Extra money

rachellegiacco

My husbands business is really slow and we need some extra money. Trick is we can't afford daycare for me to go back to work. So I was researching different ways to make money from home (many seem like scams) has anyone tried blogging for money? Is it worth it? I am just desperate.what worked for your family?

missliz53

I looked into it, my Bachelors is in Technical Communications and Professional Writing, but most people don't make any sort of money. I think you have to have some sort of skill like law or be a makeup artist or a professional couponer, some sort of skill that can be marketed to be successful, and even then it's still like winning the lottery. Plus you have to be a very good writer and editor and that takes a lot of time. 

You could try Suite 101.com. I did that for a couple of years for experience. I had to write 10 articles every 3 months and they take care of marketing for you. You get paid by your ads which is how blogging works unless you can land a sponsor who pays to advertise on your site. I didn't make very much money, but I was able to write off my vacations in my taxes by writing travel articles about my trips 

booksandcleverness81

If you have an active network of friends or acquaintances on Facebook I have a lot of friends who are selling home business shops like Usborne books, Younique make-up, Rodan & fields skincare, plexus health, lipsense. You can make your own page to advertise and throw parties on and if you have a few loyal clients and some occasional buyers you could make a couple hundred a month, and you get the products for yourself at a discount. I don't sell but I like to buy from friends to help support them and I actually love a lot of the products I've found through them. I would only look into it if you think you could do a sales type job though, it's not for everyone! 

ForeverEverAfter

What did you do for work before? Any special skills? When I was on mat leave with DD1 (for 10 months) I sewed toys and made quilts to sell at craft shows. This time I had my hands full with my kids, but I'm really into Montessori. So I opened a montessori home daycare, joined an agency, and it's really taking off. I was supposed to go back to work in August, but now I'm going to keep my daycare and just do occasional shifts on weekends (I'm a ER RN, very easy to find work). Other moms I know work for the telehealth nurse's line, do direct sales, or do crafty things in their spare time.

Another (slower) way to make money, is to save it! As I'm home anyway, I'm making all our bread and baked goods, getting better at couponing and planning meals around flyers, repairing hand me downs, gardening to grow veggies, and helping a neighbour with farm chores (in exchange for raising a pig and chickens in his pasture for meat).

Sketner610

I nanny for extra money. Try search on care.com or sittercity.com for jobs. You can search by zip code and find all the families looking for nannies in your area. I'm able to nanny from home and watch my son in addition to other children. 

rachellegiacco

Unfortunately I had my first born very young so I didn't have a career path or anything in place, just the dumb teenager jobs you can get. Since then my husband has provided for us but now it's not as successful. I just want to feel useful again. I could get a night shift but I have no idea how to switch to that sleep cycle especially with kids to look after during the day. I'm just thinking out loud. Thank you for your suggestions!

missliz53

Maybe consider going to school part time in a in demand field like nursing, dental hygienist, medical assistant, radiology or ultrasound tech, ect. It wouldn't bring in any income now, but your kids will be in school before you know it and you'll have the training to do something you enjoy and can make decent money doing. 

I worked the night shift for a couple of years and I couldn't imagine doing it with kids. It's hard enough when you can go home and go to bed for 8 hrs during the day. And people really have no respect for the fact that you work nights and sleep during the day. 

shelbydd

I can't attest to blogging from home but I did work from home for 2 years doing call center work. when someone is interested in working from home I always recommend the website wahm.com their forums are a great resource for legitimate work from home jobs. That's where i found my job originally.

Kayciejoe56

Have you thought about working as a waitress.   I worked in several restaurants all through school because the money is good and the shifts are flexible!  If you wanted to do nights, the dinner shift is usually 5-9/10.  On weekday nights I could make anywhere from 60-80$ in tips and weekends around 125$.  It obviously depends where you work,  but I always just worked basic chain restaurants.

Eta: I know you asked for work from home, but with the flexibility of shifts maybe you could work it out around DH schedule.   A weekday night or 2, plus a weekend morning would bring in a fair amount of cash each week

atlvahi

Blogging can be a lucrative way to earn money - but usually takes months to years to really gain speed. Finding the type of traffic needed is an ongoing process.

I work from home as a freelance writer and social media consultant and make a smallish full-time salary. I work 15 to 25 hours a week at nights and weekends. This took a little time to scale up, and takes focus. I would try to identify one or two things you can do that could earn money immediately (data entry, writing, tutoring, babysitting, errand running) and then set a financial goal next to it. 

So if you want to earn $1,000 a month and your skills are:

1) Cooking and Dropping off Meals to Families on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays
2) Freelance Writing
3) Errand Running

Your action plan could look something like this:

1) Let your social media network know you're available for work
2) Check sites like TaskRabbit and see if your services are in demand in your area
3) Pitch small blogs or businesses in your area with your writing services. Look-up how people do this online. For example, "how do I pitch a real estate firm copywriting services?" just to get the ball rolling.

For the most part, being a WAHM is about creating your own opportunities. There are of course exceptions to this, but if you want flexibility and income, then this is probably the route to go. It would also help to get really creative about your budget. We only do Internet and stream it to our TV with Amazon's chromecast stick and I do odd jobs like focus groups and online opportunities I've found.

It's not easy persay, but it's totally doable. I really think the main reason people don't succeed is narrowing your focus and taking consistent action.  

Good luck!

Nehouston

Is there any way you can use your skills to help your husband's business?  You could help with social media, blogging, etc?  I know it won't earn you instant cash, but it's contributing to future growth of your own business.