Possible money-makers for chronics

[Jody]

This subject has come up a few times from some of you and it has been an issue for me as well throughout my illness.

I have only a few suggestions and of course they are not going to work for everyone. So much depends on how sick a person is and what resources and talents they have.

Nevertheless, we must start somewhere.

Some things my husband and I have done over the years --

We had a boarder for a year or so, a boyfriend of one of our daughters who needed a cheap place to stay. He paid $240 a month, which paid for house space and his meals. He also helped Alan out with house repairs and maintenance and with our beaters (cars).

Al did some work on the net, in site promotion, building websites, and troubleshooting for people's computer breakdowns.

He also did some car repairs for people, though this was very arduous for him because of the FM. But at least he could work around needed naptimes and downtimes in this.

A little babysitting by me for neighbours. Couldn't do alot of it but a little helped with groceries.

I did some proofreading for someone's children's books, made a couple hundred dollars there over time. Again, I could do it during clear patches and could work around my ups and downs.

For a short time I tutored a couple of kids in their reading. Didn't last long, I was too sick but it brought in a few bucks some years ago.

Al did some driving for some friends who needed someone to drive their kids to different classes and activities. They covered gas and kicked in $5 - $20 for his time.

I have done some knitting of scarves for the local foodbank. That is for free but a person could do this and make some money if they so desired. It gives you something to do if you knit and are up to it, and something to show for your time (I found that therapeutic) and some money could be made. Advertise and sell from home, or have someone sit at a booth at a craft fair if you are not up to it. These involve some money upfront but it is a possibility for some. Ditto making jewelry and such.

Housesitting? Dunno, maybe for some.

I started doing some freelancing on the net recently. It has not brought in a lot of money but last month I made $120 and if you have a computer, there is no overhead or money required upfront. PayPal is my friend.

That's all I can think of right now.

Anybody else got ideas to pass along?

 

[Angel]

freelancing

Hi Jody:

What type of freelancing would that be?

 

[Victoria]

Great Ideas

Jodi,

I thought your ideas were brilliant.

Not appropriate for me as I'm single, renting a ground floor small apartment & do not have a car.

All my energy - mental & physical - goes in to my Monday-Friday job.

Weekends I do the absolute minimum of housework (sometimes none at all), washing & ironing (my winter clothese don't need ironing thank goodness) & shopping (a bus to the local market with my shopping trolley - I can't carry shopping, but I can push my shopping trolley easily despite a heavy load).

I particularly liked your idea of a boarder. An inexpensive option for the boarder & a potential "helper" for you & your Husband.

I used to sketch & paint many years ago (extremely well so all my friends & family thought). Last year, in a fit of inspiration, I thought about doing some sort of hand painted chest/cabinet/stool things (ie. creating my own home business of some kind - all at a pace I could manage). I managed to draw a (Tibetan) inspired folk design design on a light freestanding cabinet in my kitchen. But then discovered I could not keep my hand steady enough to paint the design. I felt shattered, since I was reknown for my creativity & ability to turn my hand to beautiful tapestry, art & making homewares many years ago.
I also discovered my eyesight was too poor to make out the fine details.

But still, maybe there are many CFS/FM people who have hidden artistic talents, they have never thought of exploring.

And even cooking..............

People, leading busy lives, operate on conveniece food or dining out. But if one could manage to cook tasty recipes that don't require too much repetitious arm/shoulder movement, there must be a market out there somewhere (catering in a small way of course - one couldn't spend hours standing or slaving over a hot stove).

I am an excellent cook, but keep it very, very simple these days.

How about some home made chutneys/jams. A friend could assist with the bottle filling. And a creative friend could assist with handmade labels. You could form a group - all with different skills & levels of physical ability. I have trouble doing repetitious movement for any length of time, especially my left shoulder which was broken some years ago, & the tendons in my right hand get very painful by the end of the working week, typing & doing data entry.

So, how about a "group" actively working together to help each other.

Victoria

 

[Cort]

At some point (I swear) we are going to have a Yellow Pages or Classified Ads or something for ME/CFS patients on the website where they can advertise their wares and/or services; hopefully we can all support each other. It'll be interesting to see how people are getting by. I'm sure there are many innovative people out there doing different things.

We need to find niches where ill people can do work at their own pace and make at least some money. Not an easy task for sure.

 

[Cort]

I'll be the answer lies in something like Victoria's chutneys; kind of niche items not readily available elsewhere that people may be willing to pay a bit more for.

If you got enough going you could even try to brand them - the CFS something or other. Of course I'm sure its not easy to do! I can see something like CFS products for CFS patients; support ME/CFS patients buy X.

You could even conceivably open up a little store on the website. (Always thinking big!)

It'll be interesting to see how much attention this discussion gets. Once I saw the title I just jumped right over here.

By the way you have the means to start a 'Group' in this Forum; you get a space where you can post idea's, pictures, have discussions, etc.

 

[Angel]

work from home

Victoria, your ideas are good too. I get a ton of phenomenal ideas to earn money from home - - all of them legal...

but, I never have the energy to follow through. Am I seeing that you experience that also?

Also, I rarely do any type of crafts anymore, as repetitive motions, or working with my arms causes several pain, weakness or nerve problems in the neck, arms, hands and low back.

Tilting my head down, like writing a check, or working on a needlepoint, or painting can quickly cause a headache or a migraine.

Reading a computer screen can be a problem too, as can typing.

 

[Cort]

A Group

By the way you can start a 'Group' using the Forum package; you get a space where you can post idea's, pictures, have discussions, etc.

 

[Jody]

Wonderful to see all these posts here!

I didn't know if this thread would take, but looks like it did.

Cort,

Good idea about getting cfs into the labels. Or maybe Chronic Jam or something.

Victoria,

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

That is sad that you found you couldn't finish your art as you'd hoped. But perhaps these abilities may come back. I used to write and proofread and write reviews on the net (mostly for free back then) before I crashed the big one, and thought I would never be able to do it again, for 6 yrs. But I have made a comeback, small so far, but I am optimistic.

And group stuff is always a good idea. What one can't do alone, people working together can bring in their different abilities and do amazing things.

Angel,

I have been writing online for pay for a few different sites. One has run out of projects, one was a site I wasn't comfortable with after awhile but I am writing articles for a site called EduBook.com, who pay me $5 per 500 word articles. Not great pay by any means, but I find I can write one a day and they have accepted them all so far. They give me the titles and I write articles to go with them.

I also was writing articles for EmpowHer.com, a women's health website. These were not for pay, but they give me some exposure for my website Ncubator.ca, and my blog, and that is valuable to me. Also, they were the first people outside of my family and my town's shopkeepers who I have had dealings with in a long time and the editor has been very nice to me. She has been very encouraging about my writing and I soak it up like a sponge.

I have been contributing an article or two (off my own website) to EmpowHer every week for 3 months now, and last week they offered me a paying gig, writing 8 articles a month on topics specified, for $250 a month, starting next month. I was over the moon.

If anyone is interested in checking out this type of work, I know of different writers' lists and forums, etc. where you can find potential employment. And though I don't have much experience yet I am happy to share anything I've learned about this biz.

 

[Jody]

Reading a computer screen can be a problem too, as can typing.

Since I started writing on the net, I have had a sore right shoulder, and a stiff neck. And sometimes my right arm (which was quite punky and swollen 2 yrs ago) gives me problems. I try to break up my computer time (not as much as I should, the old driven Jody is trying to reappear and I have to keep her under my heel so's to stay halfways healthy) to relieve it and also sometimes take the laptop off my desk and put it on the bed beside me.

My daughter used to use her laptop on her bed, with the computer sitting on a pillow like a little desk. I have started doing that and that changes up the muscles being (over) used somewhat.

 

[Angel]

edubook

Hi JOdy:
Yes, I find that very interesting.

Your web site is very nice. It looks as if you have put a lot of work into it.

I'll have to do more research about the edubook.

 

[Jody]

Thanks Angel.

I started Ncubator 3 months ago, and I started it as therapy, really, and also thinking if some of the articles were any good, they could be a portfolio of sorts for writing.

As to EduBook, go for it.

The link is http://www.edubook.com/

 

[Jody]

By the way you can start a 'Group' using the Forum package; you get a space where you can post idea's, pictures, have discussions, etc.

Cort,

This point is clearly very important to you. You have posted it twice.

 

[Tammie]

Jody re proofreading

I just skimmed the rest of this - cannot stay online very long and have already been on too long - but I saw that you said that you have done some proofreading. That is one of the very few things that I have been considering as maybe still possible for me to do. So, how do you go about finding this kind of work? Is it online or not? Is there any certain amt of work that you have to complete in any certain time frame? Is there anything else that I should know about it?

 

[Jody]

Hi Tammie,

Welcome to the forums.

There is work online. I haven't gotten any yet that is specifically proof reading but it's out there.

There is also online work copywriting, and article writing, blog writing, etc. I belong to a writer's list that comes out once or twice a week.

This is Anne Wayman's website --

http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/

You should be able to find an e-newsletter there that you can subscribe to that will send you lists of job opportunities. I have found some work through this.

She also has a writer's forums you can join. Should find the link to it on her website.

Here is a link I have not used but it is highly recommended by a few people on Anne's forums.

http://www.odesk.com/jobs?g=

 

[Tammie]

Jody

Thanks for the welcome and the info! I very much appreciate it.

 

[Jody]

Tammie,

I wish you good luck with it.

I don't have alot of experience yet, but what I have you are welcome to draw on. And there are other writers here who have much more experience than me.

 

[MEG]

Work from home

I have a voc rehab counsellor but he hasn't really come up with anything. I really need to contribute money to our household so we can keep our home...we pinch pennies.
One suggestion of his was medical transcription. But you need to be able to type 50-75 words a minute. My brain doesn't work that fast anymore, bit it may for others. Good money.

I make soap and natural bath products. My husband helps me. I don't know how to market them though. I need to sell a fair amount as "all natural" products are expensive to make and the bath products have a six month or so shelf life. Maybe I could use this site, with Cort's suggestions and help.

I also like the idea of a boarder. We have room downstairs for maybe a college student...something to think about. They would have to be the "quiet" type as I don't tolerate much commotion anymore UGH

Let's keep the idea's coming as I am sure I am not the only person who has gone from riches to rags...Oh, this illness...UGH again!

 

[Angel]

voc rehab

hi Marian:
I wonder if your Voc Rehab counselor could find a software program that would allow you to talk your words and it would type on the screen, something like dragon speak. That way you wouldn't have to type it all;.

 

[MEG]

Possible money makers

EXCELLENT IDEA...I am a Registered nurse, so I don't need training in medical terminology...if I could "speak' the transcription, I would be all set. I am going to email him right now. Thank you for the wonderful idea! I hadn't even thought of that!

 

[Angel]

Dragon Speak software

If it works, let me know because I need to supplement the income too. My wrists are so sore right now from too much driving, more computer typing is not a good idea.
Typing on a computer is an instant pain in the neck, shoulders, arms, etc. even to the point of numbness.
There is an office supply catalog called organix that sells office equipment for disabilities.
I have their desk which is electric. MOst of my time at this computer is done while standing up. But, when I've had enough standing, I push the button and the whole desk goes down to where ever I want it. It allows me to be on the computer longer with less strain.