17 Ways Moms Can Earn Money From Home

Our purpose as stay-at-home moms is to be available to care for our families' emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. While we certainly should keep that the main focus, a little work in our free time can bring in some extra income to help meet those needs. Here are 17 ways you can do that from home!

1. Network Marketing/Direct Sales. This is one of the most common ways for SAHMs to earn a little money on the side. There are a horde of companies to look into such as Young Living, Plexus, Thirty-One Bags, Norwex, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay… Each company has its pros and cons so you’ll want to do your research before jumping on any bandwagon.

2. Teach Music Lessons. Teaching music lessons is an ideal way of earning money as a mom. You get to set your own price, your own hours, decide how many students you want to take on and what level you want to teach. I highly recommend that any young lady who plans on becoming a SAHM learn to play an instrument. It is a valuable skill to have if you ever need to earn money on the side.

3. Blog. Start a blog and learn to monetize it. Run ads, write paid-for articles for other blogs, set up affiliate links. If you love to write, starting a blog is a natural way to earn a few extra bucks.

4. Sell Homemade Items. Sites like Etsy make it super simple to sell homemade products. You could make soap, crocheted accessories, wall décor, printables, jewelry, purses… Anything! And, it just so happens that I have inside information on an upcoming Etsy-like site designed specifically to support stay-at-home moms like YOU. So, get those homemade products ready for market!

5. Sew. This falls under the homemade items category, but deserves its own space. If you are a killer seamstress, you can make a killing! People pay high prices for tailored clothes, costumes, and outfits for special occasions (especially for babies). You could also make bags, Bible/book covers, dolls, decoration, or even take on people’s mending piles.

6. Babysit. This usually requires special licensing, but if you love other people’s kids you could look into starting an in-home daycare. In some states you can watch kids from a single family without needing a license, which may be all the income you need.

7. Tutor. If you love to teach, look into web sites that list tutoring opportunities. Also look into teaching with the homeschool organization Classical Conversations.

8. Teach English Online. Speaking of teaching, online English lessons are becoming quite popular. Most companies I’ve seen require a bachelor’s degree (usually in any field) and a highspeed internet connection. I know lots of moms have had great success with VIP Kids.

9. Photography. If you happen to have a decent camera, you can make some decent money. You DON’T have to be a pro. Set a fair price for your skill level and you will find clients. There are always people who want family pictures but who can’t afford the high cost of a professional. These people are usually more than satisfied with amateur work as long as the price is right.

10. Offer a Service. With the rise of the minimalism trend, I’ve noticed fewer people are interested in buying a product that will just sit around their house. But, as society gets busier, more and more people are willing to pay for services such as house cleaning, ironing, cooking, editing, book keeping, website management, secretarial tasks, grocery shopping, pet sitting, gardening, etc. If you have the time and can easily work it into your stay-at-home mom routine, you just might make more money selling a service than selling a product.

11. Create Art. If you are artistic there are lots of different ways you can use your creativity. You can either sell your art or teach art classes. If your art leans more toward graphics design, you can design websites, create fun printables, or make personalized artwork like logos and decals.

12. Cut/Style hair. I know some moms who run salons out of their homes. If you are good with hair (especially little girls’ hair), you can set up shop right in your own home.

13. Become a Post-Partum Doula. This one doesn’t necessarily belong on this list because you can’t do it at home, but it might work for your family, especially if your children are all older. The unpredictable schedule of being a birth doula is difficult, but post-partum doulas are becoming more popular and might be an easier option for some moms. Post-partum doulas are there to help care for families after the birth of a baby. They provide emotional support, breastfeeding assistance, meals, cleaning, care for older siblings, and anything else that a new mom and dad might need. Being a post-partum doula does mean you have to leave your family for a period of time, but you can set your hours (as opposed to a birth doula who shows up whenever baby decides to start coming and stays as long as mom and baby need).

14. Write Homeschool Curriculum. If you see a flaw in some of the curriculum you are using, write your own and sell it! Homeschool moms pay good money for good teaching tools.

15. Plan Events. Event planning is a big thing in some areas. If you can put together an amazing 1^st Birthday Party Package, organize and set up an event, and take care of clean-up afterwards, you can have a lot of fun making some dough! And while we’re talking about dough…

16. Cake/Cookie Decorating. Cakes and cookies sell well for holidays of all kinds. You can often find decorating classes at local craft stores, and once you build your toolbox you are all set to make some lavish cakes and cookies to sell.

17. Transcription. This is one my husband and I intend to look into more. A friend just told me about rev.com where you can pick up freelance transcription jobs. No degree required. It’s tedious work, but it’s legit.

Got another idea of how a mom can earn money from home? Leave a comment!

The Family Business: Working WITH Your Kids

One of the best parts about running a home business is that you get to work around your family. But HOW do you accomplish business tasks when you are surrounded by littles?

Work in Your “Off” Hours

Your primary role as mother is to bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). That means you need to be available to meet their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. If you are always distracted working on business projects, your children are going to perceive that you have put making money above them. Your children are your mission field. Don’t let your home business take you away from the reason you are a stay-at-home mom to begin with.

That said, there are times when your children don’t need you. One strategy for making your business work around your children is to find snippets of time when they are naturally occupied elsewhere. Nap time, early morning, or after curfew hours work great for many SAHMs. Waiting for kids while they are in music lessons or sports practice is another opportunity for work (just be sure you aren’t missing those golden moments of watching your children succeed in their lessons!). It’s also perfectly acceptable to set aside “me time” during the day – a set period of time when the children know that you are going to work on your business and they need to play happily. As long as it is understood that this is a specific, limited amount of time it’s not bad for your kids to learn that you need thirty minutes to yourself now and then.

Some of your most productive hours for your business are going to be when your children otherwise naturally occupied. This way, they aren’t missing you and you’re not missing opportunities to nurture them. But SAHMs don’t always get “off” hours. My oldest boys have outgrown their naps, so afternoons can be busy around here. Not to mention, in the baby season you are dead tired and getting up “just a little earlier” or staying up “just a little later” is not an option. Your family needs you to get adequate rest, not drain yourself trying to grow your business.

So what option do you have when you NEVER get kid-free time?

Work WITH Your Kids

One of my favorite things about my business is that it gives me a chance to work with my children. I try to involve them in as many aspects as I can. Rather than getting frustrated because they want to ask a million questions about what I’m doing, I use it as an opportunity to help them learn skills and develop their own talents.

My primary business is supporting SAHMs with small businesses. This means I do a lot of advertising, which requires getting to know my clients and their products. I especially enjoy the interviews I conduct with potential clients, and my older boys (5 yrs and 6 yrs) love to help me come up with questions to ask. Just this morning they sat on my lap and together we came up with a list of questions people might have about my client’s business. When you read author or business owner interviews on this blog, many of the questions you see were produced by my boys. Kids come up with great questions I never would have thought to ask!

I also play around with other money-making ventures and try to include my kids. I’ve recently begun delving into the world of photography. My little ones actually make great assistants (as long as I use them one at a time J). They grab props, adjust lighting, and make posing suggestions. We’ve discovered that my 6 yr old has a great eye for editing photos, so I ask him what he thinks needs to be adjusted on a particular image. Not only does he help me out, he’s developing his own skills to use later in life.

Don’t get me wrong, it is still more difficult and more time consuming to work with children on business projects. But a slow process is so much better than neglecting them. Your product may not lend itself well toward involving your kids, especially if they are very young. Even so, there is usually some part of the production line that kids can help with, even if it’s just making a color suggestion. Kids make great salesmen, too, especially at craft shows! Show your kids how you make your product, let them help you with marketing, and celebrate when you succeed together.

Remind Your Children of Your Purpose

When working on business ventures with your kids, be purposeful. Use your time to help them develop skills, talk to them about why you are running this business, and teach them that using their talents to make money is great but using their talents in service to the Kingdom is even better!

Model a servant heart in your business. Show your kids how you use your business not only to make money but also to serve God. That could be in the form of donating your product or profit to someone in need, talking to clients about the Gospel, or using your skills to help other people. There are so many ways you can include your kids in service through your business. “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17). Keep your focus where it should be and teach your children to do the same.

Kids are fun co-workers. Embrace the loud, crazy, and messy. You’ll treasure the memories you make while working together on your family business!

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"Not Good Enough" Is Good Enough!

It’s time to just admit it. I will never write a blog post that I think is good enough to post. I continue to write article after article, only to save them to a file buried deep within my computer where they are destined to gather dust and mildew (or, at least, that’s what would happen if they were, you know, in a real, tangible file…). I tell myself, “Someday I’ll go back and finish writing this. Get it all edited and spiffied up so that it’s good enough for someone else to read.” And then it sits in that file for months (or in some cases, years) doing absolutely no one a lick of good. If I ever DO open the document back up with the intention of finishing, I have completely lost the fire and zeal that motivated me to begin writing in the first place, and I quickly shove it back into the “waiting to be re-written” file.

            But, no more! It is time to accept the fact that “not good enough” is good enough! It is time to realize that few people read this little blog and no one who matters is going to bash me for not being a professional-quality writer. I have things I think need to be said, and they don’t have to be said perfectly before I post it here on my personal blog.

            So, I intend to post one article a week, starting now. Encouraging comments are welcome, and thought-provoking comments are encouraged! What I write is not earth-shattering or mind-blowing, but it’s what I think and care about. And, I’ll never get better at blogging if I never actually post anything.

            My babies just woke up from a nap, which means I am out of time to finish writing everything I wanted to say here. But that’s okay. I’m posting anyway!

            This blog is to be continued…