A side job can be a great way to earn passive income as a stay-at-home mom.
You may not become filthy rich from the resources I share with you today, but you’ll make good money depending on your level of dedication.
In this post, I’ll share 12 ways to make passive income working from home. I’ll start with the easiest ways and move to the more time-intensive ways.
Before we begin, let’s talk about why SAHMs need a side hustle
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Why is having a side job Important to stay-at-home moms?
Having a side gig as a stay-at-home mom is important for many reasons.
Firstly, the income that you get from it could help support your family’s finances.
When you have only one breadwinner, it puts a huge strain on a family’s budget. So anything you can do to bring in a little extra cash will go a long way.
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Secondly, having something that you do outside of being a mom is important for your mental health. As stay-at-home mothers, it’s easy to lose ourselves in our role.
We forget that we were someone before we had children. So having something that takes your mind off mothering for a few hours a day will help you with your self-care.
A survey done by Gallop found that 28% of stay-at-home moms experience depression compared to 17% of working moms.
They also found that 26% of SAHMs self-reported to be sadder than 16% of working moms.
This may be because working moms have a defined sense of self and purpose from their jobs outside the home.
Working moms also have a built-in avenue for social interaction. To create that same sense of purpose, SAHMs need a hobby or side business.
That being said, let’s take a look at 12 ways you can earn some extra cash as a SAHM.
Remember that I’m listing these in order from quickest to most time-intensive.
Let’s jump right in!
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(Quick note: This post contains affiliate links. For more info, read the full disclaimer here)
12 Side Hustles for Stay-at-Home Moms
1. Take Paid Surveys Online
Taking surveys online is one of the easiest ways to make a few bucks. When you sign up, the company will match you with surveys based on your area of interest.
You usually get points for each survey you take. After you reach a certain number of points, you can redeem them for gift cards or cash.
You may not get rich from this but you may earn some cash for your next cup of coffee.
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3 Best online survey companies
ZoomBucks
This is a reward site that pays you to Watch Videos, View Funny Slideshows, Do Surveys, Install Apps, Follow people on Instagram, and more!
Make sure you confirm your email address after signing up to avoid any issues with payment. Sign up for ZoomBucks today!
SurveyJunkie
Survey Junkie pays you in points to take surveys about anything under the sun.
You only need to take 3 surveys to earn 500 points which is equivalent to $5. Click here to sign up for SurveyJunkie
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MakeSurveyMoney
As the name implies, you earn cash by taking surveys!
Sign up with MakeSurveyMoney to get access to surveys, trial offers, and questionnaires that pay out cash for completion.
Get paid how you want – gift cards, Paypal, or a check straight to your door. You automatically get $5 after signing up. Pretty sweet right? Sign up now
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2. Create A Quora Space
Quora is a website where people post questions about anything from relationships, business, education, etc.
Users of the site then answer their questions if they have expertise in the area.
When you join Quora, you have the option of creating a Quora space. This is a private space where you can talk about whatever you want.
People who like the things you share there will follow you, like your post, and share it with others.
Here’s how you use can use your Quora space to make money
You can apply for ad placement in your space.
Quora will pay you depending on how many visitors engage in your space. So make sure that you post interesting content.
You can also offer a subscription model for your space to make money.
If you have lots of followers who love the things you post, simply select the subscription monetization option.
People will have to pay a small fee to see more of your post in the space.
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3. Sell Your Photos (To Stock Photo Sites)
Do you have a smartphone and love taking pictures? If you answered yes, then this option is for you.
Simply take amazing photos and sell them to stock photo websites like Shutter Stock, Adobe Stock, Alarmy, etc.
You don’t need to be a professional photographer. Just take excellent photos of anything from people, food, buildings, etc., and sell them to these companies for a price.
Note that most stock photo websites have specific requirements for the photos submitted to them.
So make sure that you check these out carefully before you submit them.
4. Open An Etsy Shop
Etsy is an online marketplace where you can buy and sell anything. If you are a creative person and make any DIY product, this store is for you.
Think of something you can make that would be of value to other people. As a mom, you could make something that other moms would buy.
5. Become An Affiliate Marketer
An affiliate marketer (aka social media marketer) is someone who promotes other people’s products.
In return, they get a small percentage of the sale. You can promote these products using social media like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
You can also do it using your website.
When you join a company to become their affiliate marketer, they will give you a special product link.
All you have to do is insert this link into whatever promotional tool you use, and direct your audience to buy from there.
You can learn more about affiliate marketing from Neil Patel
One of the most popular affiliate programs is Amazon. Unfortunately, amazon offers a very low commission rate to their affiliates.
For the amount of work you will do to promote their products, it’s not worth it.
ShareAsale is one of the best affiliate programs for beginners.
They have an endless selection of products from parenting and family life to business and marketing. There’s no shortage of products to promote.
Another very good affiliate marketing company is Awin. You can recommend Etsy products directly through Awin. So it’s very easy to make a sale.
Click below to join Awin
Awin.com6. Become A Secret Shopper
If you love retail then this job is for you. You get paid by companies to shop in their stores and collect data about their employees.
The type of data you collect includes how the employees interact with customers, the employee’s work habits, the quality of service you receive, and more.
Secret shoppers earn anywhere between $10-$50 per hour depending on the job and company.
Some secret shopping companies include BestMark, IntelliShop, Market Force, Service Evaluation Concepts, Signature Worldwide, Sinclair Customer Metrics, etc.
7. Make Money With Your YouTube Channel
Nowadays, everyone has a YouTube channel. If you don’t have one then you simply create a Gmail account which will give you access to a new YouTube channel.
To make your YouTube channel successful, make sure you post videos about things people are searching for answers about.
Some of the most popular videos on YouTube are reviews, How-To videos, the Unboxing of products, comparisons, and tutorials.
Of course, you can create videos about anything you’re passionate about.
You need at least 1000 subscribers to monetize your videos with YouTube ads, but you can also include your affiliate product links in the description of each video.
This will help you make money before you reach that subscriber amount.
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8. Social Media Sponsorship
If you have a huge following on social media like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, you can turn your following into cash by doing sponsored work.
All you have to do is pitch yourself to brands that you’re interested in working with. In exchange for posting a review of their product or an Instagram story, they will pay you an agreed-upon fee.
You can also join sponsorship platforms like Activate, Influence central, Real Clever, Pollinate media, etc. for paid sponsorship opportunities.
It can be very intimidating to pitch yourself to brands, but remember that there’s no harm in trying.
When pitching, highlight your number of followers and how engaged they are.
That’s the most important thing brands look for. Pitch to as many brands as possible.
Don’t be afraid of rejection. You will eventually get a Yes.
There’s a lot more that goes into doing sponsored posts. Some things you must have in place include legal documents, signed contracts, etc.
so make sure you do your research first.
9. Become A Freelance Writer
A freelance writer is someone who is paid to write articles for blogs and product companies.
If you love writing and have expertise in a particular subject, then you can easily become a freelance writer.
You don’t need a degree for this, and your area of expertise doesn’t need to be something academic in nature.
It could simply be cooking, parenting, travel, relationship, etc.
To find freelance writing opportunities, you can check companies like Blogging Pro, Freelancewriting.com, Contena, ProBlogger, etc.
Some jobs may ask for a writing portfolio, but others may accept beginner writers.
10. Become a Virtual Assistant (aka VA)
A virtual assistant is someone who performs administrative duties for a company. They usually work remotely.
Their duties involve handling documents, bookkeeping, and appointments.
In some cases, they manage the social media of the company and write blog posts as well.
You need comprehensive training before you can do this job. Some community colleges may offer a program for this.
In most cases, people take private courses created by individuals. Check out Udemy or Skillshare for virtual assistant courses.
11. Start A Blog or A Podcast
Starting a blog or podcast is one of the best ways to make money online. The only catch is that it is a little more challenging to get started and maintain over time.
If you don’t enjoy writing for other people as a freelance writer, you can create your own website and write for yourself.
To earn money from your blog you can sell your own products.
These products can be physical items like clothes, jewelry, soap, etc. It can also be virtual products like printable pdf.
If you are not a good writer, then a podcast may be best for you. A podcast is basically a blog in audio format.
You can also earn more from your blog/podcast by placing ads on it.
You could also become an affiliate marketer and sell other people’s products. The sky is the limit on how you can use your blog/podcast to make money.
To get started on creating a new blog or podcast, simply search “how to start a blog” or “how to start a podcast on google and you will see a lot of instructions.
12. Get a customer service job
Last but not least is getting a regular 9-5 job as a customer service agent.
With this option, you don’t have to worry about creating a website, writing, or using social media to get clients.
One benefit of a customer service job is that you have flexible hours and can work remotely depending on the company.
If you’re lucky, you can even find a job that requires you to “chat” with customers using your phone or computer all day.
The best way to find a customer service job is through online job sites like Indeed.
Conclusion
In this article, I spoke about 12 ways to earn money working from home as a stay-at-home mom.
I also explained the importance of having a side income stream.
Whatever you end up doing, make sure that it is something you enjoy. You don’t want to add more stress to your already busy life.
I want to remind you that all of the options listed above require some dedication and time in order to see fruitful results.
My advice is to choose one or two options and focus all your energy on them. Trying to do it all will result in burnout.
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Wow, what a thorough and comprehensive article! So many ideas I would never have thought of! And it’s so true that SAHM’s need to have something for themselves…. I stayed home for 7 years when my children were little… I’m glad I was able to do so, but it was the hardest job I’ve ever done! And back then, we didn’t know that SAHM’s need self-care time! Thanks for all the ideas!
While I’ve heard of some of these ideas, I had no idea about Shutterstock and submitting photos to those types of websites! That’s such a smart idea and definitely one I’ll be looking into!
Always looking for new and unique ways to earn a little extra on the side. Thanks so much for sharing!