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I just re-screened three of my own windows this summer in about an hour and it cost me less than $15 for a roll of screen material, and $5 for spline. You got ripped off. I've been redoing my own screens in their existing frames forever. Not hard at all. Getting the screens up and down might be tricky on a second floor for some retirees. Some jobs we'll pay for, but this is one that you could certainly attempt yourself if you have access.
How did I get ripped off? I don't know how to do this work? Is he supposed to work for free?
Window re-screening appears to be an overlooked high-paying opportunity. It's not hard work (no ladders and he didn't sweat). It also doesn't require a big investment. I'm guessing there are lots of similar jobs, I just don't see them very often.
If you want to wear a paper cap and flip burgers for minimum wage, go compete with college kids and you might be given a job.
Since there's no ladders, it might not be too bad. All done from within. Ours got holes pecked in them by wild parakeets.
Successful "retiree" jobs I see here are a retired Marine engineer who maintains and installs air-conditioning units, and other misc. electrical/mechanical jobs (not auto). He works just as much or little as he wants to, and has all the work he needs. I know, not really "retired"...his wife manages rental properties so they both are as busy as they want to be. Found a niche, and filled it. I really don't know any others making "real" money....
Actually... knowing how to do / fix SOMETHING is becoming quite rare, so I expect there are a lot of opportunities like this. (they will likely not be $1000/day, nor is this one)
since everyone else is so negative (as is the MENTION of W-O-R-K in the C-D 'retirement' (couch potato) expectations...) go find what suits your / needs / desires / skillset. Just don't bring it to C-D "retirement' and discuss it as work (J-O-B)
People can choose whatever they want to do. However, retirement is traditionally defined as when an older person is not working.
If one works at age 20, 30, on up until they are 90, did they ever retire? Turning 60 or 65 doesn't make one a retiree.
There's a difference between staying busy in retirement and working/having a job. Personally, I look forward to giving up any sort of obligation to be somewhere or do something.
How can have his three houses a day, three customers to please, the travel all across town everyday, the marketing and expenses, the extra tax paperwork, etc.
Another such old age job (not retirement) is interior house painting. With a modern paint sprayer, most rooms can be done in about 30 minutes.
Window re-screening appears to be an overlooked high-paying opportunity. It's not hard work (no ladders and he didn't sweat). It also doesn't require a big investment. I'm guessing there are lots of similar jobs, I just don't see them very often.
If you want to wear a paper cap and flip burgers for minimum wage, go compete with college kids and you might be given a job.
There is an old saying, people who know their jobs, make it look easy.
If you think you can become a screen person, go for it, but do not expect any kind of self employment to be an easy ride.
I'm always looking for an EZ retirement job. Minimal skill. Minimal investment. Work as many days as I want. Something where I can work outside (I live in San Diego) and make about $1000 a day. Well I think I found such a job today.
I had my home windows rescreened this morning. Our sun beats the hell out of window screens and after a few years they need to be replaced.
So I hired a very reputable window re-screener. Joe (not his real name) is 72 years old and works out of his truck. Totally self-contained. No helpers or assistants. Everything he needed was in that truck.
He rescreened my entire house (about 10 windows), 2 large patio door screens and 3 small bathroom screens. It took him 3 hours which included 1/2 hour for lunch. My bill? $450 (pre-negotiated in advance).
So I asked Joe "How many jobs do you do in a day?" Usually about 3 jobs. My wife sets my schedule and I usually make it home in time for dinner.
$450 per home X 3 homes = $1,350. Being a little more bold, I asked Joe how much screening material he used on my house. He got out his smartphone, pressed a few buttons, and said "about $100". I must have looked stunned because Joe said "a good window re-screener can gross about $1.25M a year."
When Joe left, I did a little research on "window rescreening in retirement." There are a few articles floating around the Internet but this is a pretty good one: https://www.fixingscreens.com/best-s...-to-start.html
I'm going to talk with the young guy who cleans our windows. I need to know his opinion.
Anybody know of any other EZ $1M a year retirement jobs?
LOL....$1.25 million a year for a rescreening job....SURE!!
I can bring my window screens to my local hardware store and they will redo them for $10 to $15 each depending on size. I'll have to tell the owner (the same guy who's in debt and constantly complains about business being bad even though he does window screen repairs) next time I see him to empty his store out of everything and just do window screens and he can make $1.25 MILLION A YEAR!!
Where I live in New Mexico most people have Swamp Coolers (evaporative cooling) because of the exceptionally low humidity. The equipment is typically on the roof and needs servicing in the spring and fall because it gets below freezing on winter nights and the water line could burst and it just needs cleaning and new pads occasionally. There are plenty of single widows who need someone to climb up the ladder and do the job twice a year...disconnect and connect the water line, etc. At 70, and with a new hip, I'm not climbing up on the roof either. Occasionally more work is needed...a bearing will wear out...but the typical job might take 30 minutes. Most of the homes have flat roofs in my area but it would be a bit more exciting on a sloping roof. Probably not a bunch of money to be made and it is busy mostly in the spring and fall.
My old neighbor owned a hardware store before he retired and he kept busy doing "honey-do" work for the local widows but he would do some pretty big jobs. He knew what he was doing and enjoyed the work.
I worked for seven years as a part-time city planner after I retired and really enjoyed the work. It was pocket money and no benefits (I had a good pension and benefits) which was fine. I spent most days out in the community and the Senior Planner had to deal with the commissions and board and big egos. I retired early so I was fit enough to tramp around development sites and up and down alleys all day without a problem. Someone has to do the basic land-use work for zoning or the photography for preservation efforts.
There's not a lot of money in it but cities and towns have a lot of back-burner projects that they would like to see moving forward and might like having an experienced and reliable retiree take on the work on a part-time basis.
$450 per home X 3 homes = $1,350. Being a little more bold, I asked Joe how much screening material he used on my house. He got out his smartphone, pressed a few buttons, and said "about $100". I must have looked stunned because Joe said "a good window re-screener can gross about $1.25M a year."
When Joe left, I did a little research on "window rescreening in retirement." There are a few articles floating around the Internet but this is a pretty good one: https://www.fixingscreens.com/best-s...-to-start.html
I'm going to talk with the young guy who cleans our windows. I need to know his opinion.
Anybody know of any other EZ $1M a year retirement jobs?
These numbers don't add up. Even if you worked 365 days/year, and included the cost of the screen material to get your gross income, that's $492k, about 1/3 of his $1.25m/year.
Aside from that, I'm not buying for a second a guy could gross anywhere near $1350/day doing this, $45/window just seems way too high to believe a rescreen should cost. Not only is removing a screen from a window a 10 second job, a diy that has never done it before could do this easily spending a few bucks at Home depot. (I've done it.)
I paid about half what you paid per hour to have a company replace my gutters (one of those jobs you pretty much have to hire out to avoid seams). I also don't believe him that he paid $100 for material for 10 windows. In short, I don't believe anything he told you and suspect you way overpaid.
These numbers don't add up. Even if you worked 365 days/year, and included the cost of the screen material to get your gross income, that's $492k, about 1/3 of his $1.25m/year.
Aside from that, I'm not buying for a second a guy could gross anywhere near $1350/day doing this, $45/window just seems way to high to believe a rescreen should cost. Not only is removing a screen from a window a 10 second job, a diy that has never done it before could do this easily spending a few bucks at Home depot. (I've done it.)
Yes, my numbers are wrong. But a couple hundred thousand dollars a year for easy work ain't bad. Not much competition either.
People pay for convenience. I pay a mobile dog groomer about double the dog salon rate to groom my dogs. You need to think like a buyer not a diy'er.
Now go put your paper hat back on. Those burgers need flipping.
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