Five Part-Time Careers That Won't Take Over Normal Life

I've been looking into doing something else part-time. I'm a writer by trade and also work part-time with a fantastic retreat center doing their marketing work. While both are fulfilling, it's tricky to try to balance all that time in front of the computer with a little guy who wants my attention. So what kind of work could I do with kid in tow?

Enter Plan B.

I'm not exactly sure what Plan B is yet, only that it's lingering somewhere on my horizon, ready to come into my life in the near future. While brainstorming I came up with the following list. Maybe one or more will be helpful for you: you don't have to be a part-time working-at-home parent to reap the benefits of one of these side jobs. With the economy the way it is and the price of just about everything going up, many of us could use a little financial boost right about now.

Plan B: Part-Time Career Options

Vintage re-sale I had a small shop out of my house once that was fun--love, love, love thrifting and sniffing out the best possible deals, then cleaning up the merchandise and finding a lovely new home for it.

At-home bakery I love to bake: bread especially. Wouldn't it be fun to bake and sell bread and other healthy, homemade treats to share with people in your community?

Cut flower and herb business This seems like an easy one, once you get the plants up and growing. It's probably not a huge money maker, but might help pay a miscellaneous dental bill.

Dog walking/pet sitting Not sure if this is much of an option for me at present, but it would work out nicely for someone else who worked out of their home. Many full-time employees would love to know that Fido got some exercise and fresh air during the day, rather than staying cooped up in a crate or the guest room.

Teaching This is one I'm really interested in: I'd love to teach writing classes, mixed media art workshops or do-it-yourself type seminars. Or maybe even one on frugal living?

What are some of your ideas? Have you ever tried a part-time business and if so, what was it?

Hello. Again.

Erm, okay. I've heard of other bloggers taking a little hiatus. It's easy sometimes, to get caught up in other things and let the blog world disappear for a little while. But seriously: three years? That's a loooong time.

Hopefully when you found out I've had a baby during that time, moved, and have been dedicating much time and energy to my writing career, you'll cut me some slack.



Seriously? I've missed blogging terribly. But on the other hand, I've also been trying to scale back--particularly with technology. It's very easy to get swept up in the maelstorm of the high-tech world and forget things like, oh, real life.

Anyway, here I am, beginning again. Hope you'll join me as we look at ways to save money, do-it-yourself, and discover frugal and old-fashioned ways to add more joy, self-sufficiency and contentment into your life.

Renaissance Soul? Or Simply Scattered?

Photo courtesy of Amazon

Those who know me, know I have a myriad of interests. All of them varied, few overlapping. I love learning new things about preventative health and how our mind/body systems work together. I love to learn about healthy new foods and how to prepare them. I love to make un-cooked and cooked meals. I love to bake. I love to garden, compost, and raise my chickens. I love making junky stuff into art. I love to see great movies and spend time in the great outdoors. I love photography and want to learn more about it.

I also love big cities like NYC and Montreal and traveling and being in quiet solitude in the country. I've always wanted to learn to play a stringed musical instrument. I want to learn to Irish step dance and make quality jewelry. I love sushi (minus the fish!) and a simple meal of bread, cheese and apples (which I can't eat anymore).

My point is, my interests and tastes are varied, and often opposite. Sometimes I think I have multiple personality disorder, other times I think I'm just interested in a lot of stuff. There are so many causes and missions and good works I believe in--sometimes it's hard to decide who to support with my time and money.

Years ago, when I was searching for my "dream job," I read this book, "Renaissance Souls". I remember loving it because finally I felt like I wasn't the only person out there who felt this way. I guess it's either that I'm truly a Renaissance soul, or that I suffer from ADD, either is a strong possibility.

Creative rush(es)

Finally, FINALLY, I took some time to play with my vintage jewelry stash. I've never been interested in making jewelry. I've tried it once before and my interest lasted, oh, about two weeks. Part of it was that there is so many choices to make: earrings or a necklace? Pearl or wire? Beads? What color/shape/size? How do I attach everything? It can be a little overwhelming.

Another part is that it can get expensive buying all the findings, pendants, books on beading, etc. And of course, there was the whole patience thing. I'm not a very patient person though I'm striving to be. Working with itsy bitsy pieces and beads that want to go one way when I want them to go another isn't very relaxing.

Re-purposing old stuff though, that's something I'm good at.

So, I decided to try my hand at making recycled pieces of jewelry and wow, did I have fun! In fact, I worked on my two projects all weekend, on and off between diaper changes and book reading and running errands and talking with my hubby. It's sort of addictive. It's very fun. And it's a creative, inexpensive outlet that I can feel good about.

I'm donating part of all the proceeds I make from sales at my Etsy shop to Shared Hope International, an organization working to end sex trafficking around the world.

If you're interested in re-purposing old jewelry into new creations, I'd highly recommend, "Vintage Redoux," which my lovely parents gave me recently for my birthday. Though I'm not good at following directions, I like to look at the pictures and get ideas for my own projects. And there is a "techniques" section at the end that is helpful.

Lovin' the Body Shop

(Banner from www.ecpat.net)

I love companies who do more than just sell stuff. Businesses who have more than a "what can I get from this?" approach are my favorites and the ones that I try to frequent most often. Why don't more companies and businesses realize that when you do good things, donate to good causes, and take care of others it will improve not only your bottom line but your popularity in the world at large? Good karma, good will--whatever you call it, it's good for business.


Take the Body Shop for example. One of their most recent campaigns is raising awareness about one of my passions, something that I advocate strongly for and hold an annual fundraiser to raise money and awareness about: ending sex trafficking.


Right now the Body Shop is holding a "STOP Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People" campaign. Find out more about it and how to join here.

Gluten/Dairy/Sugar-free blog

I love, love, love this blog I found. It offers great resources, delicious recipes which are gluten, dairy and sugar-free, and has lots of great "food for thought" (pun intended!). Check it out when you have time.

Have a little fun

This is one of those "old to new" projects I was talking about. I made this art skirt a couple of years ago as a final project for an art class. The project had to be a 3-D piece, and I think it had to incorporate a few different elements--this project uses paint, fabric, and ink.

Here's another shot:

And one more: