Does anyone work from home or have any ideas??

my sister used to sell stuff on e-bay when she was having some health problems...

i wouldn't mind that but my dh would have a cow! he hates "junk" :cp

i have thought of raising dogs, we live in the country so it would be a possibility here.

takes an investment and is not like a weekly paycheck tho... i personally would have to do a LOT of homework first.

i will be watching this post, hopefully for some better advice! i am not working either.

good luck blueocean, hope you feel better SOON!

When you are self employed, half of the amount you pay in SS is returned on the first page of the 1040 under adjustments to income "One half self-employment tax."

Also there are huge deductions for all kinds of things depending you what you do.

What I do primarily is quality child care. I do full time and had help when I could hardly work. I didn't end up making much but I got tax breaks because I have two children.

Before and after school care is an option. Also part-time or a sub at a day care center. The kids couldn't usually tell how foggy I was. I have a degree in ed so this is up my alley.

Other ideas for part time work. Elder care. I have my grandparents will me and always have a list of people to come over and "sit" with them and make dinner or whatever. The going rate is $10.00 hour.

Driving/shopping for elders. They often need rides to doctors.

Dog sitting, I do it in my home on week-ends, for friends with nice dogs. People are grateful and willing to pay for their dog to be with a family.

Real estate management. I clean up and paint between tenents.(maybe once a year, my choice) It hurts when I hurt, but the exercise is good for healing. I'm usually alone and do it at night or on the week-end.

Tutoring, need clear brain for this. It was too taxing for me.

Odd jobs, if you are handy. People and elders often need help with things like putting in AC units and storm windows or cleaning gutters.

Think out of the box. Think of services people need/want and don't like to or can't do themselves.

Good luck

There are some good suggestions here.

It depends on how much this condition has affected you.

I have tried just walking 10 minutes each day every day. That has not worked yet.

I have tried reading just 10 minutes every day. That has not worked yet.

I went to an interview for a local Starbucks that was opening up. I really wanted to feel productive again.

I found I could fill out about 3 lines of the application...need to rest....fill out 3 more lines...rest, etc.

It was very frustrating on one hand...but I also learned that I could fill out the application if I took it slow and easy.

I thought that perhaps they might have something behind the scenes in an office that I could do sitting down for very short times.

They didn't. It was standing on the feet, multi tasking. Something I am not able to do yet.

I also have been trying to just get well enought to volunteer at the local school one hour 3 times a week or once a week for that matter or once a month for an hour.

I find that I have periods of time where this just might work. But, then I am down for several months too.

I know there is something. I just haven't found out what it is yet.

I signed up with TriVita hoping I would make enough to pay for my own supplements. My goal was to send out postcards from the company once a month.

This last year, I think I have met that goal 4 out of the 11 months. Sometimes I can address several post cards at a sitting. Other times, it is just too difficult to do one. So strange.

I started a support group for my area. I just wanted to see if I could make it to a meeting once a month.

That is hit and miss also. Sometimes I am almost normal for an hour. Other times, I can't even get to the meeting place.

Whatever I find to do...it needs to be something very flexible.

I continue to believe it will help my health if I could find something I could be productive at and do just a little bit each week or day.

I also find it easier said than done and difficult to accept the limitations.

I have found that I can lie here and use the keyboard to communicate. I am able to stop and close my eyes and rest when needed.

I am able to do this if I am drawing from my mind and not typing from a paper.

When I visited my parents, there was an office that all I needed to do was bring in the item and they would set everything up for it to be sold on Ebay.

I thought that would work very well. They would even package and ship it. Great service for a person with lyme.

I just need to find things to sell now.

And a way to get them to my parents so they can take them in.

I watch Oprah. HA! I know that people have had things turn around for them and businesses take off big time.

Jobs that are part time with pensions are few, but exist. I had one when I first got married.

If you do work from home, you can self contribute to social security. I believe it is about $14 on every $100.

You could also start an annuity and use it as a pension plan. I have one I can contribute to whenever and how often I like with a low $10 minimum. At retirement I will get $60 a month for every $10,0000 invested for 15 years. Not a bad deal.

Think I'm kidding? Well, I'm not. It is VERY lucrative, believe it or not.

The reason I signed up was because of my sister's friends - they are making EASILY $300 a week profit (you get 50% commission on what you sell).

The products do sell themselves and are so much cheaper then department store cosmetics. I have loved MK stuff for years now.

And there are so many ways to advertise. Give out free samples with a brochure and your card to people you meet (like waiting forever in the doctors office/vetinary/dentist office). Put free samples in a basket at relatives'/friends' office bathrooms w/brochures and your cards (or have them take little gift bags from the dollar store w/samples, brochures and your cards and have your friend/relative give them out to the women in the office). Have friends and family sign up and you make a commission off of what they sell. Make up sample gift bags and hand them out at church, at your child's daycare, at your child's preschool, at gymboree, etc...

If you don't like selling MK, they will buy your stuff back at $0.90 on the $1 the first year you sign up.

I'm hoping it will work out as a good part time job for me. We'll see...

I made business cards and distributed them to Dr. offices, and I work at home very parttime doing medical transcription for 3 doctors. I set my own schedule, no hurry, little effort, sit-down job, and I take breaks whenever needed...and, the many deductions at income tax time are an added bonus.

You can always check the Bulletin Boards at colleges. There are students that need someone to type papers, etc.

Working at home, true, doesn't add anything to SS time, but because you are, in fact, earning, you can apply for a Roth every year and use that as savings for your

future, and there is no tax with a Roth IRA when you take money out, providing you have it in for 5 years and you are 59 l/2. It is a great way to save.

Lots of doctor's offices are now hiring home typists to do transcription and insurance claims, because it's cheaper for them.

Even with as little time as I put in, it helps a great deal.

But, OptiMisTick is right, it won't add to helping with Disability.

Much luck.

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