One of the most common questions readers ask is how can I make money as a stay-at-home mom?
Not long ago, I had the same question! Figuring out how to earn money from home allowed me to leave my full-time job, work when it fits into my family’s schedule, and most importantly, be home with my kids.
(P.S. I started adding resources for moms who wantto work from home into my Free Resource Library. Signup for access later in this post!)
If you make a purchase through an affiliate link below, I may earn a small commission. Read the disclosure for more info.
A few years ago, I was working 40-50 hours per week. I hated leaving my daughter at daycare all day, but my family needed my income. I felt completely stuck.
Once I found out there were legitimate ways to make money from home, I was hooked. I knew this was my chance to create a lifestyle with more flexibility so I could be there for my family and support us financially too.
So below is a list of ways to make money as a stay-at-home mom, starting with seven ways I earned money online my first year home.
1. Virtual Assistant
Virtual Assistant (VA) – One of the best ways I’ve found to make money as a stay-at-home mom is freelancing as a Virtual Assistant.
Just like it sounds, VAs assist people and businesses virtually with any number of things, like checking emails, scheduling, writing blog posts, bookkeeping, editing online content, managing social media accounts, creating online courses, or transcribing podcasts.
Virtual Assistant is one of the best jobs for stay-at-home moms because the hours are usually flexible and there are tons of business owners looking for help running their business.
How to Become a Virtual Assistant – Recommended Resources
- Best Virtual Assistant Training Courses
- 150+ Services You Can Get Paid to Do as a Virtual Assistant
- 8 Productivity Tools Every Virtual Assistant Needs
2. Freelance Writer
Freelance Writing – This is an awesome job for a stay-at-home moms who are introverts like me and it’s one of the first ways I found to earn money online.
To make money as a freelance writer, you write articles that are typically between 800-3,000 words that blog and website owners pay you for. Here are example posts I’ve written for other websites about editing and Amazon’s author pages.
Freelance writing is one of the best jobs for stay-at-home moms if you have been told you’re a good writer and you enjoy it. If you’re curious what kind of sites pay for articles, this list of per article has been helpful.
How to Become a Freelance Writer – Recommended Resources
3. Freelance Editor or Proofreader
Freelance Editor or Proofreader– If you travel through life and cannot help but correct the grammar and spelling mistakes around you, helping others as a freelance proofreader or editor might be a good option for you.
Business owners, bloggers, and authors hire editors and proofreaders to polish website content, blog articles, brochures, online course content, presentations, and more.
Freelance editing and proofreading is a good fit for stay-at-home moms who are detail-oriented, have a gift of spotting typos and grammar errors, and have some quiet time to focus. I started a book editing business called Keep Calm Write On and got to help everyone from first-time authors to New York Times bestselling authors improve their books by making their writing more clear, concise, and consistent.
How to Become a Freelance Editor – Recommended Resources
- How to Become a Proofreader (Even if You Have No Experience)
- Find Out if Proofreading is Right for You[Free Workshop]
4. Pinterest Virtual Assistant
Pinterest Manager / Strategist– Yes, it’s true. You can make money by being a Virtual Assistant who specializes in Pinterest Management or Strategy.
Providing freelance Pinterest services is actually a great service for stay-at-home moms because it’s super flexible plus it’s a service that many businesses will happily pay for month after month.
Pinterest can be used to drive potential clients to websites, businesses, your services or a blog. It can also be used to get people to your MLM products or Etsy shop if you learn how to use it right.
How to Make Money on Pinterest – Recommended Resources
- How to Earn Money From Pinterest
- How Does Being a Pinterest Manager Work
- Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant Today (Course)
5. Blogger
Blogging – Since earning money online from home, I’ve been floored by the amount of money you can earn from blogging.I find the income reports of big, medium, and even fairly small blogs are inspiring.
Blogging is a great way to make money for stay-at-home moms who love to write and research. While it takes time to build an audience, blogging has incredible potential for earning a lot of money while working on a very flexible schedule that works for your family.
If you have a hobby blog of your own already, you can definitely start learning how to monetize it with things like ads, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, providing services, providing coaching, or selling digital or physical products.
How to Make Money Blogging – Recommended Resources
- How to Start a Blog for Beginners in 15 Minutes [tutorial]
- 7 Pro Ways to Monetize a Blog
- How Sara Titus Made $10k Per Month Her 1st Year Blogging
6. Affiliate Marketer
Affiliate Marketing –You can make money from home through affiliate marketing, which is where you promote products you love while earning a commission if someone makes a purchase through your link.
You can promote clothing, food, makeup, books, bags…pretty much anything you use and love.
If you’re a stay-at-home mom who wants to make money and you have an audience like a blog with traffic or a loyal social media following, promoting products you love as an affiliate marketer is a great way to make money on the side.
How to Become an Affiliate Marketer
- What is Affiliate Marketing: A Step-by-Step Guide
- How to Triple Your Affiliate Earnings on a New Blog
- Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing (Course)
7. Author
Write and Sell Books – Thanks to Amazon, people with a book idea no longer have to cross their fingers and pray to get a rare deal from a big publisher. Instead, we can now fairly easily share our stories and ideas through ebooks and print books by self-publishing.
My first book idea came in November 2016, and in less time than it takes to grow a human,Pay Your Student Loans Fastwas for sale on Amazonin bothebook and paperback. I published it right on my baby’s due date when I was 40 weeks pregnant with baby #2!
So if you’re a stay-at-home mom who loves to write and has ideas to share, writing and selling books as an author is another way to supplement your family’s income.
How to Self-Publish and Sell a Book – Recommended Resources
- How to Self-Publish a Book
- 5 Things This Self-Published Author Did to Sell Over 20,000 Books With Almost No Money
- How to Make Money Selling Ebooks Online
More Ways Stay-At-Home Moms Can Make Money
While I’ve personally made money the seven ways above, those are not the only ways for moms to make money from home.
Here is a list of other ideas moms I know do to earn money with flexible schedules that allow them to be home with their kids too.
8. Real Estate Virtual Assistant
Another hot niche for virtual assistants is real estate. If you want to make money from home and you love real estate, helping realtors run their business more efficiently might be a great niche for you.
Learn more about becoming a real estate VA here.
9. Website Designer
Freelance web designers are in demand. If you can design professional-looking websites on WordPress or Squarespace, you can make money designing sites for businesses and bloggers in any niche.
- You’ll love this true & inspiring story of how Mackenzie, another stay-at-home mom, took this freelancing course, started as a VA, then transitioned to website design and is making $10k per month while being a stay-at-home mom (podcast episode)
10. Life Coach, Budget Coach, Wellness Coach, Business Coach
If you love helping others succeed, coaching is another way you can make money. Whether your gift is helping people grow their business, improve their health, manage their money, or create a better life, you can make money online as a coach.
11. Take Surveys
Taking surveys is another pretty easy way to make money. It won’t replace a full-time income, but it’s not rocket science either. Some of the top survey sites for making money in your spare time are:
- Pinecone Research
- Swagbucks
- Survey Junkie
- Inbox Dollars
12. Home-Based Travel Agent
Even though there are many travel sites on the internet today, some people still prefer to work with a travel agent. If you love to coordinate travel plans and you’re a master at finding amazing travel deals, becoming a home-based travel agent might be the right career path for you.
Learn more about becoming a travel agent from home.
13. Facebook Ads Specialist
One of the hottest freelance services to offer that only requires a few hours per week is Facebook Ads Managers. If you can take a course that teaches you how to create Facebook ads that convert, you can make a lot of money for local or online businesses.
14. Online Tutor or Teacher
There are several companies you can work for to do online tutoring and teaching. One of the most popular is VIPKID where moms who have any college degree can teach children in China the English language.
Read my interview with a VIPKID Tutor who makes $2,500 per month with this flexible job.
15. Direct Sales
Direct sales or Multi-Level Marketing is another common way to earn an income for stay-at-home moms. The perk for direct sales is flexible hours, income potential, and getting discounts on products you love. The downside is running out of friends or family to sell your product to. Social media can help you reach more people.
Here’s an interview I did with a homeschooling mom of four who has grown a successful business helping others eliminate toxins from their life.
16. Online Course Creator
Whether you know prenatal yoga or living frugally, you can create and sell a course about pretty much anything. Platforms like Udemy, Teachable, Thinkific, and Kajabi are popular places where course creators store content for their students.
17. Use Cashback Apps
Moms can also make easy money on their phone with cashback apps. If you’re not already, be sure to use Ibotta, Ebates, and Swagbucks to get money back on all your shopping trips.
Check out the 10 free apps that have helped me save over $1,500.
18. Public Relations
Do you have a background in public relations? This is another service you can offer as a freelancer working from home. From getting podcast interviews to coordinating book launches and speaking events, there’s plenty of money to be made by offering public relations to small businesses.
19. In-Home Childcare Provider
If you’re staying home with your own kids, you could also open your home to watch other children as well. There will always be a need for quality and trustworthy childcare providers, so it’s another great way to make money from home.
Check out this mom who helps support her family with her daycare.
20. Photographer
Do you love capturing precious moments behind a camera lens? Starting your own photography business might be the right career fit for you. As a photographer, you will likely work more weekends and evenings, which could work out well for stay-at-home moms who want to make more money.
21. Make Freezer Meals
If you have a little spare time and know how to cook, you can turn that into a side hustle. Some people hate cooking, which is an excellent opportunity for you to make extra money. Offer to cook for them like this family did and turn it into another source of income each week.
22. Dog Sitting or Walking
Love furry friends? Start your own side business walking dogs or pet sitting while owners are at work or on vacation. This can turn into some nice extra spending cash for the dog loving moms.
23. Airbnb Host
For most U.S. families, our home is our highest bill each month. What better way to make money than to rent out space you already have in your home through Airbnb. Whether you do it regularly or only during certain holidays or seasons, renting space in your house is another way to make money.
Learn more about becoming an Airbnb host.
24. House Cleaning or Do Laundry
Are you the rare mom who kind of enjoys doing laundry and keeping a home clean? Families will happily pay for that service! Consider using a local community Facebook page to find homes in your area that need regular cleaning maintenance, deep cleans, or weekly laundry service.
25. Grow Your Retirement Savings
Growing your retirement savings another way to make money that you’ll be glad you have in the future. If you have a 401k and you’re not sure your’e in the right funds, consider a robo advisor like Blooom, who optimizes your funds to meet your retirement goals.
Want Advice and Freebies From a SAHM Mom Who Makes a Full-Time Income From Home?
The Common Cents Club Free Resource Library is starting to fill up with resources for moms like you who want to make money from home.
From freelancing to setting goals and managing your finances, I’ll share resources and regular emails about ways to growing your financial and family freedom.
Inside The Freebie Resource Library You’ll Find:
- 8 Secret Spots to Find People Who Will Happily Hire You (Even if you have no experience)
- The Proven 10-Step Plan to Start Freelancing From Home (Checklist)
- The Crazy Simple but Effective Test to Offer the Right Freelance Service
- Goal Setting Worksheets to Create the Life You’ll Love
- plus more printables for organizing your life as a busy mom!
Get Instant Access by Signing up Below
Pin This! Stay-at-Home Moms Can Make Money and Take Care of the Kids Too!
Whatever you do, do something that lets your light shine in the world. It will be a better place because of you when your soul is happy and you’re not stressed about money.
Cheers to YOUR family and financial freedom,
This post was originally published November 2017. It was updated in May 2019 for the most updated ways for stay-at-home moms to make money from home.
