Odd jobs for a living!!

firesidemaid

Jeanetteathome wrote: »

Not just me then looking in skips - god knows what people must think , me out with the dog stopping at the skip. Mid you you see some stuff in there and it all goes to landfill doesn't it.

walking the dog provides such an excellent 'cover' - where would we be without them:D

ex-dmp

I used to think in some ways like the people on about "you must declare earnings, you must have this or that to do whatever" but when the world of redundancy turns up on your door step, you rapidly start to think differently.

Like others I have an OH who works so I'm in the "can't claim a thing trap", some have said to me you might be better off to divorce:)

I say to those about declaring, if your odd jobs are worth less than 7.5k you're not going to pay tax if that is your lone source of income, so what does it matter any way.

I think SBOG has the right approach, I don't mind SBOG makes a few pounds clearing up cans, when in my local area it cost my council £500 to clear a street of a few bits of paper and a few cans.

smileyt_2

I agree with the above. Well done SBOG. In an average year I earn less than the tax personal allowance, but I also have lodgers, which is tax free, so I don't have to declare it. You would be costing the nation a lot more than nothing if you sat at home on yer bum getting depressed and ended up needing medical treatment. At least this way you are keeping busy and doing useful stuff, and getting exercise and fresh air, thus probably saving the NHS a fortune to boot.

I would skip dive myself if I could, but I'm too small to reach, being well under 5ft ..... :rotfl:

Adamthegreat984

You will always get some jobs worth crying about are you declaring your tax etc.

The same jobs worth's that make the employment market so scary and hard these days!.

Should_be_out_gardening

Hi all , an update on what I've done recently,

farm and skip diving!!

Went back to work on the farm to do a lot of new fencing for a new paddock and pig field. Took a long while but was well paid and got paperwork for it so thats OK. Started early each day so it didn't take up too much time. I supplied the farmer with a couple of baths I got pout of skips - his metal ones had been nicked after he took them out to put in the fence but forgot to keep them safe.

I did some skip diving - I met up with some builders I had not met , I asked politely if I could have some old bricks , I always take a shovel and stiff broom to assure I will clean up any mess . I suggest can I take this or that from the skip and I'll sweep up the mess around that collects round the skip. I wanted the old bath, no problem as it takes a lot of room. The builders were concerned that the job was bigger and they'd need another little skip. I dressed the bricks there and quickly put them in the car, took the bath, they were impressed with the cleaning up and I offered them my number for any labouring. I got two large loads of bricks in the volvo estate, a bath for the farmers field , some wood for kindling as I have sold all of mine and I need some.

Now they phoned me the other day , they have a small base to build for a half conservatory and don't want to waste time just clearing the garden for it. So they offered it to me. It was lifting slabs and digging a two foot trench. I kept the old slabs and the owner said they didn't want the small berberis bushes and assorted other shrubs either there, so I liften them and kept those. It's very frosty at the mo and they might not survive but I have them dug in at home and they aren't dead yet.

Now whilst there I offered to drop and old apple tree and come back in the spring and turf the rest . So all in all very profitable skip dive - all for being polite , not wearing a hi viz vest like the scrap men and tatters, saying *can I have those bricks etc , I'll clean up after*

Should_be_out_gardening

smileyt wrote: »

I agree with the above. Well done SBOG. In an average year I earn less than the tax personal allowance, but I also have lodgers, which is tax free, so I don't have to declare it. You would be costing the nation a lot more than nothing if you sat at home on yer bum getting depressed and ended up needing medical treatment. At least this way you are keeping busy and doing useful stuff, and getting exercise and fresh air, thus probably saving the NHS a fortune to boot.

I would skip dive myself if I could, but I'm too small to reach, being well under 5ft ..... :rotfl:

Take a stool to stand on!

Always ask, always tell them you'll sweep round after either way.

No use looking for copper , they rarely chuck it nowadays , though I have been lucky. The thing is to make sure you know what you are after, no one likes people just rummaging.

Get in early - if you see a skip delivered give it a while then ask. You never know they might want a labourer - I've got work like that just last week.

Builders , odd job men and householder when they are working don't often have time to arrange the skip so they make best use of the space - it's all on volume, so a bulky thing on the bottom will take too much room. I often rearrange a skip and they comment how they now have more room.

I'll take bricks - for rustic old brick BBQ's , (I have built a few of those, always nice to suggest to people), little paths though the garden, bases for hutches and pots in the garden. A myriad uses for old bricks - not nacky looking new bricks though.

Old wood - from inside houses , makes great kindling , or for building things or keeping edges, never chuck wood you never know what you might need.

Big tubs like what paint and ready mix comes in - wash them out they are great.

The list is endless.

tattycath

Well sbog, i think you're inspirational. Well done.

pinetree

Hi sbog, Do you have a blog? If not you should, as your posts are always interesting and inspiring to many,
good luck to you :T

firesidemaid

and there is money to be made from blogging;)

Adamthegreat984

SBOG is a hero

He should deffo make a blog for us all to read!.