17 of the Best Side Hustles for Stay-at-Home Moms
Exploring side hustles for stay-at-home moms? You’re in the right place. We’ve put together a list of side hustles that are great for moms, dads, and anyone who wants to earn some extra income without sacrificing their work-life balance. If that’s you, read on to discover our seven top picks!
Should You Start a Side Hustle?
One of the main benefits of starting a side hustle is that you’re in control. You don’t answer to anyone else, so you can choose exactly when, where, and how you want to work. There’s no obligation to work in a particular location or for a fixed number of hours. The level at which you operate is up to you – while side hustles often start small, they can ultimately become your main income. As a parent, this kind of flexibility is invaluable.
To succeed with a side hustle, you’ll need to first consider what you could do to earn that all-important extra income. What skills and experience do you have? What do you enjoy doing? How much time can you dedicate to your side hustle? As a busy parent, you don’t want to waste time pursuing something that isn’t a good fit for you and your family.
You should also consider whether you will make your home your workplace and, if so, how that will function. For example, say you start an event planning business and you’re making party bunting on your kitchen table – if your kids get home from school desperate for food, will it destroy your careful layout at a crucial stage? Or would you be better off using a spare bedroom or home office? Take time to work out the practicalities and consider a dedicated workspace.
Benefits of Starting a Side Hustle
There are many benefits to starting a side hustle. Here are a few of them:
- You can work flexible hours to fit your family’s schedule and your other commitments. Whether it’s school drop-offs, doctor appointments, or nap times, you can build your workday around what matters most – your family. This adaptability is especially valuable during school holidays or unpredictable moments such as sick days.
- You’ll save time and money on costly commutes. The average American spends $22.11 per day (~$5,748 per year) on commuting. With a home-based side hustle, you not only eliminate commuting expenses, but you also reclaim hours every week that would otherwise be lost in traffic or transit.
- You get to choose your dress code. One of the small joys of working for yourself is wearing whatever feels comfortable. There’s no pressure to dress a certain way!
- There are often very minor initial overhead expenses. For example, a freelance writer might only need a laptop and internet connection, while a craft seller could get started with supplies they already have at home.
- You can work from anywhere. You can work from your kitchen table, a café, or even from a vacation rental. One benefit of remote-friendly side hustles is they allow you to work wherever you feel most productive.
- You can be at home for school holidays or when your kids are sick. Side hustles make it easier to work around real life – whether that means skipping the childcare scramble or simply being there when your family needs you.
- It’s an ideal opportunity to start a new career or maintain existing skills. You can use a side hustle to test out a new direction, keep your experience up to date, or gradually build toward reentering the workforce full time when the time feels right.
Drawbacks of Working a Side Hustle
Like everything in life, there are some drawbacks to consider:
- Balancing your time can be tough. Juggling parental responsibilities alongside launching something new takes energy and planning. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed at times.
- There may be a learning curve. From tracking business transactions to managing your taxes, you’ll likely need to pick up a few new skills along the way.
- The money might be slow to start. Many side hustles take time to gain traction; your initial earnings may not reflect your effort right away.
- You’ll be calling the shots. Without a manager to guide you, it’s up to you to make decisions, set goals, and stay on track.
- There’s no built-in safety net. Without paid time off or sick leave, you’ll need to plan ahead and build financial cushions where you can.
Of course, you might well feel these drawbacks are advantages. It all depends on whether you view a challenge as an opportunity!
7 Side Hustles for Stay-At-Home Moms
It’s time to get into our seven top picks. We’ll look at what each one involves, the skills you’ll need, how to get started, and how much you could earn. We hope one of them is a good fit for you!
1. Monetizing Your Hobby
Do you make delicious cupcakes? Are you always in your workshop turning bits of wood into toys or beautiful ornaments? Do you enjoy sewing and crafting bespoke garments? You could turn your hobby into a freelance business and sell some of the things you make.
To start a craft business that makes you money, you’ll need the practical skills to create your product, as well as some marketing know-how to help spread the word. This might include building your own website, growing a social media presence, or attending local markets and craft fairs.
How To Get Started
Ready to start earning an income from your creative hobbies? We’d recommend:
- Sharing your product with friends and family first. They can offer valuable feedback to help you improve your offering before you start selling to a wider audience.
- Researching relevant regulations. For example, if you’re planning to sell food, you’ll need to be aware of your region’s food safety standards.
- Looking at what others are doing. See how similar products are priced and positioned. You don’t want to undercharge and lose money, but you also don’t want to price yourself out of the market. You can always raise your rates as you build experience and collect testimonials from happy customers.
Earnings can vary widely depending on what you make, how much time you put in, and your experience level. For instance, take a look at these income reports from different handmade businesses:
- A pottery seller with two years of experience earned about $310 in one month.
- A fabric purse and wallet maker with eight years of experience made $1,133 in one month.
- A Waldorf toy business owner with 21 years of experience brought in $20,000 in a single month.
According to statistics from Customcy, craft artists in the U.S can earn an average of $20.97 per hour or $43,610 per year. So, if you’ve got a creative streak and some tools at home, what’s stopping you from crafting your way to a successful side hustle?
2. Selling Vintage Clothing and Accessories Online
Got an eye for a bargain? Love vintage fashion? This side hustle involves buying and selling vintage clothing online. You might sell items from your own wardrobe or buy items and sell them at a profit.
To succeed at this side hustle, you’ll need a good eye for quality pieces – when it comes to spotting underpriced gems. You’ll also need to be reasonably tech-savvy to use the various vintage shopping apps and websites.
How To Get Started
If you’d like to start selling clothing online, we’d suggest:
- Deciding whether to specialize. For example, you might choose to focus on 1990s clothing, vintage designer clothing, or evening wear – or sell a wide range of items.
- Exploring sourcing options. These might include thrift stores, online marketplaces, or wholesalers.
- Researching selling platforms. Find the best fit for your style and target customer. Etsy, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace are great places to start, but there are also more specialized platforms such as Depop, Poshmark, and ThredUp.
- Checking pricing trends. Look into average pricing for similar items on the sites you want to use.
- Factoring in shipping costs. Make sure to calculate delivery fees and consider how they’ll affect your profits.
- Planning for storage. Even a small inventory can take up space, so think about whether you’ll use a closet, spare room, or self-storage unit to keep things organized.
The value of the U.S. second-hand clothing market was valued at around $51.9 billion in 2024 and continues to grow. While earnings vary widely depending on what and how much you sell, many sellers scale gradually, starting with side income and growing it into a consistent stream over time.
3. Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping involves recording a business’s financial transactions – its sales and expenses – and completing tax and other financial statements.
If you want to become a bookkeeper, you’ll need to be confident with numbers. Alongside the basics (such as addition and subtraction), you should feel comfortable analyzing and interpreting numerical data. Good communication skills are also important, as you may need to explain reports to clients who aren’t familiar with financial terminology.
You’ll also need to use spreadsheets, word processors, and other specialized accounting software and be familiar with the generally accepted accounting principles in your region.
How To Get Started
To get started as a bookkeeper, consider:
- Taking a basic accounting course. There are lots of free online courses available.
- Learning the tools your ideal clients use. Popular examples include QuickBooks, MinuteDock, Quotient, Slack, and Asana.
- Practicing interpreting financial data. Look at sets of published accounts or a friend’s business records and see if you can interpret what they mean.
- Researching freelance platforms. Browse freelance marketplaces such as Upwork or Fiverr to see the types of bookkeeping jobs available and the rates other freelancers are charging.
The average salary for a freelance bookkeeper is $24 per hour, but it can range from about $13 to $36 per hour depending on your experience and the complexity of the work.
4. Dog Walking
If you love dogs, dog walking could be the perfect side hustle. Professional dog walkers take other people’s dogs for walks, offering a valuable service to pet owners who are unable to do it themselves due to illness, injury, or a packed schedule.
To run a successful dog walking business, a genuine love of animals is key. You’ll also need to be physically fit, especially if you plan to walk large breeds or multiple dogs at once. Knowing how much exercise different breeds need is a plus. You also should be responsible, reliable, and comfortable taking instructions. Pet owners want to know you’ll treat their dog just as they would. You’ll be responsible for the animals’ well-being, so a basic knowledge of essential dog first aid is important.
How To Get Started
Does dog walking sound like the right side hustle for you? We’d recommend:
- Volunteering first. Try walking dogs for friends or sign up for a platform such as Borrow My Doggy to test the waters.
- Staying active. Keep up or increase your fitness so that you’re healthy enough to go on multiple walks per day.
- Researching legal requirements. Depending on your location, you may need permits, insurance, or training in areas such as pet first aid, safety, or animal care regulations.
According to The Hustle, about 40% of people don’t walk their dogs as much as they should. This creates a great opportunity for you. The average dog walker charges about $20 for a 30-minute walk – so if you walk five dogs a day, you can make approximately $500 a week!
5. Writing
Writing is a great choice for creative people who have a way with words. Freelance writing generally falls into two categories: Content writing, which is designed to educate or entertain, and copywriting, which aims to persuade – typically promoting a product, service, or idea. Both involve producing written material for blogs, websites, emails, social media, and other marketing channels.
As a writer, you’ll usually work from a client brief and follow specific tone, brand voice, and style guidelines. You might write for a well-known brand, contribute to a small business’s online presence, or even run and monetize your own blog focused on a topic you’re passionate about.
You’ll need a mix of hard and soft skills to succeed as a freelance writer. Creativity and a strong grasp of the English language are essential, as well as being able to understand your audience and tailor content to their preferences. Good time management and self-discipline are crucial, especially if you’re managing multiple projects at once. You’ll also need strong communication skills to work effectively with your clients (e.g., for giving and receiving feedback).
How To Get Started
When starting out as a freelance writer, we’d suggest:
- Considering whether you want to write for a specific niche. For example, some popular niches are business, travel, technology, or beauty.
- Practicing as much as possible. There are lots of things you can do to become a better writer, such as volunteering to write guest posts, reaching out to nonprofit or charity organizations, or building your own blog and promoting it on social media.
- Taking a freelance writing course. This will help you refine your writing skills and boost your confidence.
The average salary for a freelance writer is $23.15 per hour, though with experience – and in high-paying niches – you could earn $50 per hour or more.
6. Proofreading and Editing
Proofreading and editing are two more great options for stay-at-home parents who have a love for language.
While both roles involve improving written documents, they serve slightly different purposes. Editing involves a deeper review of the content, focusing on aspects such as structure, clarity, and tone, whereas proofreading is the final check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting inconsistencies before publication.
You don’t need any particular qualifications to enter these fields. However, you will need a very keen eye for detail and an excellent knowledge of the English language. Other essential skills for proofreading and editing include the ability to stick to a style guide, good interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with clients, and the technological know-how to use word processing software.
How To Get Started
To start a proofreading and/or editing career, we’d recommend:
- Taking a course. The best proofreading and editing courses teach the core skills, provide opportunities to practice them, and give you access to tutor support.
- Gaining some hands-on experience. It’s possible to start this side hustle with no experience; you just need to get yourself out there. Volunteer to review documents for friends, family, nonprofits, or student groups.
- Networking. Joining professional proofreading and editing societies can be a great way to connect with others in the industry and stay on top of trends and opportunities.
The average hourly pay for proofreaders is about $23, and the average hourly pay for editors is about $31. With experience, and as your speed and accuracy improve, it’s possible to earn $40 per hour or more.
7. Online Tutoring
This is a great choice for people who enjoy helping others and sharing their knowledge. You can teach academic subjects such as math, science, or English, offer language lessons or test prep support, or even teach specialized skills such as music or art. And best of all, you can do it all from the comfort of your own home.
In order to successfully teach online, you’ll need to assess each student’s learning style and adapt your teaching methods accordingly. You could be helping a struggling elementary student with basic math, preparing a high schooler for the SAT, or teaching conversational English to adults around the world. Many tutors work with multiple students across different subjects and age groups.
Strong communication skills and patience are essential in this field, and you should be able to explain complex concepts in a way that’s simple and easy to understand. Along with solid knowledge of your subject area, you’ll need to be comfortable using video conferencing tools and online teaching platforms. Good time management and reliability are important too, especially if you’re balancing multiple students or subjects.
How To Get Started
When you’re getting started, we’d suggest:
- Deciding whether to specialize in one subject. For example, you could focus on mathematics, test prep, language learning, or offer tutoring across multiple areas.
- Researching tutoring platforms. Some platforms require teaching credentials or degrees, while others are more flexible about qualifications.
- Creating a compelling profile. Highlight your expertise, relevant education, experience, and teaching philosophy.
- Testing your technology setup. Ensure you have reliable internet, good lighting, and clear audio for your video sessions.
The average salary for an online tutor is about $19 per hour for general subjects. Specialized areas such as test prep, advanced mathematics, or professional certification courses can command significantly higher rates.
10 More Flexible Side Hustles
If none of the ideas listed above enticed you, don’t worry! Here are 10 other great side hustle ideas:
- Virtual assistant: This work offers flexible, remote opportunities to support businesses with tasks such as email management, scheduling, and social media. Learn how to become a virtual assistant and enjoy a highly flexible side hustle that fits around your family schedule.
- Transcriptionist: Legal, medical, and other fields often require audio or video content converted into text. Entry-level transcription requires good typing skills, and you can work whenever audio files are available – ideal for parents with unpredictable schedules. If you’re interested, check out this free guide to getting started as a transcriptionist.
- AI trainer: Tasks include labeling images, rating chatbot responses, or verifying data to help improve AI systems. These can often be completed in short bursts, making them ideal for busy parents. Learn how to become an AI trainer and take advantage of this relatively new and growing industry.
- Social media manager: Help businesses create and schedule content, respond to comments, and grow their online presence. If you want to become a social media manager, your work can often be batched and scheduled in advance, allowing for flexibility around other commitments.
- Online course creator: Share your knowledge by building digital courses in areas such as parenting, career development, or fitness. This is a great option for parents who want to monetize their expertise and create a passive income stream.
- Dropshipping business owner: Sell products online without handling physical inventory; items are shipped directly from suppliers to customers when an order is placed. This takes some upfront setup, but it can lead to a steady, passive income stream once established.
- Photographer: Offer services such as family portraits, product photography, or event coverage. Starting a photography business allows you to work primarily on weekends and evenings when family events typically occur, making it compatible with daytime parenting responsibilities.
- Childcare provider: Care for a few additional children in your home while looking after your own. This side hustle suits parents who enjoy working with kids and have the space and patience required (though licensing and insurance are often needed).
- Food business owner: Prepare meals, baked goods, or specialty items such as dog treats from your own kitchen. Food prep businesses often start small and build on existing cooking skills.
- Plant seller: Propagate and sell houseplants, succulents, or herbs from home for a flexible, garden-based side hustle. It’s a great option for green-thumbed parents and can easily fit around child-friendly hours.
Becoming a Freelancer
If we’ve inspired you to start a side hustle – or even to take the plunge and go for a career change to become a full-time freelancer – check out our courses. We can teach you proofreading, editing, writing, and much more.
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