Work from home ideas

Working from home isn’t for everyone, but it can be a fantastic was to earn money whilst staying home with the kids.  It’s challenging, but equally rewarding.  If you think working from home might be ideal for you, here are some work from home ideas to get you started.
- Sell on auction sites – You could sell second hand items, or resell items bought in bulk.  Ebay is the biggest and most popular online auction site.
- Sell handmade items online – If you are crafty and make your own items, sell them on websites such as etsy or madeit.
- Sell items on your own website – whether your items are bought in bulk or handmade, you could sell them on your own website.  This is a little more complex than using websites such as ebay or etsy, but you have full control over how you sell your items.  Starting your own online store doesn’t need to cost too much, you will need a domain name and web hosting, then you can use WordPress to build your site, and add a free online cart plugin such as Woocommerce.
- Sell at markets – With the large number of markets around, you could sell your products are markets on weekends.
- Sell services – are you talented and experienced in providing a particular service, such as consulting, writing, designing or computer programing?  You could offer your services online, using sites such as elance.
- Affiliate marketing – This  involves you making money by promoting another businesses products/services, you will be paid once a sale has been made.  It’s a great way to make money online, as you don’t need to carry stock or actually provide a service yourself, but you will need to have an online following to promote the products to.
- Develop an ebook – If you are knowledgeable on a certain subject, consider writing an ebook.  They are easy to make, you can even create one using Word and save it as a PDF when finished.  You can then sell your ebook online, with little effort once the book has been written.
- Private mentoring – You could coach or teach in private lessons, either online or offline (or both).
- Become a virtual assistant – You can make money by performing all of those task other businesses don’t have time to do, all from your own home.
- Family day care – This is a great option if you love kids, you can look after other peoples kids in your own home!  Google family day care to find out more info applicable to your local area.
- Start a blog – If there is a subject you are passionate about, consider starting a blog.  Once your blog gets a fair few followers and plenty of views, you could make money from ad sales, affiliate marketing, reviewing products etc.  Try using platforms such as WordPress and blogger.
- Become a mortgage broker – There are a few options on how to get started; become a contractor for a mortgage broking firm, buy a franchise or start your own firm, which would involve negotiating contracts with banks yourself, and then starting the search for clients.
- Become a marriage celebrant – There is a lot of competition around now, due becoming a marriage celebrant being such a popular work from home option, but you can get started with just a certificate IV.

Find more work at home ideas in Kylie Ofiu’s book, 365 Ways to Make Money, available here http://shop.bargainmums.com.au/shop/365-ways-to-make-money-by-kylie-ofiu

How to use soapnuts as laundry detergent

Soapnuts are an amazing alternative to commercial laundry powder or liquid, but many have never heard of them, and more importantly have no idea how they can be used as a laundry detergent substitute.  Below are the basics of using soapnuts:

Place 3-4 soapnuts, or equivalent pieces in a wash net and tie closed.  Place into the drum of your washing machine along with your clothing items to be washed.  The batch of soapnuts can be reused for 5-6 loads of laundry.  The soapnuts will be grey and mushy when they are ready to be composted.

Alternatively, you can use 3 tablespoons (45ml) of soapnut liquid concentrate per large load of laundry.  Just remember, whole soapnuts go in the drum, and soapnut liquid concentrate goes in the detergent drawer.


Soapnuts can be purchased from the Bargain Mums General Store in 3 pack sizes, 50g, 250g and 500g

Easy Vanilla Slice

This would have to be one of the easiest vanilla slice recipes, and it tastes great!  For a little extra kick of flavour, I like to add a few drops of passion fruit flavouring to the icing.

You will need:

• 2 sheets puff pastry
• 300ml thickened cream
• 2 x 100g packets instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups (500ml) milk
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar (185g)
• 1 tablespoon soft butter
• 2 tablespoons boiling water

Preheat the oven to 180c.  Put pastry sheets onto two lightly greased baking trays & prick all over with a fork.  Bake for 20 minutes, until they are puffed and golden brown.  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Whip cream with electric beater until soft peaks form, put aside in the fridge.  Put vanilla pudding mix and milk in another bowl and stir using  wire whisk until thickened.  Quickly fold the whipped cream into the pudding mix then spread over the top side of one of the pastry sheets.  Put the other sheet on top, flat side up.
Sift icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the butter and  water.  Spread over the top of the slice.
Serves 16.

We made this recipe for $6.56, equaling only $0.41 per slice.
*Recipe cost is based on Woolworths prices in metropolitan Adelaide on 05/02/13, using the cheapest available ingredients.

Household uses for Peppermint Oil

Peppermint Oil has many household uses, and we have listed just a small selection here.  Always make sure you buy a high quality Peppermint Oil, one that is 100% pure oil, with no other ingredients.  Also remember, Peppermint Oil is potent, so use it sparingly and discontinue use if you experience discomfort.

• Add 4-5 drops of Peppermint Oil to 120ml of water, and spray plants to kill aphids.

• Mix a 15ml bottle of Peppermint Oil into an 18 litre can of paint to dispel the paint fumes.

• To deter rodents, ants and cockroaches, place 2 drops of Peppermint Oil on a cotton ball and place along the path or point of entry for these pest.

• Add 2 drops to your wash load for ‘fresh’, Peppermint scented laundry.

• Add about 1 drop per 500ml of vinegar cleaning solution to give a pleasant scent.

Wondering where to purchase Peppermint Oil?  In our very own Bargain Mums General Store of course, right here.

School holiday indoor fun!

The school holidays are almost here once again!  The weather doesn’t always play nice, so here are some indoor activities to keep everyone busy, and you sane!

- Magic Celery – Find a few glass jars or bottles, and fill halfway with water, adding a few drops of food colouring, a different colour in each jar.  Grab some celery stalks that still have leaves attached and trim around half a centimetre off the bottom of each one, then place a stalk in each of the jars.  Check back an hour later and the colour will begin creeping up each stalk.  Check each hour as the colour climbs higher and higher.  By the end of the day even the leaves will have changed colour.

- Guessing Game - This game is a twist on the how many lollies in the jar game.  Find a jar or small container and ask your kids how many of a particular item will fit in the jar.  Then ask them to fill the jar with the objects, counting as they go to see how close they were.  For younger children, try using objects such as Duplo or wooden blocks, and for older children, marbles, paper clips or popcorn.

- Sink or Swim – Fill the bath or a bucket with water and ask your kids to find a whole heap of objects.  Ask them whether the think each object will sink or swim, and get them to test the theory.

- Animal mix-ups – Go through some old magazines and cut out all the pictures of animals.  Next, cut each animal in half and place them all in a container.  Get your children to find the matching animal pairs.

- Scavenger Hunt – Think of three household objects and ask your kids to find them, writing a list if they are old enough, and bring them back to you.  Ask for more specific items as your kids are ready for a greater challenge.

- Obstacle Course - Set up an obstacle course around the house, filled with physical challenges.

- Edible Necklaces – Cut some lengths of string and fill a bowl with circular shaped foods, such as dried penne and Cheerios.   Thread the pieces onto the string and turn into necklaces and bracelets.

- Textured Pictures – Find textured items, such as coins and credit cards, place under sheets of paper and rub a lead pencil over the surface to reveal the image on paper.

- Tong Pick-ups – Scatter a ball of cotton balls over the floor, and give your kids a pair of tongs to pick up the cotton balls and place them in a bowl.  This game can be tricky due to the light and unpredictable nature of the cotton balls.

For more ideas visit www.bargainmums.com.au

DIY bargain book stands

These Ikea Spice Racks are amazing to create your own little reading haven and at just $2.45 each (at time of purchase), they are a bargain as well. You can do this many ways, and they don’t just have to be for the kids! Place one above your bedside table. Or in the kitchen to hold your recipe book. Are your kids beds against a wall? Got bunk beds? Place one along the wall half way down for easy access to reading in bed.
The spice rack itself is very easy to assemble as it simply screws together with the Allen Key (all included). The racks only come in a plain wood finish so if you would like a splash of colour you will need to paint them first. For a more sophisticated look go for a plain white high gloss or even just match it to the wall colour. Could also have the kids decorate their own for a fun activity!
How are these are fixed to the wall? This can be a tricky job and if you are like me, I just marked out where I wanted them placed with a pencil, asked my husband to do it, then quickly found an elsewhere to be! (haha)
Unfortunately there is not only one way of fixing these to your wall of choice so this will require a little of your own research as the methods could vary depending on your wall type. Ikea DO NOT provide the screws needed to attach this to a wall (I suppose this is due to the possible variations), you will therefore need to find out what you need for your particular room – however here is a little more information before you commit.
* The official ikea assembly instructions are here: http://www.ikea.com/au/en/assembly_instructions/bekvam-spice-rack__AA-111092-7_pub.PDF
* The back view of the spice rack is shown below. Once you have the suitable two screws in place on the wall, you can see the rack clicks on and sort of locks in place with a push downwards:



Finished product

Christmas gift idea – Roasted Cinnamon Nuts

These roasted cinnamon nuts make the perfect Christmas gift, although they taste so good they are unlikely to last long enough!  You can substitute the almonds for any nuts you like.  This recipe makes for the perfect budget gift, particularly when almonds are in season.

Roasted Cinnamon Nuts
1  egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
500g (3 cups) whole almonds or pecan halves
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl whisk the egg white and vanilla until frothy, or about 2 minutes.  Stir in the nuts.  ix the remaining ingredients together and then add the nuts, stir to coat.  Spread the nuts in a lamington pan sprayed with oil.  Bake at 120c for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stiring halfway through.  Bake for a little longer if the nuts are still sticky.  Cool in the pan and then transfer to a container, gift jar or cellophane gift bag.