+1 Dicey's question. How did you buy the house in cash? Anyways very well done.
My dad knew someone who had where I'm living now for sale cheap (and he also helped me buy it, but I paid most of it). It needed some repairs, nothing major though, and owning something is a lot better than having to pay 1/4th of your salary in rent every month. Yeah, I was surprised, too, a gated community and (popular?) vacation destination at that; they hold local festivals here a few times every year. It's actually pretty cool.
In other news, I'm trying to start making money online. I'm already working as sort of a blogger, getting paid about $10-$20 per article. That's not a lot, but I'm still ecstatic. I actually enjoy the freedom and flexibility of working for myself, especially online, and I wanted to know if anyone knows of any other opportunities. Here are some things I've thought of, and I would love more information.
Online tutoring--how can I work for myself and not an online company? I've signed up to tutor with online companies and either they didn't have any work for me or I didn't pass the interview.
Online teaching--same question; plus, I'm intimidated by the demo lessons
In-person tutoring--there are a lot of kids here, probably even kids who are homeschooled, but how could I convince their parents to pay me to tutor them? I feel like I need to invest in some kind of system so that I have something for the kids who have learning disabilities, but I don't know which ones are good.
Writing--I'm already blogging part-time, but I've heard copywriters can make a much better salary. I'm not sure where to begin on this, either, though.
I would really like to pursue these work-from-home opportunities while I have time and freedom to do so. I remember when I was in such a rut, living from paycheck to paycheck, and it really stifled my creativity. I hated being like that, and I want to make up for lost time.
Plus, I'm going to just face it; I'm not good at working for other people. I'm not making excuses, and I even signed up for help from vocational rehabilitation services to try to figure out what's wrong. I do a mediocre job at best when I'm working for other people, and I feel like I'm constantly in danger of losing my jobs. I would rather work for myself, doing what I know I'm good at.