I have lived in my house for 8 1/2 years. Every year, I add a few new plants to my home and yard, and keep them as healthy as I can. Imagine my surprise when I found out that some people make money at home doing exactly what I do: growing plants at home.

A family who lives near me grows plants at home, and use that side business for extra income each month. They bring in approximately $1000 per month with their plants. No, it’s probably not enough to support themselves with right now, but that extra $1,000 per month sure comes in handy for the “extra” things they like to treat themselves and their kids to. And considering that they only dedicate a few minutes per week working this side business, it’s a can’t-lose situation.

I did some research on the subject, and found that more and more families are starting plant businesses from their homes. There are very few things needed to start the business, and in some cases, some of the expenses are not recurring.

So what do you need to grow and sell plants from home?

• Potting mix (because it’s better for growing plants, and you don’t want to be digging up holes in your yard)
• Containers to grow your plants in. You don’t need to get fancy here. Anything that can hold dirt and let water flow out from the bottom can be used as a container for a plant
• Seeds or existing plants
• Sunlight (free!)
• Water

To sell them, just place signs around town or place ads in local papers advertising your plant sales. It’s just that simple.

Now, I”m not an expert gardener so I can’t go into the how-to’s of growing and caring for the plants that you grow. But I know that if you want to be successful at this, you can.

A found a couple who earn $1,000 per week growing and selling plants in the UK. If you’re interested in learning more (as well as learning exactly how to grow and care for the plants, and maximize your profits), you can read about them and the “grow and sell plants from home” ebook they wrote.  If you prefer a reading real books (instead of ebooks), check out “Plants for Profit,” which details several different ways to use your garden to make money from home. Good luck! And if you end up starting your own business growing and selling plants at home, drop me a line and let me know how it’s going for you!

My best friend’s niece recently moved into town. Her husband is a nurse, and I was surprised at how much money they seemed to have. With three kids, the family is still able to afford a nice condo, two new cars, nice clothes, and two vacations a year. I asked her how they managed, and she told me that she makes money as a medical transcriptionist at home. While her kids are at school or in bed, she works to transcribe doctors’ dictation tapes.

I asked her how she does it. Here’s a transcript of our interview:

How Did You Become a Medical Transcriptionist?

Believe it or not, I never went to school for it. We have a junior college and university in town, but I just fell into it. A friend of mine was doing it, and I watched her do it once. I figured if she could do it, I could do it. Now, I guess I’m proof that I was right.

What Tools Do You Need to Be a Medical Transcriptionist?

All I use is my computer, a transcriber, and a printer. I bought the printer and transcriber second hand. And I have a couple of books, like medical dictionaries, to help me if I get confused about spelling or something.

How Much Can You Make as a Medical Transcriptionist?

It depends on who you work for, and how you charge. My friend started out doing pool work for a transcription company. So the doctors would pay the company, and the company would pay my friend. Then she figured out she could do it on her own, and she’s making more than double what she used to, even though she is doing less work. Me, I started out charging 14¢ per line of transcription. I’m a pretty fast typist, so it came out to a good deal. Then I listened to other transcriptionists who told me I should charge a flat rate. So now, I charge doctors a flat rate. So I get paid the same, no matter what. Some weeks, they might have 100 patients, but other weeks they might have 20 patients. And no matter what, I get paid the same amount.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to make money as a medical transcriptionist at home, and how to find doctors who need your services, vist the Medical Transcription Work From Home site.

I was doing a little research today about unique jobs that can be done from home, and came across one that sounds interesting and fun. If you’ve ever been interested in show business on any level, this might be the business for you. You can start your own talent agency from your home. Randy Charach, who ran a successful talent agency from his home in Canada, saw profits of $185,000 per year working part time. He recently sold his agency, and has written an eBook, giving readers the secrets of his success. His book describes how to find talent, types of events that will help you profit, and will give you examples of letters and contracts that you can use for your home-based talent agency.

This would be an excellent eBook for moms who have some interest in getting their kids into acting or modeling. The information could help you learn the foundation of the business from the inside, which would be important to you as both an agent and a parent.

Click here to check out Randy’s site and read more about his eBook about starting your own talent agency.

I’ve found a way to own your own holiday-based business. To perform this job, all you need is a computer and a color printer. This ebook will show you how to use your computer and printer to create and sell “Santa letters” from your home. By targeting moms of young children, you could start earning income immediately, because the Christmas season is near.

The Santa letter business ebook will teach you how to create the letters, how to find customers (local and online), how to price your letters, and how to take your letter-creating business beyond just the holiday season. The price of the ebook is less than the price of a pizza. So for less than it would cost to feed your family on pizza night, you could own your own home-based business.

Ideas I thought up to help you advertise your letter business (I’m sure you can think of others):

• Craigslist
• Order free business cards
• Create fliers (put on cars at the local library’s story time, or hand out at preschools & kindergartens)
• Order a free Car Door Custom Magnet
• Find moms online: Check Out the Largest Social Networking Site for Moms

Tag sales. Yard sales. Garage sales. No matter what you call them, they are sure-fire money-makers. You know how they work: people drag their unwanted clothing, trinkets, and doodads out into the garage or yard, slap some price tags on them and invite strangers over to browse and buy. I’m sure you know you can sell your own stuff for some quick cash, but did you know that you can turn this idea into a career, and start a tag sale business?

What do you need to start a tag sale business? That depends on how professional you want to look at the beginning. For $100 or less, you can start your own tag sale business with price tags, bins and/or shelves, saw horses and plywood. You can eventually work your way up to having a business phone line, business cards, large folding tables, a cash register, and (if you dream big) employees to do most of the grunt work for you.

What is involved when you start your own tag sale business? Initially, you start by word of mouth, or with inexpensive advertising, alerting people to your business. Some people don’t have the time or desire to have their own garage sale, but they want to get rid of the clutter and earn some money. That’s where a tag sale business owner comes in. Once the clients find you and ask about your services, draw up a simple contract telling them what your fees are (these are generally 25% for larger tag sales with high-priced items and brand name clothes to 50% for smaller sales with less expensive items). What services you provide is up to you.

Some services to consider:

• You can have the client stack things in one corner of the garage, and you price the items and set up for the sale (this is the most basic of services for a tag sale business)
• You can provide the set up bins, shelves, and tables (or choose to have them provide them)
• You advertise the sale (this is basic)
• Decide if you want to purchase necessary city permits, or have the home owner do it
• Decide if you will include boxing up the left over items as part of your service, or have the home owner do it themselves.
• Create signage to draw customers to the sale (Check local laws! In my town, we can only use the signs that the city provides, and we are limited to only 3 signs per tag sale permit. Then we have to take down signs within 2 days or receive a citation.)

If you live in an area without many homes (such as rural or urban areas), consider branching out into nearby suburbs in order to expand your tag sale business (and your bank account).

If you want to learn more, read this Complete Guide to Making Big Money from Garage Sales.

If you’re looking for a way to make money at home and online, look no further than Avon.    Avon allows you to own your own business, selling products that practically sell themselves.   I personally sold Avon for several years, and the money I earned helped my family tremendously.

The details:

• Representatives earn up to 50% commission on all items they sell.
• Starting your Avon business costs just $10.
• Avon offers health and life insurance to representatives who want and need it.
• The Avon company has been around for 123 years, so your home business will come with the benefit of brand-recognition.

For more information about the Avon opportunity, visit Avon’s representative page.  Submit your contact information for a free, no-pressure call from Avon.  They can provide answers to any questions you may have about the business, company, and products.

And just a side note: Avon isn’t just for women!  When I sold Avon, the highest-seller in my district was a man.