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I ranch sit at times..alot of demand for it really. folks who have livestock or just nice homes with a few critters want to take a vacation sometimes too. This pic I just posted was on a ranch in Ca. Hooch sitting beside a huge ancient oak tree . about 3 weeks later the tree fell..it was OLD..and the owners new its time was up and actually had a tree person out to give them the bad news right before the storm. I got some awesome pics of it. Anyways..home caretaking is a easy gig and can be interesting..
 
Your right Hooch. That can be a good deal depending on who your working for. Wife has been a nanny for 30 years, a lot of times that has worked into doing over night dog sitting, or even just house sitting for folks while they are out of the country. She has mostly worked for Dr's, lawyers, and business owner types. They tend to want stuff just so and will pay well for it. I hadn't even considered taking care of livestock and such.
 
Your right Hooch. That can be a good deal depending on who your working for. Wife has been a nanny for 30 years, a lot of times that has worked into doing over night dog sitting, or even just house sitting for folks while they are out of the country. She has mostly worked for Dr's, lawyers, and business owner types. They tend to want stuff just so and will pay well for it. I hadn't even considered taking care of livestock and such.
Yes, they want what they want and how they want it.

I tried that once years ago, but I got weirded out by someone being else being in my house when I wasn't there. It was like an invasion of privacy. In addition, I would find myself cleaning things up so it wouldn't be messy when the housekeeper got here.:confused:
As angie_nrs said, it is kind of creepy to have strange people in your house, so it must be a thing to get used to. I know people who have been ripped off by house cleaners and dog sitters.
I recently did a week-long house/dog sitting gig. The house was full of cameras, and that must be what you have to do to protect yourself. I know that they could and were watching the house, dog, and me while they were in Europe. This couple has me do dog sitting and walking for them as well. Once, I walked in and saw the wife's purse sitting on the kitchen counter. Not all people coming in would or could leave that alone. I am not a snooper or nosy person when I am in other's homes, but I know that is not true for many others. I have a huge respect for privacy and I am not a thief. I was more concerned about the wife whose purse was sitting there. Seems she was sick in bed, upstairs. I had no idea because I had no reason to go up there.
 
Anyone doing that kind of work should be on the "up and up" and be licensed and bonded.
A good friend had a business doing all kinds of things around the house, cleaning, windows, grocery shopping, paying bills (!!!), picking up kids, walking dogs, house and pet sitting, airport drop off and pick up, baking. She'd do just about anything and had a good client base among those who could afford her and they'd give referrals. She was/is so trustworthy.
 
I actually thought about starting a business doing the house and ranch sitting and getting licensed and bonded n such. Some homes I sat had little caretaker apartments on the property, so I had my own area to be in and other than making sure the primary home was secure, I had no reason to go into their home. Which is pretty nice really. Some homes all I had to do was go out to the property to feed livestock and do a security check. I didn't have to stay overnight. Other homes like the one Hooch is in here with the tree, I stayed in. It is a beautiful custom built home with lots of room plus all kinds of critters and acerage. The people didn't know me at first, however, my best buddie that I grew up with was great pals and co workers with the owners of the ranch and vouched for me. I ended up staying weeks at a time at their ranch while they could finally take family vacations and what not. When I wasn't at their ranch, I was at another down the road.
Word got around, and another ranch down the road wanted me full time, with a little apartment in a restored 1800's bar and whorehouse..(im not joking)..on the property , no rent, water, trash n power paid for @ 1200 a month to start, with opportunity to a raise. Just to feed , water N help manage a half dozen horses mow the yard n keep things tidy around the place. And of course be there when they were gone..thats it. I almost took it but I just bought my place out here. I could have kept the person who was renting here and stayed to earn extra before the move..but..I was ready to get out of CA.
Out here..amazingly...I ranch sat out here for my neighbors pretty much as soon as we got friendly. I spent the spring and beginning of summer cleaning up my property and started making improvements and I guess they figured I wasn't some trashy bum. I started with one neighbor who was gone for a month the first time and soon all my neighbors were hitting me up. It was great since I didn't have a job yet out here. But come late summer, through one of the owners of a home I sat for gave me heads up that the local school was desperate for bus drivers. So, thanks to them I got a part time job driving the activity bus to all the sports events. I still house sat and drove a bus into winter. I felt pretty lucky , I got to explore Idaho on a school bus with great kids!! I had a blast!! I think that was the funnest job I EVER had! The kids were great and I had the brand new bus with a great sound system in it. The kids love it and so did I.
Once winter was here that first year , I was hired on at the mill and still doing it. So I had to give up the bus driving :{ but I still house sit on the side. I don't charge my immediate neighbors anymore. I make good money now and it is a way to keep good relations with my immediate neighborhood. They try to pay me but I don't take it. It works out as I have a handshake agreement with one that if I leave , they will watch my critters for me. So it works out.
Anyways...Ill tell ya tho..everywhere Ive been folks will pay to have someone looking after their place n critters. Its peace of mind I suppose for them and easy money for me. :)
 
Anyone doing that kind of work should be on the "up and up" and be licensed and bonded.
A good friend had a business doing all kinds of things around the house, cleaning, windows, grocery shopping, paying bills (!!!), picking up kids, walking dogs, house and pet sitting, airport drop off and pick up, baking. She'd do just about anything and had a good client base among those who could afford her and they'd give referrals. She was/is so trustworthy.

I am going to look into that. Does anyone know anything about it, how to get this done?
 
I think you get a background check done on yourself. Might have something to do with becoming an LLC. My friend said it cost a few hundred bucks to get it done, but then once you're cleared, you've got the credentials. I will see if I can find out more, @Weedygarden
Thank you. I am in and out of a number of homes and think this would be wise, even though I am about as well behaved as anyone could be when entering other people's homes.
 
It varies by state, so you can type in "becoming licensed and bonded" on search. It is a guarantee to home owners, etc. that you are reliable and covered should you break something, for one. It shows a background check was completed on you. If you've already been doing things like this, you can use your current clients as references.
Her business did so well she asked me to help her out a few times on bigger jobs. She was so busy, had such a good reputation, and had so much to do she was turning people down frequently. I don't think she was cheap, but we live in an area of money, which I didn't realize.
 
Sounds like the way things have worked out for the wife. She started being a nanny and keeping folks kids in their house. As kids grow up or parents move she has had her pick of families to work for. At times splitting the week between 2-3 families as they needed. Turned down people regularly due to lack of time. Most all them knew each other as she moved from one to another. Word of mouth is far and away the best for that type work. She has tried to retire a couple times with the she currently works for due to health issues and has taken 6 months off 3 different times for surgery and each time the lady begs her to come back. Even cuts back the workload for her. I tease her that I've never had people begging me to come back to work. LOL
 
Sounds like the way things have worked out for the wife. She started being a nanny and keeping folks kids in their house. As kids grow up or parents move she has had her pick of families to work for. At times splitting the week between 2-3 families as they needed. Turned down people regularly due to lack of time. Most all them knew each other as she moved from one to another. Word of mouth is far and away the best for that type work. She has tried to retire a couple times with the she currently works for due to health issues and has taken 6 months off 3 different times for surgery and each time the lady begs her to come back. Even cuts back the workload for her. I tease her that I've never had people begging me to come back to work. LOL
My work is all word of mouth. I don't advertise. I have weeks where I am super busy, and then other times it is very slow. It is great. I walk my daughter's dog a lot because the diuretics she takes make her have to go out frequently. There is a man who has a dog walking business that I kept running into. He asked me if I was interested in working for him? At the time, the ridgeback was much younger and at times would need to go out every 10 to 15 minutes. (medications!)

There is a dog walker in my neighborhood who totally supports himself walking dogs. All his clients are by word of mouth. I see him out walking dogs all over the neighborhood. When I asked him what he charges for walking dogs? $1 a minute. At that rate, he can work a few hours a day and be financially okay.

I know stories of people who are supposed to let dogs out at X time, say 2 p.m., and decide they will come at 10 p.m. instead. And then, they will go through jewelry boxes, refrigerators, etc. What you do in other people's houses will catch up with you, one way or another.
 
So many people have security systems in their homes (videocameras everywhere).
I knew of another woman who also did pet sitting full time. Her family never celebrated holidays at holiday time because she was so busy with pet sitting. She started out small and it took off quickly by word of mouth.
People that don't stick to their end of the agreement will not be doing that kind of work for long. If they are being dishonest, their clients must be very naive.
There are a couple of websites that offer house sitting opportunities or house sitters looking for opportunities, all over the U.S., as well as the world.
 
We have a friend that sells all types of crafts at Saturday Markets, craft fairs, tables at hospitals and commercial buildings, museums, and other locations. She does beaded jewellery, sewn creations of all kinds, and many other items. She tries to have stuff for sale that differs from the other sellers. Before Halloween Costco had bite size Hershey chocolate on sale. She and her daughter put a decorative band around each one and then added other Christmas decorations. There were heavy paper punch outs of moose, snowflakes, etc.

Sometimes she will take crafts from other artists and take a commission for selling them at her table. I know a guy that collects honey from other beekeepers and sells it at the State Fair. I sat next to a guy on the plane that bought a 1000# of beeswax at a time and sold candles to churches.
 
We have a friend that sells all types of crafts at Saturday Markets, craft fairs, tables at hospitals and commercial buildings, museums, and other locations. She does beaded jewellery, sewn creations of all kinds, and many other items. She tries to have stuff for sale that differs from the other sellers. Before Halloween Costco had bite size Hershey chocolate on sale. She and her daughter put a decorative band around each one and then added other Christmas decorations. There were heavy paper punch outs of moose, snowflakes, etc.

Sometimes she will take crafts from other artists and take a commission for selling them at her table. I know a guy that collects honey from other beekeepers and sells it at the State Fair. I sat next to a guy on the plane that bought a 1000# of beeswax at a time and sold candles to churches.
I know people who have booths at craft fairs. I have worked with groups sharing a table. Some people do very well, and I have known people who sold nothing. I believe it takes an eye for what will sell and what won't. I also believe having a variety of items to sell makes a difference.

Also, it is worth going to craft fairs and seeing what other people are selling and what sells. I have been to some very active fairs, and then I have been to a few where some people had really crappy stuff.

My daughter is into succulents. She has a wholesale floral license. She and a friend sold a bunch of them potted in nice glazed ceramic pots.
 
I know people who have booths at craft fairs. I have worked with groups sharing a table. Some people do very well, and I have known people who sold nothing. I believe it takes an eye for what will sell and what won't. I also believe having a variety of items to sell makes a difference.

Also, it is worth going to craft fairs and seeing what other people are selling and what sells. I have been to some very active fairs, and then I have been to a few where some people had really crappy stuff.

My daughter is into succulents. She has a wholesale floral license. She and a friend sold a bunch of them potted in nice glazed ceramic pots.
My friend may sell nothing on one table and do well on the next one. She may go to as many as four locations in a week. Sometimes a location gets flooded with her product and she will drop that spot for a while and let the demand build back up before returning. She and her daughter make similar stuff so they each go to different craft fairs so as to not compete and to get access to more customers.
 
Wife has a side business. It what I'd call a pyramid scheme. Wife hosts monthly shows, gals place their orders, wife gets a percentage, the person above the wife get a percentage and the person above them gets a percentage and so forth. Four times a year wife packs her car and I load my truck and haul the stuff to weekend shows. Then I drive back to reload the truck and haul it back home. She's been doing this for about 10 years I'd guess. I found out three years ago that to remain a Dealer she had to buy a required amount of product every month and that is how/why she maxed out 3 credit cards. Wife and I had a bit of a talk, I got more response from a brick wall. Company went bankrupt several times and now the monthly Dealer purchase requirement is null. Wife says she'll have the CCs paid off the end of this year (and I can keep my Doctor).

I found what I thought was a niche in the reloading business. Swagging military brass, resizing, trimming, cleaning. Cost Five cents more then range brass and considerably less then new brass. A little electricity, a little water and a few man-hours. Bagged, business cards and online ordering with local delivery to gun ranges. Figure I'd build the business before retirement. Free samples, excellent reviews, word of mouth advertisement and after 2 years haven't sold any. I've got 5.56 brass coming out of my wazoo! On a positive side, a few days after SHTF I could have enough 5.56 reloaded for a small army.
 
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Wife has a side business. It what I'd call a pyramid scheme. Wife hosts monthly shows, gals place their orders, wife gets a percentage, the person above the wife get a percentage and the person above them gets a percentage and so forth. Four times a year wife packs her car and I load my truck and haul the stuff to all weekend shows. Then I drive back to reload the truck and haul it back home. She's been doing this for about 10 years I'd guess. I found out three years ago that to remain a Dealer she had to buy a required amount of product every month and that is how/why she maxed out 3 credit cards. Wife and I had a bit of a talk, I got more response from a brick wall. Company went bankrupt several times and now the monthly Dealer purchase requirement is null. Wife says she'll have the CCs paid off the end of this year (and I can keep my Docto

I think there are many multi level marketing schemes out there that get the most business from the people who sign up to sell the product. Many people have come to realize that MLMs work for a period of time to build a business. Amway, Tupperware, and others seem to have done well enough. Why not copy their business models?

A woman I know participated in something that involved "health" drinks. I don't remember the name. Several people on her team (up and across from her) followed their team leader to a new similar business. She had to commit a credit card for automatic billing each month. The drinks became her main form of sustenance, and since she doesn't cook, it seemed to make life easier. Of course, recruiting people to be under you is important. She gave me some of the drinks to try. I didn't like the taste, and more importantly, I don't like to consume "food" that is largely chemicals. I prefer using real food. She was involved in this for years. The last time I talked to her, she got out of the whole thing. One less monthly bill.

If you can devise a scheme and convince people they can make some money, you can hook many people, for a while.

Me? I prefer to sell something like used books on Amazon or handmade things on Etsy. I don't like to sign up for things where your credit card is one of the first things that is asked for. Somehow, I signed up for something that was for education and when I got a bill for it, I was livid. I had to work to get out of it, but the scariest thing was that I was told not to do something, I don't remember exactly what, or I was stuck with the ongoing billing and no way to get out of it. The company tried to get me to make that mistake. There are so many crooked things like this that we have to be careful of.
 
We did craft shows for about 20 years. My wife made ceramics and I did woodworking. We did about 25 shows a year and I was still working 60 hours a week installing floorcovering. Then when the recession hit in 2008, most of the shows died. Now my wife is making hand-thrown pottery and I am back at woodworking. Thinking about doing shows again. I only do an occasional floor covering job now. Need to supplement my social security. Only problem is I would need something bigger than my mini-van.
 
Now making toys with bits of yarn, fabric for certain paying customers.
They saw what I was making for grand daughter's Christmas.
Not needed till Spring, Summer, crochet while I watch tv or listen to cd's.
When I was still teaching, I would check papers and prep for the next day in the evening. I found it easiest to stay focused on that when I had something else to distract me, such as a good movie. You would think it would work the opposite way, but it didn't.
 
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When I was still teaching, I would check papers and prep for the next day in the evening. I found it easiest to stay focused on that when I had something else to distract me, such as a good movie. You with think it would work the opposite way, but it didn't.

That's too funny! When I was a kid I did my best reading (with retention) while on the bus ride home from school with a bus load of screaming kids. My mom couldn't believe I could do that. I'm not as good at blocking things out now........but I guess it's been a while since I've tried reading on a school bus.:confused: I know I can't multi task nearly as good I used to when I worked in the hospital.

But, back on topic, it seems like there is definitely more need for cash workers around here than ever before. I don't mind if that person isn't a business, but when businesses hire people for cash, it just means they are avoiding taxes and paying employees benefits, including workers comp. I have mixed feelings about it. Folks should be able to pay workers in cash, but that's not the way it is thanks to Uncle Sam. There should be a level playing field for all businesses, and those paying under the table make it harder for those who do it by the book. Our tax system needs a long overdue overhaul!

If I wanted to make a mint during retirement, I could easily mow lawns and make a small fortune around here. I don't mind dirt and sweat. I likely won't do it b/c I don't want to, but that is certainly an option if I wanted it.
 
That's too funny! When I was a kid I did my best reading (with retention) while on the bus ride home from school with a bus load of screaming kids. My mom couldn't believe I could do that. I'm not as good at blocking things out now........but I guess it's been a while since I've tried reading on a school bus.:confused: I know I can't multi task nearly as good I used to when I worked in the hospital.

But, back on topic, it seems like there is definitely more need for cash workers around here than ever before. I don't mind if that person isn't a business, but when businesses hire people for cash, it just means they are avoiding taxes and paying employees benefits, including workers comp. I have mixed feelings about it. Folks should be able to pay workers in cash, but that's not the way it is thanks to Uncle Sam. There should be a level playing field for all businesses, and those paying under the table make it harder for those who do it by the book. Our tax system needs a long overdue overhaul!

If I wanted to make a mint during retirement, I could easily mow lawns and make a small fortune around here. I don't mind dirt and sweat. I likely won't do it b/c I don't want to, but that is certainly an option if I wanted it.
I have a cousin who was a big machine operator in a coal mine in Wyoming. He did well, was a supervisor, and worked many days in a row. He retired recently, in his 50's. He is no longer tied to a schedule. However, he has some equipment and is doing lots of jobs on the side.
 
This video is great. Anyone who is struggling financially just needs to look at what they CAN do or WILL do to make a little cash on the side. Since I mail books at the post office, I have met a few ebay sellers. There is a man in my area who sells music albums. Evidently there is still a market, or maybe a resurgence of interest in playing music albums. My daughter has a turntable and has her dad's albums and my albums in her collection.

 
I tried chicken ranching (I'm a cowboy not a dirt farmer). Built up a clientele for my lady's brown eggs. If I figure only the cost of the feed, I was breaking even. Ladies were slowing down with age and winter was approaching, off with their heads. Following spring USPS delivered herd #2. Three of them died within a few days and one for the ladies was actually a rooster. Egg production was less then Herd #1 and all of my customer had moved on during the winter-spring production halt. Herd #3 (my largest, 8 hens) are pumping out 7 to 8 eggs a day, slowly building my clientele back up, figuring I'm operating at a 50% loss.

Watched a 3-gun match. Shooters were leaving their spent brass on the ground and I asked why? Quicker to either buy ammunition or new brass. Since it looked like their rifles were worth more then my house, I could understand their reasoning. Did a Al Bore Internet search and only found two other sources for my idea, think I found a niche! I found a reliable source for 223/5.56 range brass and placed a large order. Cleaned the brass by wet tumbling with stainless steel media. Deprimed, full case resized, swagged the primer pocket, trimmed to length, resized the neck (in case any deforming from the previous steps) and wet tumbled a second time to clean the primer pockets and to remove any burrs/debris from length trimming. Package in zip-lock bags of 1,000. Created and posted a informative web site. Passed out business cards and samples. Received high reviews on quality. My price per piece was 5 cents higher then unprocessed range brass, sold in lots of 1,000. Donated 1,000 to a local gun completion for door prizes (they repacked into lots of 250 pieces). Two years later...tick-tock...tick-tock...tick-tock...evidently what I thought was a niche was actually a no demand, I haven't sold a piece. I've got 223/5.56 brass coming out of my wazoo and that's after reloading for ourselves for SHTF, TEOTWAWKI and multiple Zombie apocalypses.
 
There are a few of us who reload the 223/556 but those who compete mostly just buy cheap ammo to use in competition.
I fully prepare my reloading brass, tumble clean, size and deprime, clean primer pockets and swage, remove the burr on the inside of the primer hole, trim to length, chamfer and deburr the case mouth.
The brass is then segregated into hunting or plinking brass by weight and volume. When I shoot three gun I use cheap military surplus ammo because we have to leave it on the ground. The club picks up the brass and auctions it off after the event.
 
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