Maximizing Your IncomeBest Side Hustles for Stay-at-Home Moms: How to Earn Extra Income
You're doing great, mama!
Being a stay-at-home mom comes with a full schedule, but inflation isn't exactly making it easy for everyone right now, and the groceries don't pay for themselves. More people than ever are turning to side hustles to bring in some extra cash and help their families put food on the table. The problem is that 75% of side hustles barely turn a profit and end up being more trouble than they're worth. That's just not a risk most moms can afford to take.
This article explores 39 side hustles for stay-at-home moms with a realistic breakdown of how much free time they take up and how much extra money they can bring in each month. Some can even be turned into a full-time job or business that you can run straight from your couch during nap time (now that’s a life hack).
P.S. These side hustles aren't just for moms or current stay-at-home parents. Maybe you want to spend more time with your kiddos, or you just want more control over your schedule in general. Pop on over to our 100% no-cost publishing training to see how to get started! Some moms have seen results liek adding an extra $500 or even $10,000 a month with our system. Sign up now.
Yes, tons of legitimate side hustles give you the opportunity to work from home and plan around your schedule as a stay-at-home parent. The "catch" here is that new scams are popping up every day, targeting retirees and people who might be new to the side hustle world or might not know any better.
Ways to Protect Yourself from Side Hustle Scams:
Self-publishing on Amazon is a solid side hustle that brings in money through royalties earned from every book sale on their Kindle Direct Publishing platform.
Quick Note: As the publisher, you're responsible for bringing a great book to life, but that doesn't mean you have to be a great writer. You can delegate all the writing, editing, and even formatting to specialists and freelancers who are great at what they do and happy to help. You'll have to pay them upfront for their work, but all the royalties you earn from the fully published book will go directly to you!
These are strictly estimates but generally true for new publishers working on a 30k-word manuscript.
Initial Time Investment:
Ongoing Efforts:
Your income will depend on things like how you price your book, which royalty bracket your book is in, and how many formats of the book you're selling (i.e., audiobook, eBook, paperback, hardcover)
Projected Income Range:
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The first step to making money with self-publishing is as easy as joining this free webinar.
We'll even show you how to use different AI writing tools to speed up the process without sacrificing the quality or integrity of your work.
Even with all the distractions and craziness that comes with raising 3 boys on her own, Carolina was able to support her family with her publishing side hustle. She shares her best advice for all the newbies here:
Although you don't have to be a writer to publish a book, writing is definitely a skill that's in high demand right now. From billboards to websites, blogs, and emails, you have tons of options when it comes to offering freelance writing services.
You can start freelance writing or blogging with as little as a few hours per week and eventually build up to full-time hours.
Blogging income comes from ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and product sales, which can fluctuate based on traffic and engagement. Other types of writing can typically be charged on a per-hour or per-project basis.
Earnings for writers/bloggers vary quite a bit:
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Travel planning involves creating itineraries and arranging trips for others. Good organization and budgeting skills are a must (two superpowers a lot of moms have, let's be honest!)
You'll need to dedicate time to researching destinations, booking accommodations, and creating travel itineraries tailored to your client's preferences.
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Creating personalized apparel is a fun creative outlet for a lot of moms and a great way to generate income from home.
Initial setup:
Ongoing:
Income for custom T-shirt businesses will depend on things like order volume, shirt quality, and whether you outsource any of the process to other graphic designers.
As a super general guide, you can turn a profit anywhere from $10 to $40+ per clothing item, with handmade pieces bringing in double or even triple that rate.
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Transcription involves converting speech into written text for things like TV shows, movies, YouTube videos, and more!
Jobs can range from short audio clips to longer projects. Depending on whether you're a contractor or a regular employee, you get to control your schedule, choosing how many hours per week you dedicate to transcription work.
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If you're fluent in more than one language, offering translation services could be a profitable side hustle.
Translation tasks can range from small, one-time projects to ongoing projects with regular deadlines.
Languages with High Demand:
Less Common Languages:
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Virtual Assistants provide administrative services remotely, while Executive Assistants might also take over certain personal tasks, such as scheduling grocery deliveries, booking medical appointments, and shopping for employee appreciation gifts.
Beginner: $10 - $15
Intermediate: $16 - $30
Advanced: $30+
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Babysitting is a flexible and rewarding side hustle that can align well with your schedule, especially if you’re already caring for your own children.
Income for babysitting depends on several factors, including your location, experience, and the number of children you're watching. On average, babysitters earn $15 to $25 per hour across the US.
Additional certifications, such as CPR and first aid training, can increase your rates.
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Most side hustle blogs talk about taking surveys as a way to earn some extra cash on your own schedule. This probably won't make you a millionaire but might help you in a pinch.
You can spend as little as a few minutes to about an hour daily.
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Online tutoring or teaching is a flexible way for you to share your expertise with students of all ages while working from home.
If you decide to offer online tutoring services, your income can vary depending on factors such as the subject you teach, your qualifications, and the platform you use.
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Renting out a room in your home can be a lucrative way to earn extra income, but it's definitely not viable for every family.
Renting out a room involves initial preparations, such as cleaning and possibly furnishing the room.
You will need to:
Typical monthly income ranges:
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As a stay-at-home mom, editing podcasts can be a decent side hustle that lets you work at your own pace.
Minimum Hours per Week: 5+ hours
Maximum Hours per Week: 40+ hours
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Affiliate marketing offers you a flexible way to earn income by promoting products or services and earning a commission from sales made through your referral.
Depending on your dedication and strategy, the time you invest in affiliate marketing can range from a few hours a week to a full-time effort. Initially, you'll spend the most time learning the basics and setting up your affiliate links.
You can earn anywhere from $50/month to $5,000+/month.
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Etsy is obviously the biggest craft platform out there, but there are tons of other options for selling things like pottery, jewelry, quilts, photography prints, and more!
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Gardening is an age-old hobby, which means it's not going anywhere! Why not turn your green thumb into some extra cash? You can make money by sharing advice, offering Done-for-You planting services, or selling plant propagations.
You might choose to spend 10-20 hours per week answering questions online or conducting home visits. As your client base grows, you may find opportunities to expand to a full-time workload.
For initial consultations, you could charge between $50 to $100 per hour.
For ongoing garden management or larger projects, fees might range from $200 to $1,000+ per project.
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Offering car cleaning services allows you to maintain a flexible schedule while capitalizing on a consistent need in your community. It might not be glamorous, but there's a bigger market for it than you might think.
Typical car cleaning takes 1–3 hours per vehicle, depending on the service level provided. Depending on the number of clients you find, you'll also need to set aside a few hours each week for administrative tasks.
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Creating and selling online courses can be a flexible way to generate income while sharing your knowledge and skills with others on just about anything you could think of (i.e., How to Become a Social Media Manager, How to Do a Backflip, How to Train a Dog, etc.)
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Investing in real estate through third parties like Arrived Homes can be an attractive side hustle for stay-at-home moms interested in potentially generating passive income. This platform allows you to invest in rental properties with a lower financial barrier to entry compared to traditional real estate investments.
This is definitely a newer side hustle on the market, so it's hard to say whether it's worth it or not just yet, but it's definitely an option that could offer stay-at-home parents a lot of flexibility.
With real estate investment apps, the time commitment is minimal. Once you invest, the platform manages the properties, which means you spend little time on tasks such as maintenance or tenant management.
Earnings from these investments come from:
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You don't have to do a ton of research to know that stores like Shein are making billions of dollars in the clothing industry. Whether clients are too busy to shop for themselves or just not sure what to buy, your expertise can guide them to fashion solutions that suit their style, budget, and needs.
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Personal and career coaching also offers flexibility and opportunity for income depending on your expertise and ability to find clients.
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Web development is a versatile side hustle that involves creating and maintaining websites for clients. You can also add additional services like UX and UI.
To become proficient in web development, you should be prepared to dedicate at least 10-20 hours per week to learning and practicing your coding skills. The time commitment for client projects can vary quite a bit depending on project complexity and your coding efficiency.
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As a personal chef or offering meal prep services to local businesses, you get to help clients who might not have the skills or time to cook for themselves.
You can choose to operate part-time or scale to a full-time business.
Don't forget to factor in all the other related work, too!
Income varies based on location, service offerings, and client base.
You can charge per hour ($25/hr or more) or per meal ($15/meal or more).
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Creating visual content for clients can be a great way to turn your graphic design skills into a thriving side hustle.
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This opportunity taps into your vocal talents and creativity, offering a fun and engaging way to earn money from home.
Starting out in voice-over work typically involves creating a demo, setting up a home studio, and auditioning for roles. Depending on the work you secure, your time commitment can range from a few hours per week to full-time hours.
Average Hourly Rate:
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As a stay-at-home mom, you can turn your unique perspective and interests into content that resonates with others (and pays you).
This is one of those side hustles that takes time before you start reaping the rewards.
Initially, you should expect to spend about 10 hours per week setting up your blog, which includes choosing a niche, planning content, and learning the basics of SEO.
Once you've established a solid base, your blog may require more time to create content, engage with your audience, and implement other monetization strategies (like affiliate links, ads, etc.)
Early Stages: $0 - $500/month (mostly from ads)
Mid Stages: $500 - $2,000/month (ads and affiliates)
Established Stages: $2,000+/month (multiples streams: ads, affiliates, products, services)
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Virtual bookkeeping or accounting is a viable side hustle for stay-at-home moms who are good with numbers and organization. Reputable platforms for finding legitimate data entry jobs include FlexJobs and ZipRecruiter.
Initially, you may spend:
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Event planning or coordination can be a great way to channel your organizational skills into a profitable side hustle.
Initially, you could spend anywhere from 5 to 15 hours a week on smaller events.
Larger, more complex events or an increase in clientele may require more hours.
Beginner: $15 to $30 per hour or a flat rate per event
Experienced: $50 an hour or more
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Creating standardized test content can be a smart opportunity if you've built up expertise in a particular subject.
Typically, projects may require 5-15 hours per week.
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Subscription boxes like Barkbox (for dogs) and Smashbox (for beauty lovers) have taken off over the past decade. Launching a subscription box service lets you cater to a niche market and satisfy specific consumer interests. The trick here is to differentiate your product to make it stand out in an already crowded market.
Starting a subscription box service demands significant upfront time investment.
You’ll need to:
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Not quite what you were looking for?
Here are 10 more side hustle ideas for making extra money online, rapid-fire style.
To make an additional $500 a month, consider freelance writing for blogs, managing a social media presence for small businesses, offering photography services, or self-publishing. Platforms like Upwork constantly list new gigs, but they go quickly!
When was the last time a side hustle accidentally made you $1k?
$2,000 won't just poof into your bank account and will involve more consistent work. Starting a home daycare, becoming a remote customer service representative, building a craft business on Etsy, or building your own publishing business are all great options. These roles often require more dedicated hours upfront but offer higher earning potential in return.
All good things take time!
Ed didn't just create and sell a publishing business for over $100k overnight. It took years, but eventually, he was able to completely outmatch his previous $20k salary from publishing alone.
Once upon a time, there was a side hustle for stay-at-home moms that let them...
Hint: it's self-publishing, and we have proof!
You are formally invited to attend our totally free webinar and discover the secrets to starting your self-publishing business (yes, even as a total beginner, even with zero experience, and yes, even as a busy mom!).
