There are various times in life when it is important to reflect on what we can do well. In the past year I have found a need to carefully consider what marketable skills and interests I have developed over the years. Through this evaluation – both with my husband and alone, as well as some brainstorming with a counselor at our local small business center – I came up with the idea of teaching breadmaking and sewing. These are two skills that I have maintained since I was young and are almost second nature for me, enhancing the opportunity to make some money on the side by holding some classes.

I have found that the actual teaching of the classes has not been the most difficult thing; rather it has been in finding venues to market and teach these classes. I called local area Parks and Recreation departments and I contacted Girl Scouts. Most offer fall and spring classes. Advertising in the local paper or even on a bulletin board at a grocery store are two other possibilities for getting the word out.

Both the Girl Scout liaison and the Parks and Recreation Director  I contacted showed a genuine interest. The Parks and Recreation Director encouraged me to take a smaller class size, due to the amount of interest – which was under my desired minimum students. I did this with the recognition that if these ladies are satisfied with their experience, they will spread the word to other friends, increasing the likelihood of similar, more financially productive classes to come. Although it is easier to work with a smaller group, especially when one is getting practice on how to best teach something to people who are inexperienced, the financial trade-off must be considered. For my 6-week class, I charged $10 for the material kit and $12 – 15 per class session for each attendee. I also allowed the ladies to only pay for the weeks they would attend. To teach this sewing class, I needed to consider the supplies I would need to have available for my students – irons, ironing boards (compact and regular), cutting mats, rotary cutters and enough scissors for 10 students. The ten dollar charge for the material kit was intended to cover the cost of fabric, a pattern and thread. Planning ahead by purchasing appropriate supplies at estate and garage sales will make the cost of this outlay more manageable.

For my breadmaking class at the Parks and Recreation Department, I put on a demonstration but gave the women the opportunity to feel the bread dough and see each step in the process. I ground some grain for them, as well. And I passed out copies of the step-by-step routine of making bread from scratch. The honorarium for this class was $150. As someone who already has most of the essentials in my kitchen, I found that I only needed to replace my measuring cups and spoons to maintain a professional look. After 15 years, well loved utensils begin to show their age. This time I invested in stainless steel instead of plastic.

I have found that driving to and from and teaching these classes do not take up much of my time. However, it is important to recognize the need to allot time to both make a list and gather supplies beforehand and plan for sufficient time to unload the van and get supplies inside and set up. Inquiring about any needed power cords and running water at the facility were details I needed to remember. Practicing doing my presentation to someone who would not be critical but give me opportunity to express aloud what I had planned to say and give me constructive input helped give me confidence in my ability to communicate. Bringing samples of the desired result – whether it is a simple garment that I had made or samples of bread and rolls, with corresponding recipes – has helped pave the way for the ladies to invest the time and effort to begin to learn a new skill, as well.

Evaluating as I have gone along as well as at the conclusion of the course gives opportunity to learn from one’s mistakes and recognize growth in one’s own skills and ability to communicate effectively.

Overall, I like the benefits of teaching these classes because they do not take me away from home for excessive amounts of time. I can make a contribution to our income while building my confidence in my abilities. It is much easier to make money through what one already knows. I would like to suggest that you also brainstorm with your husband and friends to see what you can come up with to make money teaching what you already know.

This article was originally written for an ebook project for Marilyn Woodard at www.CreatingGreatHomes.com.

It is really easy and simple to make money online at home. This does not mean that earning a solid stream of income from the Internet is effortless.

You need to work hard to make money online and grow your home based venture. You also need to study Internet technologies, website building, and learn how the online market works.

So if you are ready to make money online at home, here are some practical tips which could help you in finding lucrative income from the Internet.

Jump into the Outsourcing Bandwagon

If you have skills in programming, writing, web designs, or graphic design, you can join a freelancer site to work on outsourced project. You can bid or apply on projects that require your skills. If you are not tech savvy enough, you can take data entry jobs, research work, and back office support projects.

If your performance as a service provider is really good, you can easily build a loyal client base which will give you many projects. By becoming an online provider, you need not go out of your home and commute everyday to work. Your home can become your office and you can take jobs that really interest you.

Build an Online Business

One of the best ways to make money online at home is to build your own Internet business. All you need are good products, a website, and creative promotions. This route involves lots of hard work but you can build a sustainable and low cost business on the Internet.

However, if you are going to establish a home based online business, you should carefully study the types of products that you will sell. You must learn how to create a niche for your product and how to entice consumers to buy your product.

Some of the biggest online retailers of real products on the Internet started small. Their business started growing after they captured a particular niche in the online market. You can replicate such success by researching your market and learning how to promote your products online.

Publish Online

Online publishing is slowly becoming the top method of producing a book. It also means that e-books are becoming the number one choice of book lovers around the world.

You can write your own e-book based on your expertise and publish it yourself. By creating PDF versions of your e-book, you will be able to quickly distribute it through several retail sites on the Internet.

Produce Instructional Videos and Sell Them Online

Another way to make money online at home is to sell instructional video materials. This is like e-book publishing but you are providing information through DVDs or video presentation.

For example, if you know fitness training, you can produce an instructional video on new methods to exercise at home. Home fitness training is a multi-billion dollar industry on the Internet and you can surely attract lots of buyers with your innovative exercise videos. This means good income stream for you.

There are many ways to make money online at home. Just be creative with your methods and consider your special strengths and skills when building an online business or selling stuff on the Internet.

Here are my weekly money savings tips:

1. Maintain a good credit score! It will save you thousands of dollars in the short and long term when you need to borrow money to buy a car or a home. Creditors will give you an interest rate and the loan amount based on your income and credit score.

2. Large sums of money should NEVER be left in a checking account or even a low-interest bank savings account. Rather, put the money into a high interest savings account (like an ING savings), money market fund, or other forms of short term high interest investments with a fixed return.

3. If you have an employer matching 401K plan, maximize your contributions, so that you double your money!

4. Set aside 10% of your paycheck towards some form of long term savings account, like a money market account, mutual fund, retirement plan, or 401K. As you pay amount increases, your contribution will also increase automatically. 10% will also ensure that you stay ahead of inflation.

5. One of the best investments you can make is to first pay off all your high credit card debts. Credit cards typically carry a high interest rate and by paying off these debts, you get one of the best returns available which also is tax-free.

6. If you are losing sleep over an investment, whether its a stock, mutual fund, or retirement plan, its not worth it! Your lack of sleep is probably a good indication that it may be too risky, too good to be true, or just not the right invesment for you.

7. If an investment is projecting returns that are just too good to be true, they probably are. Unless you are intimately involved in the investment or are an insider, an investment that sounds too good to be true is probably too ambitious, too risky or just a scam.

8. Before you invest in something, always do your own research. Consulting with others and getting a second opinion is good, but you need to investigate for yourself. The internet is typically the best source for lots of information but make sure you read enough or get relevant data.

9. Always negotiate for commissions or fees paid for financial or real estate advice. Don’t be misled by standard commissions and “non-negotiable fees”. It is your money and the experts work for you.

10. Can’t get out of debt? If you are having problems meeting your debt payments each month and feel like you are digging a deeper hole, go talk to your creditors and banks to find a solution to get out of the mess. Beware of debt consolidators as they could charge higher interests in the long term and get you even deeper into debt.

If you like any of these tips, have questions on some, or have some feedback, I would like to hear from you. Visit this article by clicking on http://www.financialresource.org/blog/10-money-saving-tips/ and Post your comments. Look for more money saving tips each week!

Happy Springtime and be Money Smart!