There are lots of reasons stay-at-home parents want to earn money. Some people simply want to afford some of the extras in life, such as a vacation to Disney or remodeling the bathroom. Other parents need to make a full-time income to pay the rent or mortgage, keep up with the bills, and buy groceries. Some parents don’t want to miss out on a single moment of their child’s early years, while others can’t afford the high cost of childcare even if they do want to work outside of the home.
No matter which of these categories you fall into, there has never been a better time to make money at home as a stay-at-home mom or dad.
In this article, we’ve created a list of some of the best ways for stay-at-home parents to earn cash. It’s not a complete list by any means, but if you’re looking for a way to work from home, this post will help you get started. You might choose to focus on just one of these ideas, or you may want to try two or more of them simultaneously. After looking over this post, you’ll probably even think of a few other ideas we have left out.
A Few Things To Consider as a Work-at-Home-Parent
Before you dive headfirst into this list of ways to make money from home, there are a few things to think about.
Why Do You Want To Make Money From Home?
This might seem like a dumb question, but knowing your reasons for doing something is actually pretty important.
Sit down with a pen and a notebook and list all the reasons you want to work from home. Is it to spend extra time with the kids? To save on the expense of childcare or transportation? Maybe you just want to set aside some extra cash for emergencies, or you’re saving up to buy a home of your own.
Once you have your list, consider putting it in a prominent spot. This will be your motivation when you are having an off day, and it can guide you to the opportunities that will work best for you.
How Much Time Do You Have?
As a stay-at-home parent, you probably feel like you have hardly any time at all. So you will want to be realistic about the amount of time you can devote to a work-at-home job. If your children are very small, that figure is likely to be much less than if you have school-age kids.
Will you need to work while the kids are napping or at school? Will you have time after they go to bed to do it? And more importantly, will you have the energy by that point to follow through on your plans?
Also, remember that in addition to caring for your children, taking care of the laundry and household chores, and doing a work-from-home project, you also need to squeeze in some time to take care of yourself.
What Are Your Skills, Talents, and Interests?
This is another task for your pen and notebook. You’ll want to take stock of your skills when it comes to a work-from-home job. For example, suppose you went to college and have a master’s degree in social work. In that case, you will qualify for some very different remote opportunities than someone without any higher education.
However, that doesn’t mean that if you don’t have a college degree, you can’t be successful at a work-from-home endeavor. Many people who work at home make six figures (or more) with only a high-school diploma. For example, if you attend free coding or computer tech classes, you could learn web development, data science, or software engineering and earn well over $100,000 a year freelancing from home.
So, before you think you have nothing to offer, take stock of the talents you already have and consider what you can do to make yourself even more marketable. With a little brainstorming, you can come up with many ways to make money online or offline without leaving the house.
Most importantly, however, if you want to be a work-from-home parent, you’re essentially going to be an entrepreneur of sorts. That means you have a wide range of choices regarding what you want to do. So, don’t pick something you will hate. Instead, settle on one or two ideas that you could see yourself enjoying and try them on for size.
Six Great Ideas for Parents Who Want to Work From Home
Earning Money Through Blogging
Whether you are an experienced blogger or simply have a knack for writing, blogging can be the perfect way for you to earn some extra cash. There are plenty of free online classes that will teach you how to make money with blogging, and if you’re willing to apply yourself, you can make an excellent living as a blogger.
However, making money with your blog is more of a long-term endeavor, so you’re not going to replace a full-time income right away. But if you choose a good niche and put in some time and effort, you can expect to begin reaping the financial benefits within a year or two. This would be a great idea to implement while you embark on one or more of the other ideas on this list.
Offering Lessons at Home
Teaching lessons or hosting classes is an excellent source of income for stay-at-home parents. If you have a particular talent you love and can share with the world, this might be one way to merge your passions and your career together. There’s no limit to the types of classes you can teach, but here are a few ideas:
Musical Instruments: Do you know how to play the guitar, piano, flute, or some other instrument? Would you enjoy teaching someone else how to play? Whether you’re teaching children or adults, music lessons are always in demand.
Sports and Recreation: Are you an excellent tennis player? Excel at bowling, basketball, or yoga? Some people will pay you to teach them how to do these things as well.
Art, Photography, Pottery, Etc.: If you are an artist, photographer, or potter, why not show others how to nurture their creative side? You can even teach online classes to whole groups of people and earn that way.
Tutoring in Person or Online
Similar to teaching lessons in art or music, tutoring has also become a popular way to make money in recent years. Additionally, the pandemic made online tutors more in-demand than ever.
You may have assumed you need teaching credentials to be a tutor, but that is not always the case. If you know a specific topic well, you can often acquire online work as a tutor with just a high school diploma or GED.
There are a lot of companies to choose from if you want to be a tutor on an official online platform. However, you can also just put an ad in the paper for tutoring local students in person.
Taking Paid Online Surveys
Paid online surveys are a great way to make a little extra money in addition to any of the ideas above. While you won’t make a full-time living by taking surveys for money, you can make a decent amount of cash to put in a savings account, purchase household necessities, or use for something fun.
Getting started with paid online surveys is easy. You just need to find a legit survey site. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fraudulent survey sites, so you’ll want to sign up with a survey company that has a good reputation and has been in business for a few years.
Branded Surveys is a wonderful place to get paid for surveys. The company as a whole has been in operation since 2012. They have over two million members worldwide and have gained over 42,000 real user reviews on Trustpilot—plus a rating of excellent.
Once you’ve chosen a reputable survey company, you can start doing paid surveys for cash immediately. The great thing about this work-at-home gig for parents is the flexibility. You can work any time of the day, 24/7. That means you can take surveys while the kids are at school, down for a nap, or after bedtime.
Additionally, you can take surveys anywhere you have an internet connection and a compatible device, such as a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. That makes it a convenient way to work no matter where you are. Here are a few other quick facts about paid online surveys:
- With a reputable survey site, you can make anywhere between $.50 and $3.00 per survey.
- You don’t need any special skills to complete surveys for Paypal cash, direct deposit, or even gift cards.
- Speaking of gift cards, you can take surveys for Amazon gift cards to pay for anything you need—clothes for the kids, towels for the bathroom, groceries, or even accessories for the car!
- You can start working immediately and stop whenever you want
- Paid surveys are a fun way for getting paid just to share your thoughts and opinions about products and services you use every day.
Dog Walking
People love their dogs and are becoming more and more reluctant to have them shut away at home when they are at work all day. That means there has been a spike in demand for dog walkers in recent years. Sites like Rover have popped up, offering a platform where pet owners can connect with dog-walkers in their areas.
Dog walking is one of those work-from-home jobs that can be super flexible for parents who want to be home with their kids. For example, you could walk dogs in your neighborhood while the kids are at school, or you could do it with the kids when they get home as a way for everyone to get some exercise together.
Selling Your Things on eBay
The online auction giant, eBay, is a great place to make money as a stay-at-home parent. If you have unwanted stuff just collecting dust—clothes, toys, books, household goods—you can use the platform as a way to bring in a few bucks.
Some people even scour second-hand stores or yard sales for items that they can purchase cheaply and resell online at a profit. Getting set up is easy. The most time-consuming part of this money-making venture is shipping your items. However, you can even get your mailing supplies delivered right to your door through USPS.
Conclusion
These are just a few examples of the money-making opportunities available for stay-at-home parents. The Branded Daily Digest has several other articles full of other great ideas for making money at home. Check out these similar posts:
Ten Ways To Make Money as a Content Writer
How to Turn Your Passions Into a Career
What Are the Best Online Jobs from Home Without an Investment?
How to Make Money at Home From Your Couch
