6 proven work from home side hustles for moms!
As a stay at home mom of (soon to be!) 2 boys, I’m always looking for new ways to generate more income. I have scoured the internet and have tried so many money making ideas. Some have been great and some have lead to wasted time, scams and ideas that I doubt the person recommending even tried. I’m going to save you all the time I’ve spent looking, trying and testing and let you know what has truly worked for me and can work for you too!
Full disclosure: I will not recommend anything I have not tried myself or something I have tried but did not work out.
I work part-time (whenever I can!) and make about $3,000 per month with these jobs/side hustles I’ve listed below!
1. BLOGGING
This should come as no surprise (since you are on my blog right now, lol!), but I’ve really been able to make a nice side income that is consistently growing. Some months are better than others (crochet isn’t as popular in the warmer months than in the Fall) but overall I make between $400-$1000 per month, just from advertising! Did I mention I started this blog only 2 years ago!? It’s very easy to get started!
- First, make sure you choose a topic that you are passionate about! You have to be passionate about it to work on it all the time or you will get bored and frustrated. I love writing and sharing patterns, make sure it’s a topic you love!
- Find a host. I use SiteGround for my web hosting. They are awesome! Their customer service is phenomenal! They are available 24/7 by phone or chat and respond right away. I actually had a customer service rep. get my WordPress site installed for me (other hosting companies actually charge for this) since I had no idea how to do any of this when I started. They are seriously wonderful and one of the cheaper options to get your website started at only $3.95 per month! You can sign up HERE.
- Start blogging! You can start writing posts right away and customizing your blog!
2. EBAY
I have been selling on eBay since 2010. It started out as a way for me to sell what I no longer wore in my closet. It turned into a real business once I saw that I was actually making more money selling clothes part time than I was making at my full time job! When I got laid off, I decided to go full time with eBay!
I usually make anywhere from $1500-$2500 per month (it used to be more but hey, I’m a full time mom!). My eBay store is Motheranddaughterscloset. Feel free to check it out and shop!
Here are some tips to get started:
- When deciding what to sell, pick something you know the value of. I KNOW women’s designer labels. I know how to spot them and what I can get for them. If you need help determining the value of an item I always keep the eBay app on my phone and look up what has sold under completed listings. That way you will know what the item sells for and how many items like it have sold recently.
- Where do you find items? Check out your local thrift stores, garage sales, even the clearance racks at T.J Maxx or other discount stores.
- My must have office supplies for shipping:
- Weigh scale for your packages (so you can print your label directly off the computer, then place in your mailbox.) Just like this one:
- If you are selling clothing, you definitely need a steamer like this:
- Lastly, you will need shipping supplies. You can order free Priority mail boxes from the United States Postal Service. For shipping via first class mail you can order light weight polybag envelopes and packaging tape like these:
- That’s all you need to get selling! Of course you many need things like bubble wrap and tissue paper. I always save packing materials when I order things to reuse later.
- My final tip? The more you list, the more you make! I try to list as much as possible. I have about 800 listings right now. I usually list everything as a buy it now with best offer option and sometimes do auction style listings. I find that allowing buyers to make an offer will lead to more sales.
3. ETSY
I make ad free PDF download printable versions of my patterns and sell them on Etsy. I like to offer this option as some people are bothered by the ads or they may like to have a hard copy to keep with them. I do think it’s worth the effort to create digital files of patterns because once you do, it can sell over and over again. This is a great way to make a little passive income. I usually make $100-$300 per month.
You can visit my Etsy shop HERE.
I do sell finished items sometimes, but mainly save finished items I’ve made to sell at craft shows. Which brings me to my next money making hustle:
4. CRAFT SHOWS
Check out your local craft show selection for the FALL. I say Fall because I have tried selling at craft shows in the Summer and it is just not worth it (in my opinion). Nobody really wants to purchase crochet items when it’s hot out….lesson learned on this one! The Fall on the other hand is hands down a great money maker! I usually sign up for 4 shows. I save items I’ve made throughout the year and put them in plastic bins until craft show season. Last year I made a whopping $3,000!
5. EBATES
This has to be the easiest way to get money back EVERY TIME you shop online! Anytime I want to buy something online I can either go to the eBates website and search for the store I’m shopping at then click “shop now”, or I can download their app in my sidebar (this is the way I use it now) and just click on it when I’m checking out on a site.
Each site will have different cash back percentages. It may be 1% or 16% or an actual cash amount. Every time you complete your purchase it will add that percentage of your total to your account! Then you can either have a check sent to you directly or sent directly to your PayPal.
It’s so easy! I’ve already made $153.01 by barley doing anything! You can sign up HERE and receive a $10 cash bonus!
6. SWAGBUCKS
This is similar to eBates where you can get cashback when you shop. You can also earn swagbucks for doing various tasks like taking polls and watching videos to redeem for gift cards. I’ve redeemed $50 worth of gift cards (they send them right to your e-mail) so far. You can sign up HERE and get a $10 bonus!
These are the proven ways that I make my income every month! Hopefully this will inspire you to get started on making some great income working from home. I will keep updating this post as I find more REAL money making opportunities!
Feel free to leave a comment on what income opportunities have worked for you!
Don’t forget to save to your Pinterest boards!
Leave a Reply