Things most women do easily that can be paying work

I started a thread about female handymen, when mad at repair guys. Ladies with hand skills: Work that needs doing!

Thinking on it more, there are a LOT of things that are skills people would pay for, that a lot of women are experienced at and don't think to do for others. Things that a contractor won't do but you need SOMEONE to do it. The area I'm in has a lot of older widows, and I am chronically ill, I'm thinking of things they and I need right now, but what working women might pay for would be worth thinking of too.

There's a lot of things like clean out garages and basements, and do yardwork etc, but I'm thinking of smaller things that are just HARD to do when you have no time/energy/mobility that there doesn't seem to be people doing. Stuff the family used to do for people, that now just no one does. My aunt was taklking on the phone to my mom once, mom told her I had fixed the garage door, had to figure out why the door wouldn't open. My aunt said "I need that too, but who do you call if you don't have a Pearl living with you?" We had no answer for that.

Move the furniture and clean under it
Clean the oven
Take down blind/curtains, wash and rehang
Take everything out of cabinets, clean (put them on a table so an older lady can sort to see if any need getting rid of)
When I was really sick I wanted someone who could move things from one cabinet to another that I could reach.
Repot or rearrange the house plants
Take pets to the vet (ever tried to drive if you aren't driving well with a cat or dog yowling? It's not safe! and the bus won't let you take pets.)
Put up bird feeders where they can be seen easily
Take big blankets to the laundromat
Take rugs out and beat or wash and dry them
Be the muscles for moving china etc to be sorted, packaged, sent to the kids or grandkids

What else?

There are things like running errands that can be a pain like going to the drycleaner, picking up pet food (can be heavy too), grocery shopping.

A friend fell and broke her foot. She is the breadwinner and takes care of her husband.  She has to stay off the foot for a couple weeks.  So things like laundry and cooking will be a problem.  Fortunately, I enjoy cooking and will handle multiple meals.  Now I just need to find someone who likes cleaning up after me...

The number of folks 65 and older is growing faster than the total US population. By 2035 there will be more of them than children under 18. This fact makes taking care of the needs of oldsters a growth industry with a constantly increasing demand for helpers. Anyone, male or female, who works in this field will never be out of a job. Serving others is emotionally rewarding work for anyone who feels it's their calling and answers it.

Dog walking & pet sitting is another possibility.

Pearl, you're in my prayers.
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I had a storage locker in Arizona that I had been paying on for nearly 9 years. At first it was 44 dollars per month, then they upped it every 6 months till last month was 89 dollars.
It hadn't been opened for that long. It was a dusty, sandy mess.
There was a few items of my mom's that I would have liked to keep, but I just didn't have room in my truck cab. I finally did some serious cleansing of the stuff. The two items that I wanted to keep were nowhere to be found. There was a bunch of photos that I grabbed.
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The thing is, I could have shipped the whole wad across country multiple times, if I had only known a trustworthy soul to clean it out.
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Maybe you could become the go between for people in your area? A bit of background checks on a few ladies, some local advertising. Maybe an introduction letter included with people's pharmacy items. Or bulletin boards, a Facebook group...

Pearl, you definitely have me thinking. We're all (hubs, me, my son & dil) moving to a rural/ tourist area in another state, where finding local work, close to home, could be a bit of a challenge. Hubs & I are retired, with a fixed income.

Dil is disabled and often needs my son at home. We are setting them up in a trailer, on our land, to try to help ease their load, as well as helping them become more self sufficient. But, finding work that is very flexible can be a challenge, anywhere you go.  I'm pretty handy with a lot of those things - and so is my son. I've been thinking about finding something to help supplement our income, and the median age in that area is actually 64, because a lot of folks are retiring there. This just might fit our situation, perfectly! We can work together on the hard stuff, & split the lighter stuff up, according to the clients' comfort & the job. Thank you!

Carla Burke wrote:Pearl, you definitely have me thinking. ...
But, finding work that is very flexible can be a challenge, anywhere you go.  I'm pretty handy with a lot of those things - and so is my son. I've been thinking about finding something to help supplement our income, and the median age in that area is actually 64, because a lot of folks are retiring there. This just might fit our situation, perfectly! We can work together on the hard stuff, & split the lighter stuff up, according to the clients' comfort & the job. Thank you!

Yay!!If even one person thinks about this, it was worth writing up! That was my goal here, to get people to consider options they may not have otherwise.
This society teaches that "work" must be "a JOB" but there are so many little gray areas that are both opportunities, and needs.

Things I would love to have done (and would ordinarily do myself but for a bum shoulder lately)

Flip the mattress...a king size

Vacuum all of this stupid carpet

Sweep the porches and carport

Dig out the hoop house path another few feet

Move the last of the spent shiitake logs to the hoop house (and cover with the path soil to raise the beds

Wash the fronts of the cupboard doors

Wash the kitchen floor

Empty the garden shed and sort

Re build (frame, siding) garden shed wall while it's empty

Linseed oil the tool handles

Pretty much my 'todo' list that I can't do at the moment and husband is willing but recovering from back surgery and limited as to what he's allowed to do..

All pretty straight forward except maybe framing the wall.

As it is I'll probably get one or two things done at a time when a family member stops by but would love to be able to just hand the list to someone and have them go for it.  Hourly wages?

Judith Browning wrote:
As it is I'll probably get one or two things done at a time when a family member stops by but would love to be able to just hand the list to someone and have them go for it.  Hourly wages?

And those of us who have no family who stop by are looking for people we can pay or barter with....
I've been sick since 1996, seriously chronically disabled. I think the last time one of my sisters did anything for me was a grocery store run somewhere around 2001.
My mom is fantastic, but there's limits to what she can do either.

Pearl Sutton wrote:

Judith Browning wrote:
As it is I'll probably get one or two things done at a time when a family member stops by but would love to be able to just hand the list to someone and have them go for it.  Hourly wages?

And those of us who have no family who stop by are looking for people we can pay or barter with....
I've been sick since 1996, seriously chronically disabled. I think the last time one of my sisters did anything for me was a grocery store run somewhere around 2001.
My mom is fantastic, but there's limits to what she can do either.

I wish I lived nearby.

Pearl, this is a great post! These are all things that any young person could easily do!

Just a tip, FYI I've cleaned my share of ovens in the past and the BEST method is spray with 50% vinegar water mix, let sit for 2 hrs with the oven door closed, then scrape everything off with a razor blade. It is soooo much faster than scrubbing away with a sponge. And better than using chemical cleaners.

For those of us who are middle-aged, childcare is a really big task that can be paying work. I have a friend who is 65+, very mobile and has made a good living being a nanny for families in her area. She tries to always be available whenever a mother calls, and that's how she's kept her best clients over the years. She's dependable and the mothers love that. That's a pretty obvious one, but still worth mentioning.

I think it probably varies by  region but am wondering what the going rate for this sort of work is?  We pay our grandsons for work around our place, fencing and lawn mowing etc and tell them not to tell anyone how much because it's well above the going rate here for teenagers....they are our grandsons after all

Here I think not many adult house keepers or yard workers are earning much more than minimum wage.

Judith Browning wrote:I think it probably varies by  region but am wondering what the going rate for this sort of work is?  We pay our grandsons for work around our place, fencing and lawn mowing etc and tell them not to tell anyone how much because it's well above the going rate here for teenagers....they are our grandsons after all

Here I think not many adult house keepers or yard workers are earning much more than minimum wage.

It's usually (in my experience) quoted by the job, not the hour. Thing is, I did this kind of work, as a teenager - and was paid by the job, as opposed to by the hour. Most folks I worked with/for preferred to know a price by the job, because workers tend to be more efficient, that way - as opposed to milking the clock, and the client isn't sweating it, if the job takes longer than they expected.

Judith: interesting question.
When I am hiring for the weird stuff I pay for, I do weird things:
We set a base rate for an hour, and I tell them I'm on a budget, the more days I can afford, the longer they'll be hired. Employee tells me at the end of the day how much to pay them, we round to 10.00 numbers. They round down off the base rate if it's been an easy day, and add more if it has been a really bad day. I'll also add more if it's been a bad day.
So say base rate is 7.50 an hour, we work 7 hours, if it was an easy day, round it to 50. If it was a medium day, round to 60, if it really sucked, it'll end up being 70 or even 80 (you don't WANT to know what they end up doing on days like that, some days get really evil in my world.)

I have always HATED being paid by the hour, and if it's by the job, depends on how bad the job gets. If the job is move this trash pile, and it ends up there's dead things down there, and it all has to be bagged carefully so it can go to the dump, and loaded in the truck even though the bags are squishy and smell bad, and then unloaded.... If the job was supposed to be a 50.00 thing, that ain't fair at all. So I get bizarre. And some days look worse to them than to me, some I think sucked they round down. It breaks even in the end, no one feels used, and we don't keep working together if we don't agree on the wages being fair.

I dislike money as a medium of exchange. It bugs me.

And that day with the dead things that went to the dump DID suck, and that kid earned every penny of it. That was just miserable. I had no idea there were dead things down there.

Greg Mamishian wrote:The number of folks 65 and older is growing faster than the total US population. By 2035 there will be more of them than children under 18. This fact makes taking care of the needs of oldsters a growth industry with a constantly increasing demand for helpers. Anyone, male or female, who works in this field will never be out of a job. Serving others is emotionally rewarding work for anyone who feels it's their calling and answers it.

I know several women who work as PSWs in homes.  They all worked for companies before, but have gone private for a number of reasons.  They do everything from personal care and cooking to cleaning and organizing.  Sadly, many of them just want the PSW to spend time with them and have someone to talk to.  I think Greg's right on the money.

My dad's health took a massive downturn in September and I've spent most of that time dealing with that.  Turns out I'm pretty good at caring for the elderly, though anyone who can raise animals probably would be.  My dad had PSWs come in 3 times a week to help him shower and get dressed, though it quickly progressed to full time care.  I'm sure the pay isn't great, but there sure is a need for it and it's got to be satisfying to help people out.  

Timothy mentioned a good point about PSW's, and people just needing someone to talk to.
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This leads into a great opportunity for people that need help, but are limited on funds. If they have homes they could trade room, and maybe board for help around the house. This might end up as an ideal arrangement for the boarder that is limited on funds and has an outside of the home job. After all, most of our income seems to go towards shelter, heating and cooling.

I worked as a PSW, for three years, assisting a single mom of a teenage boy who is on the Autism spectrum. Sometimes, I cleaned the house, sometimes I was his chauffer, I helped in the garden, ran errands, & kept him company, while the mom went to work - the hours were variable, sometimes only a few hours a week, other times a full 40. It was easy, physically, but this youth was often aggressive, and a real challenge to interact with, leaving me afraid to go to work, at times. For some, this type of 'companion' is exactly what works well, but I often didn't feel safe, alone with him. The only reasons I kept doing it for so long were a. his mom really needed the help, & b. we really needed the funds. I wouldn't do it again, under those circumstances, but if the client was more amiable, it would be less stressful/ more do-able. If anyone does choose to do this, be careful of the situation you walk into.

When I was thinking 'companion', it was more of an elderly woman having a slightly younger woman, with or without a kid.
I imagine your situation was scary, my wife worked in several nursing homes. Some of the dementia patients needed to be in the psyche ward.
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I imagine there are a ton of women that would thrive in a situation where an older shut in needs some help in exchange for a safe place to live.

Mike Feddersen wrote:
I imagine there are a ton of women that would thrive in a situation where an older shut in needs some help in exchange for a safe place to live.

Part of my house design is 2 master suites, one that is my mom's, so when I need to move someone in as I get older, I have a good space to offer them. I'll take care of mom, but I'll need someone there at some point. It's designed in to make it work well.  

Good ideas! Currently, I am looking for supplemental income.

In a very small town, I made supplemental income at our farmers’ market with varietal local honey, fresh baked artisan style bread, goat cheese, soap and skin cream.  The soap skin cream and cheese I already had, making them for other populations, the farmers’ market was extra income, an outlet for extra product.  

Several things made this work.
1) small enough town that no regulatory agency took an interest in us.
2) remote enough no other farmers’ market thought we were impinging on their “territory”.
3) We only paid 25$ per year, and if someone wanted to come just a few times, instead of being a “regular “ we didn’t make them pay.  We encouraged children to come sell, we encouraged people trying a new craft or skill to come get feedback from others
4) it gave the townspeople a place to gather and mingle on a Saturday morning, there wasn’t anything ELSE happening
5) whenever a musical group came to perform, the vendors gave them products as thank you gifts .
6) it provided an opportunity for people to buy their neighbors’ extra
7) since it was a neighbors deal, the prices were lower than the going rate.  Best example of that, a basket maker who gathered her materials locally, different local shrubs with various colors of stems, gathered different times of year, as appropriate to the material eg pink dogwood, yellow green willow, reddish brown fruit tree stems…. didn’t price ANYTHING above $20.  And most were 10 or 12 dollars.


You get the idea…, it was an ideal situation, and usually it was a beautiful morning, and a pleasant way to spend a few hours.  I used to put all my things in a wagon and walk the 3 blocks.  Too bad I had to move away from that one.

I think if a person had a few things to sell, they could build up a home based “market”.

I have seen self service honor system produce stands.  (Yes, some people give themselves discounts)

Self service refrigerated egg boxes at the end of  driveways.

A person might take in sewing, mending and altering.

Hi Thekla,
Thanks for restarting this thread.
I am currently off work because of an at work injury, and it has me wanting to get "my someday garden going."
I live on an acre and a half, big green yard that I pay someone $300/month to mow while I am gone driving truck over the road.
It would be nice to find one or two or three people that wanted a garden, but don't have the area. I think I would need to get it fenced, as the deer are plentiful in the area.
On YouTube there is a guy that lives in a Florida backyard, in a little shack and he tends 3 local gardens, sharing the produce with the landowners.
Taking some of the excess to a farmers market he earns some spending money, I believe it was around $10,000. Not a lot, but if he taught this to a few people he could get paid more by having more to share. Already knowing what grows best, he could teach homeowners how to reap the rewards of their own backyards.
https://youtu.be/4yXU8K-9SIw
I was on the north side of Philadelphia Pennsylvania and found a fenced in area called Victory Gardens, they rented out small parcels for people to have a garden. You would need to be able to trust your neighbors 😉.

I have wondered for some time if anyone would pay to have a person "interview" their senior family members and record them, for the purpose of saving their memories. Record them on discs (sound only) or video. Maybe edit for an extra charge. This could be in conjunction with being a companion, whether to provide company for a senior living alone or respite for families so they could go to dinner, a movie or do some shopping/errands.

M Wilcox wrote:I have wondered for some time if anyone would pay to have a person "interview" their senior family members and record them, for the purpose of saving their memories. Record them on discs (sound only) or video. Maybe edit for an extra charge. This could be in conjunction with being a companion, whether to provide company for a senior living alone or respite for families so they could go to dinner, a movie or do some shopping/errands.

Pretty definitely yes.
My grandmother made tapes that are WONDERFUL, my great nieces, who's dad was only 6 when she died, love listening to them. The stories continue on!
Advertise it right, and yes, I'll bet there's a market for it.
:D

Edit: Incidentally, that is also a money making idea for someone who is physically disabled, but able to do things like that.

M Wilcox wrote:I have wondered for some time if anyone would pay to have a person "interview" their senior family members and record them, for the purpose of saving their memories. Record them on discs (sound only) or video. Maybe edit for an extra charge. This could be in conjunction with being a companion, whether to provide company for a senior living alone or respite for families so they could go to dinner, a movie or do some shopping/errands.

I have an aunt who does genealogical research and she hires her brother (my uncle), who is an award-winning videographer, to do oral history interviews, then edit them for various uses. They also do some oral history or documentary work within their region not specific to family histories. I think there is certainly a market, especially if you interview skills and some ability to edit and package it well.

On that note, I think video editing skills can be a good free-lance job if you want to stay remote. There is a demand for video media, online educational videos,  and "content" and editing can be a valuable part of that pipeline.