subject: Inventive Ways To Make Extra Cash [print this page] We have a man in our neighbor, a professional who has happily supported his family well over the past decade. He is a college graduate, honest, hard working, and a specialist in his field. He lost his job about a year ago and within six weeks had another, better paying job. He is young, early 30's with two children and a wife, mortgage and the start of the American dream. Hard times struck again shortly after Christmas, this time he wasn't able to find work again. He struggled for three months and decided to do yard care for the summer to support his family. He aerates lawns, mows, hauls stuff and is pretty much the go-to man for yard care.
I have admiration and respect for this man. He didn't cry "poor me" and take government welfare, he didn't lament about his over qualifications and sit home and mope, he took the initiative, printed beautiful colored brochures and started a lawn care business. Not ideal and definitely not easy. The days are long and physically exhausting. This is the pioneer spirit that has made America great. The "getter" done attitude that "I am captain of my own fate."
Next door to us is a family that emigrated here from Peru. They are both professionals and are here legally working through the system to becomes citizens. She is a college graduate, an accountant who also lost her job around Christmas time. She told me that she loves this country as it is so big and has so many opportunities to make money. In her home in Peru the government controlled jobs and decided who could work where. No entrepreneurship, it is impossible to get ahead regardless of the wok ethic. They are now running a printing shop out of there home and doing well.
This week is spring clean-up. The city where we live sends trucks around to pick up old furniture, junk and whatever you want to have the city haul off each fall and spring. Usually you put your junk out and the city hauls it away. This year has been different. Two or three times a day people stop by and sort through the stuff sitting on the curb to be hauled away. I have noticed that the first thing people are looking for is items made of scrap metal that they can take to Chicago scrap metal smelters in return for some extra cash. Not a bad idea.
Times are changing, it is those with strong work ethics and a little ingenuity that are going to come out ahead of this economic downturn. The pioneer spirit is alive and well in America.
