best thing for stay at home mom?

[hpienkos]

What is the best way a Stay at home mom can make extra cash? I am currently babysitting once a week, 45.00 each week-not good enough! Any other ideas?

thanks!

[justmama]

Get a full-time nanny position. I have one little boy during the week from 6:30am until 4:30pm at my house and make $100 a week. That's what the mom and I worked out but it's SO possible to make way more than that. You don't have to be licensed by the state. In the state of North Carolina, where I live, you can have up to 5 children in your home and call yourself a daycare without getting a license and getting inspections and needing an actual BUSINESS license and whatever. Obviously that's completely up to you how many you take and what you can and can't handle. BUT it can be very good money if you can hack it. I was an Air Force licensed childcare provider and was paid $125 a week per child and could take up to 6 children(2 under two, my own included in my numbers and 6 total) and I got subsidy for food for them too. So it can be a very good business. However, the start up costs can get you because you need os much more in toys, child proofing, sleep mats or pack and plays, plates, cups, utensils, sippys, etc. So being a daycare provider or a full-time nanny for one family is very doable. Also, cleaning houses is a great way to make some extra cash. You take your kids with you. I've done that too and it's not always easy but most of the time the kids seem to enjoy "helping" mom and if it's houses with kids, there are "new" toys out everywhere for your kids to be entertained with. Tutoring is another possibility if you have the inclination. Medical billing or transcription can be done during the kids' naptimes. It's always possible to make a little extra money at home, you just have to find creative ways!

meg

[root*children]

have you checked out the WAHM forum? They have great ideas, advice, etc. I do childcare (BTW - also in NC, and the iwannas paper ads for childcare services state you can only watch up to 2 kids that are not related to you at a time, without getting liscensed .. hmm.. ). Anyhow, i do it for 4 kids (3 days a week, 2 kids per day). With my own 2 boys, I would be overwhelmed and burnt out pretty quickly if I had other kids over every day of the week I charge $2.50/hr., but feel I should be charging more than that, and will probably raise it to $3/hr this Summer, just the hourly wage here is SO low, that most everybody is struggling in the first place!

I also sell on ebay things i get from thrifts and yardsales. The things I know most about are obviously children's items, so I do mostly kids clothes, AP stuff like breastpumps, slings, cloth diapers, etc.

The childcare brings in about $100/week, and ebay does the same. Not too bad. I've tried other stay-at-home jobs (mystery shopping, being a Maya Wrap distributor), but these are the ones I like most. Oh, I also used to do shipping for an author that had her own company to sell her books and artwork, but we moved from the state, so I had to quit that one (that was such easy money! I loved it!)

When I just had one son, I did nannying in someone else's home for $8/hr for her two kids. It was really hard to find that job, I had to just apply for every single 'childcare wanted' ad in the paper with my situation, and after a month or so, I found one that wanted to try me out (they were also an AP family which was the main attraction to me, since I put in my resume lots of AP traits), and we both ended up really enjoying it. But when I became preggo with DS#2, I did quit (well, I actually worked through my 8th month of pregnancy!)

[Yooper]

I am(was) a SAHM....not sure what the exact definition is. But we needed extra cash in a very bad way. I tried to come up with something for a LONG time. What I did was pick up two nights a week as a bartender. I make a great deal of money for very little time. Most of my hours are after dd is asleep so I am not really "gone". And it is compatible with dh's normal daytime hours (if he ever gets a job).

[CerridwenLorelei]

Yooper could one

sit down and bartend? Like on a swivel stool or the like?

[Yooper]

Originally Posted by CerridwenLorelei

sit down and bartend? Like on a swivel stool or the like?

I would say probably not. The bar I work at is about 40 feet long so I am running up and down it all night. I definately get a workout which for me is a bonus to the job. But it would probably be a challenge for someone with knee or back problems where standing and walking is uncomfortable.

[boobybunny]

But bartending is not for everyone. I personally loved it. I worked three nights a week, from 4- midnight and made over 25K with what I claimed that year. (it could have been as much as 40K )

[1growingsprout]

$$ ideas

babysit and ebay.....check out your local thrift stores for mega sale days.... savers on mondays has a certain color tag at 99cents.... youd be amazed at what you can find....

[phathui5]

I posted this in another thread too:

Don't forget to call all the market research and survey companies in your area. The one I do surveys for just sent me a flyer for studies they're enrolling for and they pay anywhere from $50 to $300 for you to sit for a couple hours and give your opinions about stuff. Baltimore Research (just one of many) is looking for primetime TV viewers, artificial sweetener users, high cholesterol sufferers, SUV owners, pizza purchasers, new moms and heartburn sufferers. It's pretty likely there's a complany in your area that would put you in a study.

[dharmamama]

Originally Posted by jag

you really should consider taking paid surveys.

Have you done this? Can you really make money from it? How often do you get the chance to take a survey/earn money from it? Do you start receiving enormous quanities of junk mail? How do you get paid?

Namaste!

[Shiloh]

Bus driving, paper routes, tutoring school children, after school babysitting (wont' suck your whole day still give you time for appointments etc), foriegn student homestays (usually over 800 a month tax free I believe but you got to feed and entertain them)

[UrbanSimplicity]

all of "jag"s posts have been advertisements---check out their profile. i almost fell for it, since i thought it was a mdc member recommendation!

[TranscendentalMom]

A friend of mine has been making a ton of $$ buying vintage items at thrift stores and garage sales and selling them on ebay. She follows fashion trends and closed sales on ebay to see what's selling high and then she looks for it. She never spends more than $5 on something that way there's no risk. Last year she was selling cowboy boots for $60 (some of which she purchased for $2) This season its wedge sandals and large funky belts. Also 80s style stuff. Basically, if it has VINTAGE in the ebay title it sells higher. Anyway, when our house is finished I'm thinking about giving it a shot!

[queen bee]

Originally Posted by TranscendentalMom

A friend of mine has been making a ton of $$ buying vintage items at thrift stores and garage sales and selling them on ebay. She follows fashion trends and closed sales on ebay to see what's selling high and then she looks for it. She never spends more than $5 on something that way there's no risk. Last year she was selling cowboy boots for $60 (some of which she purchased for $2) This season its wedge sandals and large funky belts. Also 80s style stuff. Basically, if it has VINTAGE in the ebay title it sells higher. Anyway, when our house is finished I'm thinking about giving it a shot!

This is what I do. I've been bringing in a decent part-time income for 5 years.