Being a stay-at-home mom is a ton of work. Childcare is challenging and neverending, and it’s OK not to want to add additional duties on top of it.
However, some stay-at-home moms want to make a little extra money, whether to fill in any budget holes or have pocket money for themselves.
While scrolling through the R/askreddit community, I found a question asking real moms to give examples of making extra cash while watching their kids.
Maybe one of these will work for you1
Babysitting
If you’re already watching kids, why not add one or two more for extra cash?
“Childcare, care.com is pretty good for hiring babysitters or nannies,” offered one user.
“If you live walking distance from an elementary school. You pick up kids after school, walk them to your place, and watch them until their parents can pick them up,” added another.
Redditors cautioned to check the laws in your location.
“Laws and regulations vary a lot state to state and country to country,” said one user. “In many places, you require expensive qualifications and insurance to get paid to look after someone else’s child. Without the right paperwork, you risk prison, and with the right paperwork, you need to do it as a full-time job to pay off the insurance and qualifications cost.”
Freelance Writing
If you’re a good writer, consider offering freelance writing services in your spare time.
“I write freelance articles for a few hours a week. It took me a few months of applying before I got a steady client that I liked working with, but now it’s a pretty nice setup,” said one user.
Others worried that automation would soon take most freelance article writing jobs.
Print on Demand
Are you a good designer? Consider uploading some of your designs to print-on-demand sites like Redbubble or TeePublic.
Of course, it’s tough to make an income off these sites. One user mentioned Redbubble’s newest terms of service, making it even harder for small-scale designers to make a profit.
Read Next: Here’s What You Should Know About Print on Demand
Baking
If you’re handy around the kitchen, you might be able to make a little extra cash with baked goods.
“My wife has friends that bake sourdough breads, make smoothies, and cakes/cookies,” shared one user.
Another cautioned to check regulations before selling baked goods. Some places require commercial licenses, while others allow small-time bakers to get a special permit to cook in their home kitchens.
E-books
Romance ebooks sell like hotcakes. Of course, it takes far more than just writing and self-publishing. The genre is saturated, and one book likely won’t make much money.
As one user explained, “Self-publishing often doesn’t give much money if it’s just one book (not for romance, anyway, and that’s the genre with highest incomes). You want to publish a few books, with thought-out long-term marketing strategies in mind, and writing to market (not whatever topic you feel like writing).”
“Readers will pay for self-published books if they are good enough, and the covers have to be kind of decent, or no one will take a second look at them,” said another.
Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant handles small administrative tasks for a company or brand. They may send emails, make invoices, or post to social media for their client.
The great thing about working as a virtual assistant is that it usually doesn’t matter when you accomplish the task as long as it gets done in the timeline agreed upon with your client.
Online Surveys
Taking online surveys for cash is tedious, but it might be a good option if you’re only looking for a little bit of money.
“I’m signed up to a couple of different survey sites that award points towards gift cards. I’ve used the points for Amazon gift cards and have ordered several books, a couple of shirts, and a new keyboard,” shared one user.
“Swagbucks is my go-to for surveys. It can take a while to rack up points. But I’ve “cashed in” my points a couple times for $100 gift cards,” said another.
Sell Plasma
If you don’t mind needles and want to make money by helping people, consider selling plasma.
“This is the best one. $100-200 a week for a couple hours of sitting in a chair,” said one user.
Others said that certain places might restrict how often you can give plasma, and others may only accept plasma via donation.
Reselling
Take your kids to garage sales on the weekends, then list your finds on websites like Craigslist and Offerup during the week to turn a small profit.
Reselling isn’t always easy. There are heaps of junk at garage sales, and often prices are too high to make reselling profitable. However, if you’re knowledgeable about a particular niche, you can make some nice pocket change.
Cleaning Service
One user had an interesting idea for moms with slightly older kids. “If your kids are school-aged (or you otherwise have a few hours a week without them), starting up a cleaning service is a good way to earn extra cash,” they said.
You can offer services on Facebook or Nextdoor.
Bookkeeping
Many companies need someone to keep the books, but they don’t have enough work to make a full-time position.
“Every business needs a bookkeeping done, but they don’t want to take the time or effort to do it themselves, and they certainly don’t want to pay CPA rates for it to be done come tax time,” said one user.
Source: Reddit