Ways To Make Extra Money While Staying Home With Your Baby

 

I've known new moms who have been criticized by well-meaning (or not so well-meaning) people for working outside the home. They would love nothing more than to stay home with their babies, but they simply cannot afford to. They have to bring in an income-either alone or with their partners-in order to pay the bills. Some try to work from home, but it can be difficult to tell the legitimate jobs from the scams. If this describes you, here are a few suggestions.

Freelance writing. If you need extra money but also want flexibility, consider freelance writing. There are a ton of sites out there such as Craigslist or Freelancer.com that feature ads from people who need writers for their projects. The qualifications are set by the advertisers, so you don't necessarily have to have a degree to complete these projects. Also, some of them can lead to long-term assignments; that's how I got started here, so I know it works. You may not get rich doing this, but it's great for extra money.

Telecommuting. If you work for an established company and can work remotely, consider asking your manager if you can telecommute. This works best for computer-based businesses or others that don't work face-to-face with clients. You'll need to have standard office equipment such as computers or fax machines, but this isn't a problem for most people.

Home-based sales. I'm not necessarily talking about cold-calling people trying to get them to buy a set of knives, although you are welcome to do that. Established businesses such as Mary Kay or Avon operate solely through local representatives. I'm sure you've seen the catalogues in waiting rooms with someone's name on the back; when someone wants to order something, they can do so through you and you can make a commission. Since your customers come to you rather than the other way around, you can make your own hours and work as much (or as little) as you want. You can't be fired or laid off because it is your business!

Home-based operations. I'm using this term because there are quite a few businesses you can run from home without having to sell anything. For instance, a friend of mine is an interior designer who works from her home. She meets with her clients by appointment, but she does the actual projects from a home office while being with her two daughters. If the number of color swatches and cloth samples she has piled up is any indication, it works out for her.

Also, some people run small day care centers from their homes. There are a lot of variables such as the type of house you have and the laws of your state, but it's not uncommon to find people who look after other people's kids from their homes. They usually either find their clients through the newspaper or word of mouth. This would probably work best in an area where people know each other, but your kids may enjoy the playmates.

Hopefully I've given you a few ideas of how to supplement your family's income from home. Like I said before, you probably won't get rich. Even so, every little bit helps.