21 Perfect Side Hustles for Stay at Home Moms (For Each Personality)
You’ve chosen or are simply required to stay home with your precious little ones and sign on to become president and CEO of simultaneously the best and most difficult job you’ll ever do… oh and for NO paycheck EVER! Ouch!
Note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you buy from my link I might make a small commission. This does not affect the price you pay. See the full affiliate disclosure here.
No need to worry mama… I’ve got you covered. In this post, I’m going to share with you the perfect side hustles for stay-at-home moms based on your unique personality and interests.
Before we get started there are just a couple things we should cover first. The first is having the right mindset. The mindset to make money, that is. Having the mindset to receive money is pretty easy for all of us –pretty much a no-brainer. However, having the mindset and fortitude to get up every day and actually make money is another thing altogether. You are essentially becoming your own boss!
How to Make Money
Making money from home is a skill that needs to be practiced over time just like learning to care for your kids all day from home. If you asked one of your yet childless friends to come fill in for the day at your house they’d never be able to flow from task to task like a pro the way you do.
It’s not necessarily rocket science but it does take finesse! When I started my stay-at-home mom journey I actually had no choice but to work from home right from the start. It was very challenging to balance a fulltime job and a new baby to say the least. And later came two more little ones and I’m still working from home.
The only difference now is I have over 10 years of practice under my belt and now I’ve got from doing work I hated to doing work I love by starting my own blog and side business.
And the second thing I wanted to share first is that you need to make time for your side hustle. Where, you ask?
Anywhere you can find it! As a stay-at-home mom, your days can be super crazy and exhausting. I’m with you! But here’s my tip to helping you carve out time for your making money ventures… work when your kids are sleeping! I know this sounds cliche but naps are the golden hours for getting any real work done.
Let’s get into the juicy, money-making details! I’ve tried my best to categorize these side hustles by areas of skill and interest to make finding your perfect side hustle super easy!
Happy hustling!
Side Hustles for the Mom Who Loves to Create
1. Sell Your Crafts and Creations on Etsy
If you love making things, crafting, or doing any other handmade creations you can sell your lovely items on sites like Etsy. There are so many wonderful handmade creations on Etsy that you simply can’t find anywhere else.
That alone makes your creations more valuable and in-demand.
2. Sell Your Digital Products
Maybe you’re not so much into the handcrafted arena but you’re a whiz at whipping up amazing social media graphics, eye-catching checklists and other printables, or making unforgettable online videos. Maybe you use these skills for your own business or blog. Did you know other bloggers and business owners will pay you to use your awesome skills to grow their business?
You can become a freelancer on sites like fivver and freelancer or you can start a blog and offer your services directly!
3. Start Your Own Virtual Cake Business
Rebekah Allen loved baking and making sweets for her friends and family. Maybe you do too? She slowly starting transforming her passion for baking into a real business she can run from her home. She wants to show you how in her extremely detailed course – The Complete Digital Cake Business Startup Kit. If you love to bake, this is a must do!
4. Sell Your Own Stock Images
If you have a great DSLR camera and love photography, you can make a real income selling your photos online. Here is a great post to help you get started! Just be sure to store your photos in a secure online storage in case something unthinkable happens with your devices. You can store your photos for free if you are an Amazon Prime Member.
Here’s a great post that compares the various services and companies to work with when selling your photos.
5. Sell Your Art Online
If you’re an artist who paints, draws, or does graphic design you can earn an income selling your work online. Jules of creatingbeautifully teaches artists how to create a totally passive stream of income by selling their art online. You can check out her course here! You can also enter art contests with little to no effort! Check out the latest art contests nationwide here.
Side Hustles for the Mom Who Loves Admin Work
6. Become a Virtual Assistant
Gina Horkey was a busy mom working a full-time job and decided she needed a change. Long story short, she became a virtual assistant and started earning $4,000 of side hustle income in addition to her day job and taking care of her baby and toddler! Click here to grab her FREE guide – 150+ Services You Can Offer as a Virtual Assistant (and Get Paid for)!
7. Complete Online Surveys
Online surveys are an easy way to earn extra cash for giving your honest feedback and answering simple questions. You can even do them while watching TV in bed. #WinWin! Some of the reputable survey companies I’ve used and earned money from are Opinion Outpost, Paidviewpoint, Vindale Research, Harris Poll, and Global Test Market. They are super simple to get started and they will send you surveys right to your email inbox. You won’t get rich on surveys but it’s easy cash on the side!
8. Become a Website Tester
Becoming a website tester works very similar to completing surveys. The major difference is the pay is usually more and you need to complete a special online task as it pertains to a company’s website. Many assignments require you to record your screen and voice as you complete your website assessment. It’s actually fun and not complicated at all. Here are some usability testing sites you can check out today:
- Testing Time
- TryMyUI
- Userlytics
- Intellizoom
9. Become a Social Media Manager
Heather Montgomery created a really great course to teach people how to start their own social media manager. I worked as a social media manager for a bit last year, and it’s a really fun way to make money and build a sustainable business. Her course is called Social Side Hustle: 21 Days to Becoming a Social Media Manager. Yes, she said 21 days!
Side Hustles for the Mom Who Loves to Teach
10. Teach English to Kids in China
If you love kids and teaching you’ll fall in love with sites like SayABC and QKids. They connect moms like you (they LOVE moms!) with kids in China to simply teach English online. You can actually earn up to $21 per hour!
This is a real job and in many cases requires a college degree or some equivalent experience. Check out each site for their specific requirements. I can’t think of a cooler way to make extra cash!
11. Sell Teaching Materials to Teachers
If you are a former teacher, a current teacher, or you homeschool your kids, you’ll love Teacherspayteachers. This entire site is focused on connecting classroom material creators with actual teachers and homeschoolers with creative and innovative printables, worksheets, packets, and other classroom materials.
Basically, if you love creating worksheets or fun printable packets for kids of all grade-levels, try selling your materials to teacherspayteachers! I used this site a lot when I was homeschooling my kids a couple years ago. I loved it!
12. Become a Proofreader
If you’re a teacher through and through, you probably love words and are a stickler for proper usage of the written word. I was just generalizing there but if that’s true for you, think about becoming a proofreader or editor for other writers and business owners. In fact, there are a lot of interesting services being offered on sites like Fivver and freelancer.
13. Provide ChildCare
I know you’re busy with your own little ones, but you can get creative with this one if you love caring for children. With sites like urbansitter, you can actually have the children you care for come to you! Obviously, you’d need to follow their guidelines to qualify and pass a background check to get started.
You can also provide care at times when your own kids are already covered, like say when your spouse is home from work or on the weekends. Sittercity also has childcare opportunities for days, evenings for afterschool and date nights, and weekends.
Side Hustles for the Mom Who Loves to Write
14. Start Your Own Blog
I’m a little biased but, I feel like this one should be number one on the list. I LOVE being a blogger! This may sound silly, but I dreamed of blogging for many years but was too scared to take the leap. I love that blogging gives me a creative outlet to use my love of writing to help inspire, encourage, and make a real impact in the lives of people like you!
I am well on my way to turning this blog into a fulltime income and that is so amazing and mind-blowing to think anyone can make money blogging. If you’re new to blogging check out my post on how to start your own thriving blog! Curious on how to make money blogging? Check out my post on how my favorite blogging courses helped me do just that!
15. Create Content for Bloggers and Business Owners
If you love to write, then you betta get writing! Business owners and yes, even bloggers who are so busy actually running their business need talented writers to keep cranking out fresh content for their blogs and social media.
If you have a sales background or a knack for persuasion, you can get PAID a serious premium for writing high-converting sales copy for sales pages and online ads. To get connected with these busy business owners, check out sites like Freelancer and Fivver. Simply create a stunning and compelling profile and start applying for jobs. It’s that easy!
16. Start Your Own Freelancing Business
If you get your feet wet in the freelancing arena and love it, you may want to consider going pro. It’s simple to start your own blog to feature and offer your freelancing services and Elna Cain (the freelancing Queen) shows you how to set up your freelancing website in a weekend! Check it out here!
17. Write an Ebook
Everyone is an expert at something! Yeah, I know it sure doesn’t feel like it some days. But the truth is, what’s obvious and plain to us is oftentimes a huge revelation for others. Too often we sell ourselves short on the value of our own experiences and expertise. That’s where writing an ebook comes in. You can invest some time upfront and create yourself a totally passive stream of income later. Pat Flynn shows you how to write your own ebook in his free ebook here. 😉
Side Hustles for the Mom Who Loves to Shop/Sell
18. Use Cash Back Apps When you Shop
Using cashback apps has to be one of my favorite and easiest ways to earn real money on the purchases I’m already making. Apps like ibotta, Ebates, and Swagbucks allow you to scan your receipt after making your purchase and you’ll get paid real cash and gift card rewards on the approved items you bought. Easy money, right?
Related: 7 Apps That’ll Actually Pay You Cash & Save You Money on Your Groceries!
19. Sell Your Household Goods for Cash
Let’s face it, we all have a TON of stuff in our homes. It ends up cluttering our rooms, closets, garages, and storage units. And most of it is probably already forgotten until you need to go looking for something. Wouldn’t that old stuff be better served as cold, hard CASH? Yep! Sarah with Early Bird Mom has an amazing course that teaches you the best way to find, organize, and most importantly, maximize your profit from all your stuff.
20. Shop and Deliver Groceries
Companies like Instacart and Shipt are literally changing the way we all shop for groceries. But they’re also creating new and fun ways for people to make a living with a super flexible schedule! Do you go to the grocery store a thousand times a month to buy food for your family? Good, you’re already qualified!
All you do is go to grocery stores like Target and fill up the requested order and simply deliver those goods to the person’s door. It’s that simple! This is great for when the kids are in school and you get to go spend other people’s money while putting more in your own pocket. That sounds like a win-win!
21. Become a Mystery Shopper
If you already love to shop, mystery shopping could be a perfect side hustle for you. Basically, mystery shopping involves you going into retailers and posing as a real shopper. You usually need to provide the mystery shopping company with a real employee’s name and the details of your shopping experience. The pay for a complete shopping assignment is typically between $7-$20.
Some reputable mystery shopping companies you can check out are:
22. Start a Direct Sales Business
Many moms are joining some amazing network marketing companies and are sharing AKA selling the products they personally love. I am apart of a direct sales company that I absolutely LOVE – YoungLiving. It’s a health and wellness company that specializes in Essential Oils. These products have helped my family in too many ways to mention here, and so sharing those same products with my circle of influence and getting paid to do it is a no-brainer.
There are other network marketing companies that are also perfect for moms such as Mary Kay, Paparazzi Jewelry, LipSense, and Stella and Dot.
What side hustles have you done that worked? Please share in the comments below!
Related: The Best Work at Home Tips for Moms
