Like many families, we are starting the Dave Ramsey financial program to work towards being debt free. If you're not familiar with it, it's a financial program, very popular in Christian groups, to help you "Live like no one else." The idea is if you live like no one else will today, someday you will have the financial freedom to truly live like no one else. So many households live paycheck to paycheck and both partners work, so getting out of debt is really important to many families. The first step on the plan is to save $1000 for an emergency fund and the second step is to begin the 'debt roll-up' work. I really like the ideas Dave presents and we are working on step one now but hope to quickly (in the next month) be on step two.

With debt reduction on so many minds, it reminded me that many families don't want to stop working their full-time jobs, they just want time freedom to enjoy their families more and afford to make family time a priority. Many families also want to have the extra cash to take family vacations and do home improvements; things that also improve family time and revolve around the heart of the home. Like many, that means finding ways to add extra income to the household in order to become debt-free faster and have the cash to enjoy the extras like those listed above.

Some folks take on part-time jobs alongside their full-time ones but for many that's just not an option since that would take even more time away from the family and not allow proper supervision for younger children. More and more people are turning to home-based income opportunities for this reason. Direct sales, home party businesses and online income opportunities are very popular for these reasons. This week, I was looking into a few of these for my own purposes.

Being in the work-at-home arena for so many years, I've heard of so many home businesses and most of them are awesome. It's all about finding the perfect fit for you. I can't possibly list everything in one blog, but you can browse the rest of my website to view many home businesses. If you want me to talk about any specific ones in future blogs, just email and let me know or leave a comment and I'll do that for you. Today, I'm going to talk a little about 3 home party/direct sales businesses I was thinking of this week and also one home survey site I joined.

1. Avon- This company is built on strong values and has been around for as long as I can remember. My mom sold Avon and so many people in my family have. I even sold it for awhile when I was a newlywed. I've always loved the products and it really is fun to sell. From what I remember and what some folks who still sell told me, it is a very low start-up cost ($10, I believe) and you can earn from 20% to 50% on the items you sell as well as incentives for sharing the business opportunity and recruiting others. I give this company a thumbs up all the way. The products are great and they offer much more than just cosmetics these days. I think Avon really does sell itself once you share the catalogs.
2. Thirty-One- I really don't know much about this company except that I first came in contact with a rep at a teacher orientation session once. They have some awesome purses, totes and other similar products in really snazzy colors and patterns. They are very pretty and functional! Monogramming is also available on most, if not all, items. I am planning to look into this further. If you are a Thirty-One consultant, I'd love to hear from you with the 'low-down' on the business, cost for start-up, etc. This business makes me really warm and fuzzy because I just love cloth purses and bags and I love their organizational items. Ahhh...I really need to learn more about them! I'll keep you posted!
3. Mary Kay- Again, I know it has been around for years but I don't know much about the business structure. I'm going to tell you what I have been told by previous reps and I've found online. You can sell via home demonstrations or just general direct sales, the products are top-notch and come highly recommended by many. I also notice, from personal experience, that the ladies using Mary Kay have amazing skin! Who doesn't want that? I believe the commission is 50% on most items you sell but I have no idea about minimums or any of the other details. I do know however that the company once gave pink Cadillacs to some top producers... I'd love to know how you can earn a pink car! Gotta love that! What girl wouldn't want a pink, princess set of wheels?!? Again, if you know more about Mary Kay, please share and I'll share it in my blog and/or somewhere on my website.
4. Buzz Back- This is a survey company that a friend recommended. They will give you surveys to do that can earn you a few bucks here and there. So far, I've only done one survey for $1 but thought I'd share.  You do  have to fill out a short questionnaire and qualify to become a member but then they will send you surveys that match your criteria as they come around. There is no cost to become a member and if you ever go to a survey site that wants to charge you, please don't pay to join any survey sites, that would be a scam. 
   
   I just joined  BuzzBack about a week ago and so far have only received one survey, but I'll keep you posted. I don't think this will be a stand alone income opportunity, but I'm fine with offering my opinion and taking a few minutes of my time to earn a few bucks. You do need to reach $15 to receive your payout. I will let  you know how this progresses over time. Here's the link if you are interested- http://www.buzzback.com/ (you need to scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see a box on the right side labeled 'Join the Buzzback Panel'). I don't receive any incentive for referrals and I have no idea if they ask you where you heard about them but if they do, a mention to MommyBizMatchmaker.com would be nice  even though there is no earnings involved. I'll always take a plug for the website. :)

Well, those are my thoughts for the week regarding home businesses and ways to earn extra cash from home! It seems like the words frugal, couponing and debt free are becoming really popular with families today! Cheers to living like no one else so some day you really can!