Idle Time is Not For Me: Retirement Needs to be More Than Time for Play

You invested many years in the work force and made the decision to retire. You look forward to having time to travel, visit family and focus on your favorite hobby. That all sounds great, and most people can’t wait to have more hours for play instead of work in their day! But what happens if you discover that you feel you don’t have enough to do each day and need more structured activity?

This would be a great time for you to explore home-based business opportunities. Working from home would still provide you with flexible hours while offering you structured activity to incorporate into your day. It can also be helpful to earn some additional income to supplement your retirement pension and Social Security payments.

As a retiree, your experience and history in the work force give you a strong foundation to operate and manage a home-based business. It is time to invest in yourself and your skills and know that the work you conduct each day is for your business.

Before starting any home-based business, you need to assess your strengths and interests to determine which opportunities are the best match for you. In addition, always thoroughly research any business opportunities and talk to people who invested in those retiree jobs. Even though each person’s experience with that business opportunity will vary, you will hear some commonalities in what he/she shares to give you a sense of what is involved with this opportunity. Along with the research you conduct, listen to your instincts. Put your experience to work for you!

Part Time Jobs from your Home

Most people who seek to make money online start out by working part time at it, and hope to see some results fast. It maybe to pay bills, finance a vacation, or help in some other way, but no matter how it's spent, it's nice to have some extra cash coming in. The following are part time jobs from home that can earn approximately $1000 each month just by working a few hours a week.

Become an Online Seller

Many choose to begin earning money online by signing up with an online seller. It costs nothing to open an account and it only takes minutes to list an item and earn money from it. It's recommended to become familiar with the site's practices before diving in. Purchase a couple items from the site that you have been meaning to buy, just to see things form the buyer's perspective.

Once you have the basics down, you can begin listing your own items for sale. You probably have almost $1000 worth of stuff laying around your home that you've been meaning to get rid of, and you can do that in your first month. Once you begin selling items, invest some of your earnings into shopping at yard sales and thrift stores for bargains that you can re-sell on eBay and still earn money.

Become an Affiliate Marketer

If you do not have your own products to sell, you can earn money by promoting other people's stuff. Digital products work best, as they can be purchased and in the customer's hand in a matter of seconds. Look for one of the leading affiliate marketing marketplaces on the Internet, with 1000's of products available for sale in many different niches.

Many affiliate marketing companies are free to join. Once you have an account, you will have access to special links. When a customer clicks your links and makes a purchase, you get a percentage of the sale. Advertising your links can be done through articles, blogs, websites, and pay-per-click advertising. The more people you can get your link in front of, the better!

Sell Greeting Cards w/ Karens Cards

What's Your Definition of a Rewarding and Profitable Career? Is it:

The ability to set flexible hours and be your own boss?
Enjoying a career that fulfills, rather than drains you?
Adding supplemental income to your family's coffers?
Working in a field where your generosity and creativity pay off?
Making someone's day, at least once a day?
All of the above?

If you mentally checked off “All of the above,” then I'd like to show you something tailor-made for entrepreneurial, motivated moms like yourself. In fact, there’s a whole network of us waiting to meet you. Hello, I’m Karen Saunders. I’ve owned a successful home-based business for more than 18 years. Sometimes I struggled with how to stay in touch with my clients, ask them for referrals and communicate with prospective clients.

Three years ago I found a solution and a new business opportunity
I mentioned my dilemma to my business coach and she introduced me to a customized card sending program that has transformed my business. In just one year, my home-based business expanded to the point where I’m keeping five associates busy.

Now I devote most of my time to my card business – Karen’s Cards. Now I’m offering you the opportunity to start your own card sending business and enjoy the same success that I’ve achieved.

All you’ll do is introduce entrepreneurs, small business owners, clients, associates, and individuals to this unique program. Show them the customized, high-quality cards appropriate for many occasions (holiday greetings, recognizing customers’ birthdays, thank-you notes, requesting referrals, etc.). I have also had great success with this business using the law of attraction.

For just about 75 cents an account holder can go to their computer to log in, select from a wide variety of designs, write a personalized message, and have a professional – yet personal – card automatically printed and mailed!

This program allows even the smallest business to expand its client base through relationship marketing. You can probably name dozens of businesses that can benefit from this perfect part time job!

Top 5 Benefits of Being A Work At Home Mom

So you want to be a work at home mom? This type of lifestyle is not for everyone. It is only for the non-average moms who have an entrepreneurial mind and are tired of the JOB life, which by the way, stands for Just Over Broke! If you are a mom who is ambitious, then these benefits are just for you.

1. Unlimited income potential

When you work at home, you do not have any income limits. All of the money you make is entirely based upon the value you offer. If your value is high, then you will make a lot of money. Imagine providing this same type of value at a job. Your boss will get at least 80% of your efforts. Remember, when you have a job you are usually paid by time, not by the value you provide. SO in a job, efforts are wasted.

2. You control time now

From now on you get to decide at what time you wake up in the morning, how much time you work, and how much free-time you get. It is all up to you because you have no one to answer to. You know exactly how much time you need in order to be successful. Once you control your time, you can compress it so that you can work only 2-4 hours a day.

3. Work on what you like, outsource what you hate

This is the really fantastic part for all you moms. If you do not like to handle your company's taxes, let someone else do it. If you do not like to answer all your customer emails, let someone else do it. If you do not like to write articles for your business, let someone else do it. You can focus only on the things you enjoy, and pass on all the other stuff to another person. You cannot do this with a normal job. Can you imagine being hired to do something and just hire someone else to do that work for you while keeping the profits (it would be cool though)?

4. Be your own boss

When you entitle yourself as a work at home mom, you can do whatever you feel like doing. You can take a vacation at anytime or work at home in your pyjamas. You can also decide how much to pay yourself and how much to put back into your business. Everything is up to you.

5. The Best part - Spend more time with your family

This is by far the greatest benefit of having a home career. You can spend much more time with your kids and see them grow up. You don`t have to be like the other moms you work too hard to even know that their children exist. Your family will appreciate your friendship. Working at home will bring more happiness into everyone's life.

There you go. You can clearly see that being a work at home mom is much more rewarding than being a regular "work at work" mom. Choose the road that is best for you...

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Working From Your Home

By: Alecia Swim

If you've just begun your search for a work at home job, you probably have a concept of what working from home is like. You probably imagine yourself waking up whenever you want, sliding your feet into fuzzy slippers and shuffling to the kitchen to get some coffee, then shuffling along to your office to put in another wonderful day at work, then later going to the mailbox to pick up your weekly paycheck of several thousand dollars. I hate to burst your bubble; it doesn't always work that way.

The truth is, working at home is usually a lot harder than working in an office somewhere. Scammers and hyped-up business opportunity ads have given us the belief that working at home is oh-so-easy. We just relax on a tropical beach, and then go collect our paychecks. I'm sure you've seen ads like that.

Here are some things you should consider before jumping into a work at home job:
If you want to work for an employer as a telecommuter, be prepared to earn less than you would at a job outside the home. A job that pays $11.00 an hour in the regular workforce might pay $7 or $8 an hour at home. There are exceptions of course. Some jobs, like virtual assisting, web design and graphics, medical transcription and coding and other professional jobs will probably pay more than a data entry or customer service job. Many work at home jobs don't pay hourly either. For data entry work, you might get paid per piece, and for telephone jobs you might get paid per "talk minute" (only those minutes you are actually on the phone with a customer.)

The majority of home based careers do not provide benefits like health insurance or life insurance. Again, there are exceptions.

There are companies that will hire you as an actual "employee" and they will take taxes out of your pay. But some will only hire you as an "independent contractor," and you are responsible for paying your own taxes.

If you are hired as an independent contractor, it's important to understand that your employer is not obligated to provide any work for you. Most companies have busy seasons and slow seasons. During a busy season, you might be working 40-50 hours a week, and then the slow season arrives and suddenly you're fighting to get even 10 hours of work per week. If your income is especially important to your household, definitely keep that in mind. However, many people choose to work more than one job at a time.

If you are the type of person who usually needs a kick in the rear to get moving, working at home will be very hard on you. You have to be extremely disciplined to sit down at the computer, log in and work each day. There are so many distractions in the home that will pull you away from work if you let them.

Working at home can be lonely. If you thrive on social interaction, working alone can be difficult to adjust to. However, you can ease this by spending time with friends frequently, or joining some online groups to chat with people.

Some employers require you to work a specific set schedule, while others might be more flexible, allowing you to choose your own hours. Give some thought to which type of schedule would work best for you. When I first decided to work at home, I made the mistake of choosing a job that had a rigid schedule, and I hated it! I had forgotten that that was one of the things I disliked about working outside the home - living by someone else's schedule.

So many mothers want to work at home so they can raise their own children, rather than sending them to a daycare. It depends greatly on the ages of your children and what type of work you are doing at home. If you work a telephone job, most employers will require a very quiet background, which is impossible if you have small children. You also can't stop working every few minutes to entertain the kids. There are certainly things you can do to make it easier, like have a neighborhood teenager come in for a few hours to watch your children while you work, or work only when your spouse is home and can keep an eye on the kids.

Right now you're probably thinking, "I don't care what type of work I do, as long as it brings in a paycheck." Like I said, you will need to be extremely self-motivated and self-disciplined to work at home, and your job will be a lot easier if you like what you do! Think about the type of person you are, and the type of work that suits you best. Are you creative and free-spirited, or nose-to-the-grindstone efficient? Give some thought to your "vision" of working at home, and try to find a job (or business) that will complement that.

When some people decide they want to "work at home," they don't want a regular J-O-B at all. What they want is the freedom to set their own schedule and do work they love. It's certainly possible to find those qualities in a job, but it can be difficult. If this describes you, consider starting your own business instead, focusing on your existing talents and abilities. If you don't know much about business but have an interest, start learning! There are so many great resources on the internet today. Write this sentence along the top of the page: I want to work at home because. and then write down as many endings to that sentence as you can think of. If most of your answers have to do with freedom and passionate, fulfilling work, a "job" might not be the best thing for you.

Regardless of what type of work you decide on, understand that working at home can be difficult and challenging. But for most of us who do it, it is also wonderful. I wouldn't trade it for anything! And once you find the right home based career, you will probably feel the same.

More about Working From Home

Working From Home

If you work at home, you know that it's not always a cup of tea. Working from home is definitely not predictable. You will have your good days and, of course without fail, your bad days.

Some of the main opportunities you have working from home are:
• The hours are flexible
• The ability to be your own boss
• The quality time you get to spend with your family

Also, make sure to include the flexibility of taking time off whenever needed, without a lottery list! When the holidays arrive everyone is ready for a break, and you should take full advantage of it. A stress-free Holiday Season with your family will do wonders for your productivity. Just make sure to make all of the necessary arrangements on your sites stating you will be unavailable for a short period of time.

I did have a lot of work and emails waiting for me after the holidays were over...but I didn't let it overwhelm me. I thoroughly enjoyed my time off and as a result, I was able to forge ahead with my business with a new perspective and with new motivation. Along with that came new goals for the New Year.

If you work at any job, home or not, relentlessly without any breaks...you run the risk of burnout and losing your enthusiasm and passion.. That's why working from home gives you the opportunity to step away and rejuvenate yourself and return with a mind that is clear and ready to explore all areas of success. You work hard and therefore deserve a break.

Below are some tips help manage your schedule
• Take an hour for “you” time
• Take a walk
• Take the scenic way to pick up the kids

Remember to always take time to rejuvenate yourself and come back with renewed spirit. This will allow for business growth and revenue.

More Reasons to Work from Home

7 Benefits of Working From Home

(Source: Barry Redfearn)

Times have changed, and technology has changed to give people the opportunity to work at home. People are fed up with the weekly routine of pressing that alarm clock at 7am, 6am or even earlier, dragging themselves out of bed. Trying to find a place to sit in the already over crowed public transport and wary not to be late having to explain to their boss why they were late. Here are some of the benefits of working at home.

1. Cut Out The commute Time.

According to a recent survey the average person in the U.S. spends 51 minutes a day commuting to work. That’s 221 hours a year, or 9.2 days. According to the US Census Bureau, the average commute time varies from state to state. The longest commute time are in the largest cities. New York City residents take an average of 38.4 minutes to get to work each day. Unless you are lucky enough to live in Lancaster County, Nebraska your one way commute is only 15 minutes. This ads up to a lot of time over the space of a year. Working at home cuts out this major headache of that dreary commute to work everyday.

2. Be The Boss. How many times have you complained about your boss behind their back. This is a common occurrence with many people in full time employment. At times you can clash with your boss, and no matter what you do, your boss is never pleased. No more having to meet up to other people’s expectations and deadlines. You set the targets you want to achieve.

3. Spend More Time With Your Family.

With the ever increased pressure in today’s work place. Parents are spending more time at work at less time with their family. This puts pressure on you, the employee and more pressure on the family unit. It is increasingly difficult to get the Work-Life balance correct. Working at home gives you the opportunity to get that balance correct so as it does not interfere with your family life.

4. Get Rewarded For The Work You Do.

When you work at home you determine the financial reward you receive in relation to the effort you put in. As an employee you make money for your employer. When you work for some else the money you make goes into someone else’s pocket. You can change this when working at home.

5. Tax Benefits. Working at home turns your normal family home into an office. This means that you can deduct normal house expenses. You can also deduct travel and local transportation expenses. Other deductions include software, books, subscriptions, telephone services, insurance and retirement plans. You can even deduct against the depreciation of your home.

6. Hours Are Flexible.

The traditional 9-5 daily routine restricts what you would really like to do. Many employers stand quite firm over working hours and often if working hours are breached, can often end in disciplinary action. Working at home lifts this constraint and gives you the option of living the life you want to live, the way you want to live it.

7. Less Stress.

25% of employees view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives and 75% of employees believe the worker has more on-the-job stress than a generation ago. Working at home reduces the amount of stress that is normally associated with working for someone else. Stress can make you feel physically sick, that is why so many working days are lost to stress in today’s environment.

Home Based Career Discussion Board