Survey Taking, Really!
Online surveys have been touted for over a decade now. Affiliate marketers like to tell you that you can make a fortune just taking surveys at home. Make as much as $50 per survey they claim. This is absolutely false, but they can still be worth your time.
So, how much will they pay. With survey websites like Swagbucks, you can make a good $20 to $50 a month and the good thing is that you can do the work any time you want. Rocking your baby to sleep, take a survey. Waiting in the carpool lane for a kid, do a survey. Survey websites are a great way to monetize your downtime and can certainly earn you an extra $200 to $600 a year.
Ready to give this a try? I am not going to try to make money by giving you an affiliate link to follow, so just do a search. Swagbucks has a sign up bonus and if you sign up without an affiliate link, you get $10 instead of $5.
Buy Low & Sell High
This method takes a little effort and a bit of seed money, but it works. You have probably heard of the phrase “buy low and sell high” and you can use this concept to make some extra money as a stay at home mom.
What you need to do is buy used products for cheap on Craigslist and then resell them for a profit.
This method can work because you have sellers on Craigslist who either do not know the value of their items or who just want to get rid of them. You can take advantage of this and make a tidy profit.
The key is to be able to spot the deals, so it is best to stick to a certain type of product. If you know purses, stick to them. If you know baby gear, make that your specialty. By sticking to one or two specialties, you will be able to easily spot the value and can jump on the item right away.
Once you have your item that you want to resell, you have three choices. Either wait a few days and relist it on Craigslist, list it on eBay or sell it on Facebook Marketplace. In any case, I would avoid reselling the item where you bought it.
So, how much can you make with this method? The money you make will depend on the time that you put into it. Having said that, with some effort 600 dollars a month should be possible. That is over 7000 dollars a year for work you can do whenever you like.
Create A Gig
If you have not heard of it, there is a great website called Fiverr that will allow you to create a “gig” and market your digital services. This will allow you to make money as a stay at home mom on your terms. People order your gigs and you have days to complete them.
You can sell just about anything digital on Fiverr from website building to voice-over work to online tutoring. Like the name implies, prices start at $5 but you can sell your services for a whole lot more. In fact, the average gig price is closer to 30 dollars. If you manage to sell 10 gigs a month, that is over 3500 dollars in a year.
The key with Fiverr is to build a reputation. Start out by pricing your services competitively and then raise your prices as you start earning good reviews. People have the ability to tip you as well, so you can earn additional money after you complete a gig.
Blog Your Way To Money
This is another one of those methods that can make you money, but not as much as advertised. The people telling you that you can make thousands are usually just trying to pitch you a paid e-book.
Is it possible to make thousands of dollars a month with blogging? Certainly, but most people will tap out at one or two hundred dollars a month. Still, couldn’t you use an extra 1200 dollars or more a month?
If you decide to start a blog, do two things. Try to find a subject that you like and be consistent. The more that you blog, the more you will get out of it. Once you start getting traffic, you can start pushing some affiliate programs and start profiting from your hard work.
Tutor People Online
Do you have skills that you can teach? If you are skilled at Algebra, guitar playing or anything really, there may be a market for it.
There are nearly a dozen reputable websites out there where you can teach online. These websites will generally pay you up to 20 dollars an hour and you can teach whenever you have free time.
If tutoring is something that you want to do, just be prepared. You do not want to “phone it in”, so to speak. Most websites use rating systems and your success is often tied to how your students rate you.
Save Money On Bills
It is an overused term, but a dollar saved really is a dollar earned. As a stay at home mom, you have the ability to really put this into action. Here are some ways to save money on your regular expenses, putting more money in your pocket.
Meal Planning
This is my favorite way to save because we waste so much money on food. A family of four can very easily save 100 dollars a month or more by planning out their meals and reducing the food that goes in the trash can. Here is how it works.
At the beginning of the week, write down all of the meals that you want to make, and don’t forget the snacks. Then, write down all of the ingredients that you need to make these meals. Take this list and erase anything that you have in your pantry or fridge. You now have your shopping list and you can use it to buy exactly what you need, with no waste.
Utility Policing
It is not easy being the utility cop, but somebody has to do it. Left unchecked, your children and even your husband can get out of control in a hurry.
Even the little things like making sure lights are turned off and turning the water off when you brush your teeth can add up big over the course of a year. The bigger things however, can provide immediate savings in just a month.
The largest energy hog in your home will be your HVAC. The kids may protest, but turn your thermostat a few degrees warmer in the Summer and a few degrees colder in the winter.
Next, look at the second biggest power drain, your water heater. Most thermostats are set far too high. There is no reason that you should be paying to keep 50 gallons of water at over 140 degrees all of the time. Set the thermostat to a more energy conscious 130 degrees.
Last but not least, ask your energy company to provide a home evaluation. Most electric companies are very concerned about cutting usage and will offer this service for free. You might be surprised at the energy wasters that they uncover in your home.
Other Bills
Finally, take a look at your budget and audit every bill on the list. Look at your insurance bill, internet service and any subscriptions that you might have. Look for ways to cut or eliminate as many of these bills as you can, nothing should be off limits.
Take the time to audit your budget at least once every six months. This is a great way to continually find new savings as well as avoid lifestyle creep.
