Comments for

Comment on My 9 Favorite Perks of Working from Home by Terri

Terri — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:17:38 +0000

I know, Barbara. Can you imagine having to work with someone who wore stinky perfume? Or played rap music? My list is actually much longer than this too but these are my favorites.

Comment on My 9 Favorite Perks of Working from Home by Barbara

Barbara — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:24:24 +0000

I’ve got 26 things on my Things I Love About Working From Home List and I am sure I could double that. I hadn’t thought about controlling the temperature, but it made me think of the Kmart checker I saw yesterday who was wearing her down jacket. Apparently, the ac was running wildly.

Comment on Crafting for a cause; your art can make a difference by Terri

Terri — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:24:18 +0000

Thank you, Bruce for commenting and sharing the stories of people in your book. It is now on my wishlist and I look forward to reading and sharing it.

Comment on The most important gift you can give this holiday by Terri

Terri — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:12:30 +0000

Traci, thanks for your comment. I’m glad that you have found a way to make the holidays a peaceful time for you and your family. Spending time together is really what it should be about.

Comment on Love to Sew but Hate to Sell? We need eachother. by Terri

Terri — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:30:40 +0000

Jacki, interesting that you would ask that. I found that even though I was specific about looking for people who wanted to start their own cottage industry, most I heard from wanted “jobs”. I am a proponent of self-employment and empowering people to take charge of their own lives. (see http://www.inspiredlivelihood.com ) . I wasn’t selling any thing or looking for employees. I wanted to offer those who love to design and sew a chance to make a product, even have their own team of WAH friends and I would market the items. I did end up giving that project to a client but still have many ideas for other crafters who love to sew but hate to market. The greatest challenge is keeping the cost competitive. Tell me about yourself. Do you design and sew? Do you make something that you need help selling?

Comment on The most important gift you can give this holiday by Traci Johnson

Traci Johnson — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:19:01 +0000

Very little stress for me at the holidays. Haven’t bought gifts for years and the family spends quality time together…fun dinners out, movie nights, hiking, etc. In this day and age, most people have everything they need and I have no want for the newest gadget that so many others think is a must have. Haven’t sent out holiday cards for many years either. It’s time consuming and a huge expense and so many cards we receive are only signed with a name. What’s the point in that? A phone call would be nicer and certainly more personal.

We can make the holidays as stressful as we want but I choose to make it about time together and peace…for everyone (myself at the top of that list). I also decided long ago that people judge us no matter what we do or don’t do so I’m not going to freak out about doing something only to give someone else a better impression of me.

Comment on Love to Sew but Hate to Sell? We need eachother. by Jacki Rhinehart

Jacki Rhinehart — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:15:47 +0000

I am interested to learn how this worked out for you. Were you able to get enough sewers for your project? Are there still crafters out there who need other projects to sew? Do you need more artisans? more patterns and projects?

Comment on Don’t wait until you can change the world to start something meaningful by Sandy Dempsey

Sandy Dempsey — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:16:29 +0000

Beautiful and inspiring post. And, thanks for the kind words and sharing The Pajama Program fundraiser.
Hugs, Sandy

Comment on Would a self employed person collect disability benefits or creatively problem solve? by Terri

Terri — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:30:28 +0000

Trevor,
I am sorry if I offended you. I agree, with your medical issues, you could not hold down a job and I’m sorry you have had such a tough time with your health. . (By the way, I also have an invisible disability and would not be able to hold down a job because I would frequently have to take time off when I am ill. I appear perfectly healthy, however, I couldn’t even stand in the disability line because one of the my complications is that my blood pressure drops when i stand still and I faint. )
The point of the article was not that disabled people should be trying to find jobs but that there are lots of options in self employment that they could be doing at their own pace on their own schedule at home. As far as the Medicaid issue, self employed people can purchase their own business health insurance plan and if you have a group company plan, you can not be turned down for pre-existing conditions. (this may be a state, rather than federal law, not sure, check it out. ) . AGain, I apologize if I offended you. That was absolutely not the intention.

Comment on Would a self employed person collect disability benefits or creatively problem solve? by Trevor

Trevor — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:38:25 +0000

I may have been one of those people that you saw at the Social Security office. I am 38 and outwardly I look to be a healthy youthful young man but looks can be very decieving. In fact I have been chronicly ill for my entire adult life. At age 19 while still in college I was diagnosed with a hereditary kidney disease. They treated me with high doses of steroids to try and stop the progression of the disease but my kidneys still failed when I was 24. I had to go on dialysis for several months before having a kidney transplant and as a result lost my job because I could not work. After the transplant I went back to college and graduate school and built an entirely new career that did not involve physical work.

A decade later the disease came back and my transplanted kidney failed. I had to go back on dialysis and get listed for another transplant. As a result I was out sick more than I was at the office so my boss decided to use the recession as an escuse to lay me off. I really NEED to be retired because I have so many doctor appointments relating to the transplant and various other medical problems including hypothyroidism, osteoporosis, eye problems, etc. that I have developed due to the transplant meds that I would have difficultly holding down a job. I also don’t have the energy to put in the 50, 60, or 70 hours a week that corporate America seems to expect from salaried professionals these days.

Unfortunately I don’t have enough money saved up to retire and the $1K per month I get from Social Security is barely enough to pay for my medications. I have tried to find work so I can get off disability but even with a Masters degree from a top university and a decade of work experience I can’t even get an interview. This may be because I have been out of the workforce for an extended period of time due to my medical problems. I am sure that I could peobably get a part time job with no benefits waiting tables or working as a temp somewhere but these jobs don’t offer benefits. If earned more than $800 per month I would be kicked off disability and then I would lose my Medicare benefits and I cannot afford to buy private health insurance with my medical history on a temp salary.

Unless I find a really good paying job with full benefits I am better off to just stay on disability because as long as I am on disability I have Medicare and don’t have to buy private health insurance. I suspect that many of the able bodied people you saw are in the same boat. They may be able to go back to work but in this economy even healthy people can’t find work and who is goign to hire someone who has been out of the work force for a while due to medical issues? If they take a low wage part time job just to be back into the workforce then they they are totally screwed because they have no healthcare.