Work

[Mouldy]

I know quite a few of you have Social Security/Pension/VA income, but what about the people that don't on here? (and specifically the people that get to travel a bit more)<br><br>I'm a recent college graduate and keep getting denied for jobs. I'm leaving one way or another in 6 weeks for SoCal to my brothers for a couple weeks to help him out with erecting some buildings and what not. After that (assuming no jobs come my way) i'm kinda SOL. So enlighten me on how you make money!<br><br>I do amateur photography, construction, and my major is in geography. All of which are really slow right now...<br><br>

 

[Les H]

Hey Mouldy,
First , let me say right off the bat, I am not living full time in a vehicle. I am a self employed contractor in upstate Ny. My van's picture in my aviator is in front of a house that I have been rebuilding for over a year and a half when time And money allow. I do travel some for work, and there is a tab in the index to the left called workcamping. Also, if you join the vandwellers site at the yahoo forums, this is discussed quite often, lots of good info in the archives. I know some people do art or crafts,, some do flea Mkts. and craft fairs. One person I have heard of goes from house to house house sitting for people that are away. Some make money online. Since retirement is not a likely option for me, I will probably try to find a way to hit the road with my tools, at least the more portable ones. I will defiantly follow the posts to your thread, as I would like to have more options too.

 

[1oleman]

<P>Altho I'm retired on Social Security and a disabled vet,&nbsp; I too will follow this as I can use any additional income I can find.&nbsp; I'm trying to get the materials to start making custom silver jewelery again.&nbsp; Ed</P>

 

[Tara]

1 - be creative. People want something you can do for them, figure out how to market it on the road (craigslist, fliers, door to door, street corner).

2 - the Internet. Look at where people are spending money and see if you can be the one who gets it.

 

[akrvbob]

Right now is the time to be getting a campground hosting job. There are lots of them and it has worked extremely well for me. Since you are a seasonal worker, you can draw unemployment in the winter. The company I work for is hiring lots of people right now for May employment. Go here:<br>http://www.clm-services.com/employment/job-openings<br>Bob<br><br>

 

[Mouldy]

Thanks for the link, Bob. I'm kinda torn on what to do. I have about 20 applications out right now and i'd like to think i'd have a good shot at getting one of them. I won't know of them til March maybe and by then i'm sure almost all host jobs will be gone. What are the jobs that you posted paying roughly (8 bucks mayber?) so I could figure out what to draw for unemployment in winter.<br>

 

[CP]

Hey Bob,<br>Did you have your auto registered in the states you were hosting in?&nbsp; Here in the cities of California the Cops are real hard assed about anyone working with out of states plates.&nbsp; I was wondering if you could get by on the hosting sites with out of states plates.&nbsp; Thanks for the great site!<br><br>

 

[akrvbob]

Most all campground hosting jobs pay minimum wage of the state they are in. So when I was in CO I was paid $7 an hour, when I was in CA the minimum was $8, but the company I worked for paid us $8.50. <br><br>I have Nevada plates and I have worked in CO and CA. I have heard of that problem in CA before and I was a little worried about it. I went into the tiny mountain town of Shaver Lake, CA on all my days off and got online at a little country store/cafe. The Sheriff was often there eating or working, and he never gave me a second glance. I think there is generally a different attitude up in the mountians from the major population centers. On the other hand, I know several hosts who were quite remote and just never went into town. Either way I think you are quite safe.<br><br>Every year I have been a host we have had a few people never show-up, quit or be fired. So jobs do come up through the summer. There are many less than in the winter, so you have to be very persistent. Bob<br><br>

 

[mountaintramp]

hey Bob<br><br>do you know of any paying camp host jobs that are during the winter months, in either the california low desert or in AZ? Anza Burrego SP would be cool, but you work for a camp site, no $$. <br><br>

 

[sl1966]

Hi Mouldy,<div><br></div><div>I know this won't help you now, but later in the year it will. Amazon hires seasonal help at their Kansas processing center. Basically it's all packing and shipping type work. ExpressPro is the name of the staffing agency that's working with Amazon and full timers. The pay is around $11 per hour and I've read that&nbsp;they pay for your campsite (tent, van, TT, or RV) for the duration of your employment there. I haven't confirmed this with ExpressPro yet.</div><div><br></div><div>In the meantime. If you've got a laptop and can muster some internet access from time to time. I've heard that you can get a writing gig or two. I've heard this repeatedly from other FTr's. I don't know myself because I don't write for a living. I work in IT and have found other ways to make $$$ on the road using those skills.</div><div><br></div><div>Steve</div>

 

[cyndi]

<P><FONT size=3>&nbsp;A couple at the RTR mentioned amazon now has three facilities they hire for seasonal work: Kentucky, Kansas, and Nevada.</FONT></P>

 

[sl1966]

There you go. Kentucky and Kansas have got to be absolute murder to someone in a tent, van, or TT during the winter months. Nevada is cold but at least you stand a fighting chance there.

 

[akrvbob]

There are a few public land camp hosting jobs in the winter, but not many. They are mostly in the National Forests and they generally close in the winter for the snow/cold. Blm positions are generally just for your site. Sorry. Bob<br>

 

[butterfly]

<P><FONT size=3>Mouldy j</FONT><FONT size=3>ust a thought ...have you ever considered house-sitting? </FONT><A href="http://www.housecarers.com" target=_blank target=_blank><FONT size=3>www.housecarers.com</FONT></A><FONT size=3>&nbsp;&nbsp; is a site you might check out.&nbsp; At first glance it looks like it's just for people wanting&nbsp;to place an ad for a house sitter.&nbsp; click onto Find House Sits to choose a state &amp; locate house sitting jobs.&nbsp; Sometimes there is pay involved if part of the job includes taking care of a pet.</FONT></P>

 

[polecat77]

I have S.S. and a Venders Lic &nbsp;costs $25 for life from Ohio so I do Fea markets. I get products at Goodwill and Sal Army and yard &amp; Garage sales. Hince my need for a 4X8 utility trailer. (products &amp; tables).If you happen to be in a state that has returnable bottles (MI, NY,CT,IA,OR,VT) you can pick up bottles and cans and make $50 to $100 a day. Not easy work, but doable. Also there are day labor places like Labor Ready [(800) 24 LABOR] where they pay by the day. check with chamber of commerce of the city you are in. Hope these ideas help

 

[Mouldy]

Butterfly - I have looked into that briefly before but haven't really considered it. If you know what hits the fan I might have to look into that closer.<br><br>sl1966 - Kansas wouldn't really be my thing, considering I'm trying to stay in the west generally. But, ya never know, always good to have options. I do photography and am a pretty decent writer when I sit down and take the time to do it. I haven't really looked into that, but would love to!<br><br>

 

[gadgetMe]

With your age, try a bunch of things, to see what you might like, if hanging around campers, (just some suggestions) figure out a way to supply firewood, deliver firewood, supply fresh water to those who so not want to move.<br>In Yuma in the dry camping areas, guys come around with rigged trucks that will empty black water tanks, and resupply fresh water.<br>heck if you would like to sell campfire pokers I could send you some <img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"><br>Sell photos on the internet....<br><br>As "they" say think outside of the box.<br><br>Putz<br>

<br><br>

 

[Mouldy]

Yeah, I have A LOT of options. I have meagerly tried to sell photos online, but haven't dived in yet to open an account on a stock photo website or anything like that. Has anyone else on here sold photos or articles for that matter and have tips on how to do it?!?!? I think opening a stock photo account is of the first things I'm going to do once I get to Bishop.<br>There are a ton of climbers that come to Bishop from all over the world. I could sew climbing gear and sell it! (too bad I don't know how to sew well <img src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> )<br><br>

 

[Les H]

Yeah, I have A LOT of options. There are a ton of climbers that come to Bishop from all over the world. I could sew climbing gear and sell it! (too bad I don't know how to sew well <img src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> )

Mouldy, methinks that's not a great idea... Just sayin. I can, however vouch for the returnable cans and bottles in some states, though I think $100/day is optimistic, as there is actually competition for them. Best bet is to memorize the garbage/ recycling routes for the week in a more populated area. Be prepared to be awake and moving before 3 am, as our trashman comes at 4:30. Also, be advised, that some refuse companies claim that returnables are their property once they are placed on the curb. (legally, I believe the curb is public property, as it is part of the street, but some have been threatened with arrest Nonetheless.) Another commodity that can be looked for is recyclable metals, ie. Copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel, etc. Tin and steel, too but they are much heavier and bulkier. Metal yards will pay by the pound, sometimes with a 100 lb minimum. Be prepared to show a drivers liscense, as theft of building materials is a big problem, and most crooks don't want a revisit or paper trail of their theft. I still do recycling, though not as much as I used to . Now it's mostly remodeling leftovers, as I'm a builder and contractor. ( psst- the average cell phone has $1.40 worth of gold in it, and a computer has about $12-14 , but you have to extract it...)
Les

 

[Mouldy]

I was just kidding there Les, I don't really wanna sew <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br>