One of the most common questions readers ask is how can I make money as a stay-at-home mom?
Not long ago, I had the same question! Figuring out how to earn money from home allowed me to leave my full-time job, work when it fits into my family’s schedule, and most importantly, be home with my kids.
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A few years ago, I was working 40-50 hours per week. I hated leaving my daughter at daycare all day, but my family needed my income. I felt completely stuck.
Once I found out there were legitimate ways to make money from home, I was hooked. I knew this was my chance to create a lifestyle with more flexibility so I could be there for my family and support us financially too.
So below is a list of ways to make money as a stay-at-home mom, starting with seven ways I earned money online my first year home.1. Virtual Assistant
Virtual Assistant (VA) – One of the best ways I’ve found to make money as a stay-at-home mom is freelancing as a Virtual Assistant.
Just like it sounds, VAs assist people and businesses virtually with any number of things, like checking emails, scheduling, writing blog posts, bookkeeping, editing online content, managing social media accounts, creating online courses, or transcribing podcasts.
Virtual Assistant is one of the best jobs for stay-at-home moms because the hours are usually flexible and there are tons of business owners looking for help running their business.
How to Become a Virtual Assistant – Recommended ResourcesBest Virtual Assistant Training Courses150+ Services You Can Get Paid to Do as a Virtual Assistant8 Productivity Tools Every Virtual Assistant Needs2. Freelance Writer
Freelance Writing – This is an awesome job for a stay-at-home moms who are introverts like me and it’s one of the first ways I found to earn money online.
To make money as a freelance writer, you write articles that are typically between 800-3,000 words that blog and website owners pay you for. Here are example posts I’ve written for other websites about editing and Amazon’s author pages.
Freelance writing is one of the best jobs for stay-at-home moms if you have been told you’re a good writer and you enjoy it. If you’re curious what kind of sites pay for articles, this list of per article has been helpful.
How to Become a Freelance Writer – Recommended ResourcesHow to Become a Freelance WriterWhat I Did to Earn $5,000 in One Month as a New Freelance Writer3. Freelance Editor or Proofreader
Freelance Editor or Proofreader – If you travel through life and cannot help but correct the grammar and spelling mistakes around you, helping others as a freelance proofreader or editor might be a good option for you.
Business owners, bloggers, and authors hire editors and proofreaders to polish website content, blog articles, brochures, online course content, presentations, and more.
Freelance editing and proofreading is a good fit for stay-at-home moms who are detail-oriented, have a gift of spotting typos and grammar errors, and have some quiet time to focus. I started a book editing business called Keep Calm Write On and got to help everyone from first-time authors to New York Times bestselling authors improve their books by making their writing more clear, concise, and consistent.
How to Become a Freelance Editor – Recommended ResourcesHow to Become a Proofreader (Even if You Have No Experience)Find Out if Proofreading is Right for You [Free Workshop]4. Pinterest Virtual Assistant
Pinterest Manager / Strategist – Yes, it’s true. You can make money by being a Virtual Assistant who specializes in Pinterest Management or Strategy.
Providing freelance Pinterest services is actually a great service for stay-at-home moms because it’s super flexible plus it’s a service that many businesses will happily pay for month after month.
Pinterest can be used to drive potential clients to websites, businesses, your services or a blog. It can also be used to get people to your MLM products or Etsy shop if you learn how to use it right.
How to Make Money on Pinterest – Recommended ResourcesHow to Earn Money From PinterestHow Does Being a Pinterest Manager WorkBecome a Pinterest Virtual Assistant Today (Course)5. Blogger
Blogging – Since earning money online from home, I’ve been floored by the amount of money you can earn from blogging. I find the income reports of big, medium, and even fairly small blogs are inspiring.
Blogging is a great way to make money for stay-at-home moms who love to write and research. While it takes time to build an audience, blogging has incredible potential for earning a lot of money while working on a very flexible schedule that works for your family.
If you have a hobby blog of your own already, you can definitely start learning how to monetize it with things like ads, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, providing services, providing coaching, or selling digital or physical products.
How to Make Money Blogging – Recommended ResourcesHow to Start a Blog for Beginners in 15 Minutes [tutorial]7 Pro Ways to Monetize a BlogHow Sara Titus Made $10k Per Month Her 1st Year Blogging6. Affiliate Marketer
Affiliate Marketing – You can make money from home through affiliate marketing, which is where you promote products you love while earning a commission if someone makes a purchase through your link.
You can promote clothing, food, makeup, books, bags…pretty much anything you use and love.
If you’re a stay-at-home mom who wants to make money and you have an audience like a blog with traffic or aloyal social media following, promoting products you love as an affiliate marketer is a great way to make money on the side.
How to Become an Affiliate MarketerWhat is Affiliate Marketing: A Step-by-Step GuideHow to Triple Your Affiliate Earnings on a New BlogMaking Sense of Affiliate Marketing (Course)7. Author
Write and Sell Books – Thanks to Amazon, people with a book idea no longer have to cross their fingers and pray to get a rare deal from a big publisher. Instead, we can now fairly easily share our stories and ideas through ebooks and print books by self-publishing.
My first book idea came in November 2016, and in less time than it takes to grow a human, Pay Your Student Loans Fast was for sale on Amazon in both ebook and paperback. I published it right on my baby’s due date when I was 40 weeks pregnant with baby #2!
So if you’re a stay-at-home mom who loves to write and has ideas to share, writing and selling books as an author is another way to supplement your family’s income.
How to Self-Publish and Sell a Book – Recommended ResourcesHow to Self-Publish a Book5 Things This Self-Published AuthorDid to Sell Over 20,000 Books With Almost No MoneyHow to Make Money Selling Ebooks OnlineMore Ways Stay-At-Home Moms Can Make Money
While I’ve personally made money the seven ways above, those are not the only ways for moms to make money from home.
Here is a list of other ideas moms I know do to earn money with flexible schedules that allow them to be home with their kids too.8. Real Estate Virtual Assistant
Another hot niche for virtual assistants is real estate. If you want to make money from home and you love real estate, helping realtors run their business more efficiently might be a great niche for you.
Learn more about becoming a real estate VA here.9. Website Designer
Freelance web designers are in demand. If you can design professional-looking websites on WordPress or Squarespace, you can make money designing sites for businesses and bloggers in any niche.You’ll love this true & inspiring story of how Mackenzie, another stay-at-home mom, took this freelancing course, started as a VA, then transitioned to website design and is making $10k per month while being a stay-at-home mom (podcast episode)10. Life Coach, Budget Coach, Wellness Coach, Business Coach
If you love helping others succeed, coaching is another way you can make money. Whether your gift is helping people grow their business, improve their health, manage their money, or create a better life, you can make money online as a coach.11. Take Surveys
Taking surveys is another pretty easy way to make money. It won’t replace a full-time income, but it’s not rocket science either. Some of the top survey sites for making money in your spare time are:Pinecone ResearchSwagbucksSurvey JunkieInbox Dollars12. Home-Based Travel Agent