As a single mum, there is always something unexpected that has to be paid for... school camp, broken down car, friend's wedding present (oh yeah, we don't get invited to those because we haven't got a 'plus one'), kid's birthday present, fundraising for the school... whatever it is, it has to be paid for and it doesn't quite fit into the budget, so something has to miss out.
And the things that miss out are the weekly takeaway treat, your waxing appointment (bring out the razor and tweezers AGAIN!), a trip to the movies, or a fun night out for you (as you can't afford the babysitter). So how can you make it better without getting a pay rise, working a second job or prostituting yourself?
The easiest and most efficient way is to sell, sell, sell. Sell all your unwanted things on Ebay or through online auction houses. Things the children have outgrown but are too good to give to charity, things that you don't use, unwanted gifts (I know that may seem ungrateful, but you could do with the money and the unwanted gift would take the stress out of your life for the moment, and that would be the best gift of all!), anything that adds to the clutter in your life and doesn't need to be there.
Another way to make some money, is find some party-plan companies that actually reward you for the money your friends spend at your party. I recently found a company in Melbourne that allows your friends to bring all their old gold to a party - broken necklaces, bracklets, ear rings, rings, whatever it is, and they make cash for trading in their old gold, and you can make cash from their trading! http://www.cashforoldgold.com.au I made $700 recently from trading in old broken chains - he came out to my place and handed me the CASH!! And that was without my friends coming over. You get 2.5 times that what the gold brokers in the shopping centres give you, and you don't need to leave your door! You could scrounge around pawn shops, charity shops or markets to find other pieces of cheap gold and sell it back to this guy for a profit. How cool is that!!
If you're an expert in your field (and all single mums are an expert in at least one field - motherhood), come up with some 'How To' ideas and video them. You can sell them on Amazon for $10 a video, and if you sell 100 in a month, you've made yourself $1000. And you know you have a captive audience, because there are sooooo many single mums out there, or soon to be single mums, parents to single mums, sisters to single mums... the list is endless.
So I hope this blog helps you to realise that you don't need to miss out if you have a little ingenuity in how you get some extra cash. Most of the ideas are tax free, because you are selling things you've previously owned (and it's not an enterprise), so go for it! Make it happen! Chose your own destiny and start enjoying life again.
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