-out cleans when people are posted.  Connect with local property managers and realtors.
• Lawn Care - Our local help wanted page is often full of people looking for mowing, trimming, weeding, spring and fall cleanups, leaf raking, and so on.  Again here, try connecting with local realtors to inquire about providing lawn care for empty homes.  
• Snow Removal - Obviously this is seasonal work in most places, but doing a good job will often get you a quick referral to neighboring homes.
• House Sitting - Some people are looking for live-in house sitters, but many are just looking for someone to pick up their mail, mow the lawn, water the plants, and keep an eye on things for insurance purposes while they are away for a week or are working out of town.  
• Pet Sitting - Some people want a live-in sitter and others want someone to take their pet for a week while they're away, but we have found consistent gigs where we do daily visits to check in on, feed, and play with small pets and cats. 
• Organization - If you're good at bringing order to chaos, offer to help others with organizing their closets, garages, pantries, etc. Having someone there who is objective can be a huge help for someone who is trying to cut down on clutter!
• Handyman & Assembly Services - All those little things that need hands-on skills - assembling furniture, minor repairs, basic plumbing or electrical work, etc.  A local young man has made a small business out of handling the furniture assembly that frustrates many people!
• Cooking or Baking - I think you need to be careful about costs with this, and you do need to check into local health requirements, but selling baked goods, holiday treats, etc can bring in a little extra money.  You could also look into offering in-home cooking help for homebound seniors who have found services like Meals on Wheels to be unsuitable. 
• Teaching & Tutoring - Which school subjects, musical instruments, or hobbies are you particularly good at?  Can you find a niche to offer instruction in? 
• Office Support - This can be a great choice for someone who has experience in administrative work - look into being a virtual assistant, or consider offering services like bookkeeping. 
• Design - In spite of the rise of generative AI and platforms like Fiverr, there are still people out there who are looking for good designers to put together logos, flyers, websites, etc.  

Throwback Thursday: The Berkely Co-Op Food Book (1980)

"When planning menus, consider the cost of convenience foods. If you buy "built-in maid service," you usually pay for it. There are exceptions (frozen orange juice, frozen peas) but they are rare. While a convenience food can be a blessing on occasion, regular use can skyrocket the budget."

Helen Black (The Berkely Co-Op Food Book, 1980)

(Available free online at the Internet Archive)

Cheese Pretzels

Preheat oven to 425° F. 

• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• 1-1/2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 cups flour
• 8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 egg, beaten with a fork
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt  

In a large bowl dissolve yeast with warm water. Stir in salt and sugar, then flour and cheese, alternating. Save 1/2 c. of flour in case dough sticks later. 

Knead dough until smooth. Form a ball. 

With a sharp knife cut ball into 32 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope 14 inches long and twist into pretzel shape.*  Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt. 

Bake immediately, in a 425°F. oven for 18 minutes.

* You can also skip the step of shaping into pretzels and make cheese breadsticks instead.

Rice Krispies Roundup

We have accumulated a lot of Rice Krispie recipes over the years, besides the Original Rice Krispies Squares Recipe and my favorite extra soft and deliciously gooey version.  I thought I'd just go ahead and put them all here in one place, along with a few more that I found online and thought might be fun to try.  Enjoy!

Eating in Season: Rhubarb Scones & Jelly

Last summer we were lucky enough to be invited on a trip to the UK, where I was introduced to scones with clotted cream and jam - and then learned that I was apparently Devonian by nature and not Cornish, when someone nearby observed that I had put the cream on the scone first.  

It was so good - and I think I found a new best friend when I stumbled onto this recipe for Instant Pot Clotted Cream from The View from Great Island today!

She has some great rhubarb recipes that I want to try, too. Isn't this jelly gorgeous?   Sunday brunch, anyone?  Rhubarb Scones + Rhubarb Jelly + Instant Pot Clotted Cream

For your next barbecue or pot luck: "Grrrreat Potato Salad"

This is one of those recipes that I probably shouldn't share, because it's letting out one of my stand-by secret recipes for pot lucks and parties... however.  I'm just nice like that.

I made this hot and I liked it while it was still pretty warm... lukewarm it wasn't as good, though.  It either needs to be very warm or else chilled. I have by times skipped the bacon, olives and and/or garlic as I didn't have any of them, and it was always good.  The bacon is a nice addition, but I'm still not convinced about the need for olives.   That's just me, though.


This recipe was originally found back around 2009 on Now....you're cooking!   http://www.donogh.com/cooking/

Grrreat Potato Salad

• 8 large white potatoes*
• 3 large eggs
• bacon (as much as you want)
• 1 can black olives, drained
• 1 large bottle of light ranch dressing
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch scallions, cut into small pieces
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

• Boil potatoes until tender but not crumbly. Drain. Let cool then cut into large chunks.
• Hard boil eggs. Cool and chop.
• Cook bacon and let cool. Crumble.
• Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.

*Alternatively, use about 40 baby red potatoes, cut in half