Side Hustles that Work Great for Moms

Side Hustles, part-time jobs, passion projects, side gig, extra income, whatever you call it. These days, everyone either has one, wants one, or knows they need one. I’ve made a living from being a freelancer and these days, I’ve taken up several ‘gigs’ as well. I used to be ashamed that I do these jobs. I’d duck in a supermarket if I was wearing my Shipt shirt. As I’ve gotten more confident, the shame of it is going away, well, at least it’s starting to. Because of these jobs, I’m able to make an income, while still staying at home with my daughter and that’s something to be proud of.

Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or a working mom looking for some supplemental income, a side hustle is always a great idea. Having a creative outlet and some money just for yourself makes you a happier person. It’s nice to get out and do something productive, while earning money at the same time. Sometimes, I enjoy doing my Shipt shops, just because it’s an excuse to get out of the house, sans baby. I thought I knew about everything out there. There’s some even I didn’t know about until I did more research. I’ll tell you about all of them out there in this article.

Here are some of the gig companies that you can work for. I’ve been my own boss as a freelancer for years, but I’ve really come to appreciate working for a company. You can work when you want and when you’re done, you’re done. Once you’re off the clock, there’s nothing to worry about and someone else is tasked with all the big thinking. You just carry out the job.

-Shipt/Instacart- You get paid to shop for other people’s groceries and deliver them to their house. I’m a big fan of Shipt. They pay better than Instacart and seem a little more professional. The pay is pretty good. You get $5-$20 per order from Shipt based on how big/expensive the order is and then any tips from the customer. It isn’t required that they tip, but most do. You’re not allowed to bring your kids to either position, but it works out well because their busiest times are Sundays and Monday nights, so my husband is able to stay with my daughter.

-DoorDash/Amazon Flex/Grub Hub/Waitr/Postmates etc- You pick up food from restaurants and deliver them to people. There’s a bunch of different services like this now, so find the one that’s in your area and is hiring. I do DoorDash on occasion. You’re allowed to bring your spouse/kids in this position, but I don’t feel comfortable doing it with just me and my daughter. Sometimes I’ll do it if Dustin is there so he can stay in the car with her during deliveries. It’s not a ton of money, but it also isn’t hard work either.

-Color Street- This is a fun business where you host online parties selling stick on nail polish. This is a really cool product and fun way to make some extra income. It’s $129 for a starter kit with tons of products and marketing materials.

-Usborne Books- A company where you sell adorable children’s books. I LOVE the products that Usborne has. By hosting parties and selling products you can earn money and free books for your kids. The average hosts receive about $300 in free and discounted books.

-Stella & Dot- Where you can host parties and sell really cute jewelry. Their jewelry is so cute and now they have skincare and other stuff in their line as well. I heard a talk from their founder. I love what she’s doing and how she’s empowering women. Start up costs begin at $99 and come with your website and free products.

-Rev- You transcribe audio messages. You’ll hear and audio or video clip and type out what is said. Some are easier than others to understand. I’ve done this some. The pay isn’t great and it required a lot of attention, so I didn’t keep up with it.

-Young Living Essential Oils- They sell so much more than just oils. They also have cleaning products, diffusers, soaps, vitamins and more. The company offers bonuses for signing up new members and offers a great commission for what you sell.

-Thirty-One Bags- Where you sell really great purses and organizational bags. There’s literally something for everyone. Start up kits start at $99 and come with tons of products and big discounts.

-VIP Kids- Teach English to kids in China- You have to have a bachelor’s degree, but it can be in any major. You’ll also need a computer with a webcam. Their site says you can earn up to $22/an hour.

-Surveys- I’ll list a few survey sites where you can earn money for providing your feedback:

- Intellizoom- I had almost given up on earning money here, but sure enough, I got some money in my PayPal account a few weeks later. Surveys go fast and you won’t qualify/get paid for all of them, but they do pay good amounts for them- $2-$5 per survey.

-My Points- I just signed up for this one, but I like how it’s laid out and that there are bonuses offered. Here's a referral link where you can earn more: https://www.mypoints.com?rb=67176738

-Swagbucks- Free $5 bonus offer when you sign up.

-Survey Junkie- Low $10 cashouts with PayPal.

-Inbox Dollars- Free $5 bonus with this link. https://www.inboxdollars.com/members/signup/landing28b-fff/0/0

If you’re a little creative and want to take more control over your business, then look into selling something. It may feel a little more natural to you because these are all things that your friends and family need and it’s something that you have a passion for. You can create a Facebook page to promote your new business or list it on Etsy.

-Create invitations- If you have know a little about graphic design and have a knack for putting colors together, you can create party invitations. And with how many birthday parties we go to a year, this seems like a smart move. You can use the free version of Canva without being out anything.

- Create personalized items made using a Circuit machine- Tired of wasting money buying cutesy things at Target? Make your own custom shirts, towels, and more and sell it to your friends. The Circut machine costs about $200 new or you could find one selling theirs on a resell page. After that, the possibilities of what you could make with it are endless.

-Make food/baked goods- If people rave about your desserts or meals, you could make a business out of it. You could sell anything from cakes, to cookies, to home baked meals.

-Repurpose furniture- You know that junky old furniture you see at garage sales? With a little sanding and a fresh coat of paint, you could transform it into something that people actually want. Fun fact: this is the side hustle that the character sequel to my book adopts and the one I secretly wish I could do.

-Publish a book on Amazon- If you want to follow in my footsteps, you can self-publish a book and sell it on Amazon. The entire process was pretty easy. I wrote it on Word, then edited it on KDP, and then filled out a little information and voila, it was available to be sold. Here’s a shameless plug for my book, Match Made in Motherhood, a novel about a lonely mom searching for friends.

Skills/Jobs you can do from home:

-Social Media/Marketing Consultant – This is what I’ve done most of my life. I have a degree in advertising and experience doing this for businesses. While you don’t need a degree in it, you do need experience. Offer to help someone for free while you get your footing. There are sites like Freeeup.com, Fiverr.com, and Upwork where you can find clients.

-Bookkeeper- I don’t know a lot about this option, except that I’ve heard it’s a good work from home position. If you’re organized and good with numbers, this could work for you.

-Writer/editor- I also have some experience in this sector. Businesses need people to write articles and blogs for them. If you’ve been told you’re a good writer, look into this. See the format of business blogs and read up on SEO keywords and the basics of WordPress. Editing is also a much-needed skill as well. You can edit anything from books to the blogs and articles that other people write.

-Graphic Design- Now maybe the very basics of this anyone can do, but this requires some real skill. I learned a little about it in college and I still can’t do very much. You can do a little using the free program Canva, but you’ll need the Adobe Creative Suite products to really be successful. Businesses are looking for anything from social media graphics to logos to be designed for them.

-Virtual Assistant- This is another area that I don’t know a lot about. If you’re super organized or have worked as an assistant in the past, this might be a good option for you. I think sites like upwork.com also hires Virtual Assistants and you may find these positions on job sites like Indeed.

-Babysitter- Babysitting isn’t just for high school and college girls. It can be a great side gig for stay-at-home moms. Since you’re already in baby mode, it won’t be that hard to add another kid into the mix. Moms will also love leaving their kids in your care because their kids will have a chance to be around other children. If this sounds appealing, put some feelers out and ask if your friends know of anyone looking or create a profile on care.com.

I hope one of these positions sparked your interest and you find something that keeps you occupied and makes you a few bucks. If you do it right, you can make a full-time income from doing one or more of these part time jobs. I came up with a pretty comprehensive list, but if you know of a great option that I missed, feel free to tell me about it.