15 Ways For Stay-At-Home Moms to Make Money On the Side

Stay-at-home Moms deserve to be paid big money, and yet we get no paycheck for what we do. I’ve been a stay-at-home Mom for six years now. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished that I could get paid even the smallest amount. It’s not that I want to make six figures- I just want to make enough to buy myself coffee and to go out to lunch occasionally.

During my 6 years at home I have found a few ways to earn a little bit on the side. Hear me loud and clear: it’s not a lot. Most of what I’m about to show you are not even part time jobs. It’s just enough to get a few gift cards here and there for Starbucks or Amazon. But it’s better than nothing.

So if you’re a stay-at-home Mom like I am, and you’re ready to start earning a small amount on the side then this article is for you. Here are 15 ways for stay-at-home Moms to make money.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. I will receive commission for any purchase made through those links at no additional cost to you. Prices subject to change at any time

Consignment Sales & Resale Programs

When I lived in Maryland, I participated in several consignment sales. They were specifically for selling children’s clothes and items. And of course because I have children, I had tons of stuff to get rid of (I still do!) Out of all of the ways for stay-at-home Moms to make money, this one is almost guaranteed to be successful.

There are pop-up consignment sales and brick & mortar consignment shops that exist all over the country. Parents are always looking for new things for their kids, even if those “new things” are secondhand. Consigning, while somewhat time consuming, is a great way to get rid of clutter and to make a decent chunk of money. I often made enough to buy clothes for my girls for the next season, plus have a bit leftover for myself.

So if you have the chance, check Google and Facebook for consignment sales and shops in your area. I’m pretty sure you’ll find at least a few options!

Cash Back Programs

Cash back programs might seem like a scam, but they really do work. Some take time, and most won’t give you more than a few bucks per receipt. But it adds up! As a stay-at-home Mom that wants to make some money, I like the cash back programs because they take very little effort or time on my part. They don’t pay like a job would, but they do give me the opportunity to get my coffee gift cards and gift cards for Amazon. A lot of them will even give you cash straight to PayPal or your bank account.

Ibotta

Ibotta is one of the money-saving cash back apps that I’ve been using the longest. Many people swear by this app, joining Facebook groups and other communities where they share deals and tricks within the app.

Every time I go shopping I check it for any freebies, and then I check it for any items I might be buying that day. It can also be used for online shopping. While I don’t make much from it, it does come in handy during certain times of the year. I especially love using Ibotta during the holidays and during back-to-school season when Ibotta often gives 100% back on certain items.

Ibotta is free to download and sign up is easy. Cash back can be redeemed in several ways, including for gift cards and cash. Want to start using Ibotta? Sign up here.

Fetch

Fetch is hands-down one of my favorite cashback apps. It is literally so easy to use. You sign up, scan your receipts and earn points. You can even link your email so that receipts from your online purchases are included, too. Those points eventually turn into gift cards. And they have quite a few gift cards to choose from, too!

As a stay-at-home Mom that wants to earn a little money, this is one of the easiest ways to do it. It won’t earn you much, but it will give you the opportunity to earn some coffee money on the side without putting in much effort at all.

Fetch is easy to sign up for, and it’s free to download and use. It’s not going to be a major stream of money, but it will get you a little something! Sign up for Fetch here.

Swagbucks

At one point Swagbucks was something that I used regularly. I think Mom life got in the way and I just forgot about it. But recently I signed up again, and I’m glad that I did!

Much like Fetch, Swagbucks has a receipt scanning option. It also offers cash back for online purchases. If you really want some extra opportunities for a little bit of cash, Swagbucks will pay you to play games, take surveys and take on other offers as well.

Swagbucks is free to use and sign up for. They have an app you can download as well. Ready to start using it? Sign up for Swagbucks here.

Receipt Hog

Receipt Hog is very easy to use. Much like Fetch, you mostly scan in your receipts and earn points along the way. Those points convert into gift cards eventually.

Receipt Hog also offers the opportunity for you to earn extra points through little games and bonuses on the app. Plus they also offer the opportunity for you to complete surveys in exchange for points. If this sounds like something you could do then go ahead and get signed up! It’s free to join. Sign up for Receipt Hog here.

Rakuten

I don’t want to assume, but I’m pretty sure that most Moms like to shop. And if they don’t like to, then I know that they have to at least shop for the food and clothes that their family needs. Rakuten is perfect for the Moms that like to shop online. You can sign up for free. The app is free to download and they have a browser extension that you can use on your computer.

If you’re a stay-at-home Mom that wants to make some money on the side, I definitely recommend Rakuten. Again, it won’t pay you 6 figures. But you will get a portion of your sales back every time that you activate the offers before shopping online. It’s so easy! Sign up for free here.

Upside

Upside is fairly new to me, but it has proven to be useful so far. It’s especially great if you travel a lot, or you don’t have great gas prices where you live. If you live near a more suburban or urban area then chances are that you can get cash back on restaurants and groceries, too!

Just like the rest of the apps, Upside is free to sign up for and free to download. Check it out and sign up here!

Surveys and Polls

Surveys and Polls are advertised all over the web as a way to make money on the side. I’ve used them several times in the past myself to make a little cash when I needed it. It may take some time to earn a lot, but the more surveys you take the better offers you get. I’ve been invited to at-home paid product tests and been part of paid opinion panels before, all thanks to taking surveys.

Surveys and polls might not be for everyone, but they will pay! Most will pay cash to PayPal or your bank account. Most also offer gift cards to many popular places. If this sounds like something you would want to do, then here are the three that I recommend.

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is one of the most popular and most advertised survey platforms out there. What I like most about their platform is that they frequently offer bonuses for taking surveys. It’s free to sign up for, and there is no minimum number of surveys that you must do (unless you’re doing one of their bonus challenges). Go ahead and sign up here!

Branded Surveys

Branded Surveys is probably my favorite way to take surveys. For one, it’s very easy to get decent paying surveys. All of my extra earning opportunities have come from doing surveys with them, too. They also have an awesome tiered bonus system that makes it super easy to earn a little extra through.

If you’re interested in Branded Surveys go ahead and sign up for free here.

Inbox Dollars

InboxDollars is another survey-based platform for earning extra money. They also pay you to redeem offers, play games and go shopping. I don’t use this as much as I do the other two survey companies that I shared, but it is a great way to earn gift cards on occasion.

To sign up for InboxDollars, get started here.

Become a Tutor

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hopped on over to check out the local Mommy group on Facebook and saw that Moms are looking for tutors for their kids. Most of the time they’re only looking for 1-3 hours per week, and they’re willing to pay decently for it.

If you’re a stay-at-home Mom that has a degree or expertise in a certain field, this could be perfect for you. And the beauty of it is that it doesn’t require a lot of behind-the-scenes work which leaves you plenty of time to still tend to your stay-at-home Mom duties. It might not pay a lot per month, but it is a great way to get a little extra spending money for you and your family.

If this is one of the ways that you would like to make money as a stay-at-home Mom then I would suggest you start by looking online in your local Mommy groups and finding gigs that way.

Offer Services to Other Moms

Offering services to other Moms is a great way for stay-at-home Moms to make money on the side. The first obvious way to offer services is to watch another Mother’s kids in your home. I’m not saying start a daycare. Although that’s possible, too, starting a daycare requires licensing, insurance and other certifications that you must get first. But you can offer to watch another family’s kids in your home (kind of like a babysitter) and get paid for it.*

When I saw the other creative ways that stay-at-home Moms offer services to other parents I was kind of like, “Oh, why didn’t I think of that?” One example that I can think of is having someone pay you to do their laundry. Yes, you can get paid to have someone drop their laundry off at your house (or you go to theirs) for you to wash, dry and fold it for them. I hate laundry, so I would never be able to do this. But it is a good idea!

Some other service ideas include a meal planning service, seamstress services, or cleaning services.

Create Items and Sell Them

In a world of online shopping and marketplaces it is not hard to make things and then sell them to other people. In fact, as a stay-at-home Mom the hardest part about it is probably just finding the time to make the items. However, if you have a gift for being crafty and creative then this could totally work for you. And depending on what you’re selling it can actually turn into a legit 5-to-6 figure business!

If you don’t know where to get started, head over to Etsy and just do some browsing. You can literally make and sell anything from home decor to digital PDF downloads. In fact, that is one of the ways that I’m making a little bit of money right now! I created my own Etsy shop recently. In it I sell mostly digital printables geared towards families. Soon I’ll be adding some hand-crafted items, too!

One bonus to this type of side hustle: if you’re a creative person making these types of things to sell can actually be therapeutic. Moms need hobbies, too!

Start A Blog

While this won’t be the easiest way for stay-at-home Moms to make money on the side, it can be one of the most lucrative. I’ve been blogging for about two years now. I killed my first blog (on purpose) after moving from Maryland to North Carolina. My niche for my first blog was Maryland-based, and so I stopped working on it.

Here I am with meg-flint.com now. Blogging can totally be a way for any stay-at-home Mom to make money on the side. But it does take a lot of work, a lot of passion and a lot of patience. You might not see any money come in at all for the first 6 months to a year. Depending on what you’re blogging about you’ll have to work extra hard to make yourself stand out from other bloggers in your niche. But in the end it can definitely be worth it.

If you want to start blogging, check out my post on advice for Mom bloggers. Start by picking your niche (what you want to blog about). Get a good host. I suggest HostArmada. I switched to them after using another pretty popular hosting site that I couldn’t stand. HostArmada has been amazing, and their service is wonderful! Oh, and make sure you do lots of research about your type of blog. If you’re really passionate about it then it can definitely become a way to make money!

Do Affiliate Marketing

If you’re the Mom that is always sharing your new finds or favorite products on social media, then you could totally make a little bit of money as an affiliate marketer. While some affiliate marketing programs require that you have a website, not all do!

To get started, start researching affiliate marketing programs for the companies that you use most. Two of my favorite affiliate programs are Amazon Affiliates and TEMU affiliates. Both also have influencer programs, but the requirements are a bit higher. Once you’ve joined a program, start sharing! The more you share the more money you can potentially make.

If you’re interested in checking out the two programs I listed, head on over to their websites: Amazon, TEMU.

Other Ways for Stay-at-Home Moms to Make Money

While there are plenty of other ways for stay-at-home Moms to make money, these are some of the easiest and most rewarding ways that I could find. There are many other articles out there that give other ways and ideas for stay-at-home Moms to make money, but a lot of them require you to look online for work-at-home jobs or to make long-term commitments that may not always work with your schedule.

My kids are now 6 and 8, and so I have a bit more time during the day to try to make that extra cash. I know though that this isn’t the case for all stay-at-home Moms. Remember Mama, do what works best for you! If you only want to make $15-$20 a month so you can go out and get coffee, the cash back programs and surveys can do just that for you. But if you’re looking for more than that, well you’re going to need to put in a little more time and effort most likely.

Whatever you choose, just know that you can and will find a ways that works for you. You’ve got this Mama! Cheers to happy earning!

-Meg

*If you are unsure about the limitations about watching other children in your home, please make sure to check with your local and state government first. Different states have different rules and regulations.