When my husband and I decided to take the very uncertain leap toward a one-income household, it was one of the most exhilarating, albeit SCARY, moves in our adventure together. At that time, making money from home with side hustles wasn’t something I had even entertained.
Just a hop, skip, and a jump later, we had three kiddos, and money was tight. I knew I had to do something to prevent my kids from going to daycare and me from returning to a career I no longer liked.
When my desire to balance making money with being a stay-at-home mom became more of a “must” than an “I’d like to,” I quickly discovered how easy it was to make money while the kids were in tow.
If you’re looking to make money at home while your little one is napping, playing, or at any point during your day, below is an awesome list of 24 legit side hustles moms like you can dive right into, all from the comfort of your home!
1. AI Side Hustle
This next side hustle is easy, but it requires attention to detail, research, and excellent writing skills. If you have those qualities, you can make $20 or more per hour on DataAnnotation Tech. With this platform, you’ll help train AI tools by reading different passages and labeling them as helpful or not. While this sounds easy, you’ll need to read and research very carefully to ensure that all of the information is correct, helpful, and non-harmful.
DataAnnotation Tech first requires a detailed assessment that takes about 40 minutes. If you pass that, you’ll be invited to take their qualification test. This test will take approximately one hour to complete, and you’ll find out in a few days if you pass.
If you pass, you can work whenever you want and earn $20 per hour, paid via PayPal. DataAnnotation Tech accepts users from the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
You can learn about other companies that hire AI trainers here.
2. Blogging
Want to get paid for writing about something you’re passionate about? Starting a blog is an awesome way to begin your journey toward making some serious money. Getting your blog up and running takes a little time, and monetizing it just takes a few steps. From getting sponsored posts to affiliate links and more, you can start making money from your passion with just a little research and time.
3. Bookkeeping Side Hustle
Many people take on bookkeeping duties for their church, PTO, Girl Scout troop, or family business. If you have bookkeeping experience or an accounting or finance degree and enjoy working with numbers, there are many ways to make money from this valuable skill. With bookkeeping, you can focus solely on bookkeeping duties, or you can branch out into an administrative assistant role where you work on a wide variety of tasks.
If you’re interested in earning money with a bookkeeping side hustle, check out these companies:
If this side hustle sounds appealing but you don’t have the education or skills, check out Bookkeepers.com’s free training to learn more about running a bookkeeping business from home.
4. Cambly
As a stay-at-home mama, sometimes you just want to have a conversation with another adult. What if you could get paid to talk with other adults from around the world? Cambly is an online English teaching and tutoring platform that connects you to individuals who are learning English. This side hustle is a great way to connect with others and make money in your spare time. With Cambly, you can create your own schedule, work from anywhere in the world, and you’ll get paid weekly as an independent contractor. No experience is required for this side hustle, but you must be a native English speaker.
Cambly hires in all states except California.
5. Clothing Reseller
The moment my kids started to grow out of their infant clothes, I found myself with bins and bins of barely worn clothing. If you have kids, you’ve got stuff to sell. Selling your kids’ clothing is a legitimate side hustle that doesn’t have to stop with your own family! Stretch this money-making side hustle even further by asking neighbors and friends if they have items they want to get rid of, too! Or do as Melissa and Rob do: flip flea-market, thrift-store, and garage-sale finds on eBay. On average, they earn $100k annually with this side hustle idea!
Legit online selling platforms and thrift stores:
6. Content Creation
Blogging isn’t the only way to make money from content creation. Whether you like to write, take photos, create videos, or talk, there is a platform for your content.
To get started, decide on a niche (food, beauty, travel, lifestyle, personal finance, education, etc.) and jot down some ideas for content that you could create. Your list should ideally be 50-100 ideas. If you struggle to come up with ideas, it might not be the ideal niche for you; keep researching. Once you have your niche nailed down, come up with a creative content creation name, and choose which platforms you’ll create content for.
Here are just some of the platforms you can create content for:
Once you’ve created your accounts, start creating content. Don’t worry about special equipment; you can use your smartphone to create your content. Once you have content, you can start adding monetization methods such as UGC, affiliate marketing, brand deals, selling courses and merch, creator funds, advertising, and more.
Not only is content creation a fun side hustle, but it also allows you to set your own hours and make extra income in ways that feel good to you.
7. Create an Online Course
Creating an online course may sound intimidating, but it’s easier than you think. The first step is to come up with a course idea. Take some time to brainstorm ideas, thinking about your skills, passions, hobbies, topics that you can talk non-stop about, problems you have solved, and topics other people want to pick your brain about.
Once you have your list, select the topics that stand out and create a course outline. Your outline should include information about you, why you’re the right person to teach this skill, and how the course is structured. Then, it should go into lessons/modules for teaching subject matter. If creating a course feels too overwhelming, you can always start with a simple ebook instead.
Once you have the course content written and filmed, you’ll choose a platform to host the course and then upload the content. With online platforms like Skillshare and Udemy, you have a built-in audience of potential buyers, but these platforms will take a cut of your profits. If you choose a paid platform like ThriveCart, you’ll pay a one-time fee but gain more control over your business and earnings.
One mom who has found success in a side hustle selling ebooks, courses, and printables is Suzi Whitford. Since Suzi began her journey in 2016, she and her husband have launched over 200,00 digital products, earning them 5 million in passive income. If you’re curious about her process, she provides step-by-step guidance here on how she wrote an ebook in 30 days with a three-month-old and a toddler in tow.
8. Etsy Seller
Do you have a knack for creating one-of-a-kind arts and crafts? Are you known for your sewing skills? Then use your creative talent to start selling products on a platform like Etsy.
With Etsy, just create an account and fill out your seller profile. Then take high-quality photos of your products from multiple angles and upload them to the site, along with an SEO-friendly description. Lastly determine how much to charge for your products, remember to include the cost of materials, shipping supplies, your time, self-employement taxes, and the $0.20 per listing fee.
Once an item sells, you’ll need to ship it to your customer, and Etsy will deduct a small processing fee from the total amount.
Not sure what you can sell on Etsy? Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
- 3D Printed Items
- Coffee Mugs
- Cricut Crafts
- Home Decor
- Clothing and Shoes
- Jewelry and Accessories
- Laser-Cut Crafts
- Printables
- Soap
- Vintage Items
- Craft Supplies
- Toys
9. Freelance Writer
Do you love to write? Freelance writing is an excellent way to earn some serious side hustle cash. With online businesses on the rise, the need for freelance writers is increasing, and it’s not just in the blogging industry.
Some other examples of ways to grab yourself a freelance writing gig include:
- Advertising copy
- Ghostwriting
- Grant writing
- Proposal writing
- Recipe writer
- Resume writing
- Technical writing
- Travel writing
- Video and podcast scripts
With so many freelance writing opportunities, you’re bound to land one or more gigs! You can check out FlexJobs, Problogger, Upwork, or other job boards that regularly post legitimate freelance writing jobs.
10. Graphic Design Work
Are you skilled at using software like Photoshop or Canva? Are you looking for a side hustle that allows you to be creative and make money at the same time? Then, look into graphic design work. There are projects for all levels of designers, such as creating logos, social media graphics, templates, brochures, slideshows, patterns, fonts, printables, and so much more.
If you’re more artistic, you can create illustrations, patterns, emojis, or avatars. For those who are more advanced on the tech side, you can create websites, WordPress themes, or landing page templates. The options for you to make money with your graphic design skills are endless.
With this side hustle, you can choose to work directly with clients using a platform like Dribbble or Fiverr. You can sell templates, images, fonts, and patterns on sites like Creative Market or Etsy. Or join a POD (print-on-demand) company like Patternbank, Spring, or Spreadshirt, and upload your designs to T-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, and more.
11. Make Deliveries for Restaurants, Grocery Stores, and MORE
With more consumers relying on delivery services, businesses like Uber Eats, Lyft, and Amazon Flex need independent contractors like you! You can deliver everything from groceries, craft supplies, alcohol, people, and everyday items from your favorite stores!
Here’s a quick list of companies to explore:
Check out this post for more ways to make money with your car!
12. Microtasks
Microtasks are a great way to earn money in short spurts! A micro-task site like CrowdGen by Appen offers a wide variety of tasks you can choose from to make money. From becoming a mystery shopper to proofreading to taking pictures and text creation, there are several ways you can make some extra cash quickly with any of these microtasks!
Here are some other microtask platforms to explore:
13. Online Tutoring
If you’re a former teacher, a current college student, or have expertise in a particular subject like Spanish, math, or English, you can start a tutoring side hustle! With this idea, you can start a tutoring business from scratch, offering online or in-home sessions. Or use an online marketplace, like Course Hero or Studypool. With these platforms, you’ll work as an independent contractor, choosing your own work hours and tutoring students in a specific subject via webcam, email, or text. To make money with this side hustle, you’ll need to prove your expertise in the desired subject area.
Here is what you can earn as an online tutor:
- BookNook – $20 per hour
- Course Hero – Earn up to $1,500 a month
- Studypool – Top tutors can earn $7,500 a month
14. Pet Sitting and Dog Walk
If you love animals, you can easily make money as a pet sitter. With platforms like Rover, Wag, and Care.com, you can connect with pet owners who need your services. You can offer everything from drop-in visits and dog walking to overnight stays in your home. With this side hustle, you can work it in between school pick-up and drop-off or include your kids and teach them some valuable skills along the way.
One of my friends has become so invested in this side gig that she now has repeat customers and dog-sits at her house! Either way, this little side hustle is a fun, flexible way to earn extra cash.
15. Photography
I’m currently holding over 27,000 pictures on my iPhone. I didn’t think that was possible until my little girl spied the image count the other day.
If you’re like me and love taking pictures, you’re in luck with this side hustle.
Stock photo companies, such as Shutterstock and Dreamstime, are looking for images to sell to their clients. What’s even better is that you don’t need to be a professional photographer to submit pics, either!
If you can provide high-quality images with good lighting and composition, you can make good money selling those images online. You don’t even need a website to do so!
Expectations vary by company, but if you’re like me and use only your smartphone for pictures, you’ll want to choose those companies that have an app to make the work even easier.
Take a look at all of these companies for various ways of scoring side hustle cash on your photos!
16. Proofreader
Want to help others with their writing? Proofreading is a necessary task that many businesses simply don’t have the time to complete. Becoming an online proofreader is a great side hustle for moms, as it really only requires your ability to identify and correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes. Like many of these legit side jobs, it can be done at any point during your day!
Here’s a list of sites hiring proofreaders like you:
17. Rent Out Your Stuff
With platforms like Airbnb, renting stuff that you’re not using has become a popular way to make extra money on the side. While you can rent out your entire house or a room, you can also rent things like sports equipment, your car, driveway, RV, boat, pool, clothing, and so much more!
How much you can earn with this side hustle all depends on the number of items you have, their function, and the length of time. Renting your house, RV, boat, or car is going to generate more money than renting out your surfboard and bike. Other things you need to consider with this idea are the potential wear and tear on your item and the additional cost of renters’ insurance.
If you like this side hustle idea but don’t want to rent out your personal things, you can start a rental business with used items you no longer need. One company that helps people start a baby equipment rental business is BabyQuip. With this business model, they connect you to people who need baby equipment while traveling. According to the BabyQuip website, this is the second most lucrative side hustle next to Airbnb, with top providers earning over $10,000 a month!
Explore this post for more ways to make money renting your stuff online!
18. Search Engine Evaluator
Becoming a search engine evaluator isn’t as technical as it may sound. Believe it or not, search engines need to ensure that their sites are up-to-date with providing their users with the best experience.
This is where you’ll come in to check out websites and rate them according to guidelines passed on by Google and the like. You’ll perform these evaluations to ensure that you, as a user, find the information you’re searching for on any given topic. To become a search engine evaluator, you should have a basic understanding of what a search engine (like Google) does, and you’ll need your own computer.
Some awesome companies that hire search engine evaluators include:
19. Social Media Manager
Are you a skilled marketer, influencer, or blogger? Then, take your social media marketing skills and start earning money from home. With social media, there are many areas you can focus on, such as account setup, content writing, video creation, moderation, customer service, SEO, paid ad campaigns, and more. You can also specialize in a specific social media platform, such as TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter (X), YouTube, LinkedIn, and more!
Kristin Larsen, a blogger, became so successful at using Pinterest that she started offering Pinterest virtual assistant (VA) services to other business owners. Today, she teaches others how to start their own Pinterest VA side hustle in her course, Become a Pinterest VA Today.
If you’re not interested in starting your own business, you can check out the following companies for part-time social media gigs:
20. Surveys
Want another fun and quick way to earn money from home? Completing surveys for cash or gift cards is an easy way to do so without leaving the comfort of your home!
Here are a few legit survey sites we love:
21. Test Websites and Apps
Do you have a love for all things on the internet? As an online business, ensuring that your website is organized, easy to navigate, and overall user-friendly can make or break a company. This is where you come in as a website tester.
Making money from home with this side hustle is fairly easy and doesn’t require many resources. You should:
- Be tech-savvy
- Have a computer with a webcam and a microphone
- Reliable internet access
- Detail-oriented
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Most tests can be completed within minutes, which is perfect for those of you with little ones who nap sporadically!
Here’s a list of sites that will pay you for your review of their site:
22. Transcription Side Hustle
Becoming a transcriptionist is a great way to make stay-at-home cash. As a transcriptionist, you’ll listen to audio or video clips and transcribe them into text. Many transcription jobs are flexible with timing, but check their descriptions to ensure they fit your schedule. You’ll need to take a brief typing test to qualify for gigs.
Here are some great options to explore when looking for transcription work:
23. Virtual Assistant
With a boom in online companies, both big and small, many entrepreneurs are finding themselves inundated with the day-to-day dealings of running a successful online business. This is where you step in to help.
As a virtual assistant, you’ll be able to set your own schedule, determine which tasks you want to take on, and set your own pay scale. Some tasks you might choose to take on for companies include (but aren’t limited to:
- Email communications
- Scheduling meetings
- Making appointments
- Booking travel
- Writing
- Bookkeeping
Finding companies that are hiring virtual assistants is also fairly simple. Here are some places to check out for virtual assistant gigs:
Aside from these companies, you can also join Facebook groups that post jobs weekly and job board sites such as FlexJobs!
24. YouTube Channel
This is the perfect side hustle for people who love to shoot videos!
While it takes some time to build up your audience and watch hours (you need at least 500 subscribers and 3,000 hours of watch time to qualify for ad monetization), there are many perks to starting a YouTube channel.
Benefits include low to no startup costs, as you only need a smartphone with a camera, an online editing app, an internet connection, and some creative ideas.
You can also work in any niche you love, from cooking, music, and beauty to DIY tutorials for crafts, fixing things, and so much more!
And if you want to make this your full-time job, it is possible.
Many creators earn six or even seven figures just from creating YouTube videos. Be sure to check out this interview with Judy Travis. She earns millions annually from her makeup and parenting videos on YouTube.
Another perk of being a content creator on YouTube is that you can monetize your videos in many different ways, such as video ads, affiliate marketing, brand sponsorships, product sales, Patreon memberships, and more!
For tips on getting started on YouTube, check out this informative article!
Best Side Hustles Wrapup
Whether your kids are at school, learning from home, or are still on a nap schedule, there are so many legit side jobs for moms. Just a simple search on this website will give you a ton of leads that you can easily start earning money from while balancing the little ones. The best part is that one of these little side hustles could lead to an even greater money-making opportunity, just like it did for me!
Hello,
I want to open my YouTube channel, how do I go about that?
Hi Sunday,
We have a step-by-step tutorial here:
https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/start-a-youtube-channel/
Hello,
I design vases with a bling and they are beautiful. How do I get started to selling them.. I invest time and love into each of them. I would appreciate some feedback.
Thanks
Hi Lisa,
Here is how to get started selling on Etsy:
https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/how-to-start-an-etsy-shop/
Here are some tips for being successful:
https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/be-successful-on-etsy/
All the best with your business!