Mashed Potato Candy

I picked up one of those weekly gossip magazines the other day, and browsed through the want ads in the back. I noticed there were several ads for recipes.
You've seen them. Grandma's secret recipe for pecan pie. Mouth watering great. Send me two dollars, and I will reveal the family's private recipe.   

It reminded me of when I was a boy, and dad made a candy out of mashed potatoes.  It wasn't something he did very often, so when he did make it, it was a treat.  He added ingredients to the mashed potatoes, and then rolled it into a log.  After it set a short time, he cut the log into bite size pieces.

I phoned dad and we discussed his candy.   He told me how he made it, and we brain stormed different variations that could be made.

It makes me wonder.....
Do those recipe ads in magazines make any money?  You see the same ad every week in the magazine.  I think if the ad didn't make money, it wouldn't keep reappearing.  Also, could you back sell anything along with the recipe?   Offer a cookbook?  Cooking utensils?  A recipe of the month club?  Could it be made into a gift basket?

Locally, a lady sells caramels every year at Christmas. She makes and sells bite size pieces rolled in cellophane. I was told she always sells out..... 
A local church sells cheese balls every spring. It has become such a big seller, they now advertise in the local paper and sell thousands......
I read that Paul Newman's salad dressing started out with him giving it away to family and friends......
I have a friend that has a secret family recipe for barbecue.  He turned it into a full time job. Check out the  Grilling and Barbecuing article written December 2010.

Do you have a old family secret recipe?

Deliver Newspapers

I work with a guy, who came up to me the other day, and said that he had started a part-time job delivering newspapers.  I frowned, and said that when I was a kid, I delivered papers for $10.00 a week.  How do you expect to make money with newspapers?  He said things have changed. You no longer have to collect the weekly dues. The pay is much better, so much so that carriers are fighting over the big routes when they open up. (which is seldom). Why do you want a bigger route? I asked.  He said that the bigger routes pay great! He said he's considering quitting the factory, and delivering papers full time. He said he managed to get his wife a part-time route too.

I have to admit, I would have never considered delivering newspapers. Years ago, I did call about delivering one of those free weekly ad papers. You had to pick up the ad paper on Tuesday, and have it delivered by 5:00 p.m. Thursday. I figured I could deliver the paper in my spare time. Two days was a lot of time to get it done. However, the route had already been taken when I called, but they said they would put me on a list, and call if anything opened up. (they never called,)

Ever consider becoming a delivery person?

tired of ebay? try an alternative

Here is a short list of other websites and venues that you can sell on.  While Ebay may be the 900 lb gorilla, they are not the only one!

Ubid  http://www.ubid.com/
 They have no listing fees.

Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/
Amazon is more than books! Amazon shoppers tend to pay a lot more for their items than eBayers.

eBid Auctions  http://www.ebid.net/

Oztion  http://www.oztion.com.au/

Google Product Search  http://www.google.com/products
No one can question the almighty power of Google. Their product arm – Google Product Search (used to be Froogle) - gets a lot of attention from avid Google users and it’s free to list there if you have your own website.

Classifieds  
USFreeAds.com  http://www.usfreeads.com/

Craig’s List  http://sfbay.craigslist.org/
Craig’s List is a great way to sell locally.  There are no listing fees or selling fees.  Craigslist can be a very lucrative way of selling locally.

Other ways to sell:

Newspaper classifieds
Newspaper classifieds can cost a bit, but if you have duplicate items to sell, you’ll easily make enough to cover your costs.

Free classified newspapers
How often have you stumbled across those free newspapers sitting in a pile outside your local supermarket or mall? They don’t look like much, but plenty of people take them to browse while they are having a Saturday morning coffee. Listing is generally free and you will get buyers!

Trade magazines
Trade magazines are an excellent way to sell to a specialty audience. Choose your magazine carefully to match your item.

Website
Your website is one of the best ways to sell of all - provided you can drive traffic to it successfully.

Flea markets and Garage Sales.
Flea markets and Garage Sales can be a profitable venue to sell - the catch is that the market is even more intent on getting a bargain than eBayers! With Flea markets choose your product carefullly.

This is only a fraction of the different venues you can use to sell products.