Odd jobs for a living!!

Jeanetteathome

Since all this started I look at Pallets too , the lightweight ones that look flimsy and are often broken and the bigger ones often blue that I think are worth money.

Changed my whole outlook this has!

lessonlearned

Hi Everyone

Just wanted to chip in with my tuppence worth.

I love this thread, SBOG you are an inspiration, I just wished you lived near me - I've got a stack of "odd jobs" need doing.

Anyway I thought of you today. I went to my local hairdressers and whilst I was there I paid to have my car cleaned and hoovered. I know, I know, I should do it myself but in my defence I'm 60 with a bad back.:rotfl:

The people who have set up this little business operate from a car park which belonged to a pub that has shut down. The site is up for redevelopment when the Council can agree on it's use so I'm assuming they managed to pick it up on a short cheap lease.

They charged me £7 to wash, wax and clean inside and they did a fantastic job. They are Eastern European, polite and extremely hard workers. I wish them well because they deserve to succeed.

Last week I was quoted £39 for the same job by a British firm - admittedly in the city centre where rates would be higher. Needless to say I said no, because I knew those lads would be cheaper, plus of course they were more "local" and I try to support local people first.

Keep up the good work SBOG - you are credit to yourself.

Mrs_Vimes

SBOG - looking forward to your next post.

heartbreak_star

SBOG - you're awesome! Long may you continue to be enterprising!!

HBS x

ColaCube

Hi SBOG

I haven't read all the posts so it might have already been suggested but have you thought about putting together people's flat pack assembly, furniture etc.

Best of luck to you and your business.

rosered1963

SBOG - just wanted to say what a hard-working and inspirational man you are - you are also doing a lot of good for the community as well as making a living for yourself - people like you are gold dust.

In the small village where I live, there would be enough paid work to keep you going around the clock.

I just wanted to share my story with you:

Me and husband left our jobs in January to relocate a long way away to be near an old and sick parent, and therefore we get no benefits as we left jobs of our own accord. There seem to be hardly any jobs, so I have set up as self-employed in my village doing little jobs for people. I am paying class 2 national insurance and keeping an account book plus I have insurance in case of hurting anyone.

It started small, like a one-off house clean, and then they ask me to do other things and recommend me to neighbours. In a matter of a few weeks I am getting more little jobs. I do cleaning, gardening, cooking and painting and decorating, general labouring, and whatever odd jobs I know I am capable of, and have experience of. I do the same as you - if people are old and not well-off, I do a lot of work for a little money. Like one old man who lives alone - I make his dinner every night and take it to him.

Sometimes it's worth it and sometimes maybe not, but I am going to carry on. I never thought as a 48 year old woman, with good jobs in the past, that I would be doing this at my age, but for me, in this economic climate, this is the way forward. I like not having all my eggs in one basket, but having lots of jobs on the go for different people.

- I really wish I had your skills and way of looking at things- I wish I could spend a week with you helping you out as I would learn so much. I would love to be a "handyman" really but don't know anyone to teach me everything I would need to know. Also I have some tools but not all I need. My ambition is to save for a pick-up truck or Merc Sprinter van as at the moment I only have my legs! "Man (or woman!) with van" is in short supply around here. Anyway - love your thread and looking forward to hearing more. You could do a blog with a question and answer handyman section and maybe make some money through that eventually? There's something about the way you write that comes across brilliantly.

Should_be_out_gardening

Thank you for all your lovely replies and questions and ideas, as I'm getting over a slap up diner cooked for us by my daughter I'm putting my feet up to relax and read through the thread.

Sold all the Daffodils off and some other arrangements made by my wife, of course to do this next year I'll need lots of shallow plant pots , I got tham last year as a job lot from my mate the landscape gardener. I have some ideas as to where to go, now I know they'll sell.

I sold a chimney pot for £95 from word of mouth , I let it known I had them and a guy phoned who was a relative of a chap I did some work for. So thats £95 for something that was going in the skip, they came up lovely with a scouring pad and some elbow grease. The other one I have advertised around and it'll be money in pocket when it goes like an investment.

On the subject of pallets - I collect them all the time, always on the lookout for top quality 4 way euro pallets, there is an industrial estate nearby. The businesses collect their own pallets but sadly many often lorries dump unused pallets in a cul de sac there, I have to be quick though as good pallets are worth money. If I can get 5 good ones they'll give me £3 each for them , it's the storage of course, lightweight ones aren't worth anything so are best for building things and kindling. I'll always take one if offered , on the farm there are good ones too.

Putting together flat pack and such , I have an A4 laminted advert on a fence right at the entrance/exit to the local Ikea , I used to advertise in shops etc. I put an advert in the foyer of local flats too. I have got some replies occasionally though not so much recently.

This week has seen me on the farm - the farmer rents a flied in a slope to a motocross club and it's been landscaped with jumps etc. I cleared it a few monbths back to start he season and I think the farmer who is getting no younger can't be bothered to do it any more - mhe likes the money though and asked me to put out the fences , grade the surfaces with the digger and put put the boxes for the marshals. It's a days work all in and will now be regular. Of course whilst I'm on the farm lots of other things may come available, the tree last month , there will be other wood available too, pallets packing that comes with the feeds delivered. All this I'll need later in the year. They have stabling for hire and some of the people have little potting sheds to put their kit and stuff in , he has told the new season people to have *the shed delivered here , he has a bloke that will put it up* of course we haven't discussed a price yet!

Now the gardening season is starting and I have done a few days with my mate as he landscapes some new builds nearby - planting out large beds mainly and turf laying. I've kept the pots but I'll need loads next year, when he buys in the big sacks of daffodils and jonquils thats when I'll get mine for trade prices or less. I might get a few more days with him in the next week or so, I have been called last week by my mate the window cleaner now the yearly UPvc cleaning has started, to do the soffits and gutters as he is going to be busy just doing the windows.

I had a nice after noon last week, really because of this thread, I took the time to go down and see if the corner of land I tided and fenced off was OK and the hawthorn had taken , it had and was still clear. Whilst there a car was being taken away on a trailor , an old banger that had been rotting away in a drive. The lady's son had finally got rid of the old car for her and now they had a manky broken fence panel that had been hidden. I was in like a shot , as my mate the landscaper who I was doing the work for has piles of standard 6ft panels and would sell me one for next to nothing. Talked it over - went and got it , fitted it and whilst doing it was talked into fitting a new catflap for the lady. She'd had a new back door fitted and quite bizarrely the fitters wouldn't (or couldn't) fit her cat flap . That was all sorted then .

So all in all a good few weeks , with more to come it seems . Plus now the weather is getting better is so much easier.

Should_be_out_gardening

Oh a quick PS , the building faling down mentioned a few months back. It's being flattened in the next few weeks, the company doing it jsut flatten and grind up the whole lot to hardcore . I shall make sure I can get something from the site as they bring on the machines but I'll need to be quick. I don't want much , some of the engineering bricks look nice but I only need a few to make a pallet full which is all I'll need .

We'll see how it goes - they may say no and just fence the whole lot off and drop it.

Good luck everyone , I'll let you know how I got on.

heartbreak_star

Good luck - I love your sunny attitude and enterprising nature

HBS x

Morethanconcerned

I've loved catching up with with what SBOG has been doing, like many I wish he'd have a daily blog but I realise from someone who does a blog how much work it is and SBOG seems to be about doing it rather than talking about it. I like to read the various threads but haven't the time to devote typing out loads of things.

I love the chimney pot saga, I doubt I'd ever be as lucky as that if I was in the same situation. As I've been out working I have paid more notice to the various builders , gardeners roofers and handymen I see going about their business . We drive or walk past and rarely see the things going on, like many this thread has opened my eyes.

I hope all is well SBOG and you are busy.