Last updated on May 5th, 2019 at 04:45 am
Tired of not having enough money or just haven’t saved enough for retirement? I feel your pain, that’s one of the reasons that I’ve started looking for more ways to make an income from home.
*This page contains affiliate links to products I recommend. If you purchase something from this page, I may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you
If you have access to the Internet and a computer, there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t increase your income on a part-time basis using side hustles.
Ideas for Stay At Home Moms to Make Money
I’ve seen so many moms who want to stay at home with their kids. Heck, my niece has a 2-year old and she’s want to learn how to use the Internet to supplement her income.
I personally don’t have children, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy my time freedom. I started this blog in hopes of earning more, so I can save for retirement and have the freedom to do what I really enjoy.
It hasn’t always been easy, in fact, I started my entrepreneurial journey in 2009 and flopped several times. One of the things that I have learned since trying to reach my goals is that you need to pick a couple of methods and stick with it.
Nothing happens overnight, but with persistence, you can make your dreams come true. So, if you’re a stay at home mom or just want to supplement your income, you’re going to love these ideas that you can get started with today.
13 Proven Ways To Start Earning More Income From Home
#1 Start A Blog
My favorite way is to start a blog and write content on a regular basis to earn money. Yes, it’s totally possible to earn a side income from home, just by writing articles.
It’s hard to believe, but so many people including mothers and fathers have managed to earn money from a blog. You might have read someone’s income report and now you’re thinking that there’s no reason why you can’t do it.
Well, you’re right you can do it. I’ve created a step-by-step tutorial that will teach you how to set up a blog. You can literally be up and running in the next 5 – 10 minutes with your own little virtual real estate.
Once you’re done setting up your blog, it’s time to start writing amazing helpful content that is going to help your audience. Eventually, you can start monetizing and earning money.
It’s not as simple as it sounds, and it does have a little bit of a learning curve. If you’re completely new to blogging, then I highly recommend investing in this Beginner’s Blogging Course that will teach you the basics of what you need to know.
It’ll cut down on your learning curve and you’ll be able to earn a lot quicker. Of course, if you’re not ready to invest in your blogging education yet, then you can always scour the Internet for free information.
I have tons of blogging tips that will help you get started, without any investment.
#2 Become a Freelance Writer
If you have access to reliable Wi-Fi and a computer, you can offer your services and become a virtual assistant. By 2020 predictions show that 40% of the U.S. workforce will be made up of freelancers.
There is no better time than now to get a jumpstart on freelancing. One of the easiest ways to get started is to offer your services as a freelance writer. People who run blogs, business or any type of online website always need high-quality content.
It’s one of the easiest ways to learn how to earn extra income. I freelanced for a business owner here in my hometown for the past 3 years.
I did a little bit of everything from managing WordPress blogs, writing content, creating graphics, setting up WordPress sites and etc. It was extremely easy and the thing that I really enjoyed was that I got to set my own hours.
The challenging part is finding someone to take a chance on you if you’ve never freelanced before. You might have to get started on sites like UpWork or beg in Facebook groups to get started.
How Much do Freelance Writers Make?
I’ve done a little bit of everything as a freelancer, I’ve was never just a freelance writer. However, from doing some research online and reading other people’s experiences with it.
There are bloggers who pay between $25 and $45 for a 2,000-word article. Even if you’re not an expert in the niche, you can still write an amazing article.
They’ll provide you with the title and the keyword they want you to optimize the blog post for.
All you have to do is spend some time researching the Internet and sit down and write. It’s the same exact steps that that most bloggers take when they write a blog post.
This is why you’ll hear people say that you don’t have to be an expert to start a blog.
#3 Become a Virtual Assistant
When I think of a virtual assistant, I tend to think it’s kind of like a freelancer. Based on this article, a virtual assistant is a broad category within the freelancing world.
- Virtual assistant tasks usually revolve around general administrative tasks such as:
- Responding to emails
- Creating Pinterest graphics
- Booking appointments with clients
- Researching topics for blog posts, newsletters or etc
- Manage and update social media accounts
If you have some computer skills, you shouldn’t have a hard time being able to complete any of these tasks. Finding your first virtual assistant position may be somewhat challenging.
This article by Gina Horkey will show you how she built a successful virtual assistant business.
#4 Sell Crafts on Etsy
Are you a crafty individual? If so, did you realize that you can set up an Etsy shop and to sell your crafts? Etsy is a creative marketplace where more than 33 million buyers spent more than $3 billion in 2017.
Imagine if you could just get a little piece of that pie. You could literally start to create a business just from selling your crafts on Etsy.
You can literally set up your shop today and start driving traffic to it. The downside is that at the time of this writing there is a $0.20 listing fee. Plus you’ll be charged a transaction and processing fee. Those are just the costs of using their site to run your business.
The listings are active for 4 months, this will give you a good idea if you can actually make some sales on the platform or if you’d rather venture out on your own and open a Shopify Store on your own website.
You’ll never know unless you test it out to see if it actually works for you. I’d suggest that you start out by listing just a few items. This will give you an idea of the types of products that your audience is interested in.
There’s no reason to list a bunch of items only to realize that they don’t sell.
#5 Amazon FBA
Amazon is the go-to for millions of online shoppers. Whenever I am thinking about making a purchase online, the first place I look is Amazon. If you’re serious about finding real ways to make money from home, then you might want to consider becoming an Amazon FBA.
What Is Amazon FBA?
Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) is nothing more than using their platform to help you sell your products. I’ve personally never done this, but I know someone who does this for a living.
If you’ve purchased products from Amazon, there’s a good chance that you have purchased from a third party seller using a service called Amazon FBA.
Just like any side hustle that you choose to pursue online, there’s going to be a learning curve. This family was able to create a six-figure business as an Amazon FBA seller.
They share exactly what they did in the 6 Steps to Start A Profitable Amazon FBA Business.
Read as much as you can about it and when you’re ready, you’ll to set up an Amazon Seller Central account.
#6 Sell Unused Items on Craigslist or eBay
If you have unused items at home that you no longer use, you can sell those on either Craigslist or eBay to make some extra income. I’ve personally sold on both platforms and I prefer selling on Craigslist.
The first thing that I sold on eBay was an old Motto cellphone that I no longer used. I had no clue what I was doing, but I went ahead and listed it on eBay and within maybe 2 days, someone purchased it.
I got the money the same day the auction ended and mailed the phone to the new owner. It was so easy to do, to this day, I still find myself selling items on the platform.
If you’re going to list on eBay, you just need to decide if you’re setting up your listing as the highest bid or a set price. I’ve done both and one thing that I have learned is that if you do set a bid, make sure that you set a final price that you will only accept.
This way if you only get one bid, you won’t have to sell if it’s a ridiculous lowball offer.
Why I Prefer Selling On Craigslist
The cool thing about Craiglist is there are no fees to pay to list or sell your items. The downside is that you will have to meet the buyer in a public place to complete the sale.
It’s so easy to get rid of those unwanted items that may be taking up space in your closet. The last thing that I sold on Craiglist was a brand new suitcase.
We purchased it for a trip we took. We never ended up using the suitcase and it sat in the closet for over a year before I sold it.
I made a quick $80 just for listing it on Craigslist. If you do decide to use Craiglist or eBay to sell your unused products, you’ll need to take a lot of great pictures of your items.
It’ll be easier to sell if you can show the condition of the item being sold.
#7 Sign Up For Paid Online Survey Sites
I’ve personally never made a lot of money from survey sites because I really haven’t given it enough effort. One thing that I have learned is if you really want to make good money with survey sites, you need to sign up with as many of them as you can.
The ones that I know of and have personally used are:
- Swagbucks ($5 sign up bonus)
- Inbox Dollars ($5 sign up bonus)
- Survey Junkie
- Vindale Research ($2 sign up bonus and up to $50 per survey)
You can literally start making money right away. In fact, when you sign up with Swagbucks through this link, you’ll get a $10 bonus just for signing up.
If you want to make money with surveys, you’ll have to make sure that you stay persistent. It’s not always easy to find the right survey to complete. Just like any side hustle, you’ll need to work at it.
You shouldn’t expect to earn a full-time income from surveys, but it can be a great way to bring in some supplemental income.
#8 Get Paid to Watch Videos Online
Swagbucks is one of the easiest ways to get paid to watch videos online. You can literally get paid to watch a variety of videos ranging from sports highlights, world news, and other themed videos.
After you’re done watching the video, you’ll give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. According to Swagbucks users can earn up to $5 per day just for watching videos.
I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but imagine if you watched at least 3 videos a week. That would be an extra $60 per month. Which means that watching videos helped pay for your groceries. ($60 wouldn’t cover my grocery bill) I’d love to have $60 extra for my groceries every month.
#9 Buy Low Sell High
No, I’m not talking about stocks. I’m talking about hitting yard sales to purchase items that you can resell on eBay or Craigslist. I have a friend who has purchased some great items that she later sold on Craigslist for double or triple the price she paid for it.
You can also find some amazing deals at your local Goodwill or Thrift Stores. Just make sure that you take a good pair of gloves because you’ll be digging through all kinds of crates to find those gems that you can resell.
#10 Use A Cash Back Credit Card
While this really doesn’t involve you to sit at your computer, but you will need to make sure that you have a great cash back credit card. I used to be opposed to using credit cards because I didn’t want to be stuck paying those high interest rates.
The secret to this is to make sure that you NEVER carry a balance on your card. We use ours for everything that we pay. But we never carry a balance and have never had to pay any interest.
Every month, we earn cash back on our card. I’ve personally used the cash back credit to pay for a month of SEMRush and I can tell you that’s one of the easiest ways to pay for those business expenses every month.
#11 Write An eBook
One of the easiest ways to make some passive income online is to write and sell an eBook. I’ve written my JumpStart Blog Traffic eBook and it continually makes sales on a regular basis.
The cool thing is that it took me maybe 4 hours to write it and I can continue to make sales without having to do anything else. All you have to do is place it on your website or blog and you can literally make sales 24/7 without worrying about anything.
I recommend using SendOwl or Easy Digital Downloads to make the delivery as flawless as possible.
#12 Affiliate Marketing
Personally, this is my favorite way to monetize a blog. You don’t have to worry about creating your own info-products and facing rejection. Basically, you become the middleman and promote products and services that you believe in.
Whenever someone makes a purchase you earn a commission. The commission will vary from network to network. Here are a few of the popular affiliate networks you can join for free:
Your main goal is to drive traffic to your blog and build your audience. Over time your audience will start to purchase the products and services that you recommend.
The most important thing to remember is to only promote products that you believe in. There’s no use promoting something based solely on commission, it’s the fastest way to lose trust with your audience.
If you’re completely new to affiliate marketing, you may want to consider investing in affiliate marketing training courses or programs that will help cut your learning curve in half.
#13 Amazon Associates
We’ve all heard of Amazon and millions of people make online purchases on the platform on a monthly basis. When you become an Amazon Associate, you’ll have an opportunity to earn money from the platform.
The good news is that if you can drive traffic to your blog, it won’t be hard to make sales. After all, Amazon is a trusted website that people know and recognize.
Unfortunately, the commission rates for affiliates are NOT the best. Plus they only offer a 24-hour cookie, meaning if someone visits through your link and waits 25 hours to make their purchase, you don’t get the commission.
Related: 9 Amazon Affiliate Alternatives That Will Make You More
I’ve started a second blog and am using Amazon as the main monetization method. It just turned 30 days old and I haven’t done a lot to it besides writing 15 blog posts for it.
Only time will tell if my new experiment will actually start to become profitable with the Amazon Affiliate program.
My Favorite Way to Earn A Side Income
There are literally tons of different ways to earn online. I’ve tried several and to tell you the truth, I love blogging. You don’t get fast results and it is more of a long-term strategy.
However, once you understand who your audience is and how to monetize your blog, the potential is unlimited. There are several ways to make money with a blog, which is why I love it.
If you’re serious about improving your financial situation, hopefully, these sources of extra income will help you out. I suggest that you pick 1-2 methods and just dive in.
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in one day. It’s going to take time to learn how to make
Final Take Away
Blogging is hard work, don’t let anyone tell you that it’s not. Sometimes it can be hard to keep pushing forward, especially, when you’re not growing as fast as everyone else around you.
This is why you just need to put your head down and work on growing your blog. You’re putting in the work today so you can change your financial situation in the future.
It’s taken me a while to realize that the work I do today will make an improvement in the next year. This is the reason, that I’ve been working so hard on my content.
Hand Picked Articles
- How to Make Money Online Without Paying Anything
- Can You Make Money Off A Blog And What Do I Need to Know
- 21 Money Making Ideas That Will Change Your Life
Are you doing anything on the side to supplement your income? Let me know I’d love to hear if you’re using some type of side hustle to change your financial situation.
My Recommended Blogging Resources!
Here are my affiliate links for my most recommended resources. I hope these resources can help you grow your blog too!
Free 12 Day Blogging Bootcamp: This is a course that will show you how to get your blog started.
ShareASale: ShareASale is one of my favorite affiliate networks. It’s free to sign up and they have tons of advertisers that make it easy for any blogger to make money through affiliate marketing.
SEMRush: This tool is amazing and has helped me increase my organic traffic. It is expensive, so don’t pay for it every month. When I’m NOT using it, I’m using KWFinder to help me with my keyword research.
Quiz: Which theme is best for your blog?: Take this quiz if you’re having a hard time trying to decide which WordPress theme you should use.
If you want to build an email list and send newsletters, I recommend ConvertKit: I’ve started using this to help me grow my blog and it is so user-friendly.
JumpStart Blog Traffic: Learn my secrets to growing my blog from zero pageviews to growing each and every month, using Google and Pinterest.