While a mother's work is never done, let's be real: The pay isn't all that great. A
Pew Research Study found that the percentage of moms who stay home to raise the kids has risen over the past decade, at 20 percent in 2012. So if your main job involves more juice boxes than water coolers and Sesame Street than spreadsheets, you're far from alone. But as stay at home moms know all too well, leaving the daily office grind has its downsides. Even if you've tightened your belts, an extra mouth to feed may require you to start looking for extra income to make up the gap left in your family's finances.
If you have small folks to care for, a lot of traditional full-time or even part-time jobs just don't fit into your lifestyle. Fortunately, the gig economy and the ability to do lots of jobs online means you have more options today than people have had throughout history. If you're in the market to pick up a side hustle, we've found a selection of jobs that fit stay at home moms' lifestyles.
1) Teach Online
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If you're an educator or know some specialized skill, teaching or tutoring online may be for you. A variety of platforms can connect students with teachers from anywhere in the world. That means time zones and asynchronous schedules allow you to spread your know-how in your own time – or during naptime.
2) Sell Your Stuff Online
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Kids grow so fast, you can might as well use their cast-off clothes to make some moolah. Try signing up for sites like Poshmark, Mercari, ThredUp, and of course, eBay, to get rid of some clutter and make extra cash.
3) Walk Others' Pups
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Get some exercise and the kids out of the house at the same time by walking your neighbors' dogs. Apps like Wag or Rover allow walkers to connect with dogs who need exercise, but the less tech-savvy can simply print up flyers and bring them to your local dog park. Of course, never take on more clients than you can safely watch with your kids.
4) Watch Other People's Kids
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Hey, what's a couple more? When you're already at home with your kiddos, adding someone else's little ones to the mix can help bring in extra funds. Ask around at the mommy group to figure out what to charge then advertise at your church, via social media, or use a babysitting website like Care.com to find parents like you who need a break.
5) Manage Social Media
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If you love scrolling through the 'gram, turn a mindless habit into an at-home business you can do with a baby on board. Many independent shops or restaurants can use a little help with their online presence but can't afford a full-time social media manager. Just make sure your own online presence is up to snuff before you offer your favorite haunts your services.
6) Start a Baking Business
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Kids love getting elbow-deep in flour, and people who don't will pay for the fruits of your labor. Holidays, graduations, birthdays, and even weddings all call for desserts, especially if you've got a knack for decorating. Bonus: You've got tiny taste-testers at the ready.
7) Sell Cast-Off Books
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If your bookshelf (or the one in the kids' playroom) could do with some decluttering, make a profit by selling them online instead of donating or trashing them. Websites like Bookscouter can help pinpoint your dog-eared reads' market value and even help get them off your hands. Textbooks and academic texts can go for serious cashola, but smaller sums from the rest do add up.
8) Start a Blog (or Vlog!)
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While blogging doesn't provide as much of a sure financial bet as a few other things on this list, creative people can scratch that itch while making revenue from ads and e-commerce. If writing isn't your thing, or you want to test out other formats, try starting a YouTube channel related to one of your other hobbies.
9) Teach Music Lessons
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If your kids are big enough to play quietly by themselves for a few hours a day, think about teaching in-home music lessons. You can practice your teaching technique on your own offspring first, because one of the best reasons to have kids is having them serve as test subjects once in awhile.
10) Transcribe Notes or Calls
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Those of you who aced typing class in high school can put their lightning fingers to good use as a transcriber. By signing up to work with sites like Rev or TranscribeMe, you can log in and convert audio files to text whenever you have a few moments to spare.
11) Coach Rec League Sports
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The athletically inclined can sign up to coach kids' sports through your local rec league, which doubles as a good activity for the kids if you sign them up too. While pay is often nominal, teaching children a sport you love has its own rewards, too.
12) Proofread at Home
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Grammar gurus, instead of correcting your friends' text messages, unleash that red pen on someone who will pay you for it. Publishers, authors, and even businesses will often hire freelance proofreaders who can perfect their copy from anywhere. That includes your kitchen table.
13) Take in Sewing
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Sewing or altering clothing can turn your creative outlet into a flexible career. As a seamstress, you can set your own hours and work from wherever you are, including at home with the kids. And if you can create elaborate outfits like wedding and formal attire, you can make money crafting others' most memorable moments.
14) Provide Tech Support
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Calling all computer whizzes: If you're the person your friends and family turn to when they need tech help, make it your career. You can troubleshoot technical issues, help companies install and implement new software or hardware, or even consult on technical concerns from home, even with a kiddo on your lap.
15) Assist Executives From Home
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As a personal assistant, you can schedule appointments, book travel and accommodations, help sort through emails, and other administrative tasks, all without leaving your home. Websites like Virtual Employee can help match you with executives and others who need help.
16) Put Your Fashion Sense to Work
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Those who love putting outfits together can turn their OOTD into a gig, by offering your styling services to those who need a little help with their look. Try using a website like Cabi to find people who need your fashion sense, or start there and transition into designing your own amazing styles.
17) Try Accounting
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Math whizzes can offer their services in accounting, bookkeeping, or even tax preparation during tax season. Because getting and keeping an individual's or company's books in order can often take place online or over the phone, it makes a great at-home career you can do during naps, in the morning, or after bedtime.
18) Plan Events
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Do you throw the best parties on the block? Put your skills to work by starting your own event-planning business. Start small with kids' birthdays, bat mitzvahs, and graduations, then move up to weddings and larger get-togethers. This gig lends itself perfectly to those with strong organization skills, and we all know that means moms.
19) Tutor at Home
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Moms with an education background or even a lot of patience (which is all of them, right?) can make extra money tutoring kids after school. Help little ones out with basic reading, 'riting, and 'rithmatic, or give older students pointers on acing the SAT, ACT, or their college applications.
20) Take Surveys for Cash
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If you used to love taking quizzes online or in your teen magazines, you can actually get paid to do it as an adult. Companies often need user feedback and while pay can start pretty low, you can take a bunch quickly to help those figures add up.
