I don't know about you, but I am always looking for more ways to make money! Back in 2010, I was a wife to a husband that was going through the fire academy, a first grade teacher, and a mom to 2 small kiddos. I also owned a small Etsy business making baby blankets and burp cloths. I worked from 5 am until about 12 am every day. It was exhausting! So exhausting that my body began to shut down. I started developing signs of Lupus. It hurt to hold my arm up to brush my hair, it hurt to walk, it hurt to do just about everything! I remember one day picking up my kids from their sitter. Earlier that day it had snowed. I live in Texas. It NEVER snows here. But it did that day. My kids were small, and they were so excited to go out and play in the snow. My body physically could not do it though. I remember coming in, getting the kids set up with a video and some toys, and plopping down on the couch. I could barely move. At that point, I told myself that I could not do this anymore!
Our kids in 2010
Over the next year and a half, my husband and I decided that we needed to come up with a game plan for me to be able to stay home. So, while he was waiting to get hired on with a local fire department, he stayed home with our two kiddos and ran our Etsy business. It was VERY difficult for him to do this with 2 kiddos under the age of 5. He did it though. We were working really hard. I would come home and help him as much as I could. My body was not cooperating with me though. I went to the doctor and all he did was load me up on tons of pills to help with all of the symptoms. If you know me at all, I only take a pill if it is a last resort! So, as you can imagine, this was not going to cut it for me. A friend of mine has Lupus and she referred me to the doctor that she used. I went to him very skeptical. He did a full scan and told me that I had the bones of a 20-year-old (I was 32 at the time) and that all of my symptoms I had been having were related to stress and fatigue. Say what!!!??? Needless to say, my husband and I needed to sit down and come up with a game plan!
I remember walking into a 3rd grade teachers room and asking her where she had gotten her math station chart. She said Teachers Pay Teachers. “What is that?” I had asked her. And that is where it all began!
I set up my Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) account in December of 2011. I love to create things. I did it all the time as a teacher. You know…you are searching for the one resource and can't find exactly what you want? So, you create it yourself to fit your classroom needs.
My Updated Cover
My very first product
The first month on TpT I made $2.40. I wasn't hopeful. The next month I made $22.47. The next month I made $77.87. I was working as much as my body (and my kids) would let me after school on making new things to list. In December of that year, I made $499.01. So, I had made a total of $6,602.81 in my first year. Wow, I could get used to that! With 2 small kids and a husband with no job yet, I needed that money!
Since then, my TpT yearly income has more than quadrupled! Overall, I have made over $92,000 in sales! If you are looking to start your own store, please click HERE! It's SO worth it! If I can do it, you can too!
My Initial Logo
My updated logo
I started really by making things that I needed for my classroom. I still do that. It seems that a lot of times I am looking for something specific, and I can't find it. So, I make it. Since I am already making it, might as well list it and make some money! I am sure if I needed it, other teachers do too! So, that is how “Busy Me Plus Three” began, 6 years ago!
