GANEIDA'S KNOT.

Go mbeannai Dia duit.

About Me

My photo
Quaker by conviction, mother by default, Celticst through love, Christ follower because I once was lost but now am found...

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Looking ahead down the track.



A gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you're not enough without it, you'll never be enough with it. - Cool Runnings

Vocal Manouevres is a wonderful thing but I am always panicking about money. Each year we have a series of concerts to get to & from here add 2 boat fares to petrol costs. Come October the kids are heading down to Sydney for 3 days. Here is what they are singing the opening songs for.

Yep, the World Masters Games. Liddy is already trying to figure out how to wrangle herself into this. So strange that the one least interested in any sort of sport gets these opportunities but if Alison has her way VM will be the children's choir very shortly & there will be ever more of these events.

Ditz would dearly love a part~time job to help pay for these things [& get her out of school work ;)] but she is still too young so it is up to Dearest to juggle the finances. In the background Singapore & Europe still linger like monsters. If I could trust Ditz to work successfully without me constantly there I'd seriously consider some part~time work just now because there would still be a parent at home but as it is her maturity levels prohibit that. Even if Ditz can't participate in absolutely everything she is still one incredibly lucky little girl to be offered these sorts of opportunities.

14 comments:

The HoJo's said...

Lottery sponsorship? Fundraiser (with foreign trips being the begging part), car wash drive in a popular car park (with usual permissions) offer to help clean up after an event with donation expected, sausage sizzle outside bunnings (worth upto $700 a time) and get buns and sos donated to help even more, shall I go on?

xc

Ganeida said...

Um, you've lost me....seriously. What is a lottery sponsorship? And I think the others are meant for groups? I'm not a group. Plus I'd prefer not to be off island ~ time, travel, cost all add up when mixed in with the rest but I like your ideas: keep them coming. Something might seem feasible....I think the school did Bunnings & waited over 12 months for a free spot.

I'm hassling Ditz to find out about the local busking regulations & try that because that's something *she* could do ~ as oppossed to us, you know. ;)

The HoJo's said...

good causes get $ from the lotteries fund. There must be a web site detailing how to apply, I should think rising musical star should qualifiy for an application form at the very least. Bunnings places are given out yearly but you would need to contact them to either get a cancellation or find out how to get on the next list, Ditz plus 2 others would be enough so long as they can be there at 7.30am.
So long as you advertise that the fundraising is for a local, talented young person to travel because of *insert real name of event here* I see no reason why you would need to be part of a group, you have a family group with several able bodied siblings who hopefully would wave a sponge at a car to send their sister away ;o)

Busking is a great idea, or sit her outside L's workplace with a wheelbarrow full of goodies (hopefully donated by kind business people) and sell raffle tickets, or a wood raffle (if you know anyone who can chop wood for nothing) in the UK if you sell tickets and draw raffle on the same day you don't have to register or pay a lottery fee, I think it is the same out here.

Get the boys to make a wooden box and fit a lock on it, enclosed is a $50 or $100 if you are brave, ask a nice locksmith or 6 for a load of old keys and charge $2 to try and unlock the box, used keys go back in the tray of keys so the odds remain stacked against anyone winning. If they do you put another $ note in and carry on as it is a popular game. On line site will no doubt inform you of the odds if you are worried. You would need a local fete or similar to run this at, could be done by Ditz +1 at 4 fetes for as much profit as she can be bothered to drum up....
I am now NOT going to look back for typos :o)

xc

The HoJo's said...

I think $50 is ample actually ignoe the $100,

xc

Allison said...

Could Ditz handle baby-sitting or being a mother's helper? When I was in college I made a nice sum doing essay editing - easy work if you like to read and give your opinion, and it can all be handled via email and payments by Paypal.

Ganeida said...

Allison: Ditz did a letter drop for babysitting services a few weeks back targeting families with young ones & has never got one single call back although lots of people would know who she is. That's disheartening but here most people seem to either take their kids with them or stay home. I was doing some tutoring but no~one wants to pay for it. They seem to think if the schools have screwed up they should still have their kids tutored for free. Weird. Editing maybe. I'll look into that.

Hojo's: I love the box & lock idea!!!! Totally brilliant. Thanks. And the raffle idea. If we reach that point I will definitely be pushing some of these ideas. I tend to fret ahead of myself which is dorky in the extreme but what's a girl to do? :0

The HoJo's said...

letter drops have a dreadful reply rate, something like under 5% not forgetting the ones that get binned because they are tucked inside the junk papers. Knock on door and smile and hand over works well, also Ditz could ask if she can visit a play group or kids library session where they can see her interact with children, first hand experience is great for harried mums.
xc

Ganeida said...

Going with the face to face. Neither play group nor kids library sessions here. This is a *really* small community.

Mrs. Darling said...

Goodness I have no real solutions but I sure hear your dilema. I was just writing about cottage industries on my blog. Here in Oregon I can easily get 25 dollars an hour for tutoring. Bummer that you cant there!

Ganeida said...

MrsD: I read your post after I wrote this! lol. I really am not terribly practical & the *doing* undos me, so to speak. Even when I was tutoring I certainly wasn't getting $25 an hour for it. It was hardly enough to cover my petrol costs.

I need to stay flexible too because there is no point having money to pay for these things if no~one is available to drive Ditz round & I am the designated driver. I would do much better with my skills if I were on the mainland but I don't want to live there either.

Anonymous said...

Yay...go Ditz!
Blessings,
Jillian
<><

The HoJo's said...

having looked at your local lotto page it appears to only support groups, however there is a contact us page..... you never know, otherwise best get building that box :o)
does the supermarket have a notice board for babysitting service adverts?
xc

Diane Shiffer said...

well, i have no wonderful money making ideas... i am pretty pathetic when it comes to anything financial or business endeavors.

i am wildly impressed at the group that ditz is in and the opportunities that appear to be opening up for her. and i think you should give yourself a big old pat on the back there mama. she wouldn't have these opportunities or the personality to take advantage of them, if it weren't for *you*♥

oh, and i did just have a brain wave about the money... do what i do when i have need of funds with no source in sight: pray.

Happy Elf Mom (Christine) said...

Oh, I hope Ditz is able to make some money and do all these things. Someday she will also hopefully save enough to come to the cultural capitol of the world, Kansas City, Missouri. (its nickname is Cowtown, so you know it's a happenin' place.)