How to Make Money as a Stay at Home Mom

Every day I see posts in groups and on social media from moms looking for ways to stay or become a stay at home mom. Sometimes the money just isn’t there – moms have to work. To help you out, here’s some actual ways to make money as a stay at home mom.

Whether it’s to pay bills or save for something like Disneyland, making some more money is always nice. As a self employed parent, my income makes sure we can maintain our lifestyle and have extras.

This is legit – I’ve been working from home and raising my kids for the past 13 years and I make enough income to pay our bills if I need to.

If you’ve ever asked this question in a mom group you’ve probably been jumped on by about 15 MLM reps. But the truth is, there are actually a lot of legitimate ways moms can make money at home!

Some of them rely on skills or creativity, others you can do with absolutely no experience.

Easy Ways to Make Money as a Stay at Home Mom

So if you’re wondering how to be a stay at home mom and skill make money you’ve come to the right place. See also: Home Business Ideas for Stay at Home Moms.

Babysitting or Home Daycare

This is probably the easier businesses for stay at home moms to get into. It puts you in a position where you can be home with your kids and give them someone to play with at the same time.

Regulation is going to vary from place to place but it’s usually not too difficult to get licensed. In some places, you can also operate unlicensed too so check with your local laws.

There’s a small start up cost if you need to grab more toys or babyproofing but a full daycare can generate a pretty decent salary for a stay at home mom.

If daycare isn’t for you, you could also advertise evening and casual babysitting services. It usually pays more, which is a plus. Not everyone wants to hire a teenager to watch their kids! I’ve personally done this when money has been tight in the past.

Refinishing Furniture

Hop on the upcycling trend and turn a fun hobby into something that makes money. You need a little cash to get started but if you have vision and painting skills it can be easier to flip furniture.

My advice for this one is to only do a couple at a time so you don’t invest too much money or need a lot of storage space. Once they’re sold you can use some of your income to reinvest and keep the rest.

Furniture can be found for free or cheap too. Check out your town’s freecycle, look on Facebook groups, and hit up thrift stores for the best finds.

Craft Business

Speaking of getting creative, there’s so many moms out there that can easily make money selling their crafts. This can be things like knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting, etc.

A lot of moms with Cruicuts have success turning that into pretty profitable businesses too.

You could either sell locally at craft sales or take your wears online to sites like Etsy.

Facebook, Tiktok, or YouTube

People are looking online more and more for their entertainment. Why not become a content creator?

There’s quite a few moms out there who have made insane amounts of money creating videos for Facebook or YouTube. You could do comedy or just share general mom tips.

It might be a fun hobby at first but once you get enough followers you can snag sponsorships, earn ad revenue, and springboard that fame into other ventures.

Streaming

I love video games and this is a hobby I’m just getting into. But I know other people who have turned streaming on platforms like Twitch into a serious side hustle.

If you’re interesting, a little bit tech savvy, and love to game this might be a way to turn a hobby into a little bit of extra cash. Who knows, you may even get big and turn it into a full (or flexible) time gig.

Streamers make money of subscribers, sponsorship deals, and gifts.

Mommy Blogging

Blogging is a decent side hustle for me that I’m trying to turn into a full time gig. I’m a die hard believer that blogging is something that can turn profitable. You might not be a mega-rich-movie-deal-write-a-memoir blogger but you can still make money as a stay at home mom doing it.

Bloggers usually make money in 3 ways: sponsored posts on their site, ad revenue, and affiliate marketing.

But the reality is putting yourself out there can lead to a lot of other opportunities. Part of my job is professional copywriting – something I only got into because I was blogging.

Offering Virtual Assistant Services

This is something that’s gaining in popularity with moms and for good reason: there’s a demand. We actually offer VA services at our company so I know first hand what this type of career is like.

A virtual assistant can do a huge variety of tasks. Everything from editing and uploading on blog posts to managing social media. Not to mention those classic assistant jobs like managing schedules, booking travel, handling emails, etc.

When looking for VA work with kids at home try and find clients that are more flexible so you can work around the kids.

Flipping Valuable Finds

We’ve all seen those people who are scouring the thrift stores for that special item. The one that they can turn around and sell for way more money than they paid.

You can do it too!

It’s important to know your prices and what types of things are valuable if you want to get into this but done right you can absolutely make money as a stay at home mom with it.

Items bought at thrift stores and yard sales can be resold for a profit on Facebook, Craigslist, Ebay, and Etsy.

House Cleaning Services

When I was a kid I would sometimes stay at my grandma’s house for weeks in the summertime. During that time she worked as a house cleaner and would take me along.

If you have small kids at home it’s not always possible to bring them to cleaning jobs but some clients may allow it. Especially babies and young toddlers that can be worn.

There is still demand for evening and weekend cleaning, though. It might not be totally flexible but you could take bookings around your partner’s schedule.

Since cleaners make $20-$30 an hour it can be a pretty decent part time job for a stay at home mom.

Selling Household Items

This isn’t quite a job, exactly, but it is a way to offset some of your expenses. Once kids have outgrown their clothing, shoes, toys, etc you can list them online and sell them.

Taking the time to take good pictures and list goods on the right platforms will help you earn more money. Which is why I included it here.

I rarely sell my stuff because it’s too time consuming. But if you’re not working, and have the free time to do it, you could easily bring in a fair bit of extra cash for things you don’t need anymore.

Pet Sitting, Grooming, or Dog Walking

This is another one that you can do with or around kids. I used to get my fluffy cat groomed and our groomer had a play area set up for her toddler right near where she worked.

If you work from home or run your own business you get to control what hours you work and can set them around your schedule.

For people who love animals but aren’t groomers you can still make money pet sitting or dog walking. Pet sitting is great because it usually involves just checking up on the animals, or depending on what you offer, taking them into your home for a few days.

Dog walking, assuming the dogs are well behaved, can be done with a stroller in tow. Plus it’s extra exercise!

Writing

Writing can mean anything you want it to, but there are definitely ways stay at home moms earn extra money doing it.

A lot of blogs and online publications pay for people to write posts. If you don’t want to start you own blog, but still have some wisdom to share, this is a great way to do that and make money.

Another popular way to earn extra cash is to self publish ebooks. You can make everything from a parenting book to romance novel. Not everything will sell great but it doesn’t cost anything to publish either.

Finally, if you really feel like writing is for you then take this time to get that book of yours done. There’s so many moms out there who have hit bestseller lists all while raising kids too.

Influencer

Some people are just really good at getting followers on social media. I’m not one of them, sadly, but I know so many people who post a selfie and get 80 likes.

More power to them!

If you’re one of those people it’s actually possible to leverage a social media following into making money. Companies pay for sponsored posts and product placements and all you have to do is snap a few photos.

Some places allow for smaller followings (1000 or so) but most will want 10k followers to work with you.

MLM Rep

I couldn’t not include this one because a lot of women do earn a decent living from multi level marketing companies. But just make sure you’re getting into something legitimate and you know exactly what you’re getting into. Remember: Most folks don’t make much money, and some even lose, when joining MLMs.

Most have a buy in and it’s better to sell something you love if you’re interested in doing this. Not only will you be a better salesperson, you’ll also be happy to get the demo products you pay for.

Most companies have minimum sales requirements to stay active. The good thing is though many people sell through social media now so it’s a lot easier to work around kids.

You can also book your home parties around your partner’s schedule, which is nice.

Professional Services

If you have experience in an industry where you can provide a service then why not start a freelance company while you’re staying at home with your kids?

Common in demand services are bookkeeping and accounting, web design, marketing, graphic design, consulting, and editing.

Look at your existing skills and experience and see if you can leverage them into a side income.

Photography

Thanks to the internet you can learn so much about photography without taking any formal classes. I know quite a few stay at home moms that have turned their DSLR, a bit of practice, and some online lessons into a lucrative small business.

The investment is pretty steep; you’ll need a great quality camera. But many moms already have the entry level DSLRs that you need to get started.

What’s most important is having a good eye for photos, lighting, etc. It’s also a good idea to take some classes on photo editing too.

Event Planning

If you have strong organizational skills this is an industry that you can get into with minimal training and education. There are formal credentials out there if you want to take it to the next level, but casual event planning can help you make money as a stay at home mom too.

A lot of people think of event planners as these busy people working for high end clients but you can also put on your own events.

Craft sales and home shows are a great way to get started. Book a facility, provide advertising, and in exchange have everyone pay for their table. After everything is said and done you should walk away with money in your pocket.

Or you could move into wedding planning and other special events.

Travel Agent

This is another one that doesn’t necessarily require any formal education depending on where you live.

There are actually online travel agent agencies that let you sign up and start your own business through them. The only downside is you’ll have to pay upfront and work entirely on commission.

But if you have a wide circle it could be really easy to grow quickly. Best of all, it’s all on your schedule. (OK fine the best part is the travel deals you’ll get.)

Gardening/Cooking/Baking

You’ll have to check your local regulations for this one. Some places don’t allow selling prepared food without a commercial kitchen. Others allow some things but not others.

Everyone needs to eat! If you have a large garden you could sell extra veggies or canned goods. Even flowers from a flower garden could sell at a local farmer’s market in little bouquets.

I know moms who are bakers and have a commercial kitchen at home to sell goodies. Then there’s my mom who is planning on transforming an old garage into a greenhouse and selling plans.

Lots of options for this one!

Work From Home Jobs

You’ll have to match your skills and experience with jobs but most moms will at least have the basics to find one of these. Unlike other ways to make money at home, work from home jobs aren’t as flexible.

Still, if you can make it work, they’re a great way to make money as a stay at home mom without having to leave the house.

Popular industries that hire remote workers are tech support, call centers, telemarketing, transcribing, and billing and records. With COVID, though, there’s more employers than ever offering work from home and flexible arrangements.

Teaching or Tutoring

Another great work from home job for moms with degrees is VIPKid. While it’s technically freelance, you can’t be interrupted while you’re working so I’d classify it as more of a job in terms of flexibility with kids but you do get to set your own hours.

Or, if you happen to have certain skills, you could even teach a class or two! When my kids were little I took an evening job in the office in a dance studio. Working nights enabled the instructors (and myself!) to stay home with the kids during the day.

Now with remote learning you could teach online classes in anything: art, fitness, yoga, music, tutoring, etc.

You Can Make Money as a Stay at Home Mom

Hopefully some of these ideas inspired you to think about your skills and talents in a new way. With a little bit of skill and hard work moms can find creative ways to earn an income while staying home with their kids.

As the kids get older and go to school working more will become even easier. Don’t give up just because you can’t make it work right now or it doesn’t bring in a whole lot!