Recession-Proof your family budget with Gigwalk!

Life can be pretty demanding as a parent in these difficult economic times. Modern families are tasked with finding creative ways to generate income, manage childcare, take care of their homes and spend quality time together. There is no magic formula for any family; we each need to do what feels best for us given our options. Having options is the key.

As a Mom, one of the options I love for adding some extra spending money to my family’s monthly budget is using the free Gigwalk App on my iPhone! Gigwalk allows you to geo-locate PAID “Gigs” (or jobs) to the area you are in (think running errands, out to lunch, school pickups, on the way home from work, in between soccer games, etc.) to complete, generally in 10 minutes or less, and get paid for via Paypal.

Gigwalk has recently landed in Philly with many opportunities to choose from and there will be many more added as they continue to ramp up in our area. The Gig tasks range from verifying roads, construction and signs to taking photographs and answering simple questions about restaurant menus or products in a store. Most Gigs range from $4 – $7 each, and if you do several of them in a cluster, you could earn upwards of $20/hour. So, you can see how using your “down time” to complete a few Gigs while you are already out and about can really quickly add up to some extra money for you.

I’ve been able to complete a couple of Gigs already and it’s been great seeing those funds add up in my PayPal account. One friend told me that she was using her Gigwalk money as her Starbucks fund, while another told me that she was going to add it to her “rainy day” savings.

Currently, the free Gigwalk app is available for the iPhone and is expected to be released for Android phones by the end of November.

Get out there and enjoy Gigwalking!

~Shannon

*This post is part of a sponsored campaign for Gigwalk.

Frugal Finds Friday: Odd Jobs

Odd jobs serve many purposes. Whether you are trying to fill a financial void, work but maintain flexibility for kids or save for a rainy day, little ways to earn extra cash exist all around us.

Over the years, I have taste-tested, skin-tested, and kid-tested more than one product for the home. I temped, taught and tried numerous tactics to work from home between loading laundry and mopping my floors.

Several advantages to odd jobs include short-term commitments, quick pay and unexpected cash in the pocket. Disadvantages may include low-pay, little notice and unreliablility in the long-run unless you really do happen on that perceived unmet need you can offer that pays off somewhere in your life.

The elusive trick to earning miscellaneous income is identifying who out there is willing to pay that little extra for a service you can offer to free up his or her valuable time.

Louise Sacco from the Frugal Yankee Radio Hour shares several ways to “find” cash.

To read these ways and more, head over to DIYFrugal where Sarah is gathering money saving resources just for you!

The Growing Tree NEEDS your Halloween Costumes!!!

114 West State Street
Kennett Square, PA 19348
(610) 444-8484
http://www.thegrowingtree.com/

The 24th Annual Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square is fast approaching and The Growing Tree would like to stock up on Halloween Costumes to sell in the tent in front of the store on September 12th & 13th during the festival. Please stop in to consign your costumes. In addition to children’s costumes they may even accept some adult Halloween Costumes this year. No appointment is necessary if you’re just bringing costumes but if you also wish to get your Fall clothing consigned before the festival please call to set an appointment. Historically The Growing Tree has done very well during The Mushroom Festival and this year they are prepared and excited to sell lots of your stuff!

Frugal Finds Friday: The SOC Exchange

Tired of E-bay fees or entries getting quickly buried on Craiglist? Selling products online just got easier. The SOC Exchange has arrived.

Sarah Freymoyer and Shannon Ott of Chester County Moms.com and I ate lunch with Franco Lagudi of The SOC Exchange, a new website for selling everything from jewelry to cars. We delighted in tantalizing entries at Roy’s Restaurant in Philadelphia as we talked to Lagudi and enjoyed catching up with other mom bloggers from the area who were also invited to hear about the new, economical way to make money and offer resources in today’s economy.

“Only one dollar a month or ten dollars a year,” said Lagudi, sharing his vision for a new site which eliminates the complicated fee system of E-bay and provides a free non-auction site like Craigslist. “It is straight selling but you can haggle.”

When asked the benefits of this new site, Lagudi adds, “You get your own website, blog, RSS feed and more. There are many value added tools that help you create your own store for selling items. This is E-bay for today’s economy.”

Lagudi hails from Sydney, Australia and has arrived in America for a multi-state media tour, promoting his brainchild. After years in the retail food industry, Lagudi understands the importance of providing quality at a price people can afford. He says that his grandfather taught him principles that don’t change whatever the state of the economy.

“We are not in this to make money at this point. Right now we are growing a trading community and looking for critical mass,” says Lagudi when asked how the site will generate income when services are so cheap. “We are building a future business for tomorrow Everyone wins in the end. Sellers can even earn money just by linking to us from their own websites through affiliate links. We have several big charities on board earning 50% of proceeds from those who sign up, just by mentioning us to their email list.”

With a year under his belt and 30 developers adding new features every day, Lagudi says that the site already boasts over 10,000 items for sale with the biggest trends falling in the collectibles, crafts and sporting goods categories. Children’s items are also selling well. In another month, options for audio downloads and e-books will be coming.

In addition, you can list jobs or post a resume. Compared to Monster where employers pay rising fees to see resumes, Lagudi hopes The SOC Exchange will connect the looker with the lookee for much more reasonable rates – like almost nothing compared to the going rates. With a search by state, you can look for the latest entries right in your area for jobs or merchandise. Each state page will have the top ten most recent entries. Sellers simply update their item to get back to the top of the list. With no end date, sellers can list an item for as long or short as they wish, for no additional fee.

“It’s simple, easy, and non-cluttered. You have to see it for yourself,” says Lagudi with the excited gleam of new dad holding the future in his hands.

For more great information and money saving tips, stop by and visit Sarah Peppel at DIYFrugal.

*** And thanks to Lara from Little Gal Designs for the adorable hair accessories for girls we received at lunch as well! Thanks also goes to Beth from Rolemommy for setting up the lunch with Frank Lagudi.