How to Make Money From Home- Part One

This is going to be a mini-series on what I am doing to support my family while working from home. This part is an introduction on why I am working from home, some of the things I have done in the past, and what I think about other "Work From Home" posts that have infuriated me.

A month ago, I was an IT recruiter sourcing for high end niche candidates. That basically boils down to I was making friends on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Googling all day, picking up the phone and talking to people about potential jobs. These were people who were asking for $150k a year, wanted thousands of dollars in signing bonuses and had more technical skill in their little fingers than I will have in my entire life. Then my company laid off several people because of "over-hiring". In my position there were two of us, and my counterpart had a couple months more at the company than I did. I had been recruiting in several capacities for several years, I have also been a co-founder to a home theater installation company, I've done business development (sales), logistics for the Army, and several other little things I do on the side. By the way, I'm 25. I've been really busy. When I was laid off I was heart broken. I hadn't been there long but I felt I had found my perfect match in a job, and now I couldn't support my family. Like most families we can't live off one income alone.

So, I need to make money in the meantime. I went to work with my ex-husband for a few weeks in the company we started when we were married. My sweet husband didn't like it, but understood that I needed to work to support us, and my ex and I get along fairly well and I really enjoy working in the company. Then his financial partner realized that I was his ex wife and threw a fit because it was mixing business and personal. It was fire me or he pulls his money from the company. Jobless again.

So, I've tried working from home before, but it never worked out. How is always the first question. Did you get here by googling "Work from home"? Did you read a bunch of other stuff that was a scam, completely useless or so vague that it didn't give you anything new? Yep. Me too. How about Mom Blogging! Yeah, but that takes time to build up, IF I'm good enough to get readers, IF I keep it up, and I need to pay the mortgage next week!! At home daycare! No. I don't like other people's kids, I don't want strangers in my house destroying everything and I just don't have the patience. Next. Medical transcription. Not qualified. Next. Real Estate! Again, need money now. Not that these aren't good long term ideas, but what stops most people from working from home is needing money now and when you're making some money later.

So what's my plan? I START one of those long term things that will take a while to get going, and I find things to make money right now. Great Plan. No what can we do to make some money right now?

Don't get mad at me, but I was laid off, so I am entitled to unemployment. I paid into the system, now I am taking it back out. So that will get me by right now. Of course unemployment doesn't make ends meet, so I need to make up the difference. What's the difference for my family? About $150 a week if we tighten our belts.

Tune in tomorrow for Part Two in my search to work from home, support my kids, and in the end, turn these lemons into lemonade.