Gee folks, I must have missed something. Todd-this is year 1 of my small business run from my home. When I read your post it sounded like you wanted to design, grow, and maintain others gardens. That by itself might be difficult to make money. But right now this organic, sustainable movement is huge. I took an ad out, for grins, in a local newspaper to see if there was any interest in locally grown organic produce that would come out of my garden. I had about 8 customers within 2 days-all more than willing to pay top dollar for this stuff. I couldn't do it for that many people, but I ended up doing it for 5 of them. I run it like a miniature CSA, but with some definite advantages. With that small of an operation you don't feel like a farmer and it's still enjoyable. As good as this is, I believe the real money is in teaching others how to do it for themselves. This is where the money is-at least from my experience. You're going to have to combine a few things to make it worth something. I'm a square foot gardener and I'm able to produce an enormous amount of food in just 148 square feet. With this small of an area I really can't take on any more than 5 customers. But I've been able to build up a small name for myself locally(not bragging), and that's beginning to spread to outlying communities. The need to know how to garden will grow exponentially in the future for a couple of obvious reasons. For most people, it's a lost art-something we haven't had to rely on for a long time. That's all changing. I'm not saying you can make a living by just doing this. My business is very, very part-time and very seasonal. In my first year I think I will make close to $8000, and I'm just beginning. That might not seem like a lot. But keep in mind that it's a seasonal thing, and I work on a cash basis only. Start-up costs are very minimal. If you're interested in ideas, you can visit my at my website: www.thewealthyearth.com. You all know how hobbies usually end up costing you money? Well, I've just figured out a way to make my hobby pay for itself many times over. It's pretty fun. Don't give up, just keep the dream big. Don't limit yourself with doing just one thing...keep thinking....you'll come up with something...

Hello dream garden, Around here, having had a skiff of snow over the past few days, the concept of a garden is pretty well a "dream" at present - though I think that it's past time that I should put some seeds into the earth that I stored in pots in the basement. Thank you for your message of appreciation. Yes - "stretcher" is an interesting site. Some years ago when my son and I had a display at a fall fair, mine being along the line of "Making Your Dollars Work Harder" and "How to Pay Less Income Tax", a man came up to me and asked me what right I had to call myself a financial planner. I told him that all that I have to sell someone is looking at money a little differently than they, for if I look at it (almost) identically, they won't pay to talk to me ... and if I look at it from a hugely different perspective, they'll clap their both hands over both ears and think, "Oh, Lord - no way am I even going to consider trusting management of my precious money to *this* flake!!". I said that it seemed to me that the time when I began to look at money somewhat differently than most city folks (my major potential market) was when I grew up on the farm. He replied, rather vehemently, that that had nothing to do with it! I told him that I thought that it did, for most city folk have regular income and if they miss a couple of paycheques, are crying the blues such that you think that the world was about to end, while for most farmers irregular income is an ongoing fact of life. Further, most city folk don't think much about the difference between cash flow and capital - their main capital issue being their mortgage, on which they make regular payments without thinking. They have no idea how one needs to consider, having enjoyed a little larger income than usual this year, whether to do an overhaul of the tractor motor, or trade it on a better one, and whether one can afford to get a better/bigger combine this year, or buy some more cattle, or hogs, put a new roof on the barn, make an extra payment on the mortgage, etc. I also told him that I'd taken the courses that stockbrokers take - much more complex than the training of most mutual fund sales folk. Plus six courses (passed 5) leading to title of Chartered Financial Planner - later revised, I'd have to start all over: at 70 or so (now 77), and receiving 3 pensions - I thought not. By the way, having done a preliminary calculation of my tax for this year, I find that I may be paying something under 10% of income in tax - about half of the amount of my charitable contributions (without considering the political ones, that are partially deductible, up to a limit, as well). Hope you enjoy your spring - and your garden. Mine, in the corner of a field of beans for processing (freezing, canning) got sprayed last year ... twice! ole joyful P.S. When you live among refugees for a time - it gives you a whole different outlook not only on money and its uses, but on various other dimensions of living, as well. Including being thankful for the accident of birth that had me born in this country rather than in many others - but they are God's people, too - and I owe them something o j

"I have a home based business and have been able to add sq. footage to my house for an office, tax free (big enough for a bedroom). I have added value to my house if I ever want to sell it." Just to clarify this statement ... US tax laws do not allow a one-time deduction for the total cost to build the additional square footage. You may claim a home office deduction which allows you to specify the percentage of square footage used for business and depreciate this % of your total home cost over a number of years (I thinking it's around 30 years). To simplify ... instead of deducting your $30,000 cost in one year, you will be able to deduct $1000 per year for the next 30 years if you continue to be in business and use this space for business. And to take the home office deduction, you must have a profit that exceeds the amount of the home office deduction. Be aware too that claiming the home office deduction and depreciation means when you sell your home you must recapture the depreciation usually resulting in a taxable gain. Whereas, most people selling their homes have a tax-free gain. Complicated? You bet. This is simplified version of the taxes and as we all know taxes are not simple so before you take a home office deduction talk with your tax preparer to see if it's the right decision for you. And beware that claiming the home office deduction is red flag for audit. "I happen to have a product that is a health and wellness product that I drink myself, I do not retail it and need to have a monthly product order to qualify for comission so I can also deduct my own personal product use." Just to clarify this statement ... You can NOT claim a deduction for the cost of product that you use personally. Makes no difference to the IRS that the company requires you to order a monthly minimum to qualify for commission. You must take the total cost of inventory you purchased and subtract out the cost of inventory that you used personally and the resulting amount is the amount of inventory purchases you may claim. "Never take tax advice from someone trying to sell you something." Very good advice! Every year I see people that believe the tax advice from these companies and come tax time they learn that much of the information they were given on what is deductible is not true. The IRS is partial to auditing tax returns for taxpayers claiming expenses for MLM. If they see a pattern of incorrect deductions they have in the past "targeted" that MLM auditing all people in that MLM. Many of the deductions were disallowed and the taxpayers then owed back taxes, interest, and penalties. In some cases the IRS has deemed it a hobby meaning the taxpayer must claim the income but only can only deduct expenses IF they itemized AND only up to the amount of income. I have over many years seen various MLM's come and go. Heard some outlandish tax advice that they have given. Talked with taxpayers audited who ended-up owing back taxes, penalties, and interest (as usually a year or two passes before IRS notifies taxpayer about an audit). I hope this information will encourage anyone considering MLM to get tax advice from their tax preparer (or CPA) and not from the company trying to sell them.

Yes, dhygarden! I should have mentioned ebony and Madagascar rosewood in the same breath as ivory. I returned home in September from a year in Zambia doing research, and the elephant situation is dire. Zambia is one of the few African countries whose elephant population is not going down, but South Africa, who has the largest elephant population, has terrible problems with ivory poachers, even though they have a very aggressive program to stop them. As long as there is a market for ivory, the poachers will not stop. I spent time in an area where we had elephants and they are magnificent creatures. To kill them just to take the ivory is so... well, I could go on, but that's not the question at hand here. I usually don't have a problem downloading pictures or reading photo-heavy blogs, but Joni's was an exception. She could re-size them and make it a lot easier for her readers. I do have to say, other than the first picture of her daughter's table, which I thought was pretty neat, I didn't care for any of the others. That second picture, of the Veranda bedroom, was perfectly hideous, in my opinion. Looked like it reeked of Chanel and cigarettes and belonged to a high class madam. LOL Of course, just my opinion, someone else may think it's awesome! :-) I'm not sure the reports of the death of gray aren't greatly exaggerated. ;-) Maria Killam says gray is still "the neutral of the decade," and we're only halfway through the decade. A lot of people here on the gw forums are doing new kitchens and bathrooms as we speak in gray. Maybe it's not as popular to paint all the walls in the entire house in gray, but I think using gray is still quite acceptable. In my kitchen remodel, I'm doing all the cupboards/cabs in gray, the IKEA bodbyn in their SEKTIONS line. The counter will be black (I think, still deciding), the sink will be white farmhouse, the appliances black and stainless, the table and chairs white (eat-in kitchen), the back splash stacked rock, mostly gray but other tones too, the area rug under the table maroon with gray and white, window trim in maroon and wooden horizontal blinds in white. The wallpaper by the table/chairs will be a textured very, very light gray, almost white, and the floors will be vinyl planks hardwood look, grayish whiteish whitewashed. I don't feel like that's too much gray. (But I'd love anyone's input into the whole color scheme!) I doubt any of my friends will say, "Oh that gray is so last year!" Actually, none of my friends would ever say anything remotely like that, lol. I agree with violet west in that it's bold and daring to do a "permanent" fixture like a bathroom floor in a very bright color (or colors), but as she says, you'd better have the time, patience, and money to re-do them when that color starts to look pretty dated. I have a bright yellow sofa that's really a queen sized futon. But I can buy new covers for it for less than $100 on Amazon. Not that I have $100 to just throw around all the time. I ordered it with the yellow in 2011 and it's still yellow. I'm probably going to order a new cover in gray linen and get maroon throw pillow covers. My living room will have the same floor as the kitchen, as the LR, K, and DR are all one big great room. My accent wall will be stacked rock, just like the kitchen back splash. The area rug is a bigger version of the kitchen rug, maroon with white and gray. Same wallpaper on the one wall. I don't know what to do, if anything, about my chocolate brown recliner and loveseat. But then Maria Killam said yellow is hot this year, especially yellow sofas, LOL. Figures I'd be changing OUT of the yellow sofa the minute it becomes trendy, haha! But even though it might be fun to do, say, the bright yellow IKEA cupboards or a floor in primary colors, those are things I won't be able to afford to change, plus I think it's wasteful to rip up perfectly good stuff just because you want to be trend-setting. I'm confident my gray and white color scheme with pops of maroon will stand the test of time...and if not, who cares? :-) As long as I love it, that's all that matters. :-) Lana, well said. Monica, you did it right. People used to buy houses and pay them off. Unfortunately for my kids' generation *(genX), the crazy housing bubble taught them that houses are virtual ATM machines, sell every couple of years and buy something bigger and better. Of course, that all came crashing down in 2008. Now these kids in their mid-30's are stuck upside down in houses where they owe far more than they're worth. What Monica and her husband did was to pay off the loan early (easy if you just pay a little more than the minimum every month!), take out prudent equity loans to add on, rather than buy something bigger, pay the loans off. Now they're set for the rest of their lives in a home that they love, and it's theirs free and clear. Homes are still the best investment around IF you do it that way. Kudos to Monica and her DH! Lynn, I too really enjoy looking at pictures of other homes, even when they're not my cup of tea. I like seeing people's creativity in many different styles. I still think the bottom line is if YOU think it's beautiful, then it's beautiful. If YOU'RE happy, then who cares what Maria or Joni or anyone else thinks? You're the one living there day in and day out, and if your home makes you smile, that's all that matters. :-)