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People decide to become stay at home parents for many reasons. For some, it doesn’t make financial sense to work with the cost of daycare and work expenses. Others want to homeschool or be able to take care of their kids instead of sending them to daycare or school. Whatever the reason for deciding to stay home, many, if not most, have to find ways to earn income as a stay at home mom.
My reasoning was that I was becoming very unhappy. I was overly stressed and didn’t feel like I was giving enough at home.
When we really looked at the numbers, it just didn’t really make sense for me to be working so hard and to be so stressed with what I was making. After we calculated the cost of daycare, gas, supplies (I’m a teacher), and other work expenses, we realized that we could make do with a lesser income if we ditched all of those expenses that came with being a working mom.
We took a bit of a cut, but decided that the mental and emotional stress that I was experiencing was not worth that little bit of money.
Making Side Income
Once I really started exploring ways to make money from home (initially as “side jobs”) I realized that staying at home was a real possibility for me!
There are many ways to earn money as a stay at home mom that do not take you away from your real job-being a mom.
I am in no way saying that being a working mom is bad. For some it is great! For me, it just really wasn’t. I loved working until I had kids. Then things changed. Each year after my first was born I felt more and more unhappy being a working mom.
If you are a stay at home mom who needs to start bringing in some income or if you are wishing you could quit your job but don’t think it’s possible (like I did), then here are some ways to earn income as a stay at home mom that might be perfect for you!
Ways to Earn Income as a Stay at Home Mom
VIPKid
This one is always the top of my list because it was my big game-changer! I have written many posts about how much I love teaching English with VIPKid and why it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I found VIPKid when I was looking to make some extra money when things were a little hard for us. Little did I know how it would change my entire life.
VIPKid is an online ESL program that allows you to be in charge of your schedule! Make $16-$22 an hour teaching at home!
If you have not heard of it, VIPKid is a company in China that hires American and Canadian teachers to teach English online.
The downside to many (but actually nice for my situation) is the weird hours that you would need to work. Your students are in China so for most this means teaching early mornings. For me, this is great because I do all my working before my kids even wake up!
What is great about this job is that you are setting how often you want to work and how much. You open slots, parents book you, you teach. No lesson planning, no grading papers, just teaching.
Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree (in anything)
Experience in teaching. This does not necessarily mean “being a teacher.” It can mean that you coached a softball team, you were a camp counselor, you nannied… etc. They basically just want to know that you can interact with children. A lot of you stay at home moms are homeschooling your kids. That counts!
Eligibility to work in the US or Canada.
Want a Mentor?
I will walk you through the hiring process and give you encouragement along the way!
Use this link (or any of the VIPKid links on my site) to apply! Then be sure to email me or contact me on my Facebook page to let me know! I’ll help you in any way that I can.
Already applied but would like me to mentor you through the process? Add MEAGA0028 into your profile for the referral code before you do your demo! (Don’t forget to let me know!)
If you’re not sure if you’ll qualify or want tips on filling out the application, email me first and we can chat! You can always contact me at meagan@purposefulmommy.com or chat with me through my Facebook page.
Blogging
Blogging is becoming a real legitimate money-making option. Many are making full-time incomes through their blog.
Are you an awesome cook and love creating recipes? Maybe a blog is for you! There are a lot of ways to make money through your blog that include advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, or product sales (see below).
The great part of blogging is the freedom to make it your own and be your own boss. There are many right ways to make money blogging and I had no idea of the possibilities when I started.
Starting up your blog can be done in as little as a few days! I started mine in just five days with the 5 Day Crash Course. This is a free course by Pete and Heather Reese, writers of It’s a Lovely Life. They have been making money through their blog for 18 years and they know the biz inside and out! They offer multiple courses to help new bloggers learn the ins and outs of making money through a blog.
Go check out all of their courses HERE including their free 5 Day Start a Money Making Blog Crash Course.
Online Tutoring/Teaching
Online Tutoring
Similarly to VIPKid you can tutor online for many subjects. This option is nice for some freedom in when you work. Some platforms even let you log on unscheduled and pick up sessions.
For certain subjects a college degree is required but the qualifications are different on different platforms and for different subjects.
The benefit with online tutoring is the ability to tutor people in a subject you are already knowledgeable about. Since you are not a teacher there is usually not a lot of lesson planning that goes into being a tutor.
The platforms that I looked at do not seem to pay as much as VIPKid and you have to already be pretty knowledgeable about the subject you would like to tutor in. The flexibility is really nice and with many having the option to pick up unscheduled jobs, it can be a good side gig.
Some online tutoring platforms to look at.
Teach Online (or one-on-one in-home)
There are other ways than VIPKid that you can teach online! If you are knowledgeable about ANYTHING chances are there is a platform that will allow you to teach!
Takelessons.com is a great website that allows students to connect with teachers who teach music, crafting, language, computer skills, all kinds of things!
I have recently dipped my toes into teaching crochet to both children and adults.
Benefits of teaching through a site like takelessons.com:
- Set your own prices: Usually there is a commission for using the platform. When setting the prices for my classes on TakeLessons.com, it had me put in what I wanted to earn per lesson, then set the price based on that!
- Decide whether you want to teach online, from your home, go to students’ homes, or meet in a public place (when appropriate for skill). Having the online option available opens up the opportunities for more students because they do not have to live in your area!
- Makes booking and charging your students more easy than when trying to run your private lessons without a platform
Want your child to learn how to crochet? Visit my teacher profile HERE!
Other teaching platform websites
Direct Sales
A lot of stay at home moms do very well with direct sales. This was not for me. I am not really a salesman and I could never find a program that sold something that I felt like I could get behind. For instance, I don’t wear a lot of make up, nor do I like makeup so Avon and Mary Kay were not great options for me.
There are a ton of Direct Sales opportunities and the potential for earning is pretty good.
Some Direct Sales Options
- Makeup: Avon, Mary Kay, Younique
- Essential Oils: doTERRA, Forever Living
- Kitchenware: Pampered Chef, TARA at Home
- Children’s Books: Usborne Books
- Jewelry: Magnolia and Vine
- Health and Nutrition Products: Beach Body, Advocare
Make sure to do research on the company to see if it’s right for you before becoming a seller. Check out different reviews of the company’s sales program as well as the product itself.
Only sell something that you feel like you can stand behind and be authentic in promoting. This was the reason I decided not to do direct sales. Most of the products felt like I even could sell were overpriced, and that’s not what I’m about.
I chose affiliate marketing because I could support many different products and companies on my blog and only if I felt that I really loved it and it really helped others.
Affiliate Sales
Becoming an affiliate is another good option. This is one of the most common ways to monetize a blog but you can be an affiliate in other ways such as a Y
The idea is that you sign up to become an affiliate for a company or product. You promote the product. When people buy through your link, you make a commission.
If you are interested in becoming an affiliate, Amazon Associates is a really good starting point. They do not require much to become an affiliate and they have just about everything so you can promote products that you really love.
Etsy
Out of all the ways to earn money as a stay at home mom, I feel like Etsy is a pretty common one. For those crafty mamas, Etsy can be a great way to make some extra money. This does take a commitment. If you are selling crochet hats, for instance, you need to be able to make enough and in a timely manner and ship it.
Something that can be a lot more manageable than taking orders for actual products would be to create digital downloadable products. If you are great at writing crochet patterns or you created a fun clipart set.
Etsy is nice to start you off if you are planning on starting a craft business. It gives you a platform to sell on that is already set up. I know multiple entrepreneurs that started with sites like Etsy and now have a full-blown home business!
Teachers Pay Teachers
Even if not a teacher, if you are able to make things that teachers use (clipart, fonts, powerpoint/google slide themes, etc) you could sell on TpT.
Sellers on TpT are often also buyers looking for good clipart, fonts, and images to use for their products.
If you ARE a teacher and are always making awesome stuff for your classroom, sell it! Even if you don’t want to commit to completely going all in, post some of your best stuff and see what happens.
What’s so cool about creating a digital product that people download is once you really get a lot of good products that are making sales on your store, it starts to become passive income. But to get to that point takes some work to build up your store then promote it.
I sell GIFs for Google Classroom themes like this one (see preview below) on my store, and I don’t really put a lot of effort into it at this point. After making the products, I posted them, then life got crazy, so I stopped working on it. I still get at least $10 a month from my sales. It’s not a lot but, again, I never touch it or think about it.
Putting forth some effort into promoting and continually adding new products would increase my sales a lot. I am hoping to do this next year when my blog is my job!
If you decide to sell on Etsy or Teachers Pay Teachers, you would also probably really benefit from starting a blog to promote it! Many people even promote their direct sales through blogs or youtube channels.
Get Earning!
There are many ways to earn income as a stay at home mom. These were some of the ones that I found most effective. What are your favorite ways to earn income as a stay at home mom?
I really like all of the ideas and options that you post here!! I didn’t expect to stay home, but because of some health challenges, it was the only option at the time. I ended up falling in love with it and hope we can work the budget to stay home long term! I’m going to check out all of the options you shared!
Yes definitely do!! What I love is that all these options give you some flexibility. With VIPKid I set which weeks I want to work more. I am able to work while my kids are sleeping and I don’t have to leave to do it. I hope to do more with TPT because the few products I have on there do pretty well so I feel like I could really get somewhere with that. I just don’t have the time right now while still working.
Great article!
Thank you!
Love these ideas! I always have been and always planned to be a stay at home mom but of course it helps to have ways to supplement the family income. Plus all moms need a hobby or outlet and these are perfect for that too!
I always wanted to homeschool! These are great creative outlets on top of money makers.
These are great options. I have heard so many good things about VIP kids and I think it’s a great option for moms who want to work and also want to stay at home.
It is such a fun job!
I love these ideas and will be trying them out! I’m already trying out a few to hopefully be able to stay home one day! Good for you for doing this all and trying to help people like me!
I’m so glad it was helpful! Keep at it!
Great list! I work as a freelance graphic designer. It allows me to stay home with my son and also earn income while he’s sleeping! It was interested to read about VIP kids. Seems like a very interesting opportunity!
That’s so cool! I’m just starting to discover how many freelance opportunities there are out there! I’m glad you liked the article! VIPKid really has changed my life in a good way! I am so excited about leaving my job and just doing VIPKid!
These were some great options and some I hadn’t even thought about like teaching English. What a great idea!
Yes! I hadn’t even really thought about it! When I found it, I thought this is perfect for me!
This post was very helpful and full of valuable information! For any stay-at-home mother trying to find options, this post is a great starting point!
I’m so glad you found it helpful!
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This was great! I work for another ESL company, and I have never heard of TpT. I’m going to have to check it out and see what I can use for my background!
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I love that there are various ways to make some money as a stay at home mom. It helps to have some extra income while being able to take care of the kids. A lot of these are flexible too, so you don’t really need to sacrifice much. Thanks for sharing these suggestions!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
I’m so glad you liked it! Flexibility is so important for stay at home moms! You just don’t know when someone’s going to need you!
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