Earn at home

soolin

tub18 wrote: »

Is there any easy way to make money from home?

Start by reading some of the threads, including this one you have posted on.

t1redmonkey

Reselling on Ebay/Amazon is definitely something you can potentially make a lot of money from. I used to do it a lot around 10 years ago, mainly with retro video games.

I haven't done it for a number of years though, so I think it'd be hard to get back into since you kind of need to have a really good up to date knowledge of a particular type of item's prices to know whether you can make a profit from it or not.

I've heard there's a lot more people doing this now compared to when I was doing it as well, so that would make it much harder to find the really good bargains to buy and resell.

Oh, and there's a downside to this as well. I stopped doing it because I started to come across more and more people (basically fraudsters) who were buying stuff off me, claiming the item received wasn't what I sent, and then sent me back something by recorded delivery which wasn't what I'd sent them. Then ebay/Paypal would just side with the buyer. Sellers don't get much protection unfortunately.

louister2

Hi everyone, wondered if anyone could help with any info of genuine companies / sites that are looking or advertising for people to work from home via the PC. My other half is disabled so I help them when needed but I also suffer with bouts of bad anxiety / social disorder. I want to work and have self taught myself how to use a PC, so I'm looking for something I can do from home via the PC so I don't have to claim benefits.
Thanks :beer:

Soomuchdebt

Hey all,

I work from home and am self-employed. I get paid by how much work I produce.

I need to earn a set amount each day, to cover my expenses.

I’m starting to struggle with hitting this goal, due to other commitments on my time, not having a good place to work from, distractions at home, etc.

Just wondering if anyone has managed to increase how much work they output in order to increase their income?

I’m thinking of joining a co-working space where I would have 24/7 access.

I could then do more work in the evenings when I can’t at home. Maybe on the weekends too. It would also provide an alternative to working in coffee shops, which can be quite unproductive, what with all the noise, having to move on, poor internet etc.

But then it’s £300 per month where I live for that. So I would I become more than £300 more productive?

Also, am I likely to pop out in the evenings to do extra work? Would it eventually annoy my partner?

Co-working is just one idea though!

Anyone got any others?

Much thanks.

mikep22

I dont think any one of us here can answer the bulk of those questions for you, as different things work for different people.

What will make you more productive, is a question only you can answer, and you probably know the answers already.

If your place to work from home is not a good place, then you need to make it a good place - whatever that entails. For myself that means I need a place away from other distractions which needs to be clean - for you, who knows.

Some people work better to many small targets, others to big ones. Only you know which will work better for you.

£300 a month is not a particularly large sum so you could either do full days or set yourself a goal of a tenner a day. It depends what it is though, if you are doing online surveys £10 a day is a pretty stiff target and mightily boring.

trailingspouse

You don't say what the distractions are, and you don't say what it is that you do. The answer will very much depend on what it is that's stopping you from working.

But from my own experience, a dedicated area (desk with phone, printer, filing cabinet, or whatever it is that you need) that isn't used for anything else is a must.
And it also helps to have a routine, which you stick to (and the rest of the household knows you will stick to) - if you say you'll be finished at 4pm (or 6pm, or 11pm) then make sure you are. Don't take that last phone call, don't look at work emails when you should be eating with the family etc. It's easier for the family to leave you alone if they know when you will be finished, as most things will wait. But if they don't know when you'll finish, they'll have to interrupt you.
And finally, plan your day in a business-like manner. If you know that you have other commitments in the morning, then plan for working later into the evening.

Soomuchdebt

trailingspouse wrote: »

You don't say what the distractions are, and you don't say what it is that you do. The answer will very much depend on what it is that's stopping you from working.

I write so I need to be able to write up to 2,000 words or even more some days.

After dropping the kids off I come home. But there are chores to do around the house. I know I should do them in the evenings. But it's easier to do them when no one is at home. Then I make lunch. Maybe tidy up a bit! I'm using those things as a distraction as much as anything

I know it's bad but I can't seem to help myself. Plus is does make life easier when the kids come home and everything is done. Also, it keeps my partner happy, so happy wide, happy life and all that.

But the downside is I'm not doing enough work and am getting into trouble financially.

trailingspouse wrote: »

But from my own experience, a dedicated area (desk with phone, printer, filing cabinet, or whatever it is that you need) that isn't used for anything else is a must.

trailingspouse wrote: »

Yes, I don't have any of that!

I try and find a space on the dining table for my laptop and go from there!

trailingspouse wrote: »

And it also helps to have a routine, which you stick to (and the rest of the household knows you will stick to) - if you say you'll be finished at 4pm (or 6pm, or 11pm) then make sure you are. Don't take that last phone call, don't look at work emails when you should be eating with the family etc. It's easier for the family to leave you alone if they know when you will be finished, as most things will wait. But if they don't know when you'll finish, they'll have to interrupt you.
And finally, plan your day in a business-like manner. If you know that you have other commitments in the morning, then plan for working later into the evening.

Once the kids come home, if its not my turn to pick them up, I will go to a coffee shop. This can be productive sometimes, but others not so much, depends on how busy they are after school.

I struggle working in the evenings as the other half is watching TV etc and I don't have the discipline to turn my laptop around and face the other way and work.

As you can see, a lot of my problems are just mental issues and self control.

So I am on the fence about paying for somewhere to work from.

Would those problems follow me to the work space? Would I still find a way to distract myself and waste the money?

I guess I should try if for a month and see if I end up earning more.

I actually checked the prices again and it's more like £220 plus vat so not £300.

Soomuchdebt

mikep22 wrote: »

I dont think any one of us here can answer the bulk of those questions for you, as different things work for different people.

What will make you more productive, is a question only you can answer, and you probably know the answers already.

If your place to work from home is not a good place, then you need to make it a good place - whatever that entails. For myself that means I need a place away from other distractions which needs to be clean - for you, who knows.

Some people work better to many small targets, others to big ones. Only you know which will work better for you.

£300 a month is not a particularly large sum so you could either do full days or set yourself a goal of a tenner a day. It depends what it is though, if you are doing online surveys £10 a day is a pretty stiff target and mightily boring.

Thanks.

But if I knew the answers I'd be doing them already?

I mean, I know I need to work more, but I don't know how to make myself do the work.

Just to clarify, the £300 would be an extra outgoing on top of my current life costs.

But I did just check again and its actually closer to £220 plus VAT.

trailingspouse

Even £220 (or rather £264 unless you're VAT registered and can claim it back) is a lot if you're already struggling financially, so I would say no to this.
Could you use a corner of a bedroom, rather than trying to write while the TV is on in the same room (I know there's no way I could concentrate in that situation, and I only proofread!!).
As to doing the chores - how about setting yourself a time limit? Come home from dropping the kids off at school - and do chores for 1 hour. No more. It's amazing how much you can do in an hour. At the end of the hour, you go to work. You work until coffee break, make a coffee and stop for 10 minutes (this is how it would be if you were in a normal job, well, in theory anyway!!). Then you work until lunchtime, and stop for lunch. You really do need to be business-like about it. Get your writing done during the day, and spend the evening watching the TV (or whatever) with your wife.
The other alternative of course, if this isn't working for you, is to get a 'proper' job, where you're told when to start and when to finish, and someone will notice if you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing. There's a bit of a clue in the phrase 'be your own boss' - you have to be the boss!!

Seanymph

Most libraries in my area are now 'open' in that you register, and swipe yourself in with your card - that's because it's rural, in a city they will be open.

There are now computers available with internet and without - and often desk space.

I used to work at the swimming pool when my kids had swimming lessons. The ice rink - in the car at football. Do you have any 'dead time' that you can make more of?

Could you put a summerhouse or similar in the garden?

How about under the stairs (In one house I had a desk in the hall to avoid the dreaded living room tv)....

Can you stop off on the way home from the school run and sit in the car and work? At a recreation area? At a picnic bench in the park? Refuse to allow yourself home until you have hit a target?

Is there another job you can 'tag on'? I write, study and work from home (portfolio working I've now learned!) - I was recently looking at shifts in a local vaping shop, every time I walked past they were stood on their phones (one person at a time obvs) - I figured I could type whilst I waited for customers once the dusting was done. Or a night shift in a care home or similar? My daughter did it at Uni, and always had the cleaning/washing/kitchen chores done by about 1am and then had the rest of the night to study - as long as she broke off hourly and did the rounds, was available in the office for any emergency, and was awake, then the home was happy.

Really though the problem is that you aren't enjoying what you are doing - so it's a chore - and anything looks better than sitting down to do it.

What are you writing? Can you change client or genre?