I Turned My Passion for Food Into Cash for College Tuition

It’s been 20 years since I first heard about Tastefully Simple. A friend from across the country, who knew I love simple, delicious, distinctive foods, sent me a box of Bountiful Beer Bread Mix and a jar of Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Jam. We all loved it – and I joined Tastefully Simple right after the holidays. Why so fast? It was a no-brainer; the food is easy to prepare, tastes amazing, and, since everyone eats, the reorder potential was huge. Even better, I can arrange my work schedule around my family’s activities and be my own boss. (Bonus: taste-testing all the products on my family meant I could research and feed them at the same time! Win!) My family has always had priority claim on my time. That means I have always worked, but scheduled my business around our family activities. The number of parties I held tended to vary over the years depending what sports season we were in.But here is the magic: Tastefully Simple offers so many types of income-producing activities. Dabble in them all and you will meet people where they are at and who will give you the gift of time when you need it. I show up to “work” five days a week, sometimes for 30 minutes, other times for several hours while I do a party. The important thing is to show up! I can’t write a paycheck if I don’t work. As my children went off to college, then got married – both expensive propositions – I was able to pay for those from my Tastefully Simple income, not the household budget. These days, my priority is to have our new grandbabies a day a week for one-on-one time, so that leaves Mondays as my office day and not Mammie duty! I crank it all out that day! I also work many different types of income-producing activities. Travel is a gift for my hubby and I, so we always make sure I earn the Party to Paradise trip for two!Earning that means my paycheck will be good each pay period.I’m motivated now by a goal I set a goal for my business: taking the entire family to Disney to celebrate our anniversary and hubby’s pending retirement in May 2025. Apart from the financial lift, I’m proud that my business has taught our children the value of work and being an entrepreneur, and that when you focus and don’t quit on yourself, you can achieve whatever goal you set.The key is to show up to work! The financial benefits started with being able to buy cleats for soccer season for the boys, then to paying for car insurance for our daughter, on to college books and tuition, weddings, babies and now retirement plans. And my business has brought even more for me personally. I was always the type to quietly hide in the background. Like many, I was not comfortable speaking in front of others, but I found I came out of my shell when I spoke about something I was passionate about – food. I am also dedicated to saving people money and time and bringing families back around the table. Now I find joy in helping others not only in the kitchen but in running a business. >br /> If my story resonates with you, why not try something new? Life is meant to be an adventure, not a series of “what ifs.” Remember: Everyone eats! Everyone is short on time! Tastefully Simple has a gift for everyone through fabulous food that doesn’t take you away from family and work. When you weave your passion into your everyday life, you’ll be surprised by what you can accomplish. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, especially great easy to prepare food. A winning combination … oh, and they pay you for your passion! Now that’s a job I can stand behind. Debbie Kimble (PA) Diamond Leader