Stay at Home Moms, empty nesters and college graduates face the rising cost of living that challenge family budgets It’s one reason Americans consider starting a home business. For example, what was formerly a hobby can turn into a lucrative freelance income opportunity. A website makes the perfect sales tool or a way to let people know about something you make or a service you can provide.
About.com states, that a thriving freelance career can evolve from a hobby of quilting, gardening, making pottery or glassworks, such as making stained glass windows or front door insets. Sewing and cooking are valuable skills.
Cooking. The benefits of knowing how to cook are many. The first and most important benefit is healthy meals for your family. Of course, mom gets a ton of joy from the oohs and aahs from her family sitting around the table at home.
The surprising benefit that many home cooks already take advantage of, is to use their knowledge and cooking skills to make money. It only takes a bit of creativity.
Moms are famous for being creative raising kids, saving money, building their “roadmap” of traditions, values and happy memories for their family.
1. Cooking at home, benefits family health and the budget. The benefits of home cooking stretch out like a big hug. For example, when you cook at home, you also have control over what you cook, the kinds of foods you choose and purchase, and the ingredients. YOU have control, and control in the kitchen can mean more nutritious meals for the family. When you control what you eat, you control your health.
2. Home kitchen cooking also results in a great deal of pleasure. If you're the family cook, you already know how rewarding cooking can be. One of the pleasures and a nice side benefit is that the family rewards the “cook” with smiling faces, sounds of yummy and voices of “It’s so good.”
3. A stay-at-home kitchen cook can actually turn their talents into a money-making second career, or just some additional income for the family. Either path could be a sweet benefit for the family.
My dad was a magnificent home cook, and even though he only cooked at home, he later became a money-making restaurateur. I remember his food as if it was sloshing around in my mouth right now. He made the most incredible recipes, and I never saw a cookbook. It was all his creative imagination mixed with his passion for building food flavors.
I was five years old when I first remember going with him to his beachfront walk-up in Balboa, California. Later, he opened a bigger place by the ferry.
He had three restaurants: one was a lovely "white tablecloth" in Costa Mesa, California with a gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean. As a teen, I helped out clearing tables.
Even then, I knew his menu was really special, exquisite.
The restaurant was always full. He'd walk around the tables of "beautiful people" including celebrities dressed to the nines, and say hello. Everyone loved my dad. As far as I know, my dad had no formal education in the kitchen. You could say my dad was self-taught.
3. The great news for a home cook is it’s ageless. Whether you’re 25 or 75 years old, a home cook has money-making options at their fingertips. You could write your own cookbook and sell it on Amazon or Ebay. You might become a food critic. Some cooks agree to judge cooking contests. With the internet, a stay-at-home cook could turn their signature dish into a moneymaking online business.
Some kitchen cooksters sell their own cookies, fudge, tamales, hot sauce, salsa, even dog biscuits.
For example, home cooks can sell their "packaged dog biscuits" on their own website or to local pet stores. This is a good option for dog lovers who can take photos of their dog nibbling on the homemade treat.
Other options might be to become a caterer, personal chef or go all out and run your own food truck. Anyone can do what my dad did and open a restaurant.
A home cook with their own recipes, food technique and a little experience running a kitchen, might choose a second career in the hospitality indistry.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, chefs, cooks and food preparation workers held 3.1 million jobs in 2006. Imagine what it is today. Of these, two-thirds worked in restaurants and other food services such as diners and fast food places.
About 15 percent worked in institutions such as schools, universities, hospitals, nursing care facilities, airline catering services. The remainder worked in deli shops or grocery stores, hotels and convenient stores.
Other cooking jobs include short-order cooks, line chefs, sous chefs, executive chefs and corporate chefs.
With the Internet, there are options limited only by your imagination. A stay-at-home mom can turn their knowledge and kitchen skills into new income for the family. Cha-ching.