i've done both things at different times - just delivering junk mail, and the direct selling ones - the direct selling is a PITA to be honest - a lot of work for little return. you have to deliver the catalogs, go back and pick them up, collate orders, order stuff, then go back and collect money and deliver the order. and you only make money if you get orders. i worked with a friend, and we each went out at least once a week, usually twice - we'd drop in one area one day, collect a few days later, then drop in another area, and cycle through that way. it really was a lot of work for little return. but we were doing it for the exercise factor - for the cash side of it, we were selling at work and doing a roaring trade

the direct drop option is easier in that you just put things in letterboxes and that's the end of it. but you might have one catalogue at a time, you might have three. often they have to be delivered in different windows of time, so Woolies is to be delivered mon-tues, coles sat-sun, big w sun-mon -and you have to get them all done in the right window. you can be given a very large area to cover with not many houses. coming up to christmas (easter, mothers/fathers days) you will get more work, but it can be very time consuming. you have to go out whatever the weather too. if you can get your home area, it's not so bad, cos you can work out of home - but if you have an area away from home, as well as the work you have to put in, you lose money on expenses with your car and things. my brother and I did this for maybe 5 years when we were younger - the exercise factor was great, the magpies that swooped, not so much - and the dogs that weren't in yards did my head in! more often than not, we'd go out in the wee hours of the morning before school which probably isn't an option with littlies...