Before I was even pregnant with my first baby, I dreamed of the day when I could become a stay-at-home-mom. I did love my career, but I also felt like I needed a break.
I couldn’t wait to start a family, quit my job, and just soak in those baby cuddles and kisses all day long.
Fast forward through raising two toddlers and I know that being a stay-at-home-mom is definitely not all it’s cracked up to be! The messes, tantrums, and arguments can make the day-to-day pretty chaotic, however, I still feel so fortunate to be home with them.
If you’re looking for a way to live the dream of staying home with your kids too, there are SO many ways that you can make money from home.
Of course, you’ll have to have really good time management skills and work through nap times and bedtime, but you CAN do it.
Can I really make a full-time Income From Home?
Yes, you can make A LOT of money from the comfort of your own couch.
I’m not talking about your full-time job offering you to work remotely. I mean starting your own business, job, company, or being self-employed.
Before I got into the online business world, I had no idea what kind of opportunities were out there.
I always just thought that you go to college to pick a career and work in that path making the same salary for the rest of your life.
Little did I know that I could completely change careers by choosing this simple stay-at-home-mom business and make MORE than my previous career as an Occupational Therapist.
The truth is that ANYONE can do most of these jobs. You just have to be dedicated, motivated and put in maximum time and effort to learn the new skill.
Here are a ton of options for working at home as a stay-at-home-mom:
1. Start a blog
My life has changed for the better since starting my blog. What I thought was just going to be a little side money has transformed into a full-time income in under 1 year!
It’s not super complicated to start a blog. The challenge comes from getting traffic to your site and monetizing it. However, it is possible!
No, you don’t have to be a good writer to blog.
Actually, reading and writing were my least favorite subjects in school, but somehow I love writing now because I get to write about my interests.
Blogging does take a good time commitment to be successful. You will have to put in a lot of time and effort in the beginning and not reap the benefits just yet.
As opposed to some of the other options on this page, you don’t trade hours for dollars with blogging. At least not in the beginning.
For example, if you were to babysit, you would watch a child for an hour and get paid $15 for that hour. You get paid directly for your time.
With blogging, you don’t get paid directly until your website starts generating traffic.
So in the beginning, you may be putting in 25 hours a week, and making no money. However, a few months down the line, you could be putting in 5 hours a week, but making the same rate as if you were working that babysitting job for 30 hours.
Take my FREE 7-day Blogging Bootcamp Course to help you kickstart your blog from scratch!
So blogging is something that you have to know will help you gain income down the road as it turns into a passive business, but it’s not an immediate result.
Blogs make money by display ads, affiliate marketing, brand sponsorships, and selling digital products or services.
It’s ok if you have no idea what a blog is, start here to understand it all. If you have an idea about blogging and want to see if it’s right for you, check out my reasons for blogging and see the way it changed my life.
2. Be a Dog Walker
This is a great opportunity for pet lovers especially if you live in a city or suburban area with lots of homes close by.
You’d be surprised how many pet owners don’t have time to walk their dogs and would love to outsource this chore to a professional.
This is a job that you could take your child along with depending on their age. Plenty of people push strollers and walk dogs at the same time!
You may be able to find an already established dog walking business in your area, but if not, start your own! It’s better to work for yourself anyway.
You just may want to launch a website and advertise to get clients. The beauty of social media nowadays is the ability to use free advertising through word-of-mouth on social media platforms.
3. Start In-Home childcare or babysitting
If you’re already staying home and watching your own children why not take on an extra 1 or 2?
You will already be doing the same things like mealtime, clean up, nap time, and play time so this could fit in perfectly with your day-to-day.
You can charge over $1000 a month for full-time daycare with a baby or toddler, so if you could even fit 2 or 3 extra kids, you could make a pretty good income doing this.
It will also give your children an opportunity to socialise with others in the safety of your care.
4. Bookkeeper
Bookkeepers record financial transactions for small business owners, and it can be done either as a freelancer or for a company remotely.
If you have no experience in bookkeeping, you may want to take a course to learn this new skill on your own.
Once you gain knowledge and experience through a quick online course, you can apply toAccounting Department,Belay,or check out the available positions using job boards likeFlexJobsandUpwork.
TheBookkeepers courseteaches you how to charge $60 per hour by running your own bookkeeping business.
If you are looking to work for a company likeAccounting Department,Glassdoor states they pay between $15-$16 per hour.
5. Become an Influencer
This generation has seen the rise of influencer marketing on various social media platforms, such as Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat.
The term influencer is someone with the power to affect the buying habits or actions of others by uploading some form of original—often sponsored—content to their platform.
Anyone can be an influencer, but it’s not as easy as it looks. You must first create original (unpaid) content that not only attracts the attention of other users but earns their trust or respect in some sense.
Your photos, videos, and captions need to be high quality and give a sense of relatability to your followers.
This is an avenue that won’t make you much (if any) money in the beginning. In fact, you may have to settle for just some free products to start with.
However, with time and dedication, you may be able to earn a considerable living by just posting pictures and videos of your daily life, kids, travel, and more!
Read more about how to become an influencer here.
6. Proofreader
Do you find yourself easily catching errors when reading? If so, you might make a great Proofreader! Proofreading is providing a service of checking written work for errors or mistakes.
It is not the same as an editor, as proofreaders don’t require any revising or rewriting. It is simply looking for errors made in the written text that is already there.
Proofreaders are NEEDED in so many industries and you can do it from the comfort of your home! Learn more about becoming a proofreader here and see if this is the right side hustle for you.
7. Retail Arbitrage / Amazon FBA Program
Retail arbitrage requires taking advantage of price differences in the market to make a profit.
A quick explanation: You see a gorgeous nightstand at HomeGoods for $10. You know that nightstand could sell for much more than that so you sell it on eBay for $25 and make a $15 profit.
This style of resell doesn’t usually involve any fixing up or changing the product, like some other product flipping, but merely buying and reselling.
You may be thinking, why would people buy at your higher price when they could just get it in store for cheaper? Think about the fact that you have a worldwide market at your fingertips once you put an item on Amazon.
Maybe that user’s Target is sold out of the item they desperately want. Maybe they live in a city that has higher prices than your small town.
Also, some people are just lazy and don’t mind paying the extra charge for the convenience of it being delivered right to their doorstep.
Check out some more information on retail arbitrage and the Amazon FBA Program to see if it’s right for you.
8. Cash Back on apps
In a nutshell, there are apps that pay you to do tasks.
What are the tasks? They can be as simple as taking online surveys or more complex, like heading to your local grocer and snapping a photo of the coffee aisle.
The best ones are obviously the ones that you can do from your bed, but there’s so much opportunity to get out of the house and scan items at the grocery store or get money back on everyday purchases.
You control how much or how little your earn, all from your cell phone.
Here are some awesome ones you’ll love:
9. Become a transcriptionist
A transcriptionist listens to audio files and types what is said from the recording. If you are a fast typist and a strong listener, this may be a good option for you. You can earn up to $22/hour.
Get some more information on becoming a transcriptionist here and find jobs to get started immediately.
10. Website Flipping
This may be a little more of an advanced side hustle because you should probably have basic blogging and design experience.
Website flippers start a website or blog from scratch, create content and gain traffic, and then sell it within a couple months for a profit.
Other bloggers or website creators would be interested in purchasing a website that has already been established to get a head start in growing it quicker.
11. Freelancing
Freelancing is one of the best ways to earn money as a mom because you can use any skill set that you already have.
Maybe you’re amazing at home organization, time management, meal prepping, amateur photography, photo editing, meal planning, etc. The options are literally endless!
If you make your own website or social media account to offer a service that you provide, you can be a freelancer. You can sell yourself on anything that you consider your area of expertise if you have the right marketing tactics.
There are also a bunch of ways to make money freelancing for bloggers and online business owners who need virtual assistance.
Here are some examples of a few of these freelancing opportunities:
- Virtual Assistant
- Social media planner
- Pinterest assistant
- Copywriter
- Customer Service
12. TEACH ENGLISH ONLINE
If you have a Bachelor’s degree and some teaching experience (tutoring, mentoring, children’s church, etc.), VIPKID is a great company to work for.
VIPKID allows you to teach lessons virutally to students in China or other foreign countries. Because of the time difference, you work while your kids are asleep!
You can make up to $22/hr depending on experience and they provide you with materials and assistance to plan your lessons and offer these children the best opportunities for learning.
13.TUTOR
You can tutor other children from the comfort of your own home in-person or virtually. If you or your students prefer to meet in a library or school, you may need to work during a time that you will have childcare.
Online tutoring is also growing thanks to the advancements in technology and it’s an excellent way to make money at home if you have teaching experience or knowledge of a specific subject.
You can choose what times and subjects are best for you. Take a look at some of the online tutoring jobs available here and make up to $60 an hour tutoring.
14.VIRTUAL RECEPTIONIST
Answer calls or web chats for a variety of businesses and professionals by working forSmith.ai.
I believe there are some minimum hours required to secure a position so this may be something that you need to do while the children are sleeping.
The hourly rate starts at $10 hour, but they even provide benefits and raises based on performance. Smith.ai is a great opportunity to work from home and make a consistent income.
15. Life or Career Coaching
If you enjoy helping people and strive for personal development and growth, you can be a life coach. Becoming aLife Coach can become your own self-employed business as you gain clients and experience.
With life coaching, you can truly make your own schedule and take on as much or as little work as you can handle.
There are online courses and certifications that you can take to become a life coach. This way you can actually charge more and earn a substantial income.
Get more information on becoming a life coach here.
16. Start an Online Product-Based Business
This might seem overwhelming at first but it’s very easy and inexpensive to start your own online business from home.
As opposed to starting a brick-and-mortar business like a restaurant or store, you don’t need any of those start-up costs associated with an online business.
All you really need is a website or platform that you can purchase from less than $4 a month with a web host provider.
Pinpoint your passions and expertise and you can find a business to create in regards to that.
Since blogging is considered a business, you can use your hobbies and interests to create a website. However, there are many other businesses that you can create.
Here are some examples of product-based businesses:
- Selling digital products like printables, charts, planners, recipes, ebooks
- Selling handmade physical goods like apparel, home goods, accessories, etc.
The most popular platforms to sell your products are Etsy and Shopify.
Etsy already has a client base to get your products in front of more viewers, but Shopify allows you to own your own site and customize it as you wish.
17. START A BABY EQUIPMENT RENTAL BUSINESS
If you live in a densely populated city or tourist area, there’s a big market for renting baby gear and equipment!
Traveling families or families with limited space in their apartments look for short-term rentals of baby equipment since they grow out of it so quickly.
You can buy the equipment already used or use your own equipment and make daily or weekly rental fees. Your expenses will be recouped quickly and once you own the equipment outright, it’s all profit.
18.FLIP ITEMS and Furniture
If you love visiting flea markets, consignment stores, and garage sales, this is a great business for you. Purchase items that you can see would be a hot commodity after they’ve been given a facelift. Then resell them for a profit.
The distressed look in furniture is still in so this is a great way to get an old piece of furniture and give it that rustic style for resell.
19.BECOME A TRAVEL AGENT
If you love to travel and don’t want to give it up because you’re stuck on one salary, you can totally be a travel agent! Travel agents generally work from home and help people plan their vacations.
Not only do you get paid, but you should get travel perks too.
You can either start your own business or work for an agency. You may want to work for an agency first to gain the experience and client base and then venture out on your own.
Did you know there are travel agents just dedicated for Disney? That would be great to earn points to take your own kids! You can also just be a regular travel agent too.
20.SEARCH ENGINE/SOCIAL MEDIA EVALUATOR
Do you know what a Search Engine/Social Media Evaluator does? They basically rate social media ads and search engine results for relevancy.
This is a great job for moms because it does not require getting on the phone, you make your own schedule, and it does not require any training.
There are many pros to this job, and because of that, there may be lows in available work.
21. PHOTOGRAPHY
If you’re the family photographer and love taking pictures, you could create a side hustle by becoming a photographer.
You don’t need extensive training to be an amateur photographer and if you’re a mom, you know the rate that you can charge for family photos is pretty astronomical.
The only investment is to get a good camera, but it will pay off quickly.
You really can teach yourself all the skills that you need. Now with photo presets and editing, the photos aren’t even as important as how you edit them.
You can make any photo look good with a few tweaks in brightness and highlights.
The best way to start with family photography is to offer your services out for a very minimal price to family and friends around the holidays. You know moms love getting Christmas or Easter portraits but hate paying an arm and a leg for them.
This way you can get practice and start building a portfolio.
Of course, if you’re going to plan to take photography for family photo sessions, you will need childcare when you’re away from home. However, you can take photos of anything and sell them!
Small business owners are always looking for stock photos, so generic photos of everyday items to use on their blogs, emails, websites, or marketing materials.
Just taking pictures of your morning coffee by the window or your shoes neatly placed by the door are some images that business owners may need.
22. CLEAN HOUSES
If you can get someone to watch your kids two days per week you should consider cleaning houses. This job is very flexible as you decide which hours work best for you and it doesn’t cost much to get started.
Check out some more information on starting your own cleaning business.
23. GET PAID TO TEST APPS AND WEBSITES
Companies need feedback on the user experience of their websites, and they’ll pay you to get it. This is a fast and easy way to make money online.
Here are two reputable companies to sign up for:
- User Testing(up to $60 per test)
- UserFeel($10 per test)
24. Be A SECRET SHOPPER
A secret shopper visits restaurants, retail stores, and other locations to secretly rate the staff, environment, products, etc.
They may require that you do, say, purchase, or order certain thinks in order to get a feel for what you are rating.
You can do the survey on your phone while you are shopping or eating and get reimbursed for any costs that you incur.
Here is more information on how to become a mystery shopper.
. . . . .
If you have your heart set on becoming a stay-at-home mom with your children, don’t give up that dream! There are a ton of ways to make money from home and still help to support your family.
In fact, I guarantee that plenty of these jobs can earn you MORE than you were making at your 9-5 job because the opportunity for growth is endless.
It’s all about the time and dedication that you put in to grow a business how you want.
You may be thinking, I don’t want to start a business, I just want some side hustle money. However, I did not expect my blog to grow into a business. However, it did and I am so grateful that I didn’t give up.
So you may need to work while your kids are playing and take a little time away from them throughout the day, but if it’s worth it to you to have a flexible income, go for it girl!
