has anyone discovered work that we can do

[Aerose91]

I no longer have a choice- I have to find a part time job. The medical bills have piled up too far and I have to put my health in the back burner for a while as the collection agencies are becoming overwhelming.

I am in the process of applying for disability but a) I know this will be a long process and b) my doctor charges me to send in the paperwork so I can't afford to have them do it at this time anyway.

I am very disabled though- can't stand up much and have severe PEM. Has anyone discovered any part time work from home? Something that doesn't require a set schedule? I'm not looking to buy a house here- just begin to pay down some of my debt and be able to see my doctor again.

 

[Martial]

Web program, Web Design, Free lance work, data entry from home, telephone marketing, lots of opportunities in home based jobs because of the power of the Web, You just need to learn how to use coding, or get very good in your own niche' and try and make some income off of it. There are many options in that regard but it does take a certain degree of learning.

 

[Aerose91]

That's stuff that I thought of but I know absolutely nothing about coding and with my brain in the state it's in learning is really tough. I'm a biology based person (personal trainer, nutritionist) but I need to learn something tech based

 

[Martial]

How bout working a blog for training and nutrition info, and then making money off of giving people the ability to make adds on your blog? It takes while to start making money and get enough traffic, however there is great potential once it moves along! Some people can make a full time income off of it.

Beyond that I would say some kind of commision based jobs with referrals would work well from home. My friend is part of a company that does this, he makes about 5-10,000 a month but is WAY up there in the company.. I do know that some people can make 600 a month residuals pretty easily if they work hard enough though, much more growth beyond that but only if you keep making new sales.. Its Multi Level Marketing though so wasn't too big of a fan myself. If you were interested though check it out on google or youtube, its called Wake Up Now. If it seems appealing to you I could give you my friends number.

Other then those types of things I am not sure, but there seems to be plenty other things.. How bout working photo shop and logo design and the like? You could make 500 dollars a pop on company based jobs, sometimes much more. Remember though health is always first, though making an income can be useful please don't over stress yourself!

 

[WillowJ]

That's stuff that I thought of but I know absolutely nothing about coding and with my brain in the state it's in learning is really tough. I'm a biology based person (personal trainer, nutritionist) but I need to learn something tech based

I think the main things I can think of related to your field that could be done part time from home is tutoring (but that would have a schedule or hours commitment) or writing (but that's hard to make money at, especially at first).

However as @Martial said, there are generic things that one can do part time from home, if health permits. (e.g. data entry, transcription, sales calls). You would know whether these would be things you could do

Just of course as I'm sure you know already, be sure to go through a reputable source, when finding specific jobs.

Another option that might be helpful: there are a number of government and nonprofit programs to help people pay medical bills.

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/managing-high-medical-bills-32221-2.html

http://answers.usa.gov/system/templ...tal/1012/article/2712/Help-with-Medical-Bills

This one is NY specific but illustrative:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/opinion/help-with-medical-bills.html

If you don't have insurance, keep in mind that many hospitals and clinics typically bill higher or exorbitantly higher than they actually expect to get paid. If you can find the right kind of advocate, you might get your bills cut to similar to what an insurance company would pay.

Of course, if you have insurance I understand it could still be the coinsurance/ deductible that is the problem.

It's difficult to get disability without a steady stream of doctor visits (from a doctor who understands the impact your illness has on your life).

 

[Thinktank]

@Martial, I agree with your first paragraph but it's not that easy anymore to start a successful online business unless you know the ins and outs of marketing/SEO/SEM or are a very creative person. Things have changed a lot in the past few years.While in the past you could just do a lot of link building etc. to get a top position in the search engines nowadays that's much harder. The focus has been shifted to quality, creativity and uniqueness. Besides that almost every niche has become very competitive.

Freelance writing would be another possibility but then again there are so many people who already do that. You first have to build a portfolio with lots of good ratings before you receive any of the better jobs.
Don't forget the learning curve to copywriting, there's a whole (psychological) science behind it that requires creativity and lots of practice. It takes hours and hours to master copywriting.

Graphic design has a big learning curve as well. There are Indians, Filipinos etc. offering logo design for $5 a piece.
To receive $500 per logo you need to have a professional design studio with lots of experience.

My advice to aerose91 is to start a blog or membership-based website on something you are passionate about. If you write and build a blog on something you love then it's much easier to maintain it. You could expand it with e-commerce, affiliate offers, ebooks / your own product creations etc.
Team up with someone experienced in online marketing and split the profits so you don't have to focus on that part. Do joint-ventures with other blogs / websites. Outsource the things that take up too much time. etc. etc.

A small but yet successful health blog in an untapped niche is www.thelowhistaminechef.com. The author is/was a professional journalist with a mast cell disorder / histamine intolerance. She loves writing about her condition to educate others. Because of her writing style and dedication her website attracts a lot of visitors and links from other blogs / websites. Profits are made from ebooks and probably affiliate offers.
Something like this can be started in almost any health niche but it takes time and effort to build something of good quality. Like with any online business don't expect to get rich in a day but eventually it will pay off and you will not have to work as hard like when doing freelance work. The more money you make the more you can outsource and the less time you have to spend on it.

 

[rwac]

@Aerose91
Maybe you can tutor biology online ?
I teach math on tutor.com and you don't have to work to a schedule if you don't want to.
PM me for more info.

 

[Valentijn]

I no longer have a choice- I have to find a part time job. The medical bills have piled up too far and I have to put my health in the back burner for a while as the collection agencies are becoming overwhelming.

Will a job you could handle make you enough money to pay off the bills? If not, it might be necessary to consider declaring bankruptcy.

 

[Sushi]

@Aerose91

Don't forget the possibility of writing featured articles here (if you are a writer and attracted to doing this sort of thing). There is sometimes a small fee paid out to the writers here and you would be contributing to the well-being of other patients.

Sushi

 

[Ondine Ly]

Is there a local farmers or craft market near you? One of my main problems with trying to still bring in some income is that my cognitive function is so shot to bits that I can no longer do any of the type of work I used to before I got Sick. Learning new skills I,d love to do but have a comedy relationship with trying to study or read beyond 15 mins on a good day i forget what I,ve read after most paragraphs so never really make progress!

I do get moments and sometimes days of great clarity but it's nothing dependable so have had to turn to my more practical side, which has been a challenge due to the array of physical symptoms.

I,ve tried many things along the way since I left what was once my career and I have now settled at a level of self employment that gives me complete control of my hours. I paint and have managed to get my work in local galleries, and in my own time was able to translate my art graphically onto jewellery and get a stall at the local farmers market, once a week for 3 hours but when the tourists hit town it's a good income and something I can do if I feel up to it or not if I,m having a bad day/week/month!

I also capitalise on my healthy eating regime by growing extra wheatgrass and sprouted seeds that I sell locally and this summer will be setting out a table outside my house to sell any excess veg that I grow. It's taken me years to get there but have had to adapt, look at any skills you have or use around the house and maybe try and extend them in some way to be able to sell something that will bring in some money. Not sure if this is of any use or makes sense, writing through the fog but it's slightly different from looking at online work...

Good luck.

 

[Aerose91]

These are all great ideas, thank you. I was just trying to feel others out and see what you do for money.

@Valentijn
I definitely won't be able to earn enough money to pay my bills off, I just need to give them something at this point to prevent further debt and then repo-ing my car. Just something to keep them happy

 

[barbc56]

@Aerose91

I am a former teacher. Since there are some days I am feeling relatively better, I looked into substitute teaching. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to teach. I have private disability which in every other aspect is wonderful. I can make a certain amount of money doing other jobs.

Before getting ill, I did tutor both privately and for a place that offers tutoring to students. The advantage of the latter was that prepared lesson plans were given to you. Something I did not particuarily want then as I like preparing my own lesson plans but might be easier now.

The reality is that presently and even then, I most likely would not be able to handle subbing but it might be an option for others

I'm not sure what country you live in, but in the US the Americans with Disabilities act is taken seriously. There is a related governmental office for jobs close by to me but tbh, the jobs are most likely selling something, cold calling, which is not lucrative by any means.

Even with the ADA, government disability is a long process and the money sucks.

Good luck and may your disability be approved quickly.

Barb

 

[*GG*]

Will a job you could handle make you enough money to pay off the bills? If not, it might be necessary to consider declaring bankruptcy.

I declared bankruptcy about 2 years ago, my credit is already on its way to being rebuilt! Bankruptcy will likely cost you at least 1K, but probably less than 2 k? I had lots of CC debt, wish I had pulled the trigger sooner, but glad I did it!

GG

PS You rebuild your credit with a secured credit card easily, I was given this info by my attorney.

 

[SickOfSickness]

It is not income, but since you need quicker money: selling things you can spare on Craigslist or eBay. You can always rebuy them when you get disability payments. Friends, family, and neighbors may give you things they don't use if you ask.

 

[taniaaust1]

That's stuff that I thought of but I know absolutely nothing about coding and with my brain in the state it's in learning is really tough. I'm a biology based person (personal trainer, nutritionist) but I need to learn something tech based

Its very hard (and stressful) to learn new stuff with our brains.. so maybe it would be better if you stuck with something you know if you can.

Seeing you have nutrition and personal trainer stuff behind you.. why not try acting as an online advisor or support person for people trying to loose weight or get healthier. There is probably a lot of places you could advise this kind of service. Ebay has a services area (and I think one can advertise so many times free per month... but maybe there are other better places you could advertise.

.................

One thing I looked at and really was considering as its an easy source of cash is pet sitting for one of the pet holiday agencies eg http://www.petsittersstl.com/

.I was surprised just how much pet sitting agencies are paying people to temporary look after dogs.. One I looked at was something like $60-90 a week (australian) pay to look after a dog and the animal comes with all the things it needs so you dont have to buy a thing at all. Two dogs $130? .. and the price goes up with each one.. All you have to do is feed them, have a yard for them and allow them to sleep inside at night. If you cant take them for a walk.. having a ball or stick throwing session to exercise them will do just as well or just requesting to take the dogs in which dont need much exercising (elderly dogs)

The good thing about that is one can choose how long one wants to do this (whether one just wants to take dog for overnight,weekend or longer) and also get to choose what dogs you will take.. (small, medium, large) or whatever ..and they usually do a meet and greet first too make sure that you will be is comfortable with that animal. (of cause this all depends on the agency one is doing it for) Anyway..this is easy and basically a person is earning without having to do much at all.
...........

Im currently trialing an idea in growing rare plants and selling them, Ive not a clue how that is going to do, Im just trying different things. I have a few pots Im trying to grow some seeds in. I noticed some plants can sell for crazy prices if one can get some seeds to grow. Today I got all excited as I noticed one of my rare strawberry seeds has grown (its actually come up early) and the seedling has 4 tiny leaves (even if that is the only one out of the 10 seeds I had grows throu Im expecting some other to come up too, Im still excited as it will produce strawberries in which I can grow more rare ones. The seeds in these strawberries are usually sold for $1 per seed and of cause seeds are very easy to post!!

When I wasnt as sick.. I used to save quite a bit of money by growing some easy things out in my garden. I grew my own garlic, tomatoes, parsely, mint etc.. I ended up selling excess to neighbours (neighbours can prefer nice fresh stuff to the shop brought veg). One can set up a quite easy not requiring much care garden bed using non dig methods with a barrier and compost (I have a big tractor tyre I grow things in) and put in a water system on a timer so it doesnt take much effort. (I havent currently got the house Im in now set up like that but I will get there some day and hopefully at least be saving myself money by growing many of my veg again).

...

Im also studying currently how ebay sellers make money.. eg studying the wholesale areas and then watching how people split that up and resell in the general area. I saw today people getting something for about 50c and reselling for $10 each. (im not confident enough yet to do that and my computer hates ebay as it jams up but I should be getting a better computer in the next few months so will probably try my hand at doing that on ebay myself).

 

[golden]

Thats very interesting T1.

I have not been able to translate internet stuff into cash yet (apart from getting my friend to womble asda receipts for me - i made 25 pounds this week hee hee)

I have looked into the animal holidays and this is a good option i believe. Barking or relieving their boredom or anxiety could be a problem depending on how ill you are - but i would do this if it wasnt for my own animals as i have a lot of love to give

I am doing garden stuff atm. Creating a sensory garden again as it went a derelict

My cats went on strike and we have a few rats - until i gave them some cosmic catnip... They are back at work again now

I was interested in a farmer down South UK - Devon maybe who made his riches growing and selling black garlic.

I think its a gourmet food that all the chefs in London squeal for. (we here just went yuk!)

But this area fascinated me - bonsai is too long - rare plants sound good! I also was very inspired by your pond in a bucket idea i read a while ago...

I learned amazon and a new forum last month (finally) - facebook and the likes i dont understand and is too much -

But ebay i will try and get my head around - o never really credited is as a viable option before really...

One ebay success seller was saying how she would buy like five items from the pound shop and sell for more but include a personalised delivery service was her USP...

She too would buy a lot of stock too when sge grew her business.

Good Luck to us all

 

[redviper]

Search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, pay per click (PPC) advertising and online content writing are all different up and coming sectors that offer remote employment opportunities.

Online training programs like Moz and Distilled (see links below) can provide you with a good foundation for SEO and other similar activities. More importantly, you can go through all the material at your own pace. Be warned though, it's a subject matter area that takes hundreds of hours of studying and practical application before you can really get a grasp on it, so it's definitely a challenge. If you have any questions or want to discuss these topics further, feel free to shoot me a message.

http://moz.com/learn/seo

https://www.distilled.net/u/

 

[taniaaust1]

I also was very inspired by your pond in a bucket idea i read a while ago...

I havent actually given up on that idea and still do have it in mind to try too. One of my plants in my pond has grown like crazy so Ive got a lot of excess of that right now (enough excess to do about 4 bucket gardens if I had other plants to go with it so I'd look good). I also just got a new waterlilly from one of the two miniture ones I have in my pond (they shoot off at times and if one plants that shoot back down into the pot, it goes good roots and leaves).

So considering plants only went into my pond right at the end of last year or start of this year.. they are actually going well. At least we dont have to worry about watering pond plants!

I still have to work out a lot more fast growing pond plants for that bucket water garden idea (maybe by not the coming xmas but the one after, I may of worked out the plants and have enough excess ones to sell a couple of beautiful pond bucket gardens).

I'm interested in trying aquatic food plants too, probably be a lot easier then going out of pond vegetables?

 

[nokmax76]

To answer the OP: In terms of clearing debts quickly, ebay or some type of cash converter/pawn shop may be your best option if you have sellable stuff. And if you look online, you'll be suprised just what is sellable. Many of the pawn shop's around me in the UK use ebay as a guide for buying anyway so you can check prices and then haggle.

I used to sell on ebay. Due to it's automated processess of alerts, reminders, invoices and packing labels it was the one thing I felt I could do with my "housebound cognition" and I mainly enjoyed it. Never made any decent money of course but for a while I felt like I had value in the world again.

The strain came from taking photos, writing descriptions, setting prices, packaging and posting. But there is a lot of help here too, especially with online door-to-door couriers. Eventually, I had to give up because I used to crash after each bout of packing (and watching my own auctions played hell on my nerves!) but it could be an option as op isn't looking to make a full-on living from it.

Perhaps a longer-term online selling option for OP and many others on here may be dropshipping?

For those that don't know, drop shipping is a retail method in which the seller doesn't keep products in stock. Instead, they partner with a wholesale supplier that stocks its own inventory. The retailer transfers customer orders and shipment details to the supplier, and they ship the goods directly to the customer. The biggest benefit of drop shipping is the seller doesn't have to worry about fulfillment or inventory issues. A huge relief for guys like us.

Also, most customers don't know the seller is drop shipping, since "private label shipping" lets a retailer ship from the wholesaler with a return address and invoice customized to the sellers ecommerce store. Many, many sellers on ebay dropship which is one reason why they are able to offer free postage. For those in the UK "The Trader" magazine ( I'm sure they have a free website) is a good place to look for suplliers.

There are a few problems of course. You have to find a decent supplier/s and build a relationship with them, there are set-up costs involved in starting any online store, even an ebay one, you will have to arrange a percentage payment with the supplier and there is the problem of dealing with customer complaints for an item you may never have even seen.

The few customer complaints I used to get on ebay as a private seller wiped me out and the thought of having to ring round to chase orders plus the other negs completely put me off dropshipping. But I am not any you guys. If I were, I'd be much, much more handsome

I hope that has helped someone, if not the OP. I think I have an ebay newbie's selling guide somewhere. It was sent to me by a friend and if IIRC it was pretty good. I'll post it if I can find it, or some links later.