I was listening to the news this morning on the radio while I was getting ready and they had a quick story about a Realtor in our area.   When he sells a house he gives 25% of his commission to the local school where the house was sold.

That’s genius!!

Think about it.  First off, most deals that Realtors offer are to the seller, but right now finding houses to sell isn’t the problem, it’s finding people to buy them.  So offering deals to sellers isn’t going to help your business. As a Realtor in this market you need to find incentives for buyers to come to you over the hundreds of other Realtors in the area.  But what do you offer someone who is already getting your services for free?  Well, you offer something to their new community.  It’s fantastic.

If you have 5 Realtors to choose from and one is offering 25% of his commission to the school your children will be attending next year, which one would you choose?  The choice is pretty clear.  Plus the more school aged kids they have, the more they will value the offer.  The more kids they have, the bigger house they need.  Bigger houses are more expensive.  Expensive houses offer more commission.

So this Realtor not only offers something of additional value to people who already get his services for free, he also targets the buyers who will make him the most money.

Plus 25% of his commission is a significant amount of money, especially to a struggling school.  It gets him all kinds of attention (I mean, here I am blogging about it.) and goodwill from the communities.

I love it!

pic by: Hassan abdel-rahman

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Don’t worry, It’s not as bad as it sounds.  Remember my babysitting job?  I watch watched a little boy before school and then got him on to the bus.  Well, the kid’s dad got laid off a few weeks ago.  When his mom told me this I basically said “Well, give me a call when you need me again.”  Cause why would they take their kid to daycare when Dad is home?  But they still wanted to bring him, so I let them.  I’m not about to turn away money.

First the Dad’s car broke and he spent like 2 or 3 weeks shopping for a new one.  This I don’t get.  And of course he couldn’t possibly even start looking for a job until he had a car.  He got a new car about two weeks ago.  Maybe once he started looking they realized the job market sucks right now and getting another job isn’t going to be all gumdrops and roller skates.

So yesterday morning no one showed up.  I thought maybe they overslept or something.  But when I get out to the bus stop the little boy is there.  I asked him, “Why didn’t you come play this morning?”  He said, “Oh, I’m not coming over any more.”  So I called his mom and she tells me that his dad still hasn’t gotten a job and they don’t want to spend the money when his dad is home and can watch him.

So there it is… I got laid off.  Not really a big deal.  I’m actually kind of relieved.  The kid had a bad attitude, which I can deal with, but it was rubbing off on my own kids.

All in all I made $145.  Which was worth it.  I have been tucking away the money in my sock drawer and haven’t decided what to do with it yet.  I think I might put it in the vacation fund.

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Today I have a guest post from Not the Jet Set.  I hope you enjoy it and I encourage you to see what else they have to offer.

About Not the Jet Set

He’s a spender, she’s a saver. Together, they’re Not the Jet Set.

Fed up with working too hard to not have any money, we made the decision to take control of our finances. We began a mission to get out of debt and stay out of debt - forever. On June 23rd of 2006, we completed Baby Step 2 by paying off over $42,000 in 20 months. During that time and ever since then, we’ve seen it as part of our calling to help others achieve what we have - financial peace.

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One of my classes this semester is an Accounting class.  Last night I was talking to the woman who sits next to me.  She works for a charter school in the area in their accounting department.  She said that they have 400 employees and yesterday they were all given a choice.  They could either agree to a 3% pay cut, or 25 people were going to get laid off.

OUCH.

She is going to agree to the pay cut.  One reason is that she is the low man on the totem pole in her department so she is pretty worried about getting laid off.  She also said that she wouldn’t feel right keeping it knowing that people got laid off so she could have that little bit extra in her check.  Hopefully everyone else feels the same way.

If the pay cut passes, the school promised no layoffs this school year.  But no promises about next year.

Hearing this story the woman who sits in front of us turned around and said she works for an Accountant.  She recently took a call from a woman who knew the bare minimum take home pay she could live on and wanted to know what the gross pay was that would give her that take home.   She is going to go to her boss and offer a pay reduction to try to save her job.  That’s gutsy… and sad.

It’s getting bad out there folks.  Have you, or anyone you know, done anything bold to try to save your job?

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As you are reading this I’m having a great time in the happiest place on Earth.  But while I’m making myself sick on the teacups I need you guys to help me with a little dilemma.

You know how I started my babysitting job, right?  Well, we had agreed upon $25 a week.  The thing is that this past Monday would have been his first day, but since it was his first day at a new school his mom took the day off so she could drive him, meet his teacher, you know… that kind of thing.  So since I didn’t start til Tuesday I was only expecting to get paid $20 this week.  But she gave me $25.

So should I give the money back?  If I had been watching him for six months and then she took the day off and didn’t bring him and still paid me that would be one thing.  But I feel kinda weird about it since really, I got paid for a day before my first day.  Which is weird.  But she did give me the money knowing that I didn’t watch him on Monday.  But maybe she felt like she had to since that is what we agreed to a weekly rate rather than a daily rate and she didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot.

So what do I do?  I know we are only talking about $5 here, but we are also setting a precedent and a level of trust.  Should I give the money back because I don’t feel like I earned it?  Or should I just take it and lighten up?

pic by: ericcastro.biz

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Remember a few weeks ago I got a babysitting job?  Well today was my first day.  It went really well.  I was kinda nervous because he has a lot of energy and a wild look in his eye, if you know what I’m sayin’.  Who knows what kind of trouble this boy could cause!

He had come over to play once during Christmas break and I tried to be the no-nonsense disciplinarian right from the get go.  You know, lay down the law early so he doesn’t get any ideas.  I figured it is a lot easier to lighten up then to try to lay down rules after they have walked all over you.

Anyways, when he got here both of my kids were still sleeping so he had to be kinda quiet.  I got him some of my daughters books and he read quietly.  Then when my daughter got up he helped her do her morning chores (yeah, I’m mean like that) which was so sweet.  Then he read a story to her while she ate her breakfast.  Awww.

It all went farily smooth and easy so I’m going to take a huge leap and say that I think this is going to work out.

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Well, I got job on Friday.  I bet you weren’t expecting that were you?  I wasn’t either.   Here’s how it happened….

Before this school year started I was thinking of maybe taking a daycare kid before and after school.  I mean, I’m already getting a kid on and off the bus everyday, it seems like a fairly simple way to make some extra money.  What really stopped me is the after school thing.  By the time my daughter gets home, my husband is home from work, and it’s just chaotic.  A lot of times I have errands to run and stuff to do and really I don’t feel like adding another kid to the mix.  Plus, if the parent doesn’t get off work til five then the kid won’t leave until six and that is way too late.  I don’t think I could handle it.

Last Friday I walked out to the bus stop, which is pretty much directly in front of my house, and there is a new mom.  And yes, our bus stop is so typical, the moms stand in a little group and gossip.  So I walk up and the other mom introduces me to the new mom, she tells me that they just moved into the neighborhood and is looking for someone to watch her son before school and get him to the bus.

I mean if the job is going to literally come to my front door then how can I turn it down?  It’s something I’ve been thinking about doing anyways, and there isn’t any after school stuff.  Just an hour before school.  I should be able to handle that.  The only change to my routine will be that I have to get up 20 minutes earlier than I do now.  Which if you know me then you know its a big deal.  But hey, it’s only 20 minutes, right?

She is going to pay me $25 a week and $10 extra on half days, since I will also have him from 12:30 to 3:00 those days.   I think it’s worth $100 a month, and it helps out a neighbor.

pic by: wheany

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So today was the first day at my new job. It was ok. I hate not having a routine, so it came with the typical first day frustrations. It took way longer than I expected. When I finished it was an hour after lunch time and 10 minutes until nap. My son was starving and exhausted. But now I know to start earlier, and hopefully it will go quicker next time.

At the end she gave me a check for $25. That felt pretty good. I’m excited to contribute to the family in a financial way. This money will pay for the gas for my car. Which is so awesome. I hadn’t realized how dependent I felt by not having an income. I mean, I know $100 a month isn’t going to support anyone, but at least if I feel like taking a drive I won’t feel guilty.

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Remember how I was possibly looking for a job? Well, I got a little job yesterday. My brother in law’s neighbor fell and broke her hip and has gotten a hip replacement. She is doing amazingly well but she needs someone to come into her home once a week and do some light household chores for her while she heals. Basically, just help her out. I don’t know how long she will need me but she is paying $25 a week. Which I think is a lot. It’s more than I was expecting to clean a bathroom, vacuum, and change the bedding, maybe do some other odds and ends around the house that she needs help with. The best part is that I can take my son with me, so this is really perfect. This is exactly what I need, something that pays decent and that I can do with my son.

I know I’m getting ahead of myself here, but I would consider doing this for other elderly folks. There has to be a need for this sort of thing. There are tons of retirement communities within just a few miles of my house. I don’t know, like I said, I’m getting ahead of myself. Maybe I’ll hate it.

Picture by: Sailing (ronn)

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Remember the talk about me getting a job? Well, I think I have found a good solution for us. There are a few companies that allow you to take customer service calls from home. A good friend of mine works for two of them. Normally, I wouldn’t be interested in a non-conventional job like this, but I know two people who are doing it and making money. So I’m going to trust it and see how it goes.

I don’t know all the exact details but it seems pretty flexible as far as setting your own schedule. Which is key since I want to be able to spend time with the kids and allow my husband the freedom to work as much overtime as he wants. Plus the draw of no commute is a real bonus. I will actually be getting paid for every minute I’m away from the family and no gas wasted.

I don’t know about the money yet. It’s not 100% clear because it depends on what types of calls you take and then it pays for each minute you are on a call, so if you aren’t getting back to back calls then you aren’t making as much money as you could be. So it’s hard say, but I know they have to pay at least minimum wage. Which for the flexibility I’m getting I’m willing to give it a shot.

Another great bonus is that you only have to take 2 calls every 60 days to stay employed. So if things pick up at my husband’s job I can easily keep this option open for the future. Besides, I’ve done plenty of call center work in my life, I know I can take these calls in my sleep.

The bad part is that you have to have a phone line dedicated just to taking these calls. Which costs us $20 a month. But I’m getting over that by telling myself that all jobs have costs. Spending nothing on commuting will make up for this extra phone line.

 So that’s the plan. I applied today so I’ll let you all know how it goes.

Picture by Vince Welter

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