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Today you’re going to read about several side jobs for stay at home moms that are easy to do and won’t leave you feeling drained.
In fact:
With three little toddlers, I have done many of them and made over $1200.00 a month so I know they are totally do-able.
So, if you’re looking for ways to make extra money, these just might be the answer.
I’ll go over each job, show you how to get started, and give you an idea how much you can make based on what I did and what others earn.
Let’s get to them
Side Jobs For Stay At Home Moms
Here are my top picks of side jobs that are good for stay-at-home-moms because you can do them any time of the day, even with kids by your side. You’ll see that finding a lucrative side hustle is easier than you thought.
#1 Online Accountant / Bookkeeper
A side job as an Accountant or Bookkeeper is one of the most in-demand freelance jobs out there today.
That is, as long as you have some accounting and bookkeeping knowledge. And that knowledge can be in Accounts Payable, creating financial statements, drafting business plans, tax prep…anything accounting and bookkeeping.
Most side jobs in accounting and bookkeeping are short-term, maybe a month or two or until the singular project is complete. But that just opens the door for more opportunities and more work.
Take a look at what these freelance Bookkeepers charge:
Wouldn’t you like to earn that much, working part-time ?
You can, if you’re willing to freelance. Freelancer and Upwork are the best-known platforms that people flock to for hiring freelance Accounts and Bookkeepers.
If you like accounting and bookkeeping but need to bone-up on your skills, you can check out these highly-rated courses:
- Bookkeeping Basics: Understanding The Fundamentals
- Bookkeeping Basics: Understand The Mechanics
#2 Logo Designer
Another awesome side gig opportunity that gets a ton of requests is designing logos.
And the really cool thing:
You don’t need any experience or a degree to get started. Just artistic talent and the ability to listen to what your customer need.
Being a logo designer isn’t the kind of job where you’re employed with a company; it’s a freelance job.
But…
…logos are needed by just about every business, giving you the ability to snag several quick logo design jobs and earning pretty good money.
Here’s what I mean.
On Freelancer.com there are over 1400 logo gigs available. The first 3 that popped up are quick jobs.
To get started as a paid logo designer, you should be familiar with some graphic design software. Canva is the go-to, and FREE, online software that is easy to use. But if you need a head start, this video will surely help:
Then, go to one of these popular freelance platforms: Freelancer, Fiverr and Upwork and set up your profile.
Now let’s go over some side jobs that I have done (and some I am still doing) so you can see how much time I spend on them and how much I earned.
#3 Shipt Shopper
Shipt: an internet based grocery delivery service and my favorite “extra money” gig. I seriously think this is the best side job for a stay at home mom.
My Monthly Earning: $180.00
Time Spent: About 2 hours a week. I could do more if I felt like it.
This is such an easy mommy-side-job because I have to go to the grocery store every week anyway, so why not make some money while I’m at it ? Plus, I like to grocery shop early in the day before it gets crowded, so this is a perfect side job for me.
Even with kids. They know how to behave in the grocery store.
It works like this:
Apply, get approved, download the app, start shopping and get paid. Oh, you do have to be at least 18 years old, have a valid U.S. drivers license, valid insurance, and a recent-ish model car.
Here’s another “shop/deliver” site:
Postmates. You first sign up, with Postmates, download the Fleet app, see who needs some food delivered, take home 100% of what you earn.
#4 Watch Neighbor’s Kids
Heck, why not? What’s one more kiddie in my house? I already have the toys, snacks and patience.
My Monthly Earning: $300.00
Time Spent: If I had to count this as working hours, I would say I spend about 10 hours a week. Because the little guy is a small extension of my family, it’s not really work. And because his mom is my friend, and I can relate to her need for good, inexpensive childcare, I cut her a brake.
We both win!
#5 Online Researcher
My Monthly Earning: $150.00
Time Spent: About 1 hour a day
I learned of AskWonder about a year ago and boy, am I glad I did. Turns out I really like to do internet research. And I seem to do it ALL THE TIME. I consider this to be one of the most flexible side jobs for moms because it can be done any time, any place.
How do I do it? I log onto the Ask Wonder platform, look for submitted questions that appeal to me, do the necessary research and answer the questions. But before I started making money I had to go through the little thing called the application process and then do a few test questions.
I can easily whip out at least 6 answers – research included – in a week. Not too bad for $6.00 to $8.00 average pay per answer.
#6 Blog Article Writer
My Monthly Earning: $100.00 (could be more if I was more serious about writing)
Time Spent: About an hour each week
A lot of moms try their hand at blogging and some are pretty successful at it, too. But I know blogging to make money is really hard and takes a lot (and I do mean A LOT) of time, patience, and writing, which is why I’ve never been crazy about the thought of blogging. And to be honest, I wouldn’t call this a great side hustle at all. I mean, sit in front of the computer trying to churn out a few paragraphs about something that interests me today ?
Nah. Not for me.
Unless…I can write like a blogger without actually running a blog (and all the work that comes with it) AND pick the topics that interest me. Picking the right places lets my creative writing juices flow and has given me a nice little bundle of cash.
Here are a few of my favorite places to write like a blogger:
- Listverse pays $100.00 for a list of 10 things
- BlogMutt pays $8.00 for each “purchased” article
- Cracked claims they ‘ll pay $100.00 for your first article
- Upwork, a well-known and reputable freelance platform, gives me the opportunity to write about anything. The pay varies by customer that hires me but I make about $100.00 a month.
I scoured the web and found these places that pay you to write about pets:
Nashville Paw, although their writing rules are pretty complex and I couldn’t see how much they pay.
Blog Paws, pays $75.00 per accepted post.
The Bark, pays depending upon complexity of written piece.
Kitty Catter, pays $15.00 for every 500 words written.
And these places pay you to write about money and finance:
The Dollar Stretcher, pays $.10 cents per published word.
Money Crashers, their site doesn’t specify the pay but it does state this: “Starting base rate per article is competitive with additional monthly performance incentives based on traffic.”
#7 General Transcriber
My Monthly Earning: $200.00
Time Spent: Between 1 and 2 hours a day, or up to 10 hours a week.
This is one of those typing jobs that doesn’t require a whole lot of experience, as long as you go with one of these companies. I had absolutely no transcription knowledge under my belt but was able to get a job with a company called Rev. I really like this gig, too, because I can do as much work as I want – whenever I find the time.
The most annoying part about applying for this little job was the application. It literally took me about an hour to get through it, thanks to the skills tests. The tests were easy enough, I must have been anxious to get started.
The pay isn’t the best but there is always work to do. Some day I hope to start doing some of the captioning, which is a step up from transcription.
I did invest about $40.00 to buy this set of headphones. I have kids, after all. Gotta block the racket. So worth it!
It’s easy to get started doing transcription, which I outline in this post, but I’ll summarize it here:
- First, see how well you type: speed (not too important), spelling and grammar.
- Next, do some practice tests
- Then, get an entry-level transcription job with Rev (or GoTranscript…they’re the best for beginners)
If you want to get started in this line of work – because the pay can be pretty darn good – seriously check out my review of the best transcription training course.
#8 Virtual Assisting
My Monthly Earnings: $300.00
Time Spent: Depends on what I have to do but I usually spend about 5 hours a week. This is less than an hour a day because I tend to do this on the weekends.
This is one of those jobs for stay at home moms that can be done any time of the day. In fact, you’ll use the skills you already have.
Some call this Virtual Assisting, some call it online assisting, I like to call it “being a Remote Office Assistant” because I tap into my past office experiences and do office-y things for others. I work whenever I want to and get paid about $15.00 an hour.
Currently, I work for Time Etc and Fancy Hands but I plan on getting more high-payers by going solo (see below 🙂 ) In fact, here’s a good post comparing the best Virtual Assistant training courses.
A few other companies that hire virtual assistants are:
24/7 Virtual Assistant
Belay
Don’t Panic Management
Surplus Hands
If you want to start a side job – or a lucrative career – as a Virtual Assistant, take a read of my post that shows you how to be a VA with no experience.
And if you’re still serious, check out VA course that’ll ‘jumpstart’ your career.
Then, consider taking one of these awesome courses to learn Virtual Assistant skills to hone your expertise.
#9 Etsy Marketer
Etsy is a super-popular marketplace where people sell handmade or vintage items or craft supplies.
And what’s really cool about Etsy is the fact that thousands of different ‘things’ make up those 3 categories.
For instance, two of the most popular things being sold and purchased are planners and stickers. But don’t limit yourself to those two things, thinking you’ll make a financial windfall for doing little work.
There are plenty of other handmade/vintage/art-related things you can create and sell.
My suggestion:
Read through this article on the best things to sell on Etsy that make money. You’re bound to get some ideas.
#10 MTurk Survey Taker
My Monthly Earnings: $50.00 plus $15.00 sign-up bonuses
Time Spent : About 4 hours a month, or right around an hour a week
I normally wouldn’t recommend doing surveys because, well, most of them suck big time.
BUT…
…The trick is to find the survey sites that pay cash.
And I can honestly say the best place to do surveys is MTurk because there are always some to do and I get paid cash (via Amazon).
To get started, just go to the MTurk platform, click the ‘Sign In As A Worker’ link located at the top right corner, enter your Amazon sign-in info., and search the database for surveys you can do.
A few other favorite survey sites are:
- Opinion Outpost
- Global Test Market
- Swagbucks (earn per survey plus $5.00 sign-up bonus)
- Inbox Dollars (they are giving out $5.00 sign-up bonuses)
#11 A Little Passive Income
My Monthly Earnings: More savings than earning
Time Spent : Virtually no time spent at all because this is passive
OK, first I should say this: when I say “passive income”, I really mean “things I do every day that save money – I’m not really making money” . And that’s OK. It still contributes to money in my bank account.
Here are some of the passive things I do:
- I got hooked on the idea of a high yield savings account by reading DollarSprout.com’s article showing me how I can earn passive income. It opened my eyes to the fact my bank wasn’t sharing their wealth with me. So I looked around and joined a credit union that has a ton of reward options for me.
- I’m going to try affiliate marketing at some point. I just have to do more research.
- I work-out more because it curbs my appetite. And a curbed appetite means I eat less. Therefore I spend less on food. How’s that for a cool way to save money when on a budget ?
The Side Jobs That Didn’t Work For Me:
Blogging For Money
Over the years I have read a lot about starting a blog.
And after having a few great ideas pop into my head I jumped on this bandwagon. I was all set to start a mom blog.
Know what happened ? I flopped !
Not because I couldn’t write or manage a blog. I flopped because I really wasn’t interested in doing this. It was hard, and after six months I saw absolutely NO profit. None !
Having a Full-Time Work At Home Job
Even though working from home has always been my goal, working full time with little ones was not do-able. I wound up staying up really late and getting up soooo early just to get my full schedule in. And I was a grumpy witch in the meantime. So yeah, working full time was not in the cards while the kids were young.
Having a Job With Structure
I just could not do this. Have a structured routine. Even if it was part-time.
My kids saw to that 🙂
Selling Stuff
Oh ya, I have a lot of stuff. Baby things, knick-knacks, old cell phones. As much as I would love to part with all this ju…err…stuff, I just can’t seem to do it.
I tried Ebay with mixed reviews. I didn’t earn enough profit to make it worth my effort. And I always seemed to be looking for boxes to ship my stuff out.
I tried selling some of my husband’s old-ish video games to Game Stop (local gaming store) but again, more work than it was worth.
So I gave up trying to sell my stuff. I think I’ll wait for one of those city-wide garage sales.
Anything In Customer Service
That’s right, anything customer service related. Mainly because I can’t just shut my office door and hope the kids will watch themselves. Besides, I’m not much on talking on the phone.
Search Engine Evaluator
I’ve read SO MUCH about this kind of work; I would be PERFECT for it !
But, turns out this kind of job is just so darn hard to get !
Driving Jobs
And there’s NO WAY I could do any of those driving jobs for money, especially the ride share ones.
The Wrap-Up
I hope this list inspires you – as a stay at home mom – to start a side job.
Not only will you be able to stay home with your kids, you can make pretty decent money in the meantime.
Are you ready to start making extra money ? How does $1,200.00 a month sound to you ? Leave a comment below and let me know.
