Making Money on the Move

T-Minus 44 days (more or less)

Resumes Sent: 3

Pounds lost: 0

House Cleaned: Yes (yay!)

 One of the hardest things to wrap my head  around about the upcoming move is the fact that I have to quit my job. I have a great job that I love. It is challenging, educational, inspiring and even a little big glamorous- but I can't take it with me when we leave.

My husband was enlisted for more than ten years before we met (his five deployments were on his ex-wife's watch (and NO, I did not even know him before he got divorced - don't look at me like that!) which is another reason that I sometimes feel like an Army Wife faker when people ask how long my husband has been in...but I digress.). He is coming up on thirteen years in. Since we expect to be at our new post for three years (and, honestly, may try to extend), we have started thinking about where we want the "last assignment" before he makes his 20 to be.

My dream (a dream that is, no doubt, shared by many military wives) is for Hawaii. That is actually semi-realistic based on his current career track, but if we go there, I will once again face the problem of finding work.

Our upcoming PCS is to Kentucky. That is the state that I am from, the state where I went to law school, and the state where I am barred. Apart from the crappy job market for lawyers, it is actually the best-case scenario for me to find a new job. The same is NOT the case for Hawaii. They don't allow people to transfer their license without re-taking the bar exam. Unless Congress gets its act together and lifts the Federal hiring freeze (SURELY they will in the next four years, but you never know), my chances of a lawyer job are slim. That is one reason that I am trying to develop a "portable" income.

What is a "portable" income? One that you can earn just as easily at Fort Bliss, Fort Wainwright, Fort Shafter or Paris, France. I already have ONE online revenue stream (which I will discuss in a later post), but I am attempting to develop new ones (hence the ads on this blog...could you please click one for a good cause? ;)). As a recurring feature on this blog, I will test-drive some money making ideas to determine whether or not I can recommend them for fellow military wives.

My first experiment will be with online survey-taking. Am I going to get rich doing it? Absolutely not - but it might be enough money to make enough money to contribute a dinner out, a movie or a tank of gas to the family finances.

Based on recommendations from around the web, I'm going to sign up for the following survey companies:

Cashbackresearch
I Say
Toluna

I'll try to take as many surveys as I am eligible for and report back this time next month.

T-Minus 45 (give or take) days....

Dependapotamus: Traditionally a service-members dependent who is a "stay at home mom" that doesn't do a damn thing all day besides sitting on the couch looking remarkably similar to jabba the hut leaching off of military benefits and eating anything that gets too close. "Dude what the hell is that on your couch?" "Thats my wife!" "You need to do something with that dependapotamus."                                                                         - Urban Dictionary Resumes Sent: 3 Pounds lost: 0 House Cleaned: More or less   Welcome to the Army, Mrs. L! Technically, I've been an Army Wife for over three months now (such a vast amount of time), and "with" the Army for more than three years (my civilian job is how I came to be thrown into the path of a hot lieutenant to begin with), but I've never thought of myself as truly an "Army Wife" until now. Claudia Joy Holden I am not - Well, except for being gorgeous and stylish, of course...and the fact that I also am (was?) a lawyer. Being the successful woman behind a successful guy has not really been my zone in the past. I've been an attorney for the past twelve years and an independent, I'll-take-care-of-myself-thanks type of gal since I turned eighteen. That is why, the change occurring in 45 days (give or take) is so scary for me. My husband (the aforementioned hot LT (hopefully soon-to-be hot CPT)) has orders to PCS. Of course, I'm going with him, but that means leaving my lawyer job (and a big chunk of my identity) behind. I've figured out the money end of leaving my job (things will be tight, but do-able), but I haven't quite figured out what to do with myself yet. I am starting this blog for a variety of reasons: First, for something to do with my time. I don't expect to manage a lot of entries until we settle down in our new home. When we get there, I am going to have to cope with a novel concept called "free time" for the first occasion since 2000. Second, I want to "keep myself honest" by making a public record of my attempts to find new employment and improve myself. The title of my blog "InDependapotamus" isn't going to be funny to everyone. The "D-word" is a MEGA insult in the Army world, since it implies (as indicated by the Urban Dictionary definition above) a helpless monster who sits on the couch and mooches off her husband. That's the EXACT opposite of what I want to be- which is how I decided on the name. I'm an independent, resourceful woman...and I intend to stay that way! I just need to figure out a new path...which brings me to the final reason for this blog.    I would like to help others. I know that I'm not the only "new Army wife" out there trying to learn this thing as I go along. I'll try to pass along tips and information as I figure out my new role in life.