As the economic crisis continues, everyone is in need of a little extra cash, especially those of you with more than one mouth to feed.  Being a mother is an endlessly demanding role and, by working at home, you have the opportunity to create a balance between caring, and providing for your family. The following tips for work at home Moms may not get you that suburban mansion, or that penthouse in New York, but they’ll certainly help boost your income.

1. Exploit Your Expertise Online

The growth of the online business world offers anyone the opportunity to use their knowledge and skills, and maximise their earning potential.  Websites such as, Elance, GetaFreelancer and ODesk, provide users with a gateway into the world of freelance writing.  With increasing numbers of companies hiring freelancers to create content for them, you can be paid anything from a few dollars, to $50 per article, by simply putting your opinions and knowledge onto virtual paper.

Writing experience isn’t necessary, but producing a few samples of original work for potential employers is a big help.  With Elance receiving over 4000 new job postings each week, your sure to find something to suit your abilities.  Whether its breast feeding, teenagers, gardening or computer programming, utilise your passion and grab a slice of the $2million of Elance fees paid every week.

If article writing doesn’t tempt you, try your hand at building a money-making website.  With the help of a free website builder, which provides the software, support, and training to get started, designing a website is easy and investment free.  There is no buying or selling involved, and all it takes is a simple, interesting website, and a little research into steering internet traffic towards it.  Whatever the content, once you get started income can be generated from advertisement and marketing links.

Or, how about earning around $20 an hour as a virtual assistant?  Economic difficulties have resulted in staff cuts in many businesses, yet despite financial constraints, support is still vital to the day to day running of any business.  Tasks can include daily management, travel arrangements, customer service, and bill paying.

Again, freelance websites, like Elance, along with online recruitment agencies, including Alpine Access, Virtual Office Temps and Team Double Click, provide a virtual backdrop for businesses to find help, and mothers to find work, for a few hours a week.

Alternatively, being an interactive tutor, helping students to work through problems and review essays, is another way to earn money by the hour.  All that’s required is a college degree and sites, like tutor.com, will provide you with a platform to find mentoring positions.

If you are proficient in maths, languages, social science or science, then providing live homework help to students around the world on Transwebtutors, can be a fantastic earning opportunity.

2. Online Sales

It’s not only your knowledge and skills that can be sold online; the internet can provide a perfect shop in which you can sell anything.  Even something as simple as the family photo album can be an online money maker.

Regularly uploading your pictures to ShutterStock, Fotolia and BigStockPhotos, can increase your income hugely.  Start snapping, and for a fee beginning at 25 cents per photo, corporations can find and download all the images they need.

eBooks are another trouble-free way to manufacture some extra income.  You don’t need the time or creative flair to produce your own eBooks, instead profits are made by visiting one of numerous sites, which allow you to buy the master resale rights of eBooks, on a topic that interests you.  Once you have a suitable catalogue of purchased eBooks, create a simple marketing website to sell them, by using free website builder software such as WordPress.

Or, why not try selling all those unused antiques, clothes and baby equipment?  As the saying goes, ‘one mother’s junk, is another man’s treasure,’ and on sites like, Craigslist, eBay, efleaa or Hoobly, people are always willing to pay for some new treasure.  With an eBay / Nielsen survey indicating that the average American household is hording around $3000 in the form of 52 unused items, you could easily be sitting on a goldmine.

Minimum asking prices ensure your goods are always sold at a fair price, and this employment can be further developed by working on a buy for profit basis.  Build up a strong seller’s profile and you can begin the hunt for your next 52 items.  Garage sales, house clearances and other online stores can all provide a wealth of bargains that can be resold for a profit.

However, if you’re lucky enough to live in a junk free house, then perhaps making and selling handicrafts could be a better option.  Good quality knitting, painting and embroidery can all be sold online.  eBay is always a good place to start, but with sales of over $88million in 2008, the dedicated handicraft site Etsy, which charges a small initial fee, followed by 3.5% of each sale, has a wealth of customers waiting to buy handmade or vintage items.

Similarly, Silkfair charges a small percentage (3%) of the final sale price, but, as well as allowing sellers to register and list items for free, it allows customer to create their own virtual store, for just $24.99 per month.

3. Computer Free Money Makers

If you’re a Mom who prefers the real world to the virtual world, then why not get paid for merely being a customer?  Mystery Shopping agencies provide employment, which involves reporting on the services of businesses, such as stores, cafes and restaurants, from a customer’s point of view.

Sign with a number of agencies – Shoppers View, Service Excellence Group and Service Intelligence – are some of the best and there should be no registering fee, and take the kids with you, while you earn around $20 per visit.

Alternatively, cash in on the natural skills you developed before becoming a mother.  People enjoy hassle free lives and will pay money to avoid time consuming tasks, such as designing a baby’s room, fixing computers or planning a wedding.

Whatever your skills are, market them with flyers and advertisements in local newspapers and stores, and allow your reputation to spread throughout the community.  Selling your own knowledge can be easily fitted around your busy family schedule and will not require any investment.

If you do have access to a computer, then sites like JustAnswer and LivePerson, can further increase your income, by paying per minute for answers to topic based questions.

So there you have it.  Whether its article writing, building websites, tutoring, online sales, mystery shopping or promoting your personal skills in the community, there is wide range of opportunities available to Moms to work at home, and maintain that important balance between having a child and a career.

About the author

Melanie Citron is a freelance author who wants the web to be open to everyone. She regularly researches and writes about great free or low cost resources to help all have a great presence on the web. See more of her writing at BuildMySiteforFree.com.

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Filed under: Work At Home • Work at Home Moms

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