I have been a single mom from day one.(finding out i was pregnant being day one)
With the exception of finishing school and the year and half working in my field of study, i have been a stay at home mom. It is hard to find friends when you don't interact much with adults on a day to day basis that an outside job allows.

At the moment i am starting a home family day care, hoping to give my son some playmates as well as have an income on my own again.

I know that alot of us on this board are stuggling with the family and friend mix. It is hard especially when you don't have the day to day activities that include adults.

I'm currently on an Australian DSS (welfare) payment for single mothers. I'm really ashamed of this, but I think for my daughter's sake I need to be selfish and think of the long term. I've been under-employed, under-paid or over-worked in boring, dirty jobs that offer little or no job satisfaction for years now. I can't bear the thought of putting my little girl into day care so that I can go to work at some barely skilled dead end job and still struggle to get by, let alone pay for a decent school, home, etc. I too aim to work from home, but I hardly know where to start. It's a constant battle not to fall into a rut.

Kris - best of luck in getting your home daycare business going. My daughter was in home daycare for a while; the daycare provider had been in business for 15 years, starting it because she wanted to stay home with her children. So I wish you the best.

Meryn - best to you too. It sounds like a difficult situation. You don't list what your educational background is but have you thought of a computer-based job like web design? It's fairly easy to find inexpensive training out there, and the money can be good.

Other than that I would suggest something like freelance proofreading for a publishing company, corporate communications department or law firm. In those kinds of jobs you can make $25 (US) or more per hour.

Wendy, I admire the fact that you don't receive child support and are doing it on your own. I think if I had to do this over again I would not have filed for child support - it would have saved me a lot of money in legal fees and a lot of headaches with my daughter's father, who doesn't come around to see her anyway.

Kimber - You mention doing webdesign. Do you have any suggestions as to where to start? I have some experience in designing them but no idea where to go to get paid for doing them.


Thanks,
Tanya

Im new here but i know all to well what its like to do it alone. My oldest boy is now 8 and his father was briefly in his life for a whole month long enough to get me preg a second time make all kinds of grand promises then disappear off the face of the earth.

I have never received support of any kind from him not emotional or monetary.

Its a daily struggle and i wish it was so much easier but that which doesnt kill us will make us stronger in the end.

I too have been looking for good home business to start but some i have checked into require paying out more money than i would end up making in the long run and there fore are simply not worth it for me.
I curently run one safelist on my own and am coowner of another neither of which is very profitable at the moment. I am also doing a get paid to surf program but with that i am only making $3 a month now i do realise that letting it build that after a few months i can roll my earnings over and make even more but that in itself will take time.

Its not an easy road by any means and each of us must do what is needed for ourselves and our children even if it means getting welfare which yes we do get help through that as well. But everything in my house I have paid for with money i have earned the little bit of welfare we gets buys food and pays two of our bills all the rest is out of pocket for me.

Mostly I feel that we do what we need to to get by and should NOT feel ashamed of that.

Tanya in regards to your question about webdesign there are alot of great free website builders you just download them and then play around with backgrounds and drop and drag techniques and there is alot of info on html at google.com

I like the sothink editor myself because it has three views the html the drop and drag design and the preview plus there is also an icon to click so you can view your work as an actual webpage I have learned alot of html from just playing around with drop and drag then reading the html to see how it all works.
I have now designed 4 websites and might consider furthering my knowledge to include javascript and perl and php so that i can make bigger and better sites.

Hello, i am new here. i am a single mom of 5 girls. ages 5 7 12 16 18, their dad IS involve, a bit too much, down to, "When you gonna clean off that moss off the roof" lol. he and his wifey moved into a new home 3 blocks away from me. lovely! He pays support, sees them for visits, but...... that is as far as it goes, wont take them to thier work, wont help them with anything, wont help me with anything that needs assist, mind you i have a 16 red headed spit fire, and one that is 18, so when i started having trouble with the 16 yr old going to parties, etc, he stepped away from it and wont help out.
he was abusive while married and has married someone worse than him . lol i guess what goes around comes around lol.
hope to hear from you all.
prestgrl@aol.com
diana

Hello, I am new to this also. First, I would like to say that I maybe able to help those who want to work at home. I have spent many hours, days and years researching home businesses and work at home jobs. If any of you are still interested please email at ameriplan4u2004*yahoo.com
Second, I would like to say kudos to all that have sacrificed to stay at home with their children. In this day and time we must all do what it takes to keep our children save and in my opinion being at home is the savest place. And if being on welfare is what it takes then so be it. There is no shame in that. I am a single Mom by choice and I have had many a struggles and stress but it has all been worth it to stay at home with my son. I never gave up and my Faith in God pulled me through it all. I now have a home business with integrity and an outstanding income. If anyone needs any assistance with ideas or advice just email at the above address. To all of those who are struggling to be stay at home Moms I say never give up and Keep The Faith.
Gidget

Does anyone have any suggestions on a legit home business?

I maybe able to help you. I am a single work at home Mom. I have a great home business. I make an unlimited income with benefits. I love what I do because I am helping others. My business is a member of the BBB and The US Chamber of Commerce. Please email for more info. ameriplan4u2004*yahoo.com
Blessings,
Gidget Castro
Regional Sales Director

I am part of a company called Melaleuca. It's a great company and has little start up, very little. You can get a view of their products and services at www.melaleuca.com You don't sell the products, have home parties, or any of the stufff. All you really do is refer others to become a customer also.
It's not get rich quick, but you can build a steady income. If anyone wants to learn more, just PM me

I'd like to know that myself, how to work from hom eand be financially comfortable. I have done medical transcription from home, with alittle success, but then life's drama got in the way. For the benefits, retirement plan, and for the prestige (only because it seems to help w loan applications for a home), I have switched to looking for work in a law office, and am 2/3 of the way done w my associates in paralegal program.. but am having little success so far because the builk of myemployment has been freelance work at home stuff and 2 years at my daughter's school as a bus driver, left on not such good terms because the job sucked, I wasn't them odel employee because it was a crappy job too... bad hours, couldn't take time off for court without getting crap, was told i needed to find a daycare that would take my kid when she was sick... and then management got involved in my problems centering around my kid and restraining orders... Personal business got mixed with work and it was a closeknit small town community and I just didn't fit in. So I finished out the school year and left. And am still unemployed. But also haven't been looking all that hard either. Ran out of gas money about midmomth every montn for driv8ing to town for job search. sigh... But still looking. I suspect that my last job is not giving me a good reference because people love my resume and snap up my computer and typing skills..., but later they never call me. I wish I could figure out a way to present myself wihtout including that last job as a reference. Am going to have a friend call and pretend to be an employwer to find out what is being said. Have develped.... 3 or 4 websites. One is a prayer list with religious content and devotionals, etc. Have also made a website centered around being a scrapbook of all my freelance work. It's handy for referring to customers. The other I'm almost done with is a website for people in similar situation... where to report bad CPS workers, and where to report crooked judges, etdtc. How to make a fuss in tyhe "system". And where to find low income resources tog et you by.

Am also working on an idea, it's not a new idea... there are automated websites where you type in all of your information in a web form, a nd it spits out a divorce packet that you go file. An automated paralegal service. I am learning how to make the form, have the questionarre compiled already, and the paperwork ready to go.... Just researching it very well on to see if it is legal in this state and if I can get sued.

Another thing people seem to be selling is information. You can teach a skill that you are good at. You can make your own products and market them... It seems if we want to work from home, and don't want to sell what others have... we need to carve our own niche. One thing I haven't made a WHOLE lot of money at, but particularily enjoyed is freelance artwork and craft projects. People sell handmade crafts on Ebay. Just some thoughts.

I stay at home wth my two boys and babysit two children for a mother who works thrid shift. My mother and I are starting a Tshirt business. I will be doing that during the day. we will be embroidering shirts with logos for businesses and hope to do aprons and dog collors and other thing later on after we get estabilished.

With the babysitting and the child support I have just enough to make it.

i do in home daycare, but would like to find something else to do at home...with a 7yo, 3yo and a baby on the way, it's very important to me that i get to be home...i would like to have something that is a bit more flexible so that i can volunteer at my son's school next fall, etc...

I am new to the site and I must say it is nice to see that I am not alone ~ even though I feel like it sometimes. I work from home too and have four children ages 11 to 3 1/2. Contact with adults is mostly at church and church functions. My ex does the minimal every other weekend ~ no more. I guess I should feel blessed that he spends time with them at all. My business helps me save money and provide things for my children that I couldn't before. It took me a long time to find it but I feel blessed that I did. Visit my site ~ this is a great work from home for moms of all kinds.

Thanks for posting and I hope you all find something you love to do and that helps you financially.