From Trash to Cash: Dribbling a river

moneymabel

Thanks 2cats good idea :-)

Hey Nixi- not really sure but if it was me I'd first contact a charity that means something to you and offer your services, if they say no then go to the next on the list. Find your charity and then start the publicity for you/them. Have just got a bit of a uneasy feeling about using the hunt for a charity as publicity?
Just my opinion hun you must do what you think will work.

Hope camp gareth emails soon!! ;-)

nixinixi

moneymabel wrote: »

Thanks 2cats good idea :-)

Hey Nixi- not really sure but if it was me I'd first contact a charity that means something to you and offer your services, if they say no then go to the next on the list. Find your charity and then start the publicity for you/them. Have just got a bit of a uneasy feeling about using the hunt for a charity as publicity?
Just my opinion hun you must do what you think will work.

Hope camp gareth emails soon!! ;-)

Think I will email Camp Gareth on MOnday!!

I agree with you, hence my question, but I don't have a charity that is close to my heart, and I only really know the big ones, who aren't the ones I want to help. I have been googling to try and find some but I am struggling, hence I thought of this as a solution - but I genuinely thought of it as a way of finding out about charities and then realised it just look like a pr push for me, which wasn't the plan.....which is actually a positive but not what I was trying to achieve - though if I turned into a press release then the charity would get a follow up piece about why I had chosen them etc etc so they would benefit too. Arrrrg. !

If ultimately a charity is benefiting does it matter if get publicity too? (Not that I am ready to take on paid work at the mo anyway lol!)

moneymabel

It is difficult Nixi, putting my practical head on perhaps you should do a bit for a local paper about how you want to give something back so are offering your services to a local charity so if they want to contact you you can choose one, its just going to be a case of wording it correctly more than anything so it doesnt come across as to self promoting at the beginning if that makes sense?

Thanks in advance for contacting camp gareth bless his cotton socks lol :-)

Amber_Sunshine

MummyandPaige wrote: »

I have decided, books are not a bad thing, they make money and are easy to source. I have desovered the problem is the amount of time I have versus how much is needed. Last weekend, I sold 7 in a day, the most yet, and, although I have a lot of 1p books up, the higher priced ones are going too. Its not a lot, but I am making about £20 profit a week of them, consistantly, so its not that bad.

How are you getting on with the list, MAP? I am giving some serious thought to running a bookstall, we have a Sunday book market nearby. There are no English stalls and only one English bookshop in the city, so given the high number of English speakers here, I think the idea has real potential.

Next step is to look into if there are any vacancies at the market, or a waiting list.

moneymabel

Oooh sounds exciting Amber!!! go for it if you get the chance :-)

nixinixi

Amber - that sounds like a really good idea. Sounds like an untapped market!!

paulabear

Amber, that's a great idea, and would be nice to do too I think
Em, Joey and nixi - that's absolutely brilliant advice and I'm very very grateful for it! Have already got an agency in mind, it involves us being closer to OH's mum and that's what we want to do anyway so it all kind of fits in but I will definitely start looking into everything now; OH keeps talking as though looking into stuff will mean we have to do it straight away, when it obviously isn't like that. OH would still work - and we'd probably be renting - providing we'd be allowed to do that.
The courses that are available are free to me anyway but thank you for thinking of it Joey, can just imagine a massive posh cat hotel lol! Could you have cats and foster children too, I wonder? I worked at a home for people with mental health problems and they had a lovely cat, she was the first connection most people - staff or residents - made when they were new there and I imagine it would work like that for kids too xx

nixinixi

Paula - is it a national agency with a local office or a local one? If it is national I might know it! It would be worth contacting them now - most agencies love to talk people through it, even if you know you aren't ready yet, and you can ask them the question about renting etc.....most agencies have different policies, and tbh I am not sure about the renting one. Agencies always want new carers and so normally have staff especially set to talk to potentials.

paulabear

Nixi, it's called orange grove, have you heard of it? OH's mum is a social worker and knows someone who's with them - she said they pay a retainer when you don't have anyone. I thought they would be good to look at as we'd know someone who's with them, although we may change direction as we go on. Don't think I'd want newborns as much as toddlers to maybe, six? For the moment anyway. Our youngest is 16 months old now so in a year she'd be 2.5 and oldest would be six. Definitely wouldn't want teenagers unless we were still doing it when ours were past teenage - just wouldn't feel right doing it xx

JoeyGrey

paulabear wrote: »

Joey, can just imagine a massive posh cat hotel lol! Could you have cats and foster children too, I wonder? I worked at a home for people with mental health problems and they had a lovely cat, she was the first connection most people - staff or residents - made when they were new there and I imagine it would work like that for kids too xx

Lol PaulaB, I had the same conversation with my mum last week. I could run the cattery with a bit of help and have a couple of foster kids. I'd be busy and content. Everyone would live happily ever after My mum brought me back down to earth by asking why I didn't take on a couple of old people too while I was at it

I'm really glad I talked to the agencies though, it gave me a focus and stopped me rushing into anything. I can't take the chance of starting to foster and having 3 or 4 months of no money, so I really do have to have my mortgage cleared first.

There is something to blog about if you do go ahead. You could talk us through your experience of preparing to foster, the courses you do, and eventually the kids you help. Although if you do it, you may not have time even to dribble any more nevermind blog :rotfl: