Mom of 3 Looking of Advice on a Different Profession

My husband and I work different shifts in order to avoid the costs of daycare. I work 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and he works 4:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (occasionally working 2:30 p.m. 10:30 p.m. and then we get a babysitter or a family member to help out).

This isn't the ideal setup but it keeps us from having to pay for daycare and I believe my children have been healthier because of it).

If you are interested in stay at home jobs, you could make something and market it on ebay, sell avon, marykay, pampered chef. I think with those businesses, though, you need to be fairly outgoing and willing to put forth some time to advertise, contact customers, attend meetings/parties, etc.

Have you ever thought about being a stay at home mom and taking a few kids per day for childcare? If you would be interested, depending on how far you live and where you work...I live in Glendale Heights and am a mom of two who would be willing to watch your newborn. My son is 7mos and my daughter is 19 mos. I would only charge like $150 a week. Let me know if you're interested and good luck.

Hi Jackie! This type of dilemma has been weighing heavily on my mind lately too. It's such a shame there aren't better part-time options for moms. I haven't found the perfect answer quite yet, but I can answer one of your questions. I would not recommend real estate unless you have the flexibility of not needing to make money, in fact you have to have the ability to spend it for a while. Start up costs for real estate are in the thousands between licensing, insurance, membership dues and MLS access. You then would have to pay child care so that you can work, and you have to work a considerable amount at first learning the business and your market. And unfortunately, those things can't all be done on the weekends and evenings when your husband is home. Then, if you are lucky enough to find a real client in the early stages, your first paycheck is still at least 2 months away. Not to mention that the market isn't fabulous right now. It's great for buyers b/c the inventory is high, but the media has focused so much on how difficult it is for sellers that both sellers and buyers are skittish.

I speak from experience here. I got into real estate 3 years ago, and at first it was perfect for me. It was flexible, and I enjoyed it. However, at that time my husband made enough to "carry us" financially. Since then he has taken a lower stress and lower paying job, which has made my income essential. And the fact of the matter is that the income isn't there like it was a year ago. So now I'm thinking of other options.

I hate to be such a naysayer, but the bottom line is that real estate is extremely competitive right now, and it really only works for people who can afford to go without income for possibly even a year!

If you want to chat about this, please feel free to contact me!

S.

Hi Jackie! I'm a mother of 3 and 40 also. My kids are 2, 5 and 6.

I recently started with a multi-level marketing company called Arbonne International. It's a great home business. There's tons of support and you would be working on a team and we help each other out. The website has a presnetation you can watch that talks about the opportunity -- go to www.arbonne.com and click on "Opportunity Presentation". I could talk with you more after that to answer questions.

Having said that, since you are interested in real estate, I have a friend who is taking the classes right now to become an appraiser and it sounds ideal for your situation. Her husband took the classes last year and is doing appraisals now and loves it. You set your own hours and it's something always in need no matter what's going on with the real estate market. If that sounds interesting, I could call her and find out more info. for you.

I just wanted to also advice you not to go the real estate route. I became an agent in 2004....that lasted 1 year. In that year, I had 2 closings because it's so hard to build a client base. You may think that your friends and family will definitely use you as an agent, but I found out that they don't! I definitely would not get into the business right now with how bad the market is right now. You need a lot of money to get started as well as to stay in the business...monthly fees, marketing fees, etc. It was really hard for me to drop my son off at the babysitter's, work all week with NO pay, but still have to pay the sitter. So I quit and became a SAHM. Fortunately, we have somehow made it finanicially on just my husband's income.

Jackie, i share your concerns. I only have an 8yr old, but childdcare is outrageous. So I work for social science research companies as a supervisor fulltime from my home, and I also am a crewmember for Noahsark/bella bee and greeting cakes. I tried the realtor avenue many years ago, but its very cut-throat and hard to make decent money. Why dont you check into a direct sale business. In all honesty I made over 500 this weekend with Noahs Ark, not bad for 5 hrs of my time. I have tried numerous direct sales companies, and find Noahs Ark to be the best for me. Certainly there is one out there for you. No daycare fees, make your own hours, unlimited income potential. Best of luck to you...K.

Hi Jackie-

My name is Jackie and I am an advisor for a campany called lia sophia. Let me tell you a little bit about what I do. I sell jewlery. I do home shows and book shows. I have been doing it part time because I work full time. My goal is to stay home with my son and do this full time. I have been doing it since July and I love it! I make between $200-300 per show. How it works is you buy the kit (it cost $149) I paid myself back with my first show! With that kit you get over $1000 in jewelry that is yours to keep! I wear it everyday it is very pretty and has a lifetime replacement garantee which makes it very easy to market (plus I'm a walking billboard :) You also get enough supplies to get you through your first 6 shows. It is very easy to get started and if you would like more info I would be more than happy to help you. I really enjoy what I am doing and there are so many women in this industry that do so well they stay home with their children and do this on the side. Your hours are what you choose them to be. The average show amounts to be between $750-$800 of that you get 30% to yourself! So you see how easy it is to make good money! Here is my website if you would like to browse through and take a look at what we're selling. If you would like to see the stuff live I would be willing to do a show for you and some friends so that you can see how easy it is to do what I do.

www.liasophia.com/jackiehugelier

I hope you find this information beneficial and I look forward to hearing from you if you have any interest!

Jackie

I hear you!! I too am a mother of 3, ages 4, 5, and 8 months!! I would recommend checking out my site www.thebodyshopathome.com/web/faithjones
This business opportunity may work for you. Its a great opportunity to be flexible, stay home and earn money. I make more then I did when I worked full time. Like you I was paying over 300/week for child care for 2 kids coupled with 220/month for parking there was no point to it!!

The other bonus with The Body Shop At Home is my kids actually help me with the business too!! The kids are learning so much from this they are already earniing money to buy their own stuff!!

I also did get a Real Estate license... it was a great learning experience that is for sure. If you have the time to build a client base before earning money it may work for you. Its also great to learn if you plan to buy or sell your own place. I am happy to discuss this with you if you like. As you can see from other responses the cost is in the thousands with fees for MLS, NAR and whatever local Association you are required to join.

Good Luck I am sure you will find a way to be home more somehow we always do!!! :)