Something To Do...With A Little Money Attached To It- Ideas??

[outdoorcamogirl]

He everyone-

Been thinking about the lifestyle for some time now...and have finally realized that the only thing holding me back is ME....I have no debt because I have been working like a dog for the last 25 years...my little modest house is paid off...so if I sold it I would have a nice chunk of money to live off of for a while until I devised a new plan. Since I have always been self employed and worked far too much, the idea of not having to do A GOD DAMNED THING on the road appeals to me...but I know myself, and at some point I will get bored and need a purpose...something to do that inspires me....and since I don't want to burn through my entire savings I want to be able to make a little money from whatever I decide to do. I have always been a "Work With Your hands kind of person"...I am real crafty...have had a mobile Foo Foo dog grooming service for many years....have been a women's Support Group Facilitator...never been much for sitting at the computer for hours if I can avoid it but I realize that blogs and YouTube influencers are a big thing in the nomadic community....so for me I think probably what would appeal to me is something that falls somewhere between some manual type of business and sitting on my butt at the computer since I would be nomadic with a group(hopefully)….just wanted to reach out and see if any of you seasoned veteran travelers could give me any thoughts...feedback...or ideas on this post. Thank You

 

[Elbear1]

make jams and jellies from wild harvesting

 

[maki2]

i suggest you take a look at this blog All Things Paper because what it is featuring would give you your criteria for something to do with your hands but also meets the criteria I have listed below.
https://www.allthingspaper.net/

What works well for a nomadic life in a small sized space:
Something that does not take a lot of space to do and just uses a few simple materials
Something that is easy to ship to customer all over the planet
Something that engages your creativity and will keep on engaging it with new ideas and methods
Something that actually can produce an income
Products that can be sold using an online store front that doe not require you to be constantly on the computer but only check in everyday or two.

Of course you do need to get busy and design and also promote through social media.
You need to understand those Search Engine Optimization use of keywords so that people will find you
Getting friends and family to spread the word about what you do is important because every click counts in boosting your visibility
When in forums that permit it have a signature line that has links to your blog, storefront, etc if your want to promote them in that forum.

 

[Seminole Wind]

make jams and jellies from wild harvesting

just a cautionary note. while most places allow picking of berries and other wild craft foods with minimal restrictions/regulations. yet when you start making products, the rules, regulations and permitting can get complicated. most states have pretty strict requirements on selling processed foods and most require the processing be done in a commercial and or inspected kitchen.

 

[travelaround]

As I recall the National Forest I used to live in had rules/permits for commercial enterprises operating on National Forest land.

 

[travelaround]

Just a word of warning, that blogging and YouTube are rarely quick roads to riches.

 

[RoamerRV428]

just a thought.... Foo Foo dog biz. Cool. Go into any campground and offer those services and many would take you up on it quickly Capitalize on skills you have and can use easily. A quick chat with any campground management and if allowed, a small tent, your small groom table etc. and a-money making you will go....this of course depends on if private cgs etc are on your list to stay.

 

[outdoorcamogirl]

Yes....I did think of this...I have a smaller(22') older travel trailer and if I stick to just little dogs I could easily wash them in my kitchen sink...could get a folding grooming table and already have all of my tools....I currently have a mobile grooming van, which is pretty nice...but if I go on the road I will be pulling my travel trailer with my diesel pickup, so the grooming van would go into storage since I would probably sell my property,,,,not sure what I am going to do- just trying to figure things out- that is why I reached out do you guys- wanted to see what everyone else thought....I mostly prefer to boondock but of course I could go into campgrounds and groom dogs too- but how many dogs could I actually get from one campground on such short notice....and would the money I earned on the grooming fee be canceled out by my nightly camping fee?? Things to think about....sigh...selling things on ebay is a good idea, but I have tried it and it is challenging to find items that sell for a decent profit- not only that, but Big Brother is watching your earnings....I would rather do something for cash....the idea of jams and jellies is too labor intensive for such a small space I think- I have tried that before in my sticks and bricks home, and for the work involved the meager profit wasn't worth it to me...thanks everybody for the input....keep the ideas coming!!

 

[highdesertranger]

get yourself a shovel, a gold pan and play mother natures lotto. highdesertranger

 

[travelaround]

Gold hunting is a good way to get time in nature and exercise. But profits are usually negligible unless you have a good dredge.

 

[Cammalu]

I believe I saw a very busy dog grooming business in the flea market in Quartzsite.

 

[1shemp]

Why would you want to groom dogs when you are sitting on a gold mine?

 

[Almost There]

Consider just taking a paying job somewhere on a seasonal basis.

I found out my first summer of retirement that I make a really bad beach bum - 8 or 9 beaches within a 15 minute drive and I was bored to tears by mid July. I'm fine in the winter when I'm in AZ because I can always find touristy things to do and enjoy meeting up and camping with all my friends who head there for the winter but summers at home were way different. I'm Canadian so I have to put in my time each year to qualify for health care, pension supplement etc.

The first summer I ended up pretending I was a chef at an off the grid lodge - thankfully the real chef left me the recipes.... and the meals were all planned out (20 guests max and 3 staff). Loved it.

The past two summers I've been working in a living history park where I get to dress up each day and pretend it's 1860s AND sell high quality merchandise. AND I get paid for it....  

Working seasonally doesn't have to be at a campground where you're cleaning toilets and showers, nor does it have to be Amazon or beet harvest. Heck you might even find a dog groomer who wants a summer off and you can step in and sub for them like doctors do locum positions.

I figure I have the best of both worlds - my freedom to travel 7 months of the year and for 5 months I make money!

 

[outdoorcamogirl]

Why would you want to groom dogs when you are sitting on a gold mine?

I am not sure what you mean "Sitting on a gold mine"....if you are referring to the proceeds from my home...yes it may be a chunk of money- but I don't want to just live off of it and run the well dry....I want to be smart and make sure I think about retirement, complete retirement.....now while I still have the motivation I want to think about things that I could possibly do on the road to make a little money...there will come a time when I just really wont feel like it or god forbid, won't be able to....in which case having a nice chunk of money to fall back on would be the smart way to go.

Thanks to all for your input....I am taking notes!!

 

[maki2]

Since you are a groomer and you obviously like dogs you could take on dog sitting jobs in people's homes. You would of course want to screen it to be sure you can have a legal parking space for your van at their home, preferably a nice flat spot! It would not be under the table money if you signup with one of the online dog sitting services. But at least they do give you some liability insurance coverage to protect the assets you do have in case something happens while you work. You can change the location you are in on those services and still keep your reviews tagging along with you. Plus I have read when investigating it that most people do leave the sitter a cash tip.

The other thing those services connect is for people looking for services such as pet grooming. So you would want to take along your clippers as there might be more grooming opportunities while you are nomadic that you are anticipating.

Of course you might be looking to change up how you have been earning a living and try something new or at least in addition to while you transition into that next new thing.

 

[maki2]

This youtube video is quite good at explaining how to find house/pet sitting jobs while you travel in your van. Many of the sits receive pay some sits are not paid but offer you a place to stay which can be a great value if you want to visit Europe for a month long or even season long stay in a nice home without paying for a place to stay other than some labor time.

 

[RoamerRV428]

with grooming situations on the road you can also do a walk from their campsite or doggie babysitting. Many want to leave their pets in rvs and need someone to take them out etc. This stuff is more if you are sitting in a site for a longer time obviously but you never know, any of those situations could bring in a few bucks for ya. Pets traveling need good care so it is an open field kinda for ya. People love their pets big time and will spend some bucks on them definitely

 

[WanderingRose]

There’s always basic camp hosting, the posts that pay a small stipend as well as provide a campsite and utilities.

These can be for an entire season or 4-6 weeks at a time.

If you are crafty, making something small and selling it at farmers markets/local flea markets might be a thought.

 

[ckelly78z]

It sounds to me like you need to sell your diesel truck, and pull your 22' camper with the mobile grooming van...OR...move all of the grooming equipment to your truck, and sell the van.

Most folks won't want their dogs disappearing into a older camper, owned by a stranger, to get washed in the sink. You may want to have an outdoor sink/grooming area, and a clean/tidy area with vibrant colored signs to attract attention.

 

[outdoorcamogirl]

Since you are a groomer and you obviously like dogs you could take on dog sitting jobs in people's homes. You would of course want to screen it to  be sure you can have a legal parking space for your van at their home, preferably a nice flat spot!  It would not be under the table money if you signup with one of the online dog sitting services. But at least they do give you some liability insurance coverage to protect the assets you do have in case something happens while you work.  You can change the location you are in on those services and still keep your reviews tagging along with you. Plus I have read when investigating it that most people do leave the sitter a cash tip.

The other thing those services connect is for people looking for services such as pet grooming. So you would want to take along your clippers as there might be more grooming opportunities while you are nomadic that you are anticipating.

Of course you might be looking to change up how you have been earning a living and try something new or at least in addition to while you transition into that next new thing.

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Yup, this is my thought...acquiring all the knowledge I can...all the input and suggestions from others that I can...maybe something new altogether....The suggestions to pull my travel trailer with the dog grooming van is a good one...but the fancy dog grooming van is for pavement driving since it has all of those fiberglass ground effects and has a gas engine- my Diesel 4x4 truck and travel trailer are outfitted for off road use....besides, my diesel truck gets much better gas mileage when towing and can tow ANYTHING, so because I do not know what the future holds, it would be wise to hold on to it- it's paid for. I do understand that grooming dogs out of my older travel trailer is not the optimum as far as professionalism but that doesn't change the fact that I am very skilled at what I do- so who knows what I could come up with, never going to be a brand new self contained mobile grooming trailer with flying flags and neon signs but freeing myself from that kind of stuff would be half the reason that I would choose to live life on the road....doggie daycare or some sort of pet sitting service is an excellent suggestion, especially if I were to park myself in a highly populated area for a block of time like Quartzite during the winter, I am certainly qualified to do that....not sure that my choice would be to spend most of my time in highly populated areas, though....I was sort of thinking that most time would be spent in small groups in remote places, especially when the weather turns hot. But that's OK....I want to hear all suggestions, they are all great...and I appreciate them all! Thank You!