About.com Work-at-Home Moms

BBB Issues Warning on Easy Street

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:56:42 +0000

A website with name like "Google Easy Street" that promotes work at home opportunities immediately makes me wonder if this is truly legit. As a company, Google just doesn't offer many work at home jobs. And building an online business with Google Adsense, well, there's nothing easy about growing a successful home business. In fact, Google work at home opportunities are one of the common types of work-at-home scams.

But I'm not the only one who wondered about this so-called Easy Street. The Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona issued a consumer alert for the online company, technically called Creative Synergy Training (CST), which purports to sell the secrets of making money at Google. (See the BBB consumer alert, which has a link to CST.) The BBB says that in a little over a month it received 10 complaints claiming the company charged consumers credit cards after they had requested their account be canceled within the three-day window that the company allows consumers to cancel their account and receive a refund.

When looking for legitimate work-at-home jobs, keep in mind the telltale signs of a work at home scam, which include:

Promising big money for little work,
High pressure tactics,
Advertising endorsements by well-known companies without providing links or other proof of such endorsements,
And confusing monthly billing policies in small print.

BBB Issues Warning on Easy Street originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 11:56:42.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Why Does Your Home Office Work for You?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:44:09 +0000

My husband and I both work at home, but we don't share a home office. It just wouldn't work because we have very different styles. He's neat and I am, well, not. He needs to be away with the door closed, and I like to be right in the thick of things. Can you guess whose office is whose?

Though there are some things to keep in mind for a productive home office space, making the space your own will serve you best. It has to be a space where you want to be.

What do you do to make your home office a great space for you? But don't just tell me; show me! Submit a photo of your home office and tell me why the space works for you. I will then publish a gallery of the collected photos for all of us to browse for home office ideas.

Why Does Your Home Office Work for You? originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 19:44:09.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Work-at-Home Mom Tips: Get Some; Give Some

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:07:30 +0000

Working from home is a constant learning experience. As a work-at-home mom, I find each new job, project or client I take on gives me a little more insight about how to meld work and home while keeping my sanity.

Things are always changing. Not just the jobs, which is par for the course when you're an independent contractor, but the kids keep changing and growing. And so what worked to keep them busy when they were in preschool doesn't cut it in middle school.

Over the years I've collected a few tips for WAHMs --everything from ways to find free child care to keeping the house clean. But because working from home is not a one-size-fits-all proposition, I'd like to hear from the rest of you. What works for you? I've set up a folder in About.com's WAHMs Forum for your ideas. Post them, and I may add them to my list of tips.

Work-at-Home Mom Tips: Get Some; Give Some originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 13:07:30.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Thrifty Thursday: Fix-It-Yourself Manual

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:10:14 +0000

My husband and I are so proud of ourselves. We fixed the garbage disposal...again.

This time it was an earring clogging up the works. A few months ago, we changed the wax seal on a leaky toilet--probably our most impressive home maintenance feat!

Neither of us are naturally handy, but over the years, we've managed to avoid calling a plumber on a number of occasions, thanks to our Reader's Digest New Fix-It-Yourself Manual (Compare Prices). The book's subtitle How to repair clean, and maintain anything and everything in and around your home pretty much says it all.

My parents gave us this book, which lists for about $35, when we bought our first house more than a decade ago. I would venture to say it has saved us thousands of dollars.

After my husband began working at home too, we've used it more as we look for ways to save money. When something broke, we didn't automatically reach for the phone book to find someone to fix it. With our trusty manual, we started taking a stab at it ourselves first.

Sometimes it takes a few attempts. But a nice thing about being at home is we can step back, maybe do a little (paid) work, and then come back with a fresh perspective. We're not always been successful; sometimes we need a professional. But we haven't done any damage yet either. And we're just so proud of ourselves when we do manage to fix something, it's almost comical.

More Thrifty Thursday Ideas:

Thrifty Thursday: Fix-It-Yourself Manual originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 06:10:14.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Is Arise a Legitimate Virtual Call Center or a Work at Home Scam?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:23:51 +0000

Referring to this list of companies offering legitimate work at home jobs, reader "Arise Fan" asks:

The list is very detailed, however, I wonder why the pioneer in the virtual contact center industry, Arise Virtual Solutions, was omitted? As an Arise Certified Professional, I have contracted with some of the world's BIGGEST businesses to provide customer service and sales support. I have applied with and worked for some of the others listed, however, when it comes to pay, hour selection and client diversity, Arise is the standout. Thank you.

The omission was not accidental. I purposely left Arise off that list as well as this list of virtual call center jobs. I would not go as far to call Arise an out-and-out work at home scam because its sole purpose is not to defraud people like these typical scams. However, Arise pushes business costs that are usually absorbed by the company on to its workers, making it a riskier business proposition for agents than most virtual call center jobs.

The way Arise works is quite different from the way most virtual call centers work. Arise call center agents must pay initial start up fees and then for training for each client. These client training costs can range from $50-$225 and lasts from two days to several weeks. Call center agents must also incorporate themselves as a business, which means set up costs and ongoing taxes and fees that vary from state to state.

Arise has it backwards: Most companies pay their workers during training; workers don't pay the company. Yes, people do pay for their own educations, but an education will serve you your whole life. This training is for a specific client of Arise, so if you don't work for Arise, the training is useless. This outlay of time and money (at minimum $200 to get started), is a risk for the call center agent, who will have to recoup the cost before realizing any profit.

Arise positions its policy as creating small business owners. And, of course, there is risk in owning a business. But there is simply no reason to take on this risk when there are plenty of other virtual call center companies (and other work at home jobs) that do not put such a burden on their agents.

Is Arise a Legitimate Virtual Call Center or a Work at Home Scam? originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 15:23:51.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Thrifty Thursday: Take Your Own School Pictures

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:03:43 +0000

School pictures. Just the thought of them makes me shudder. No, I'm not remembering the deer-in-the-headlight stance from my childhood school pictures. It's as a parent, amateur photographer and cheapskate that hate school pictures.

I hate paying $20 or $30 for a package of horrible pictures in sizes I really don't want. Kids give their fakest smiles; the backgrounds are boring, and the photographers simply don't care if a child's hair is standing straight up.

My kids feel differently, though. They like school picture day because they don't have to wear their uniforms, and it's fun to exchange pictures with friends. And, well, they're not paying for them.

But last year in the face of some resistance, I just said no to school photos. Instead, I took school pictures at home, and the results were wonderful (really, even the kids loved them). Plus, I saved a bundle.

I made an effort to take the pictures in the same style and size as school photos--head shots in wallet sizes--so my kids had something to exchange at school. I used a brick wall that's painted white and bathed in diffuse, natural sunlight as the backdrop. I printed them on an Epson WorkForce 600 printer. I'm sure even with the cost of the toner and paper I saved a lot of money.

This year, however, I think I'm going to send in my digital photos for printing. Photo printing websites Snapfish, CVS Photo and Walgreens are just a few of the many companies that allow you to upload digital photos to be printed and then have the photos mailed to you. With CVS and Walgreens, you can pick up photos at a local store for even faster service.

And for a price comparison, Lifetouch, the company that does my kids' school photos, offered this year two 2"x3" and four 1.5"x2.5" photos for $9 as its cheapest package. For $9.99, at Walgreens I can get 20 4"x6" photos, three 5"x7"photos, three 8"x10" and 20 wallet size.

As for taking the pictures, I love it. But even if photography isn't your thing, digital cameras have come a long way and they do most of the work. Use these tips for photographing children and these step-by-step instructions on how to take your family's school pictures (#4 is always toughest for us!).

More Thrifty Thursday Ideas:

Thrifty Thursday: Take Your Own School Pictures originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 06:03:43.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Picnic Perfect Days, One More Reason to Work From Home

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:50:43 +0000

Autumn is my favorite season. School starts and the leaves change colors. Halloween gives way to Thanksgiving. For me it's just one good thing after another.

So I love a good fall picnic. We had a picnic with the kids planned last week, when the kids' school was closed for a teacher in-service day. My husband and I had been debating for weeks which state park would have the best foliage. But, alas, one of my least favorite things in fall,� icy driving rain, derailed our plans.

So my husband and I had our picnic today without the kids in a park just a few steps from our house. And we agreed days like these are one of the best reasons for working at home.

What about you? Share your reasons for working at home.

Picnic Perfect Days, One More Reason to Work From Home originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 12:50:43.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Avoid Holiday Debt! Save for the Christmas Season Now

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:36:01 +0000

With Halloween just around the corner, it seems like the slippery slope into the holiday season has already begun. And as autumn colors turns to Christmas greens, doesn't it seem like you could use a little extra green in your wallet?

But at this point, what can you do? Plenty. It's not too late to start building a holiday gift fund. Maybe it won't cover all your Christmas spending, but every little bit helps, right?

And a little discipline now, carried though into January and beyond, will pay even bigger dividends next year. After all, it was Americans' penchant, both on a corporate and personal level, for spending what they don't have that got us into this financial crisis in the first place.

Working from home has its benefits, but they aren't always financial. And those of us who are self-employed work-at-home moms can't always predict our financial circumstances. So planning to have your Christmas fund upfront rather than paying it off later is a smart move in this economy.

As Ben Franklin said: A penny saved is a penny earned.

4 Ways to Save for the Holidays

Avoid Holiday Debt! Save for the Christmas Season Now originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Monday, October 19th, 2009 at 05:36:01.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Two Weeks to Halloween; Are You Ready?

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:40:23 +0000

This morning my son informed me that he no longer wants to be the Joker for Halloween.

This is after I made a special trip to the thrift store and came home with the perfect purple blazer for a Joker costume. I was so impressed with my find, and I thought he was too.

And I said as much. But he insisted that the jacket was still perfect for his new costume, which is "thug/Indiana Jones/Jedi/secret agent/himself." (He actually says "slash" between each of these.) He's basically added a costume hat, sunglasses and a lightsaber to the jacket, which is worn over a black t-shirt and a pair of fatigues.

Frankly, I think he looks like a pimp. But since (I think) he doesn't know what this is,� I'm keeping my mouth shut. Plus, now I don't have to figure out how to get his hair green and paint his face.

But if I had to lay money on it, I'd bet his Halloween costume will change again.

Two Weeks to Halloween; Are You Ready? originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 09:40:23.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Options for Self-Employed Health Insurance Now; Hope for More Options in the Future

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:18:41 +0000

As a self-employed person with a very expensive chronic illness, I have watched the health care debate closely. I've shot off letters to my Congressional representatives and to the White House, in support of and opposed to various proposals being considered. I have no idea whether any of this letter writing has had even an iota of influence, but it makes me feel better.

I also have no idea whether what's in the bill now would be better or worse for me personally. But I don't spend too much time worrying about that. It's impossible to see into the future and to know anything more than that I and everyone else will need medical care sooner or later. (I learned the hard way about the unpredictability of one's health, when at age 36 I was shocked to be diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, a disease that rarely appears after the early 20s.)

And while the options for health insurance for the self-employed are somewhat limited, I have managed to get decent, affordable insurance though my state's high risk pool. I feel very lucky. And I'm not sure if a public option would be better than what I have.� But I still support a public option because I don't want to count on my luck, or even worse my potential for profit to an insurance company, when it comes to my health. And I don't think anyone else should have to either.

Poll: What Do You Do for Health Insurance?

Options for Self-Employed Health Insurance Now; Hope for More Options in the Future originally appeared on About.com Work-at-Home Moms on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 14:18:41.

Permalink | Comment | Email this