I myself was a stay-at-home mom when my children were at home. Yet I always managed to afford the same opportunities for my kids as my friends who missed those formative years with their children. I would like to share things which I did to make extra money without being gone every day.
1. Learn Cake decorating: Get a book and teach yourself. I never took a class. I have done many, many cakes over the last 25-30 years. In times when I most needed money a cake job came through. When you learn the skills, let your friends and acquaintances know. I never advertised although I may have made more, but word of mouth got me "lots" of cake decorating jobs.
2. Use your cleaning skills: I have friends for years that called on me for regular cleaning jobs. You set your own schedule and work when the children are at school or it's convenient with hubby. Don't take on really messy houses. You have the option of saying "no". There are plenty of jobs that are a pleasure to keep up. They help you, and you help them.
3. Babysitting: If you have children and are patient enough to babysit get a "good" child. Again you have the option of saying "no"! But another child can be real company for yours so you have the best of both worlds - you get to stay at home and a you get a play pal for your children.
4. Get into crafts: Explore different options. There's money to be made selling crafts and I found the best time to work on crafts or cakes was when the children were in bed. This was my time to wind down.
5. Yard Sales: This is the best thing since bubble gum! Clean out those closets and cabinets (which needs to be done anyway) and throw a yard sale. Two times when I needed extra money the most (my kids' senior trips) I made the extra I needed getting rid of things that I didn't need anyway!
6. Do tasks for others: Elderly and busy friends need help occasionally with shopping. I have a friend with a house and 10 ft. Christmas tree which I decorate inside and out during the holidays. Most of my extra money for holiday spending is made with this weeks worth of work. She's happy and so am I.
7. Secret Shoppers: One area that I have never tried but always wanted to was Secret Shoppers. They claim you get paid to shop and evaluate services. You do this anyway, so why not try it? Hubby wouldn't mind babysitting for shopping if it makes money.
I hope these money making tips have been helpful, as I said before they are "tried and true" methods of making money without working 9-5. Your kids will be happy and you'll have a sense of helping out the family financially as well.
By Sharon, KY
