For those of us who are stay at home moms, I think we would all agree that we feel blessed to get to stay with our kids. But I know that many of us still desire to help contribute to our family’s finances.

There are a bunch of multilevel marketing companies out there, some of which have been awesome for some of my friends. However, I’m firmly convinced that MLM’s aren’t for me.

Sooo, today I thought I’d share with you some practical ideas for making money as a stay at home mom (SAHM) that don’t involve MLM companies. We have a little over two months until Christmas so if you get busy you can earn some extra money for your Christmas shopping!!

Most of these I have tried – you’ll recognize a few from my post 4 Easy Ways We Made Extra Cash. If I haven’t tried one I’ll be sure to mention that.

Let’s get started!

The Best Ways to Make Money As a SAHM

Ok, so let’s start with the obvious!

Babysitting

You’re already watching your own kids. Why not watch another child or two to make some extra cash?

I’ve done babysitting off and on since having kids. Currently I’m doing just a few hours once a week. It’s not a huge commitment which is nice, but it brings in a little extra and my kids enjoy getting to play with other kids.

Teaching

Music lessons

If you’re pretty proficient at a musical instrument why not offer lessons? I’ve taught piano lessons to several students over the years.

Tutoring

I’m not a math or science whiz by any means but I love tutoring elementary-age kids. If your own children are pretty young still it works well to teach a tutoring session or two once they are in bed for the night.

Teaching English online

I have not done this, but I have friends that teach with VIPKID and only have positive things to say about it. It’s definitely something that I’m interested to look into in the future!

Shopping apps

Ahh shopping apps, one of the easiest ways to make money as a sahm! Granted, it’s not a ton of money, but every little bit adds up. Here are some of the ones I’ve tried:

Shopkick

I used this app a lot back when I lived close to a mall. Get rewarded for walking into stores? Why not, right? I’ve earned several giftcards which is awesome.

Download Shopkick

Ibotta

I’ve talked about Ibotta before. I’ve made 20 something bucks from using it very irregularly this year so it’s definitely worth it! (I just need to remember to use it haha!) The key is to utilize the different bonuses + invite friends to join too.

Download Ibotta

Ebates

This is an especially good app (and website) to keep in mind for all your online holiday shopping (think Black Friday and Cyber Monday!!) It’s an effortless way to get cash back on your purchases. If you don’t try any other app at least try this one!

Download Ebates

Field Agent

This app is maybe a little less well known but I love the concept of getting paid to be a “mystery shopper.”

Download Field Agent

Online jobs

Surveys

I’ve made some money this year doing surveys for Pinecone Research. It’s such an easy way to make money as a SAHM. I’ve heard that Swagbucks is good as well.

Transcription

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve done some transcription work on Rev.com. It’s not going to make you rich but I can vouch for Rev as a great way to make money as a sahm!

Virtual assistant work

I’ve not done this yet, but I know there are all sorts of jobs for VAs out there, you just have to look and ask around!

Writing

A friend recommended textbroker.com to me for doing free-lance writing. I’ve signed up but not taken the plunge to actually submit my writing yet haha. But it looks like it’s a great place to start if you’re interested in doing some freelance writing.

Blogging

Okay, so, a little caveat for blogging: if you start now it’s highly unlikely you’ll be making money by this Christmas. But maybe for next year . . . 😉 Blogging is a long game, but so fun! Here are some tools to get you started.

Sell your stuff

Sometimes extra cash is sitting right under your nose, in the form of all your stuff that you don’t need!

There are so many options when it comes to selling your stuff. Yard sales, Ebay, Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, Offerup, etc.

Have clothes to sell? Consider selling them at consignment stores, Poshmark, Thredup, or organized in lots on Facebook marketplace!

So, did I miss anything? How do you like to make money as a SAHM? Comment below and let me know!

Pssst . . . since writing this post, I started an at-home job teaching English online with VIPKID. While I still recommend everything in this post, I have to tell you that teaching online is HANDS DOWN the best way I’ve found to make money as a SAHM! Curious? Here’s how I ended up teaching online (and why you should consider it too!)