 |
One very possible realisation when you retire or are approaching
retirement age is that you might not have enough money to live out the
rest of your life. If so, you are not the only one in this
predicament. There are thousands of us wondering how we will manage in
our retirement years. Here is an idea that might help. |
The state of today's economy and the uncertainty of world affairs at any time have forced deep changes in everyone's financial security, whether you're approaching retirement or not. Before you start looking for recipes that don't include anything that tastes good, consider some of your options.
Make an inventory of your personal interests, hobbies, pastimes or secret expertise that you've developed over the years. Once you have that list, put it in order of true interest or reliable skill. Then, starting with your favourite activity, fill out the list with the supplies and tools you already have and the ones you need.
With that done, you now have a blueprint for making some extra money, if you have a mind to. While the attraction for jumping on the Internet and selling something is very alluring, it will require some real time, education and training before you can earn a penny online. Don't believe everything you read in all those "Get Rich Overnight" ebooks you are starting to buy and stack on your hard drive.
Let's take two home activities that can be turned into both online and offline businesses: gardening and bird feeding.
Gardening is an outstanding way to earn a little bit of money or make your meals tastier, with real opportunities everywhere you look. To start with, if you do not have a garden, you can grow several items in a pot on your balcony to enhance your meals.
Many seed companies are developing container vegetables just for your conditions. They offer tomato plants that will grow in a pot, to name one. Even a few seeds in a good sized pot will produce lots of vegetables to supplement your Sunday lunches.
If you have a small garden, grow several different vegetables and consider having a small weekend garden sale for your neighbours who might just be in the same tough spot that you are in. Even if they are not having difficulties, your garden sale, with prices lower than the local greengrocer, might be an attraction for the freshness of the produce.
If you are looking for an online part-time income, put your gardening skills in an ebook or short report and sell it online. You might want to check out Baby Boomer forums for those who are looking for the gardening skills you have.
If you are a bird lover and feed all who fly by your house or flat, you might have useful information to share on a forum all about bird watching. That information could be your own natural bird feed you've developed. If you keep a record of the birds attracted to your feeder, you have valuable information to share. You can put your formulas in an ebook or short report and include a link to buy it in your forum signature.
Your ebook or short report would be more attractive to bird lovers if you added some photos of the visitors to your feeders. Digital cameras can be your best friend, so take a look at our photography page in the Leisure section.
Another bird avenue of income for you might be creating and building bird feeders from natural materials. A little bit of bark and some driftwood can be put together to form enchanting bird feeders. You can sell them to local garden centres or on eBay, for that matter.
This discussion has lightly covered two simple ways to make some extra income in case you wake up one morning and discover that you need it. If you don't need it, consider the possibilities for some lucrative pastimes.