It's hard to picture adding another responsibility to the mix when there are kids to worry about, but stay-at-home jobs offer moms an extra source of income – especially when they need it most.
When you're often alone with your children and cooped up at home, a remote job can help you earn extra bucks while serving as a positive outlet to pursue creative interests.
And while we love communicating with our children, brushing shoulders with other adults can be a welcome respite from motherly duties, even for just a while.
So, what are good stay-at-home jobs for mothers and remote workers who need flexibility in their side hustles?
Table of Contents
What are stay-at-home jobs?
The Internet offers everyone a plethora of remote jobs – a lot of which can be done during your own schedule. Stay-at-home jobs can be very lucrative sources of income, especially if you’re consistent.
Some of these jobs can be completed just a few minutes a day, while others require that you set aside a few hours.
Regardless, if you're looking to work from home while raising your children, there are options here that are sure to fit your lifestyle.
Best Jobs for Stay at Home Moms
Here are some of the best stay-at-home jobs online.
1. Start a blog with Bluehost
Estimated earnings: Widely varied. Your earnings greatly depend on your monetization strategy.
Blogging is definitely one of the best stay-at-home jobs for moms for a variety of reasons. If you plan to create your own blog, you have complete control of how much work you do and what kind of content you create. You'll also be in charge of monetizing your blog with your own money-making strategy.
Blogging allows you to showcase what you're passionate or knowledgeable about, but you'll find more success with earning from blogging if you focus on a popular niche like travel, personal finance, fashion, technology, or cooking.
PRO TIP: Select a reliable host like Bluehost. Most Bluehost plans include domain hosting, unlimited disk storage, bandwidth, and a free domain name – a boon for first-time bloggers looking for simple blog set up and fewer expenses.
The platform is also WordPress recommended, so if you plan on using WordPress as your CMS, you'll find seamless integration with Bluehost. Once you’ve got the hosting covered, you’ll need to select a monetization strategy.
Here is a brief video tutorial I did on how to start your blog with Bluehost.
You'll see how easy it is. You can have a full online business up and running in 15 minutes or less.
Read our article on how to make money from your blog for more tips once you get your site up and running.
Blogging is pretty straightforward and is a great side hustle or work from home job because you can work at your own pace based on your schedule.
See Related: How to Create a Blog for Free [And Make Money from It]
2. Answer questions for money with Survey Junkie
Estimated earnings: Your pay depends on demographics, but you can earn anywhere between $2 to $5 per hour from completing surveys.
Survey Junkie, like other paid survey platforms, pays users for completing surveys about a wide array of products or services. You get to answer surveys only when you want to, making it one of the best stay-at-home jobs for busy mothers.
Survey Junkie offers you points in exchange for surveys completed which you may cash out or exchange for gift certificates from popular retailers like Target, Amazon, Starbucks, iTunes, and others.
Surveys range between 15 points to 500 points but usually fall in the lower range. Earning 100 points gets you $1.
Earn Per Activity | Payment Method | Min To Cash Out |
Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$1 - $40 | PayPal & Gift Cards | $5 | SIGN UP | Read Full Review |
PRO TIP: Access the Survey Junkie website, complete your online profile, and go through a tutorial. You'll have to answer a few introductory surveys for the system to know more about you and your demographics. Going through the sign-up process alone earns you $1!
See Related: Survey Junkie Review: Can You Earn Legit Money?
3. Start an Etsy shop
Estimated earnings: Widely varied, but estimates say anywhere between $100 to six figures annually.
Etsy has over 20 million active buyers – if you have the goods, there's no better platform to sell them in but Etsy – the go-to marketplace for finding creative handmade or vintage items. All Etsy sellers have their own Etsy shop where they can list as many items as they want.
Unlike other retail outlets like Amazon or eBay, Etsy limits what people can sell. This includes handmade items, craft supplies, and vintage goods.
PRO TIP: Make sure to write an impressive About Page to let your buyers know the value of your offerings. Using a personal tone to easily connect with the reader and talking about your inspirations behind your designs are best practices.
See Related: How to Make Money on Etsy
4. Become a book flipper with BookScouter
Estimated earnings: Prices vary dramatically depending on the type of book you sell and how many you sell.
If you have old books lying around, you can consider selling them through platforms like BookScouter. This bookselling app compiles the most recent selling prices from around 30 book buyers.
While your earnings depend on the title you're selling, you'll most likely earn around $1 for each book. Read our comprehensive guide on how to start book flipping for profit.
PRO TIP: Books in BookScouter are rejected for having broken spines, missing pages, water damage, or excessive writing or highlighting. You also won't be able to sell collectible, rare, or antique books as they lack an ISBN – a code vendors use to determine a book's pricing.
See Related: How to Start Book Flipping for Profit
5. Take online surveys with LifePoints
Estimated earnings: Around $0.6 – $1 per survey.
Moms looking to make money online will find lots of flexibility when earning with LifePoints. Just like Survey Junkie, LifePoints pays you with points for surveys you complete. As a member, you'll get short surveys to fill out every day which the platform likes to call “Daily Challenges”.
Each survey offers points that range between 10 to 50, which may increase when “boosters” appear.
These boosters increase your earning potential and appear when you complete small, daily tasks. Points may be exchanged for gift cards, offered to charity, or cashed out through PayPal.
Earn Per Activity | Payment Method | Min To Cash Out |
Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$0.6 - $1 | Lifepoints pays in PayPal | $20 | CLAIM BONUS | Read Full Review |
PRO TIP: The chances of receiving an invitation for more surveys increases when you complete your personal information with new details, so make sure you complete your LifePoints profile if you're looking to earn more.
See Related: LifePoints Review: Can You Make Legit Money?
6. Participate in retail arbitrage
Estimated earnings: Depends on what items you flip and how many you successfully sell. This article claims that you can make over $42,000 in one year just by flipping stuff if you worked 5-15 hours a week.
Flipping an item involves purchasing it for a good price and then selling it for more in other venues. A flipper would frequent thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, and auctions for good finds, and then sell them online for a profit.
Today, however, retail arbitrage can be done online through Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon where you can find products at discounted rates, making them one of the best stay-at-home mom jobs available.
PRO TIP: You'll make more money flipping high-end brands as people are more interested in purchasing branded items. You'll also make more by selling rare and unique items too.
7. Become a freelance writer
Estimated earnings: Around $61,820, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
If you have a way with words, being a freelance writer can be one of the best stay-at-home jobs that pay well, especially for mothers who like to work at their own time.
You'll find freelance writing more lucrative if you're knowledgeable about a specific niche, such as travel, health, fitness, technology, food, or finance. Here's a list of the 35 best niches that are popular among freelance blog writers.
Before getting hired as a freelance writer, you'll have to create a solid portfolio that showcases your best work.
A lot of writers have their own blogs, while others write for magazines or other blogs. Most freelance writers nowadays do exceptionally well by having additional skills like image editing, SEO, or social media management.
PRO TIP: Once you're ready to accept work, you'll find several freelance marketplaces where you can find clients, the most popular ones being Upwork or Fiverr.
Here's more information about which freelance site is best for you.
8. Transcribe podcasts or videos with GoTranscript
Estimated earnings: Around $0.60 per audio/video minute or around $1,215 per month if you work really hard.
Transcription is one of the easiest stay-at-home jobs that allow you to make a relatively substantial income. GoTranscript is one of the largest online transcription and translation agencies in the world able to offer aspiring transcriptionists an array of projects every day.
At GoTranscript, audio files are broken into 5 and 10-minute sections. If you have a typing speed of around 60 words per minute, transcribing would take around 60 to 90 minutes for a 5-minute audio and 90 to 150 minutes for a 10-minute audio.
PRO TIP: All aspiring members will go through a transcriber test that includes transcribing a video. You'll need to invest in a good set of headphones with noise cancellation, especially if the kids are causing a ruckus!
See Related: 11 Best Transcription Jobs: Sites that Pay Quick Money
9. Tutor online
Estimated earnings: Around $20 per hour or a total of $41,316 annually, according to ZipRecruiter.
Even if you don't have experience with formal teaching, you'll still be able to find work online as a teacher.
Several companies, like VIPKid for example, are hiring English speakers to tutor non-English speakers. VIPKid is a consistently growing company that hires fluent English speakers to teach language to kids in China over the internet. You'll need a bachelor's degree to start, but the company doesn't require teaching experience.
Outschool allows you to teach K-12 learners a plethora of subjects like math, yoga, and hand lettering while setting your own fees and how many students to accept.
PRO TIP: You can also check out job listings on platforms like Indeed, or consider reaching out to people within your network such as the parents of your kid's friends.
10. Work as a customer service representative
Estimated earnings: Around $17 per hour or $35,934 annually according to ZipRecruiter.
If you have stellar communication skills and you enjoy interacting with people, working as a customer service representative might be one of the best stay-at-home jobs for you.
Customer service representatives are often tasked with communicating with customers and helping address their problems while keeping them satisfied. You'll need a computer and strong Internet access, while some companies will require you to secure a telephone headset.
PRO TIP: Customer service representatives are always in demand, and you'll find thousands of job openings on employment websites like Upwork, Fiverr, or Indeed. You'll also find openings in a company's career portal, so if you're aiming for a specific industry, don't forget to keep this in mind.
11. Start a garden
Estimated earnings: Widely varied. This guide claims you can make $1,000 a month from your garden (though, there is quite some work involved).
Gardening can be more than just a hobby. If you're a mom with a green thumb, you can profit from the plot you have at home. There is a myriad of ways home gardening can help you generate income.
You can consider selling herbs, edible or decorative flowers, or seeds, and seedlings. You can even sell produce to your local organic market. If your garden is particularly picturesque, you can even rent it out for garden weddings, garden parties, or workout classes.
PRO TIP: If you're particularly good at writing, you can consider starting a gardening blog as well and earning from affiliate marketing. You can offer your opinions and reviews on gardening supplies and tools of the trade you love and earn from every post you make!
12. Work as a virtual assistant
Estimated earnings: Around $18 an hour or $38,187 annually, according to ZipRecruiter
If you're organized, great at arranging travel, and exceptional at managing schedules, working as a virtual assistant may be the best legitimate stay-at-home jobs for you. Virtual Assistants, or VAs, are often tasked with arranging travel, setting up an appointment, replying to emails, and several other administrative tasks.
PRO TIP: While there are virtual assistant jobs that allow you to have flexible time, most offers often come with fixed shifts. Sometimes, you'll need to be available whenever your boss needs you to be, so this is one thing to consider if you don't have a set amount of free time.
There's a reason it's one of the most popular online jobs out there.
See Related: Best Freelance Business Ideas: Make Money Providing Services
13. Try health coaching
Estimated earnings: Around $50,000 to $75,000 a year, according to the US Department of Labor.
The industry of health and wellness will always be popular, and as people look for more and more ways to get fit, the demand for experts and coaches in the field rise. If you're familiar with the ins and outs of keeping healthy, working as an online health coach might be one of the best stay-at-home jobs for you.
Online health coaches give health advice, offer encouragement, and consistently check in with their clients. You can choose to work for a company or work on a freelance basis (you'll find several job openings in freelance marketplaces).
PRO TIP: Make sure to check with your local laws to make sure that you don't need any licenses or certifications to work as a health coach if you don't have any.
14. Be a social media specialist
Estimated earnings: Newbie freelance social media managers rake in around $15 to $50 per hour, while more intermediate social media marketers can make around $50 to $100 per hour.
With social media all the rage, it's never been more important for brands to maintain a strong social media presence, and demand for social media marketers is at an all-time high.
More than establishing a strong online presence, social media marketers are tasked with daily posts, creating online profiles, and responding to questions on all social media channels.
PRO TIP: Most of today's social media marketers need to be knowledgeable about paid advertising strategies in order to succeed. The ins and outs of Facebook ads can be tough to master, consider taking a crash course on Udemy or other online learning platforms!
15. Become an online stylist
Estimated earnings: Around $20 an hour or $41,821 annually, according to ZipRecruiter.
Love to keep up with the latest trends? Have a passion for shopping or putting together stylish outfits? Being an online stylist might be one of the best stay-at-home jobs for you. Online stylists are tasked with putting together a look for their clients over the internet.
From closet overhauls to selecting an outfit for a certain event, your job is to help your clients attain their desired look.
PRO TIP: One of the best ways to garner clients is to have your own website where you can showcase your work, but you can also head to freelance marketplaces like Cabi, Indeed, or Upwork.
16. Work as a bookkeeper
Estimated earnings: Around $18 an hour or $38,187 a year annually according to ZipRecruiter.
Bookkeeping can be one of the best jobs for stay-at-home moms, especially for those who are extremely organized, detail-oriented, and great at crunching numbers.
Bookkeeping clerks are often tasked with updating statements, recording financial transactions, and checking the accuracy of financial records. Most of this work is done individually while allowing you to meet with clients online or over the phone, making it a great option for stay-at-home moms.
PRO TIPS: If you've served as a full-time bookkeeper and built a base of clients over the years, try reaching out to them and continuing your work on a freelance basis.
17. Become a brand ambassador
Estimated earnings: Around $17 an hour or $35,836 annually, according to ZipRecruiter.
Moms with marketing experience, a passion for brands, and a history in retail or sales will do well as a brand ambassador. Brand ambassadors partner up with brands to put up a client-based business through selling services or products in social media.
Brands offer brand ambassadors goals that they must reach on a monthly basis, and schedules are mostly flexible as long as the brand ambassador reaches her goals.
PRO TIP: Being a brand ambassador might mean getting freebies on a monthly basis that you're tasked with promoting on social media. While it seems like an easy job, there may be lots of work to be done. In order to increase your following and enhance your engagement, you also need to engage with other accounts, pages, or blogs.
You also need to connect with your followers as well.
See Related: How to Become a Content Creator (6 Success Tips)
18. Start a vlog
Estimated earnings: Widely varied. Your earnings greatly depend on your monetization strategy.
Videos are still one of the most consumed media today, which gives vloggers a great opportunity to shine. Moms who try out selling videos online or starting a vlog channel will find the industry to be lucrative – but only if they can provide premium content.
You can earn from vlogging on YouTube through posting sponsored or paid posts, YouTube ads, or through affiliate marketing.
PRO TIP: Moms won't find it hard to generate content for vlogging. There's an endless list of content ideas for stay-at-home moms, from cooking to gardening, beauty, fitness, or taking care of your kids!
See Related: Blogging vs Vlogging: 8 Differences to Know
19. Become a kids' consignment seller
Estimated earnings: Widely varied. Your earnings depend on how many you sell.
Kids outgrow their clothes pretty fast, so if you're looking to make money out of the clothes that no longer fit them, you may want to consider setting up your own consignment shop in platforms such as Poshmark, Swap, or Kidizen. These selling sites make shipping considerably easier while allowing you to keep most of your profits.
PRO TIP: It helps to take high-quality photos of the clothes you're planning to sell. Make sure to provide accurate descriptions of sizing as well!
20. Work as a data entry specialist
Estimated earnings: Around $34,155 annually or $16 an hour, according to ZipRecruiter.
Data entry is one of the most popular stay-at-home jobs for moms, as it's a highly flexible role that allows them to manage their daily routine with house chores and taking care of the children. Data entry specialists need good keyboarding skills, software skills, and exceptional attention to detail.
PRO TIP: Data entry specialists need a high tolerance for repetition as data entry can get old pretty fast. If sitting at your computer for long periods of time doesn't sit well with you, you may be better off with other jobs on this list.
Here are some of the short task jobs if you like making money in doing micro-tasks.