Find the best extra income ideas for working moms here.
Thanks to the availability of jobs on the Internet, making extra cash in your spare time is easier than ever.
If you’re a working mom who wants to make some extra cash, there are plenty of options out there, even if you’re strapped for time. However, as someone who’s already busy juggling work and kids, you need something that’s both flexible and easy to do.
All the lists that tell you to do things like babysit or drive Uber for extra cash, aren’t really going to apply to you. I get that! That’s why I’ve put together this list of side hustles for working moms.
Everything you see here you can do in your spare time — even if you have kids and a full-time job. There’s also a lot of variety here, so hopefully there’s something for everyone.
Browse the list below for ways you can make extra cash from home.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
1) Freelance Writing
Earning potential: thousands per month
Freelance writing is the best side hustle for working moms because it is totally flexible. Typically, it doesn’t matter if you do your work at 2 pm or 2 am; as long as you’re able to meet your deadline, you’re free to work whenever you wish.
Worried because you weren’t a stellar writer back in high school? Don’t be. These days, a lot of the writing jobs you find online prefer that you take a more conversational tone. As long as you can write like you speak, you’ll find clients who will be happy to have you.
What exactly does a freelance writer do? Here’s just a sampling of the types of jobs you can find:
- Blog posts
- Long-web articles
- Product descriptions
- Product manuals
- Reviews
- How-to guides
- About me pages
- Technical documents
- Ebooks
- Marketing materials
2) Freelance Social Media Manager
Earning potential: thousands per month
(according to PayScale, a full-time in-house social media manager makes an average of $52,000 per year. This is a lucrative job you could do part-time for several companies!)
Do you have some extra time you can spend online? If so, you could make money as a freelance social media manager.
This means that you would manage social media platforms for businesses and entrepreneurs.
In order to compete and win clients, every brand needs a profile on places like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but it can be hard for these businesses to constantly connect with clients online and make sure that their profile is up-to-date.
The job of a social media manager is to maintain an active social media presence on the part of the business. This means regularly scheduling posts and periodically answering messages or questions.
Don’t worry – this job doesn’t mean you need to be online 24/7. There are lots of scheduling tools you can use to prepare posts and tweets in advance. You set up the posts when you have time, and then you don’t have to work about it once you’re doing other things.
This job is ideal for working moms because you use scheduling tools to make the job a lot easier.
3) Start a Blog or Website
Earning potential: thousands per month
A blog is an ideal way to make some extra cash. It’s perfect for working moms because you don’t have to answer to anyone else – just yourself. This leaves you free to do things on your own time.
Now, the one downside to this side hustle is that it does take some time to get going. You can’t expect to make money overnight.
But, if you work hard at it, over time you will gain traction and the payoff can be huge. Many bloggers make thousands of dollars per month. It’s all about picking the right topic and finding ways to connect with your audience.
Intrigued? Suzi at Start a Mom Blog spells it all out for moms who want to start earning this way, and I love how down-to-earth and approachable she is. If you want to learn more about making money with a blog, I highly recommend that you check her out here.
4) Take Surveys
Earning potential: several dollars per survey
If you’re only looking to make some extra cash here and there, surveys might be more your speed.
Surveys are used by consumer groups and brands to get a feel on spending habits, trends, and likes. They generally only take a few minutes each, but can be done easily from either your computer or your phone.
There are a lot of survey companies out there, but one of the ones I like best is called Survey Junkie. I like them because they usually compensate better some of their competitors, and they work hard to match you with surveys that fit your profile. Plus, you get points from them just by signing up.
I’ll be honest – using surveys to make extra cash won’t get you a lot of money. In fact, it’s probably the lowest-paying option on here. But the thing I love about them is that they are usually pretty fun and easy-to-do, plus they’re a great way to use up the free spurts of time in your day to make a few extra dollars. If you do a lot of waiting around in doctor’s offices, pickup lines, or soccer practice, you might as well get paid for it.
Sign up with Survey Junkie, and then check out this post where I list some other reliable places you can get paid to take surveys.
5) Write an ebook
Earning potential: hundreds per month
Writing an ebook is a fun side hustle you can definitely do in your spare time.
These days, writing a book does not mean that you need to run out and find a publisher to put your words in print. You can actually self-publish and make your book available as an eBook or Kindle.
If you choose to go the eBook route, you need a platform or place to sell (like a blog) and do all your marketing yourself. This is a bit more work than selling on Amazon, which makes it easy for anyone to upload and sell a Kindle book.
You still need to do a lot of marketing if you sell on Amazon, but in the end it’s easier to get your work in front of a lot more eyes.
6) Sell on Etsy
Earning potential: hundreds per month, or more
If you have a craft or a hobby you love doing in your spare time, you can actually make money with it selling on Etsy.
Lots of moms are successful selling on Etsy. The beauty of this platform is that there is a huge audience, and there is a big market for handmade creations. Whether you like knitting, sewing, crocheting, ceramics, painting, or something else, you have the chance to make hundreds of dollars per month selling your goods.
It isn’t a surefire way to earn – you need to take excellent pictures and know how to market your products. But the opportunity is there to make this an big business opportunity for you.
This is ideal for working moms because it’s something you can totally do in your free time, and the job is all about working for yourself, which means you don’t need to keep up with someone else’s timetable.
7) Flip Furniture
Earning potential: hundreds or thousands per month
Mamas with a creative streak might enjoy refurbishing furniture and then selling it locally.
Believe it or not, some people make thousands of dollars per month flipping furniture. If you’re a busy working mom you might not make quite that much with this side hustle, but there is still the potential to make a good deal of extra cash.
In order to be successful as a furniture flipper you have to be willing to scour yard sales and thrift stores, and you must have a good eye for a solid piece of furniture.
You then need to have the vision for how to turn that furniture into a beautiful piece that people will want in their homes. Often that means doing things like putting on a fresh coat of paint, adding upholstery, or swapping out hardware.
This is something you definitely need to have an eye for, but if you have the talent it’s easy to make a profit.
READ: How to Flip Items for Profit: An Easy Guide to Buying and Selling
8) Start a Photography Business
Earning potential: Varies / several hundred dollars per hour depending on experience and type of job
Are you a mom who loves to take pictures?
Photography is an ideal side hustle for working moms because it’s something you can completely work into your schedule. Plus, with the technology out there now it’s not hard to become a pro, especially if you have a knack for taking beautiful pics.
Aren’t sure what kind of photography to get into? Wedding photography is always very popular, but the long hours might be tough for a mom with kids at home. Instead, try something like family, pregnancy, or real estate photography.
These are generally shorter jobs, which means you won’t be gone from your family all day, and you can work on things like editing and delivering the photos when you have spare time.
Big photoshoots aren’t the only way to make money with your photos. There are also places online where you can sell your photographs for regular royalties. Check out my list here for more ideas.
9) Tutoring
Earning potential: Average of $20 – $60 per hour
If you work a regular 9-5 and have some extra free time in the evenings or on the weekends, you could use that time to make some extra cash tutoring.
The great thing about tutoring is that you don’t need to leave your house to do it. In fact, there are multiple ways for you to make money tutoring online.
One popular form of tutoring is by teaching English online. In most cases, you’ll teach English to foreign students in real-time. There are several companies that are known for this kind of work, including VIPKid and Magic Ears.
Alternatively, you could opt to tutor a subject like math or reading. If you specialize in a certain field, this could be your time to shine. There are companies that help set up students with clients, but you might expect one of these to control how much you make or take a cut of your pay.
If you have a good network, you could also advertise on your own and set up video chats to tutor students that you find privately. This is the best way to make the most money from your tutoring side hustle.
READ: The Best Online Tutoring Jobs From Home: 10 Companies That Will Pay You to Teach From Your Computer
10) Work as a Consultant
If you’re looking for a side hustle, one thing you may want to consider is whether or not there’s a way to use your current career to make extra cash.
Some people find great success working as a consultant in whatever field they specialize in. If you have professional insight or special expertise in something like business development, content creation, web design, managment, or IT (just to name a few), you could work as a freelance consultant.
As a freelance consultant, you’d offer insight or advice to others who may need some guidance, but don’t have the means or necessity to hire a full-time employee in-house. Often, this work is easy enough to do by scheduling a phone call or video chat, and you can get paid handsomely for your time.
To get started, create a website for yourself and start networking with others. Once you score those first few clients, make sure to use their positive feedback to further bill yourself as an expert in your field.
A Few Notes on These Side Hustles When You’re Working Full Time
Not all side hustles are the same, but this list is a good place to start. Keep in mind that the income expectations I list here are very broad generalizations.
For instance, many bloggers make thousands of dollars per month and that’s a totally achievable goal, but there are also very many who do not make that much.
The same philosophy holds true for things like writing an ebook or even working as a consultant. All these side hustle methods take time to build up, but they can be extremely profitable in the long run.
If you need to make decent money right away, your best bet would be to do something like freelance writing or tutoring. As soon as you start working for clients, you’ll be able to get paid, so if you need cash in your wallet asap this is the way to go.
Looking for more side hustle ideas? Check out some of my top articles for inspiration:
