Earn money at home! How many times have you seen that particular ad in the back of the National Enquirer or some other classified ad?
I gave up a well paying career 20 years ago to become a stay at home mom, although never lost interest in making money. Maddeningly, my career wasn’t the type that could be done from a home office. Instead, of giving up, I took a long look at my lifetime of experience in all sorts of other tasks; many which could be adapted into a career suitable for a stay at home mom.
So what kind of jobs are available for stay at home mom? There’s more than you might think. Here a some ways in which my friends and I have managed to contribute to our family income:
Yep, part of being a mother is that you get really good at caring for children. Many of my friends provide child care for a couple of infants, which brings in anywhere from $600-1000 a month. While I like my own babies, watching someone else’s infant wasn’t as interesting to me. Instead, I put my years of hospital nursing experience to good use and only cared for children who were sick and couldn’t go to their regular daycare or school. Average salary, $3-5 an hour.
Bookkeeping
Most mothers are great at balancing the checkbook and managing household accounts; some of us we even prepare our household tax forms. Are you adept with money management? Providing a home bookkeeping service is a great way to earn money. Small non profits, irrigation districts, charities, are some of the businesses that typically use part time bookkeeping help. Average salary $10-12 hour.
Alterations & Sewing
Several of my friends make wonderful incomes by designing and sewing custom clothing, accessories, wedding dresses and draperies. Got a great pattern for a fabric tote or warm infant hoodies? Whip up a selection and sell them exclusively at a downtown boutique. Average salary $500-2000 a month.
Crafting
Making money from crafts is a hard market to tap into. Those who are interested in different types of crafting projects are ordinarily the types who would do-it-yourself anyway. Find a niche that stands out from the run of the mill artsy craftsy fare. Holiday bazaars and art fairs are usually the best place to sell items such as these. The women at our church tell me they earn anywhere between $250 to $1500 for a 2 day bazaar.
eBay
Who hasn’t heard of this on-line market? If you are a collector who has expertise in a certain line of merchandise, why not develop an on-line eBay store? Shop thrift stores, yard sales, and estate auctions for stuff to sell, but stick to a line of merchandise that is profitable.
Working a 60 hour week can easily net you $30,000 a year ~ but for those of us who only have 10 hours or so a week to put into this, earnings of $500-$1000 a month is not impossible.
Custom cake decorating
One of my friends turned her gift of cake decorating into a custom wedding cake business. She makes and decorates lovely wedding cakes from home, netting between $250-300 per cake.
Teach classes
Do you have a special skill you can teach? Why not hold weekly classes in your garage for painting, paper making, scrap booking, ceramics, or other art projects. One of my neighbors earns $400 a month giving weekly painting classes to a group of 10 ladies.
Property management
Some states require a real estate license, while others don’t. Property management is a perfect job for the stay at home mom, especially when dealing with upper end property. Property managers place “for rent” ads, show vacant property, screen prospective tenants, coordinate repairs, and manage the rent check in exchange for a 10% commission on rents collected.
Growing vegetables
Organic, locally grown produce is a hot commodity at many farmer’s markets. Why not take an unused corner of the yard, and harvest a crop of specialty gourmet herbs and vegetables? Check out the existing competition and plant something that’s totally different and exotic. Average income, who knows? Some of the backyard farmers in our community can net as much as $5000 during harvest time.
Writing
Writing is another great job for the stay at home moms. We can write about our real life experiences, research a topic that interests us, or write product reviews. Possible places to search for beginning writing jobs are at your local newspaper or alternative community weeklies, family magazines and professional journals. For online writing opportunities, there’s places such as Gather, Helium, Constant Comment, Hub Pages and my favorite, Associated Content.
Creating a niche job for yourself isn’t as hard as it looks. It begins with a close look at the skills you have to offer, deciding on a specific job opportunity and self promoting your skills with a portfolio of sample work. Too shy to make cold calls? Tap into your personal network of friends, family, and school yard acquaintenances instead. These contacts are often the best possible resource for locating that perfect stay-at-home job.
