Few women look forward to returning to work after having a baby. Some don’t have a choice. But others have enough wiggle room in their income to start earning money from home. Here are some proven ways for stay-at-home moms to help contribute to the household budget.
1. Selling things on eBay.
Much has been written on this site – and all over the Internet – about selling on eBay; so I won’t cover all the details again. I will tell you, though, that many women make this work. Here are a few secrets they have shared with me:
- Invest in a good postal scale and keep all packaging material on hand.
- Charge a flat rate for postage.
- If you are buying things to resell, look for things that you like.
- Quality pictures and a thorough description sell your item.
- Don’t give up too soon. Give it time to learn the ropes.
2. Working as a personal assistant.
One mom, Rebecca from Virginia, has worked as the personal assistant for a professional couple for the past eight years—from home, while homeschooling her children. For her, this job was a spill-over from her full-time position prior to the birth of her first child. For others, though, choosing to work from home, keeping executives looking good and organized, might be something to look into. If you have strong clerical, organizational, and interpersonal skills, Rebecca says you can make it in this field. “You have to be really good at the Internet,” she said, “and be accessible.”
A personal assistant might perform a wide range of duties—managing calendars, organizing records, and handling correspondence. Or, the tasks might be more glamorous. Rebecca, for instance, plans the family’s parties, makes travel arrangements, and is on call 24/7 for emergency situations. The pay for this job will vary depending on the area of the country you live in and the position of the person for whom you work; but on average a personal assistant can expect to make about $25 per hour.
3. Blogging.
Jamerrill Stewart shares daily free items and great deals for homeschool families at FreeHomeschoolDeals.com. She began blogging in 2008 as a hobby, but shortly felt the Lord “put on my heart that blogging is a ministry.” This ministry has evolved from helping others to helping her family with income. Working about 30 hours per week while her children sleep, she says she makes a “steady income” on her blogs. “I go to bed early most nights, and get up several hours before my household,” she said in a recent interview. “It’s a trade-off. I don’t watch TV or hold any responsibilities outside of my home and business for this season.”
Blogging is not a get-rich-quick way to make a living, either. It took Jamerrill four years to see a good return for her efforts. If you think blogging might be your niche, there are many sites that will point you in the right direction: BloggingYourPassion.com and ProBlogger.net are two good ones to start with.
4. Selling your handiworks.
Betty, also from Virginia, worked for about 40 years as a professional seamstress. She fashioned wedding ensembles, costumes, and just everyday clothes for a wide range of clientele. Even now, at 76 years of age, she continues to hem pants, replace zippers, and alter prom dresses. Sewing clothes, however, is not her only passion. Betty has also been known to work for months preparing for the craft show season. Her crafts have changed over the years; but she’s never failed to provide at least grocery money for her household.
If you have a passion for creating, give selling your wares a try. From homemade soap to candles to photographs, all can be sold at local arts and crafts shows, gift shops, or online. For more information about selling online, check out Etsy.com.
5. Selling for multi-level organizations.
When my children were small, I paid for the groceries by selling Avon. I made phone calls while the little ones slept, let them help me package orders, and took them with me to make deliveries. It was perfect for our family at that time.
After they got older, I switched from Avon to Shaklee products. Shaklee involved more time away from the home with the children but I was still able to build my business from home and, again, make enough to provide the groceries and extra things that my husband’s salary didn’t cover. If you might be interested in a multi-level product, make sure it’s something that you are sold on yourself. Use the products, see the difference they make in your life, and then you have a story to share. It is your story that will sell the products for you. Also, check out the company’s marketing plan and business philosophy to make sure that it meets with your standards.
There is not enough room here to discuss all the ways for a stay-at-home mom to earn a living; but I don’t want to overlook something that works for you. So please, share your experiences in the comments.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
These all look great, except for the last one. I don’t think I could recommend selling for multi-level organizations.
I agree Josh. A majority of people don’t make it in “multi-level organizations” or MLO’s. The success rate for individuals with MLO’s is very slim and usually requires large networks of contacts with people with disposable income. Not to mention there is usually start-up fees, monthly mandatory purchases of products, maintenance fees, and often hidden fees associated with MLO’s. If one can get in early with a MLO there is a lot of money to be made.
I speak of this from personal experience. I started my “own” business with MLO’s twice. I also have family members who’ve invested thousands trying to make such gimmicks work. My advice is to stay away. Run and hide from these kind of get rich quick schemes.
Thank you, Carol for these reminders. When our oldest son was born nearly 14 years ago, I became a stay at home mom. For several years, I continued to do some part-time work for my former employer which helped me adjust from the professional world to the “mommy” world.
While I do sell on eBay from time to time, I have found that learning to not spend money is as valuable as earning money. By learning basic and advanced skills in plumbing, painting, electrical, carpentry, landscaping, sewing, home decorating, upholstery, I’ve saved us from paying others to do it. Learning how to grow vegetables and fruits has made a significant impact upon our grocery budget.
I don’t think I could begin to calculate the “wages” I’ve saved our family over the years, but I have endeavored to teach the skills to our children, so it is time well spent. Furthermore, I don’t have to pay taxes these “wages.”
I’m with you, Kathleen. I’ve said for years that the best money I can make is the money I save my husband.
Carol, Great recommendations about blogging, ebay and selling your handiwork! At our local farmer’s market I see dozens of ladies selling things that they produce at home. Many make $200 or more in a Saturday morning. It is definitely worth putting a business model together and trying to make something work. When you are doing something you love, it can be a great supplement to your household income, and could possibly become much more.
Thanks!
The added benefit Rocky, is that home production like this can involve the children and teach them all kinds of practical life skills.
When my oldest daughter was a baby (she is now 13) I went back to school to learn medical transcription and have worked in this field ever since. I earned a good living from home and was able to be with my children for field trips, play dates, church activities, etc. This is a production-based business, so once I was able to pick up some speed I completed full-time work in four hours a day with a very flexible schedule. This isn’t something for everyone; however, people can and do earn a good living from home in this field. Training is required and it is not something that I would recommend to everyone.
I attempted an ECPI program for medical transcription, but then didn’t finish because I had 2 babies back to back. Now I wish I finished the program, but haven’t heard of many people having luck finding those jobs from home. Was this difficult for you?
I’m wondering…Does Christian Personal Finance know that EBay supports Same sex marraige?
P. Jenkins, thanks for your comment. Although Christians (including us) believe that same sex marriage is not a part of God’s plan, it is nearly impossible to not do business with companies that support things we don’t support. For example, Microsoft, Apple, Starbucks, and more have given of their profits to same sex marriage campaigns. We use products, but don’t endorse what other people (or businesses) endorse. We’re living in the world, but we’re not of the world. I hope that helps! God bless!
I’ve had several friends that provide in-home day-care, Kent, and it worked very well for them. Thanks for mentioning it.
Thanks, Christina. I’ve never met someone who actually did transcription work, although my husband frequently suggested I learn it because of my fast typing speed. I wonder if technology has replaced transcriptionists, though. Will have to look into it.
Carol, please see my post below. If you want to see what’s available for medical transcriptionists, check out http://www.mtjobs.com. Lots of job opportunities to work from home if you know medical tx. I never went to school for it; self-taught. It can be done.
Thanks, Debbye. That is very helpful.
great article, but the part about EBAY is a little off. Ebay has introduced so many twists and turns that it is not worth the trouble. just google the net, and you will find sellers are running away and looking for better sites to sell on.
I did try it, Kalia, and gave up. But I have friends that have made it work for them. That is why I included it. Everyone’s life and time requirements are different. For me, the learning curve was too much to handle with my other business.
Thank you Carol. This was a great article. I have a 1yr old and have been trying to find ways to make enough money from home so I can stop my day job and be with my boy. This gave some great pointers and things to think about as I working positioning my family to make a change.
A couple other ideas that I didn’t list, Jillian–things I did myself–were taking in ironing and house cleaning. I just took my little boy with me. I wish you all the best.
I am surprised your didn’t mention elder care. With so many more people getting older, there are many opportunities to help out an elderly friend while making some money for your family. You can drive a client around, help her grocery shop, clean her house– basically, anything you would do for your own grandmother. I do recommend CPR training, and while some folks prefer to work directly for the elderly person, I prefer to work through a company (taxes are paid more easily this way and I don’t have to worry about collecting payments from the client). Many elderly only need someone a few hours a day, for a couple of days a week, which can be flexible around a homeschool mother’s schedule.
Great addition here Rachael!
Thanks for sharing that Rachael. As long as the agency didn’t mind your littles tagging along, that would be a great option. Also, I have a friend that is an LPN that takes elderly into her home, as part of the family, and cares for them. These are people that would otherwise be in a nursing home and supported by the state.
This is an excellent article. I have seen much success with working at home and am now a team leader with a Christian organization. I just started a blog (as this article mentions) which initially was a hobby but I’ve actually been able to use it to grow my team since I’m hiring. I’ve learned a lot from working at home and really enjoy it. I find it to be a blessing.
Thanks, Shay. I feel it’s very rewarding to command my own business, and be able to be home with my children and homeschooling.
To answer a comment or two here, I’ve been a medical and legal transcriptionist at home for 25+ years. I occasionally hear the old wives’ tale that there’s no longer any work for transcriptionists and I nearly cry from laughter. I am self-taught in both medical and legal and there is PLENTY of work. For the past 6 years, I’ve worked for a group of oncologists and a law firm (two different states) and I can never stay caught up, except in the summer. My husband and I just packed our youngest child off to college and after taking a bit of a breather, I plan to look for a job outside of the home. I’m exhausted from all the non-stop transcription.
Great testimony, Debbye. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, H. I’ve wanted to encourage my husband to pursue this avenue, as he sells at local flea markets. He just hasn’t had the time to put in. Maybe in retirement
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