Caretaker Services - Ever Thought of Being a House Sitter or Caretaker in Some Faraway Place?

For 28 years, The Caretaker Gazette has provided a nice service (for a small fee, of course): putting together responsible individuals interested in protecting the property of another as either a sitter or caretaker, with those who need help with their real estate or vacation homes.   Other similar sites include Caretaker Jobs and Indeed. 

Now some of you may have learned of caretakers in a bodice-ripping romance novel or paperback spy thriller, but others may have become acquainted with the idea of staying in someone else's house - or ranch, or beachside home, etc - from actual success stories.  It's an arrangement that can be very beneficial for everyone concerned.

At the Caretaker Gazette, you can scan lists of prospective properties as a potential caretaker or house sitter, or alternatively, review profiles of those interested in being placed in a caretaking role.  Caretaker Jobs offers analogous information.  Indeed expands to include other types of employment, including things like animal caretaking with the National Parks Service, etc. 

Savvy Way to Financial Recovery?

True, this isn't for everyone -- but for some folk, and you may be one of them Dear Reader, it may be a great way to travel economically or to recover from a financial downturn. 

After all, there are positions (consider the "estate manager" ad shown on the home page of the Gazette) where not only do you live rent-free, you get a small monthly stipend.  If you've got a spouse that works, or you can earn addition money somehow while fulfilling your caretaking duties, then this might be a simple, savvy way to recoup some losses. 

Something to think about, right?

The Changing Value of a Dollar: What a 2010 Dollar Converts to in Past Years

Okay, I was watching a rerun of the Andy Griffith Show this week, and it was the episode where Helen Crump gets a children's book published - and Andy worries about being put on the back burner what with Helen becoming a rich and famous author.  Of course it works out, Andy apologizes in the end - but not before there's some tension between him and the nice schoolteacher.  (To watch Helen the Authoress, episode 213, go here.)

What is a 1967 Dollar Worth in 2010?

Here's the thing: as I was watching the show, I got curious about the $1000 advance that Helen received for the book -- all of Mayberry was very, very impressed.  Now, today, that's not that much money.  Not that any of us would turn it aside, but it's not the stuff of "rich and famous," right?

So, I went and checked on the web and found this Inflation Converter at DollarTimes.com.  According to their site, Helen's retainer amounts to around $6500 today.  That's nicer, but still not the big fat number that the Mayberry awe was suggesting to me. 

Still, it's interesting to ponder how a dollar has changed so much in so little time, right? 

OWNMYSITE.COM - Get Real Cash Each Month for Searching and Buying Online

There's a new service that just launched, OwnMySite.Com, which pays you money each month for using its site to surf the web (via Google) as well as buy products (jump from the site to Amazon, Borders, etc.).

How does it work?

First, you go to http://www.ownmysite.com/, and register - this makes you a "stakeholder" in the site.

Then, you use the OwnMySite.Com site for surfing the web - I imagine lots of registered users will make it their home page. At the end of each month, the stakeholder's share is transferred to his or her PayPal account.


Where's the money?

Fifty percent of the the net revenue (note that's net, not gross) generated by OwnMySite.com through its affiliate links (Google, Amazon, etc.) is distributed to its registered users, or "stakeholders," in cash on a monthly basis "no matter how big or small the purchase."

Also, according to the site's FAQs, "[s]takeholders also own a stake in 50% of the potential sale value of the business. This will entitle you to your share of any proceeds from the eventual sale or acquisition of ownMySite.com."

How much cash can you get?

After being up and running for three weeks, it's reported that registered users have generated £1500 between them, 50% of which will be returned to members at the end of August. The company is estimating that the most passive users in August will receive a minimum payout in August of over £2 and the most active "stakeholders" will get over £30.

Remember, this is a British site, so the company reports in pounds; translating to American dollars at today's rate of 1 British pound = 0.538 American dollars, their first month out of the gate, they're estimating $1.076 to $32.38 for stakeholders.

Who's responsible?

A British man named Daniel Harrison, according to the company's recent press release, " ... set up ownmysite.com after becoming frustrated with the way many popular websites generate huge profits from the everyday online activities of users without rewarding them for what is a very valuable activity."

Harrison said, "[t]he sky's the limit but in the short term I'm really looking forward to paying members at the end of August to reward them for their faith in the site and to show them that their time spent surfing the web with ownmysite.com is genuinely worth something. I think members will be pleasantly surprised by how much they can earn."

How can they do this?

OwnMySite.com is charging merchants each time someone accesses the seller through its site (up to 40& of your purchase price) - which is what lots and lots of sites do, they just keep their profits. OwnMySite.com is keeping half of its revenue, and it's taking half of this commission revenue (net, not gross) and sharing it with its "stakeholders." The more that people use OwnMySite.com, the higher its traffic volume stats will be -- and the more it can charge those merchants for having a spot on the site.