Trying my hardest not to re-visit a past that I've long left behind, but bills are piling up, stress is building in the house, and it's Christmas time. In the past, I've put up traditional ads, and the meager responses that I do get are people either trying to take money I don't have; trying to get me to scam other people out of money; or, offering to pay me peanuts(like the one nice gentleman that was honest enough to warn me that all he could afford to pay was enough for me to get a case or two of beer), so maybe if I "keep it real" I'll get a genuine proposal. I've got a wife busting her tail at work, and kids, so, although I enjoy sucking back a couple cold ones every night, that just didn't quite do it for me. You can't tell by just looking at me, but, because of a near fatal car accident I was involved in 4 years ago, my back and regions of my left side cause me physical distress, so continuous strenous tasks are not possible. I've worked a variety of positions, the past 20+ years, including several clerical and managerial ones while I served in the U.S. Army(83-90), so I'm pretty good at data entry, and other non technical office duties. If there are any vendors with quality, reasonably priced cell phones, electronics, clothes(mainly urban), under garments, toiletries, etc., willing to work out some sort of consignment agreement, I can probably get rid of them for you.

I don't want any sympathy, or hand-outs, just someone extending a legitimate opportunity to earn an income, while allowing me to care for my 4 year old daughter.

You have a load, but you've got a brain, hands, computer, phone, and potential.
Don't know how you are getting rid of products, and wonder if you enjoy sales. Or, are you artistic? I just don't know you. Do know that the best results come from directions that are combined with enthusiasm.

But, you might want to rethink the sympathy and hand-outs comment. When I was young and on hard times, a dear gentlemen spent the lunch hour pounding on my desk and yelling...to try to get me to accept help, trying to get through my pride. His message was "that when you take, you give".

That's why Christmas can hurt. It's human nature to want to give, to bestow. It makes us feel good.

Sometimes taking doesn't make you less, it makes you more...

When you take, you can be giving the giver an emotional boost, just when they need it. So, it's a trade-off.

And, nowadays, in this "stuff" generation, we tend to accumulate and be overwhelmed by things. So, take wisely. (The world is now full of storage units.)

The fellow who pounded on my desk had a wife who was simply beautiful, and on crutches. He had a serious heart condition, and walked miles every day...even in the snow. On some Sunday mornings they would travel out of state for cheesecake. They were alive!

So, please, rethink the humanity of pride and gifting.

Suzy

Actually you know you could take that bitterness and turn it into something positive. Feeling bitter means that you are feeling something is missing from your life and of course to not feel bitter you have to fill that missing spot up.

The wacky thing is that you mention beer. How kooky would it be if you started a blog about beer? Beer is a billion dollar industry which means that the whole subject of beer is very popular. So if you have an interest / liking of beer why not start a blog about it. Add adsense to it so that you can earn money with ads placed on your blog and things could branch out from there.

If you're having doubts about or don't know anything about adsense here is a link to a blog post that talks about how much money some people have been making with adsense:

http://theadsenseconsultant.blogspot.com/2007/09/just-how-much-money-have-people-been.html

There are just so many things that you seem to know about but just don't seem to be aware of them.

You could always blog about things that you know - even blog about feeling bitter, about being out of work and about not being able to find legitimate work when you are disabled - lots of people would be interested in that!

Besides having your own blog is just like having your own column!

Rose
Grant Basics 101
http://grantbasics101.bravehost.com/grants.htm

Because you are a veteran (like myself) you are eligible for further schooling or training because of your disability. If the disability is service related you will naturally qualify for more benefits. In essence, because you have been displaced from the job market due to health conditions you likely qualify under the Chapter 31 SEH (Serious Employment Handicap)plan. You need to retrain or get further educational or job skills to become job market ready. To find out more about the program and its provisions (or other programs you may well qualify for) go to:

http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp

I just found out about this program last week through my DHS counselor and through further surfing the net on my own. Based on the county of the state I live in, I located a contact person, address and phone number to get the forms filled out. There is a monthly living allowance afforded to you also while you attend classes or take the classes online. Talk to someone associated with the VA as it will save you a lot of researching time. Other helpful information regarding educational pursuits and child care provisions for children 12 and under is also listed. I know of a tech support person who goes into people's homes that are military-related or disabled and in need of a person to tweak their computers and get them ready for online classes at home. The community colleges are now big on the online educational classes and they are used by everyone who wishes to learn new job skills from the comfort of their own homes, on their own time, around parenting or other issues. Personally, I am interested in web page design and hope to pursue that goal for my own business. So, even if you do not pursue the military avenue, you can still learn job skills through online sources. Good luck to you and don't give up hope. You just have to talk to the right folks sometimes.