We were discussing that some of his other skills may be more valuable in making money than his computer/IT skills at this point. I know we will be OK, we just need to stay on top of our expenses and make do. We just paid off the house in Dec.<<<
Congratulations on paying off the house, for no matter how humble it might be, when you know it is all yours, you feel safer.
My suggestion for your next action, takes time and pays off in the long run.
Fix a nice dinner Saturday night, not fancy, just filling.
Send the kids out of the room and get a big stack of paper or a notebook, even better would be one of the kids 3 ring notebooks, as you want to save your notes.
Now, start thinking.
What can you do, for jobs...........write it down, a different page for each of you, for later you will take a good look and list what you want to do, and a separate list of what you will do if forced to do it.
Do a for sale list, if any of it is close to collectibles, get a price guide from the library and check for prices.
I suggest a Warman’s antique book and there is a couple that has written several books on collectibles, you will be amazed at what folks collect.......LOL, to me a used phone card collection is not exciting, but in the 1990’s there was a move on and fancy magazines about them.
LOL, I forget EBay, as I never go there, but there is a lot to be learned on what folks will pay extra for.
Old magazines, crochet pattern books...etc.
Some of the doll patterns that I ordered, were simply out of copywrite, toy patterns, photocopied.
My 1970’s dress and clothing patterns, are desirable, I sent some as trade for laces and fabric and folks went wild.
The toy patterns that I ordered, from a woman, who sells on ebay and yahoo, she sells thousands of them, both for bid and direct order and it seems like a wonderful idea to me, as she found/bought the original and a photocopy machine and can make copies forever, she has sold thousands of them, or had when I was interested in them.
The item that I run into today, is ebooks for sale on websites.
They appear simple enough to make, and we have the information in these 2 threads for several of them.
Can your husband write one on what he knows?
Can you?
Or will you put one out one survival, or homemaking, or cooking or?
I go to many sites, that offer a few recipes and a list of self published ebooks.
I always planned to write and publish simple booklets and sell them in the magazines, back in the days before the internet.
From years of watching the market, there are several simple ones, that have been always in the magazine classified ads and still sell, LOL, 45 years ago, they were a dollar each and later they were $10. each...same ad, same address.
I flagged Vickie to this post, as I have sent and pinged her to many writers links, they are mixed in the threads, but I did not note them, as I will not be able to write anything.
I have even seen a collection of 500 soap and cosmetic formulas on the internet and websites, when it was collected about 9 years ago, some were unhappy, to find their formulas in it, or in one that had been posted, then they were charging $5.00 for the ebook.
From what I see/read on the internet, folks are still selling at the craft fairs in some areas, so if you are near a ‘money’ area, there may be a market for crafts and on this I am out of date, but homemade soap, if it is good and made right, will always sell.
Credit card users, appear to buy anything, I am constantly amazed at the users of them.
I once joined a brand new list/group of soap makers, I wanted to learn and I did, they were credit card users and I was shocked at how, one would order something and so would everyone else, the entire list devolved into a “I can charge more than you” and nothing was ever made, just supplies bought........and they were more or less useless supplies.........such as fancy baskets to display the soaps, but LOL, they never made the soap.
Real soap makers, hunt for baskets that are 10 cents each at the garage sale and second hand stores.
They save Pringles round chip cans for soap molds and don’t buy every mold made...LOL, Velveeta boxes also make good molds.
Your market may be rich or poor, but all still need soap.
Good and simple garden books will sell, many want to know how to grow food.
How to store food. And use what you have stored.
I look at my bookcase and realize how many subjects that I have bought books on over the years.
Have several, that are simple hand drawn maps, showing where pretty rocks have been found. These have been published for about 50 years and LOL, yes, I followed them in the beginning.
I have been known to stop and hunt a rock, that I did not even know what it was, but it was on the list/map and I knew that if I saw something that I liked, I would ‘collect’ it.
Real life is that simple and not everyone is on the internet.
Make many lists, put it all down on paper and keep adding for a few days........you will be amazed at what you put down.
And then when you go to pick the winners from the lists , you will be on the way to solutions.
In the beginning, it is wild idea’s and in the end, it is separate sheets, for the real subjects that will work for you.
These pages will grow, to show how and what steps to take, to make it work.
Also do a garage sale page, for it is amazing what we could and should sell, if we really wanted the money and the sooner you start, the more money you will have to hoard for later.
People buy clothes, so clean out the closets and remember that some like out of date clothes.
I would love to find the double knit slacks with the stitched seams in front, that we wore in the 1980’s and I would still.
The stuff they make today, I am never sure if I am wearing the latest style, or a pair of pajamas.
LOL, I found out that the black set my sister sent me and I liked so well, with the pretty pink roses printed on them, but when I wore them to the doctor’s office, folks kept looking at them, LOL, really were pajamas, for when I got home, I called Diana and she said they were.
But she said it was ok, for in Arizona, you can wear anything, it is not like Seattle........or so she thinks.
I would prefer, pressed seam slacks or long skirts, have no need for all the other stuff.
Think, you may be surprised at what is salable.
Good luck.
Thank you, granny, for the advice. Dinner and a pad of paper is a great place to start brainstorming and not a lot of pressure. And I’m good at lists ;) I really do need to figure out the ebay thing. I have a cookie jar collection that got started on a trip when I was in high school. I now have about 45 or so. Most are on display over my kitchen cabinets, but the last few years, I’ve been seeing them more as dust collectors and have seriously been thinking it might be time to move on. A few are older, one or two I’ve never seen anywhere in books or online. If people are buying, I think it would be a good place to start.
I often think that challenges and changes in life are just the nudges we need for some new beginnings and adventures that we wouldn’t necessarily move to when life is status quo.
That is a great post. Brainstorming is wonderful and a good idea. Be sure you write down everything especially if it is silly. The more you laugh, the more creative you get and the more wonderful ideas will come to you. Don’t allow any “We can’t do that because...” discussions or comments. Everything is allowed. Granny is right, you will be amazed what great ideas surface when you let your creative side run free.