Summer Coming: Some Free Time & New Ideas

So Mr. Summer is coming around! Some are still working, to whom I wish good luck and say "Don't worry, enjoy the summer on the weekends or any free time, is always better than the cold winter after work hours!” Now for those, like me, that are off school (or work), some warm free time is always welcomed, right?

Well, I'm done school, and apparently with very good marks, especially when considering all bills and a little cute toddler running around the house without stop! But what to do now??

Well I've been looking for a summer job since February and thought I was getting lucky, as I was supposed to start working for a very nice humanitarian organization on May 1st. What happened? Three days before my fist training day they call me saying they got full! They could not take me in! I was disappointed, very much, cannot deny that! But, what can I do? I know it was not on purpose and they are very cool people so... It's ok.

The only problem here is... I have to meet some eligibility requirements to keep my daughter in daycare under government subsidy and I also need money to pay the bills! Now I'm freaking out a little... To keep her under subsidy (yes because daycare is a heavy $1360 a month - much more than my rent) I have to either be working or go back to school. Now, I missed the registration deadline for the summer semester so I'm left with work. No problem, I actually really need a good job to ease off from the university hectic load.

However, when I got "hired" by this humanitarian organization I stopped looking for jobs, right? Now is extremely hard to get a job, especially when I have no one else to stay with my little girl after 5pm or on weekends.

 So here I am freaking out, and making my partner go crazy! But then I thought: what if I start making stuff and sell it in consignment stores? This way I can apply as self-employed which meets the subsidy's requirements and I can make some money.

I mean, this will definitely not give me enough to pay my bills but I can sell things while I look for a job, or get some odd jobs here and there (cleaning, etc.). At least I will be able to keep my baby in daycare, which is good for her development and social skills.

I decided to learn how to make interesting things with different kinds of paper and a little knowledge of paper binding. Now I'm not the most creative person you will know, but I do like to write and do like to learn new things. Mixing paper binding and writing, I can always create my own handmade journals or even write a few poems, gather some quotes, bind nice papers and create little books to sell on stores that focus on handmade stuff and local artists. This takes about 4 hours a day, depending on how much I want to commit and still gives me some time to look for other jobs or clean houses, or even babysit for a few hours.

After some research I found out about a few workshops in the area, where I can learn some techniques and acquire inspiration for new ideas. And the best of all is that they are all under $50, so I don't have to spend that much money.

Another thing I found out is that in my local area there is this grant for students that are going back to university in September. It is a great grant that gives student up to $3000 to invest in a summer-long small business idea. You do not necessarily have to have a business licence; all you need is free time and good ideas. They don't expect you to make big money out of it, because it will be just a summer job kind of thing. Basically it is an incentive for students to do something during the summer, and pay their bills without having to recur to social assistance.

At the moment I am already enrolled in few workshops and have some ideas to start off. It seems very interesting and expands my creative horizons, which honestly need a little shake! On top of this (and this is a suggestion for any hub newbie) I can always write hubs about my new ideas, or my daily struggles and accomplishments with this summer-long business. Maybe even sprinkle things up with a few How-to hubs.

So for all you people who are in the same situation as I am - struggling to get a summer job - don't stop looking for a job (please!), but start looking at your situation with a different attitude. Write about your job-hunting journey, or slip your time between hunting for a job and learning some new things. You can always write about that too, new ideas, crafts, etc. I am sure you will inspire others while practicing your writing and maybe even getting some extra little revenue.

Hop to it! And enjoy the summer!