Ways I Am Making Money as a Stay-at-Home Mom

I love that I get to stay home with my kids, but I also love making money – I mean, who doesn’t? Not to mention, living off of one income can be challenging!

It is trickier and a little more of a challenge finding ways to make money with little ones, and without the help of childcare. But it’s not impossible.

One of my first posts on this blog was about “Ways I am Not Making Money as a Stay-at-Home Mom. I’ll admit I was feeling down when I wrote that. It’s really not easy finding work you can do at home while caring for three kids!

But I haven’t given up yet, because I know lots of moms have found ways to make money. It’s 2018, and with the internet and today’s technology there are so many options available for us moms to get our side hustle on.

Here are my favorite money making ideas as a stay-at-home mom that are simple and stress free.

Child Care/Babysitting

When money is tight, this is my go-to way of making money as a stay-at-home mom. If you have the experience and the patience, this is a great way to make extra money, and there is always a need for quality child care providers and babysitters.

I loved doing child care because I could still spend time with my own children and take care of them, and also provide them with more social experiences and learning opportunities.

Also, it’s flexible. There are a lot of part-time child care options. You can be a date night sitter, or an occasional/as-needed sitter, or if you want more of a set schedule you could offer after-school care.

You don’t necessarily have to open a home daycare – although if you need a full-time income, opening your own home daycare is a great option.

(Obviously, check your state for child care rules and regulations. Each state is different, but I know mine requires a child care license if you care for children from more than one family.)

Ibotta

Ibotta is a rebate app you can download onto your phone. I like it because it’s easy, and even though it probably won’t pay your phone bill, the rebates do add up.

To use the app, you do your regular shopping at Wal-Mart, Costco, King Soopers, or whatever grocery store you prefer (it supports over 300 different retail chains), and when your done, keep your receipt and check Ibotta for rebates on the items you purchased. Obviously, you can check Ibotta and then shop according to rebates available, but I’ve found that I spend more on items I don’t need when I do it this way. Then, upload your receipt and redeem your rebates.

After you’ve earned $20 of rebates, you can cash out with PayPal, Amazon, or a gift card to almost anywhere. By the way, here’s my Ibotta referral code: cbhdcug if you want to sign up and by on my “Team,” which means rebate bonuses and more money back. 🙂

Wal-Mart Savings Catcher

Wal-Mart Savings Catcher is also an app (it’s part of the Wal-Mart app), somewhat similar to Ibotta. But it’s awesome because if you’re a Wal-Mart shopper, you can potentially get money back from both Ibotta and Wal-Mart Savings Catcher.

Also, it’s even easier to use than Ibotta. You don’t have to search through the available rebates, you just scan the QR code at the bottom of your receipt and the app does all the work for you.

The money you earn through Wal-Mart Savings Catcher comes from their guarantee to always have the lowest price. If you purchase items at Wal-Mart that are on sale for a lower price from a competitor in your area, the Savings Catcher will pay you the difference.

The payout is with a Wal-Mart gift card, but you can use it as soon as you have money on it – there is no minimum payout. I only started using it in July, and I’ve already made an extra $20.

eBay/Facebook MarketPlace/ Craigslist

Another easy way to make money as a stay-at-home mom is to sell your stuff! This is currently my favorite way to make money. It is decluttering my house and making me a surprising amount of money.

Think you have nothing to sell? Think again. I have sold the most random junk sitting around my house: old magazines, broken electronics (that’s right, BROKEN), old clothes that I don’t wear anymore, CD’s, VHS’s, and of course, kids toys and clothing. Even if the toys are missing pieces, post them on eBay, most will still sell for the right price.

And if you have items to sell that are too big to deal with shipping, just sell them locally on CraigsList or LetGo or whatever buy/sell/trade app that is popular in your city. Local Facebook groups are also a good place to list your items.

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to make money at home, but so far these are the ones that I like the most and that I’ve found the easiest with little ones under foot.

I’m always looking and trying to find new ways to bring in extra cash, so I will definitely be updating this list soon!

Have any of these ideas worked for you? What is your favorite way to make money as a stay-at-home mom?

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you found this post useful and I hope you have a beautiful day, inside and out! 🙂