I have been trying to follow Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps program from the Financial Peace class my husband and I attended around 2 years ago. We had already made a big investment purchase using most of our savings before entering the class and we weren't sure if it was the wisest idea, but it was done, so we moved forward as best we could learning to budget and try to live within our means. We were already debt free (Baby Step 2) except for the mortgage(s) and then, whoosh, all three children were back home with us following graduation from their respective institutions. Some of the household expenses expanded and I felt we were not moving ahead from the step we were on which was Step 3 - fully funding our emergency savings - the recommended amount being 3-6 months of your monthly expenses . Every month we were not able to set anything aside for this, let alone put aside more toward retirement other than the very small amount (nowhere near 15%) going tax free into my husband's 401K. Knowing that he wants to retire in the next 2 years, I tried boosting our income with side hustles like Ramsey recommends, but found nothing that brought a significant change.
You needed all that background to understand my mindset when I went to visit my cousin to help when her baby was being born in late July. She is a stay-at-home mom who makes her living sharing about health and wellness products she loves on her Instagram and Facebook. Since I am a very low-key internet person I knew doing something like that would not be for me even though I admired her very much. However, while I was there, I came across some other products, more household and sundries items, that kept popping up. "What do you want me to use for laundry?" I'd ask, and she would direct me to the bottle of liquid that was concentrated to give you 9x the use of a giant liquid that was mostly water. "What do you want me to use for the dishwasher?" and she would direct me under the sink where there was liquid for that, liquid for hand washing, spray for disinfecting, a degreaser spray, and floor cleaner, all of which were marked clearly that they were safe for children and pets and also cleaner for the environment. I thought, "This is really important for her and these children, and I could need these when I move to our retirement home that has a septic system and requires safer ingredients to be used."
When I got home, I looked up the products online and found that I needed a referral from her to shop the store, and she gave it to me via text right away. I was blown away by the myriad of completely American made products they had, ranging from cleaning to fitness to make-up and beyond. Not only that, but the welcome video showed me that I could make money from home if I shared the referral just like she had shared it with me. No-Brainer! I signed up right away and shared the idea with my daughter and she agreed it would definitely be a possible way for us to work together to supplement our household's income as well as possibly sustain her when my husband and I retire and move away.
Now that my homeschooling days are behind me, I have the time to pour into this side-hustle and reach for my Baby Steps and next steps. In this really difficult and tumultuous age we live in, I know that many people need a little extra to help them get by. My husband, bless his heart, works overtime almost every day and I have been looking for something that would take some of that pressure off him as well as give me something that could continue on into our "Second Act". It is such a blessing that this came into our lives right now and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us and those around us in coming days. Stay tuned! You might be receiving an invite to our home for a casual get-together to check out the store and, if you wanted, the business opportunity. No pressure at all, just a hopeful message of possibilities from myhandsful to you.
