The following is a post by MPFJ staff writer, Derek Sall. Derek is the owner of the blog, LifeAndMyFinances.com, where he teaches people how to get out of debt, save money, and become wealthy.
Women are becoming more educated, are getting paid more, and are rising stars in the workforce. While it is nice to see that workplace equality is finally catching on, working mothers are still having difficulty juggling both motherhood and their career. While some are enjoying their work in Corporate America, others are almost forced to work so their family can survive.
Many women, if asked, would rather stay home to take care of their young children than become a powerhouse at work. So what’s holding them back from ditching their job? What else? Money. But what if these women could find a source of income while staying at home? Would this be possible? Would the earnings be enough to cover the family expenses (with the help of the husband’s income of course)? After much research, I have discovered five jobs that women can do that will allow them to both mother and provide an income for their family.
1. Gardening/Farming
If you have just a little bit of property to work with, gardening is a wonderful tool to save money as well as earn some! By gardening and using rain water to nourish the plants, it can be a very cost effective way to produce groceries in your very own back yard. One simple garden can produce hundreds of dollars’ worth of groceries with only $20 worth of seeds.
If you wish to earn a little money, start looking into what plants are in high demand in your area. As a general rule of thumb, tomatoes are always a quality vegetable to plant and sell (perhaps at the local farmers’ market or to friends). House shrubs and trees also yield a hefty profit if you have the space. Best of all, the growing is mostly done by itself, so you can continue to parent like a pro even while you earn the money.
2. Craft and Sell on Etsy
My wife and I recently got married and decided to save money by making the table decorations ourselves. We saved our tin cans, spray painted them white, drilled designs in them, and made some pretty awesome candle holders. In addition to this, her mom figured out how to make some pretty realistic looking flowers out of fabric that matched our wedding colors perfectly. The entire display probably cost us $100 and looked phenomenal. And, in the end we sold the entire set-up for $600. Not only did we save money by doing the decorations ourselves, we made $500 in the process!
If you like to craft, check out Etsy and test a few products of yours. If they sell, you might just have a little business on your hands.
3. Babysit
If you’re a mom and have children that you’d like to stay at home with, why not offer to watch your friends’ children for them instead of having them sent to daycare? They know they can trust you and would likely end up paying you slightly less than the daycare for better, more personal care. This way, you can earn some cash, see your child all day, and provide them with the social interaction that they need as well!
4. Network Marketing Consultant
Network marketing often gets a bad rap. We’ve all had the friend that calls us over for a business opportunity and it’s what we refer to as a ‘pyramid scheme’, where people try to get their friends into business so they can make money on their product sales and become a millionaire. Most of the time the presentations are pretty cheesy and people are left eyeballing the door all night.
I’ve been involved in network marketing businesses. Some were bad, but some were not. For stay at home moms, network marketing can be a great way to earn the extra money that’s needed for their family. Avon, Tupperware, and Mary Kay are great examples of businesses that could earn you money without scaring your friends away. If you get involved in a business like this, you must first love the product, and secondly you must go in with the mindset of supplementing your income and not becoming a millionaire.
By selling product that you love, you can earn some extra dollars from the distributor. If some friends happen to love the product and want to sell it too, then sign them up. If not, then you don’t need to shun each other for life.
5. Photography
I have seen quite a few moms take to photography, and for good reason. By working a handful of hours on a couple of Saturdays and then editing photos on random days in between, a stay at home mom can earn over a thousand bucks a month and watch her kids for much of the time as well! If you have a talent for shooting photos, then consider photographing a couple of weddings, family portraits, or senior pictures. The money is good and for the most part you can make your own hours.
How about you all? Are you ready to ditch your job to become a stay at home mom? What jobs have you (or someone you know) have done to make a little money on the side while taking care of your/their children?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
***Photo courtesy https://www.flickr.com/photos/mararie/6405056867/
