Need Money? Get Crafty With Etsy!

Side Hustle of the Week: Need Money? Get Crafty With Etsy!

Are you the arts-and-crafty type? If you’re looking for a way to make some extra cash–or start a whole side hustle business from the comfort of your home, look no further than Etsy!

Say, what? Come again?

Etsy is a global marketplace for artisians of handmade goods. So, if you make something by hand, you can start your new side hustle today.

Real Work-At-Home Job Posting

Real Work-At-Home Job Posting

Okay, so for most of my career, I have managed to work at home– including now, where I have an above average salary, complete with full benefits. So, I always get asked how do I find these jobs?  The answer is quite simple, when you think about it.

I’m a firm believer that, most of the time, you really only find what you’re looking for. Therefore, I only look for opportunities that fit my single-mother lifestyle.  And I make sure that I choose skill sets that support working from home.  After all, there are certain skills that lend themselves to work-from-home opportunities and some that don’t.  A public relations writer, for instance, can work from home, whereas a nurse usually can’t.

Therefore, I only look for opportunities that fit my single-mother lifestyle

Recently, I have been offered some really great positions, both in responsibilities and pay, but I have had to turn them down because the hours weren’t conducive to me being a hands-on mother.  Even now, when my 16-year-old son is a senior in high school and as I’m quickly approaching the empty nester lifestyle, I still choose to work from home.  I love the flexibility of working from home. It allows me to hold down my household responsibilities and provide for my son at the same time. Plus, whenever there’s a school function, I have the flexibility of attending without too much conflict or hassle. Same thing for doctor’s appointments and what nots. For me, working at home is the best option for single mothers.

And, I want you to enjoy the experience of providing for you and your children from the comfort of home, too.

So, periodically, I will be posting real work-from-home opportunities. Here are the first ones:

Side Hustle Challenge: Name Your Dream Side Hustle!

Side Hustle Challenge: Name Your Dream Side Hustle!

My side hustle posts continue to be the popular–so, I’ve decided to put the power of the side hustle in your hands.

Name your dream hustle by posting a comment on this blog and Iwill research and write about it, providing you useful information and links to help you achieve single mom success with a side hustle.

Ready for the challenge? Well, whatcha waiting for? Name your no single mama dream side hustle today!

Keep it real and drama-free:

Ms. No Single Mama Drama

Side Hustle of the Week: Make Extra Money with Medical Transcription

Side Hustle of the Week: Make Extra Cash with Medical Transcription
Want to significantly improve the quality of life for you and your child(ren)? The single best way to change your quality of life is to increase your earning power—and that means getting new skills.

As a single mother, college is not always an option. Before I was pregnant with my son, I received an A.A. degree in Criminal Justice; however, after my son was born, I decided that the criminal justice field was not for me. But because I was a single mother of a new baby with medical problems, I didn’t have the time, money or support system to attend a traditional college.

What was I to do?

First, I did some research to find a single-mother friendly career and training program that I would enjoy and, more importantly, one that fit my tight financial situation.  Because I had worked in a doctor’s office, I decided on medical transcription. I then enrolled in medical transcription training through a distance learning program, which, at the time, turned out to be the best educational decision I could have made.

Side Hustle of the Week: Virtual Assistant

Make Extra Money: Side Hustle of the Week – Virtual Assistant

If you’re a single mother looking for a way to make some extra cash to make ends meet, look no further my new column, “Side Hustle of the Week.”  Don’t know what a “Side Hustle” is?

Read my previous Side Hustle posts:

Side Hustles: Make Extra Cash – Part I

Side Hustles: Make Extra Cash – Part II

Side Hustles: Make Extra Cash - Part III

Because Side Hustles are part-time, self-employment gigs that you can work from the comfort of your home and can start with little or no money, I’ve selected the perfect starter Side Hustle.

Make Extra Money – Real Work-at-Home Jobs

In this economy, earning money from a side-hustle is not only imperative to a single mother’s survival, it has become increasing difficult. Trust me, I know. Over the past several months, as gas prices have steadily increased, the amount of projects that are available to me have dropped significantly.

But the amount of extra money I’ve earned from my side hustle has remained the same–and sometimes, I’ve managed to earn more.

How? Well, I’ve had to get creative and serve a different customer base, which allowed me to charge higher prices for my services. Now, I’m working fewer hours–and spending more time with my son–while earning the same amount of money–and sometimes a bit more.

Maybe you’ve experienced the same thing. If so, don’t get discouraged. Instead, take action. Get creative.

If you’re having a hard time generating enough revenue from your side hustle, you may have considered taking on a work-at-home part-time job–if only you could find a real opportunity, right?

Well, look no further. There are still viable work-at-home part-time (and even full-time) jobs available to you, where you can earn a significant amount of extra money to counter the increased gas prices, grocery bills and more.

But where?

At FlexJobs.com, you can find real work-at-home (telecommute) jobs. There, you can find a wide range of part-time work-at-home jobs, everything from customer service, to freelance writing, to medical transcription, to Web design. There are even virtual assistant opportunities, too.

Go ahead, check it out.

Until next time,

Peace and blessing and, as always, remember to keep it drama free.

Ms. No Single Mama Drama

Five $5 Buck Deals @ Wal-Mart – Continued

So, to combat the unavoidable and even less predictable financial drama that always seems to find its way into a single mother’s life, I went on a hunt to Wal-Mart with only five bucks and a mission: How to stretch five bucks to the max! Here’s a list of five-buck deals at Wal-Mart!

1) Incredible Head $3.42 (No…get your mind out of the gutter…it’s not what you’re thinking..wink, wink!)

Think a great shower head has to cost a lot? Well, think again! This nifty little shower head provides an awesome showering experience, complete with two adjustable intensities: normal and mist. Now that’s five-buck deal! I love this thing! Read reviews here.

2) Rake $3.97
(Please Note: The rake pictured below is not the exact rake is not the exact rate I purchased for $3.97; check your local Wal-Mart store, as they list more expensive rakes online, of course.)

Remember when I told you about all the leaves in my back yard? Well, I finally decided to bite the bullet and clean the yard myself, since I can’t really afford to pay someone to do it, so I bought a rake. However, this may change since my doctor is testing me for Lyme’s Disease (Yuk!).

3) Six Pair of Boy’s Athletic Socks $3.48 – this week’s circular!

4) Family A-Line Slippers $5.00 (Men’s, Women’s and Children’s sizes) Perfect for X-Mas; in this week’s circular!

5) Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom (Daytime and Nightime) $4.96 - With cold season right around the corner, you can never have enough medicine to keep the sniffles away from the little ones!

Five $5 Buck Deals @ Wal-Mart

As is the case for most single mothers, I find that financial drama is the leading cause of most of my stress. From not having a enough in a savings account for emergencies to worrying about paying winter heating bills, financial drama is a constant in a single mother’s life, including my own. Read more here>>

Side Hustles Close Up: Make Extra Cash with Medical Transcription

Side Hustles Close Up: Make Extra Cash with Medical Transcription
Ms. No Single Mama Drama

Want to significantly improve the quality of life for you and your child(ren)? The single best way to change your quality of life is to increase your earning power—and that means getting new skills. As a single mother, college is not always an option.

Before I got pregnant with my son, I got an A.A. degree in Criminal Justice; however, after my son was born, I decided that the criminal justice field was not for me. But because I was a single mother of a new baby with medical problems, I didn’t have the time, money or support system to attend a traditional college.

What was I to do?

First, I did some research to discover if I really would enjoy Medical Transcription and to find the best program for me and my financial situation. I then enrolled in Medical Transcription training through a distance learning program, which, at the time, turned out to be the best educational decision I could have made.

After completing the program, I successfully worked 13 years as a Medical Transcriptionist in both work-at-home and in-office settings. I earned a great living (including benefits)—all from the comfort of my home, and I didn’t have to worry about baby sitters or transportation issues.

Why I wrote this post:

Since I’ve gotten a lot of responses to the Side Hustle Posts, I decided to post some information about Medical Transcription programs. Remember, some programs are less expensive than others—but don’t sacrifice quality, if you can. The quality of the program you choose will impact how well you do in your career.

Stay tuned for my review of at-home Medical Transcription Training Programs.

Side Hustles – Part III: Make Extra Cash

Side Hustles – Part III: Make Extra Cash

Ms. No Single Mama Drama’s Top Side Hustles – These are the ones that I, at one point or another, did to escape financial drama. Yes, I did every one of these at some point or another, and I’m only thirty-something. So, you can, too! Warning: The list is LONG.

Water Seller
Sold water at parks/sporting events on super hot days

Candy House
We were the candy/ice cream apartment – My motto: “Don’t walk to the store, shop at apartment number 4” (lol)

Button Maker
Created buttons for schools, churches and local organizations fund raising efforts

Personalized Greeting Card Designer
Created personalized greeting cards (i.e. birthdays, anniversaries, etc)

Memory Book Maker
Created personalized memory books, including new births, weddings, anniversaries, family tree/history