Need help planning out the rest of the year

[CroMagna]

My plan was to go to Brazil in December. I signed up for a program teaching English there. They pay $2500 a month and they take care of housing and insurance. The teaching is for one year and the contract can be renewed.

The program costs $1095 which you pay in 3 installments. Everyone thinks this is a great idea except for my mom. I'm all for it. I don't trust my mom because she is unsuccessful and is still very sheltered and dependent on her family.

I don't have the money. I made some money from temp consulting but I got into a car accident, so most of the money will go into that. I'm trying to figure out how else I can come up with the money. I suggested to my mom that I sell my childhood piano for about $3000 but she said if I do that she will use the money to pay for her own bills.

My mom thinks I should just forget Brazil and look for a job here. But she has been jobhunting for 3 years and still can't find anything. She has become comfortable doing nothing all day but running errands for her family for little pocket change to fill up the gas tank etc and demanding money from me. She still lives with HER mom.

I figure if I do the Brazil opportunity I will be able to network and maybe find work with an NGO there or here so that by the time I come back I'll have a job lined up. Another option is to take the year while in Brazil to apply for the Peace Corps and another option is to take the year while in Brazil to apply to grad school. That's why the extra year would be very useful. Living at home with my mom and jobhunting by webbrowsing is not getting me anywhere.

The ways I planned to come up with the money:

1. Get a job waitressing, at a store, etc.
2. Sell all my property
3. Ask about fee waivers

Are there any other ways I could come up with the money for Brazil?

[pedrotn]

You can try www.mturk.com or namethis - both can earn some quick cash if you are willing to work with it.

[CroMagna]

great ideas, thanks. did you ever do mturk and how did it work out? i'm also confused by how it works.

[nhaasch]

It seems as if you've got the time to make the money. There are plenty of options to bring in bits of money on the side.

Here are some I can think of:
1. Any part time job. Apply everywhere. Someone will eventually hire you.
2. Ebay things you own.
3. Use hot deal forums to buy things cheaper and then sell on ebay for a little profit.
4. Look to do services from other people. In particular look for lawn mowing jobs, house cleaning job, and baby sitting jobs.
5. Get a loan. (from your friends or possibly from a bank) It seems as if you'll be making good money there. Should be easy to repay.
6. Pay with a credit card. I normally frown from credit cards debt. It really is stupid. If however you know you can pay it, it is an option.
7. Spread the message of your trip. Everywhere. You'll find people creating oppertunities for you.
8. Make a list of your marketable skills. Go out and remind people of these skills.

I may have lost some perspective because I make a good lots of money... 3k is a relatively small amount of money. You can totally do this. Keep search for options and keep saving every penny.

Oh also, cut expenses everywhere. You don't need to eat out, you [likely] don't need new cloths, you don't need to go to movies. Pennies at up quickly!

[kyle82]

i have been trying hard to make good plans as i start a new year.. been like this for the past few years but none of these plans seem to materialize as i planned them to be.. what should i do regarding this matter... should i just not plan and just do it?

[Hanselich]

CroMagna, I really suggest you to try your luck in Brazil. From my own experience I know that you will find a solution to collect enough money to go there. But I also know, mental connection to mother iz somehow very special and it's hard to disagree form her. I also had similar problems but tried to mantain distance to what she advised to me. At the end I made the crucial step we were arguing about and I'm glad that I opposed to her.
Greetings

[pianoperformer]

1. Send me the piano
2. ...
3. Profit?

Good luck with this opportunity though. It sounds good.

[newsbone]

Originally Posted by pianoperformer

1. Send me the piano
2. ...
3. Profit?

Good luck with this opportunity though. It sounds good.

Once a musicman always remains one!

[Xanafax]

The best way to make quick money is to get the lowliest job you can find, the will pay minimum wage (sometimes better) and you'll get lots of good hours. Now is not the time to let pride get in the way.

Live very cheaply for the next few months. Play the lottery (IT COULD HAPPEN, YOU NEVER KNOW!) and just be on the look out, buying and selling stuff on Ebay - if you have a good eye - can be pretty profitable.

Cro...your a Darkworker, and a Darkworker does NOT no the meaning of "Poverty", you will always have the ability to make money, it just depends how far your willing to push yourself to achieve it.

[Peek]

Why do you have to pay to join the program in the first place? You are adding the value right?
But ok, not my deal. Let's put another option on the bar:
It might be an idea to hold 100USD of your first paychecks.
It also puts you negotiation skills on the growth list

Good luck

[SarahJaynee]

I agree with Peek - why does the program cost YOU? I'd look around for another TEFL job (there are LOADS) that you won't have to pay for at all.