Everyone wants more money. This is because we live in a culture that relies on money as a means of trade. Can you imagine living without cash? Or a monetary system based on chance? Probably not, but that's really what we live with. Printed money is one big game of diminishing returns. But this is how we function.
My whole life I have lived the middle class conundrum of having just enough money to be considered having enough money. What does this mean?? No college scholarships, grants, or subsidized loans, even though both my parents and I had to take out money for me to go to a university. With that degree, in the Bay Area, I made decent money, but still had to work as much as possible to get by. My last year there I had 10 w-2s. 10. And 2 1099s. And I still pretty much broke even on my taxes. I think I made a total of $40k and got about $700 total back between fed and state.
When I moved to Oregon, I decided to only have one job. That worked for 6 years. Now, though, so much has changed that I need to find other opportunities. I am a solo parent (by choice) and a sort-of homeowner. I make about $100 too much per month to qualify for any support services while I'm working. In the off season, when I am on unemployment, I can get WIC, and it is a godsend, especially during January. I always apply in December, so that I have been off contract for a few weeks, and because qualification is in 6 month increments. Therefore, we get assistance through May. January is rough because I can no longer claim unemployment because I am technically earning money, yet I don't see any of that for almost 3 weeks because of pay periods. Yeah, it blows.
Unemployment insurance itself is another reason I'm looking for more opportunities. I'm over it. This year was just the absolute last straw. I'm tired of the hoops I have to jump through; of being talked down to and patronized when I try to explain my situation and how their system doesn't even provide the correct tools for my industry; of the ridiculously strict guidelines that don't account for everything, yet don't allow any wiggle room. I am so done. It may mean giving up my WIC, yes, but if I can find ways to generate income on top of my regular job and therefore not have to rely on this system, I will be so much happier.
To that end, I've already signed up with doTerra International Essential Oils, (link in the sidebar!!) and am working on getting signed up with Tupperware (link to come). Though it's a story for another post, I have been using doTerra for almost a month now, and the oils have really helped my repetitive stress injury. I'm still on a journey with them, learning, using, sharing. I know they aren't for everyone. I know that there is a lot of skepticism. But guess what? That's goes for EVERYTHING EVER, and I'm not trying to force anyone. I also don't HAVE to do the business side, and neither does anyone who buys from or signs up through me, but I CAN, so why not?? I'm a terrible sales person by nature, but I'm never going to advance any part of any career if I don't learn how to close a deal. And I need to start moving in some direction. I can't be an entry level worker bee forever. I don't want to be either. If I can gain confidence and skill from these ventures, so much the better.
I do have an Etsy store as well, but that link and any marketing will have to wait as well. There isn't anything of note in it yet, and I am trying to decide how to focus it so that I can easily share it, and maybe grab a niche. It is also currently based around knit goods, which are harder to produce with my injury. I'm hoping that as I heal, through good medical care both mainstream and alternative, I will be able to get back into knitting as more than a hobby, but that is a little ways off still. I am also considering "monetizing" this here blog with a few links, but I am still on the fence. Maybe I should make a poll to see if people would care?? I looked at Google's AdSense, which is already imbedded and I can activate if I so choose, but it's just like Facebook ads. I wouldn't really control the content, and I don't like the idea of infomining my own blog. What I would consider is an Amazon banner, or some other company, though I can't think of any that I would want to support that would probably have a program like that. I will have to keep throwing that idea around a bit longer as well.
I have absolutely no idea how any of this will go. All I can do it try.
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