2 years ago, I was struggling. I was scouring the internet, looking for ways that I could make $100 today while my new baby slept beside me. I came across a lot of scams.
I tried out an MLM. I sold pecans from our pecan tree to make extra money for Christmas. I made crochet crafts and sold them. I gave music lessons and built my own studio and successful business out of that.
But at the very beginning, even just $30-$50 a day would have been amazing for me to make. I pinched pennies, I couponed to save money, I took surveys.
Literally, I tried it all.
Moms Earning MoneyPhoto byMadison Cates
So since I already tried everything for you, I know what works and what doesn’t and I’m here to share it with you so that you can skip the scams and the MLM drama and start making $100 a day TODAY from home or with your babies.
And please, for the love. Don’t try an MLM. That’s a post for another day though.
The most important thing you’ll read today
You have to actually try something. Don’t go into this list with a defeated mindset. You CAN do any one of the things on this list if you really want to. Find ways to make money online. YOU CAN DO IT.
One of my greatest strengths (and perhaps also my greatest weakness) is that I try, try, try until I succeed. When I tell you I tried everything, I mean everything except selling feet pics.
I figured out ways to make free money, ways to make money online, ways to accrue some passive income, and I even learned how to play games online for extra cash. (I don’t recommend those and won’t go into them here.)
Sometimes, you just have to try out a hundred different things. And then you’ll learn what works but isn’t worth the time, what doesn’t work, and what you can do and start to scale to make even more money online.
The biggest key to making money from home with babies is your mindset. If you believe you can’t, then you’re right. And if you believe that you can, you’re also right. So what’s it gonna be? I’ll give you all the ideas on how to make money fast, but you have to get out there, hustle, and get paid.
So, without further ado, here’s my favorite ways to make $100 TODAY, even if you have babies:
1. Offer to Babysit for Friends and Family
Babysitting can be one of the absolute easiest ways for a mom to earn money fast from home. People are ALWAYS looking for reliable babysitters, and they are willing to pay a pretty penny to someone they can trust.
If you’re looking for a way to earn money without any start up costs, and need cash NOW, then go and post on facebook that you’re opening up your home for babysitting.
You can write something like this:
”Hey friends! I am looking to start offering babysitting in my home on XYZ days at XYZ times. I’m wondering if there would be anyone on my friends list that is looking for some extra childcare, maybe for a date night or for a mommy’s day out.
My rates are reasonable and my home comes baby-proof and with built-in playmates.
If you’re looking for a reliable friend to trust your babies to for day or even an evening, please DM me! Feel free to share or tag a mommy-in-need.”
Easy peasy. Your rates should depend on your area. Look on care.com and put in your area to see what babysitters around you are charging. I’m located in Dallas, TX and babysitting runs anywhere form $15-25/hr depending on experience.
Make sure you look up your area so that you can make sure you’re fairly charging. You can offer discounts to friends and family, but I would recommend starting with your normal rate. And then if someone asks you for a discount, you can work something fair out with them.
2. Sign Up for Online Surveys or Focus Groups
I did this one a lot!! You might not get rich doing this, but it’s an easy way to earn some extra money online.
I made an average of about $8/hr doing surveys on my iPhone. It wasn’t a lot, but those early days when my baby was napping 4-5x a day, I was extremely bored and instead of wasting time scrolling facebook, I was cranking out surveys and earning $40-50 a day completing them.
You only earn a few bucks at a time for each of the online surveys, BUT I’ll watch videos online for a few hours any day to make money online while my babies sleep.
Basically you can watch videos, take paid surveys, and make immediate cash sitting at home.
I tried several different survey sites:
- Eureka
- Surveys on the Go
- Qmee
- Survey Junkie
- Swagbucks
My absolute favorite survey site and the one that I used every day was Qmee. I would consider this one of the high paying survey sites. I could cash out right then, right to my PayPal account and then transfer it to my bank account.
These online surveys also let you cash out and get free gift cards. I would get Target gift cards all the time and use them for diapers and groceries without having to touch our bank account. These apps I’ve listed are totally free to download and you can create a free account and take just a few minutes to set up.
I was making $40/day during the evenings while my husband watched Netflix. It was a way I could make money online. I wasn’t paying the mortgage with survey sites, but I was making $200/week which would be $800/month. That could be huge and real cash for someone! If you need extra money today, don’t sleep on survey sites.
3. DoorDash or Uber Eats or Instacart
I tried food delivery apps for a while when I was pregnant and didn’t have babies yet. I could earn an easy $30/hr doing it, but then you have to take into account the gas money that you’re spending as well.
If you don’t have kids, or if your kids are at school during the day, then one of these are a great option. As long as you have a drivers license, a car with car insurance, and money for gas, then you’re good to go. You can make quick cash and deliver food around town.
One thing to note is that you’re not supposed to take your kids with you on deliveries. A lot of people do it anyway, but it’s against the terms and services of the companies.
This is a great option for college students. You can earn cash without committing to a full time job. And as a mom and a college student, that’s an amazing thing.
4. Sell your stuff on Facebook Marketplace
It’s amazing what people will pay for second-hand items that are cluttering up your house. You can even look for free stuff that people are looking to donate and resell it. Boom. Free money!
I sold a lot of stuff on Facebook marketplace. I would take great, well-light pictures and then price everything about 20% higher than I wanted to get. People will ALWAYS ask you down, so make sure you price things a little higher than you want so that you leave enough room for them to comfortably negotiate with you.
I would also note on every post:
- Porch pick up only
- No holds
- First come first serve
- Venmo, Zelle or cash (or whatever cash apps you prefer)
- If the listing is still up, then the item is still available
First of all, I’m not trying to see anybody. I’m in my PJs all day long and don’t want to put clothes on just because someone wants to buy my old baby bottle dryer. That’s why I said porch PU only.
Second, I would have people ask me to hold the item and then ghost me. So I’d be thinking someone was coming at 5pm and then they’d never show up, and I’d have already turned away 3 other people that wanted to buy it.
Finally, putting the payment methods that you take on your listing will cut out a lot of unnecessary messages from people.
5. Dog Walking
If you’re already going on walks with your kids everyday, why not take a pup along too? You may think dog-walking sounds like a funny way to earn money, but listen.
Download the Rover app and see if there’s anyone near you that needs their dog walked during the day. This is an easy way to serve pet owners and make a few hundred dollars a week.
You’ll find out that people are working all day long during the weeks and just need someone to go and walk their dog once a day. You can make anywhere from $25-50 per walk and if your client is cool with it, then you can bring your kids along. Especially if you just have baby. Just pop on your Ergo baby carrier and grab a leash!
I’ve never personally done this one because I’m not a dog person. But I’ve seen so many people making big bucks from walking dogs during the week.
This is a gig that could also turn into pet sitting, house-sitting and baby-sitting. Start cultivating a relationship with your clients, love on their fur-babies, and you’ll be surprised at the opportunities to earn money that come your way.
6. Tutoring Kids
Are you passionate about a certain subject? Maybe you love writing like me! Or maybe you really love math and science (unlike me!).
Just like with the babysitting gig, post on Facebook! Tutoring pays big bucks and you’ll also be investing in a child’s education.
You can offer online tutoring over Zoom and you’ll never have to leave your home. Or, you can have the child over to your house, or meet somewhere like Starbucks.
This is one of the most fun ways to make money. You can get out of the house, engage with new people, and feel valuable by teaching something you’re good at. AND you and make money at the same time. Win, win, win.
7. Mowing Lawns
Mowing isn’t just for boys!! If you have a lawn mower and some time then you can make good money by mowing neighbors’ lawns.
I have a few friends who do this and they make good money! Plus it makes you feel like a boss.
Start by letting your neighbors know that you’re offering this service and offer a special discount for the first few customers. Put up a few flyers in your neighborhood and watch the money start rolling in.
8. Cleaning Houses
This is a great way to make money if you don’t mind getting your hands dirty (literally). If you haven’t seen Maid on Netflix, then go watch it while you do your survey apps. And then you’ll be inspired to start cleaning houses once you see the kind of dough you can rake in by cleaning out other people’s refrigerators.
Offer to clean your friends’ houses and then use their referral to get more business. You can also create flyers and put them out.
Again, start by offering a special discount for the first few customers. You can also offer your services on care.com and other house cleaning websites that have built-in clientele.
If you live in a decent sized city, this can be a great way to make money and meet people from all walks of life. Plus, it’s a great way to get some exercise!
9. Home Organization
This is something that I’ve been doing for friends and family over the years. It’s basically helping people organize their homes.
This is a great job for someone who loves to be organized, tidy up spaces and make them look nice. People usually hire home organizers when they’re moving or just need to declutter their home.
If this is something that you’re good at, then start offering your services on TaskRabbit or local Facebook groups. You can also offer your services on Craigslist and other similar websites.
10. Deliver Groceries with Walmart’s Spark Delivery
This is a great way to earn money if you’re comfortable driving around town. Sign up with Walmart’s Spark delivery service and start delivering groceries to people’s homes.
You can set your own schedule and you don’t have to worry about dealing with traffic or parking. Plus, you get to help people out by providing them with their groceries in a timely manner.
I like this options better than Instacart because you don’t have actually have to shop for the groceries. Just drive up and they’ll load you up with orders to deliver. I believe they pay $7 per delivery, plus the customers almost always tip you.
I’ve had friends that work only in the mornings and make an easy $100/day for 4 hours of work. Just remember that you have to subtract your gas money.
You can take passengers with you as long as they’re not little kids that can’t stay in the car by themselves. You’ll have to take the groceries up to the customer’s door, so your kids need to be old enough to stay in the car by themselves.
11. Decluttering Services
This is a gig that I did in college for odd jobs around my class schedule. I went to one home and sat in the floor with the kids and helped them to declutter their toys. Their mom basically hired me to be the “negotiator” and help the kids decide what to trash, what to donate and what to keep.
I also helped the mom go through her kitchen and office to minimize their belongings. This type of service is usually for people that are moving, typically out of state. Or just overwhelmed moms that don’t have time to declutter and reorganize.
12. Making Crafts and Selling Them
If you know me, then you know I love to crochet. Making and selling crochet crafts was one of the very first things I did as a teenager to make some extra Christmas money.
I designed a few fun winter hats and then put up pictures on my Facebook. I ended up getting several customer orders and even started up a facebook page just for my crochet projects. I made $40 per hat and that was great money for a teenager in high school.
I’ve seen moms making welcome signs for front doors, holiday wreaths, crochet crafts, art decor, refinishing and selling furniture, etc.
Just pick something, and then promote it each holiday. Valentine’s Day? Make it red and rosy. Christmas? Add some green and tinsel. Pinterest is your best friend for this. Start looking and creating some boards for inspiration and then get to crafting!
13. Meal Prepping for A Friend
This job is perfect for someone who loves to cook. Get together with a friend and offer to meal prep their meals in bulk. You can come up with a plan, shop for the groceries and then cook the meals on designated days.
You can get creative with your meal prepping. You can do a breakfast plan, lunch menu or dinner ideas. Offer to package the meals in tupperware and label them with cooking instructions. Your friend will be able to easily grab a meal out of the fridge and just reheat it when they’re ready
You can charge your friend for each meal and come up with a price that’s fair. This is great because then you can offer the same deal to multiple friends and make some extra cash in your spare time.
14. Donate Plasma
Donating plasma is a great way to earn money if you’re in need of some extra cash. Plasma centers usually pay you up to $50 per donation. I’ve even seen some places offer coupons for as much as $800 for a series of donations.
The process is relatively simple and doesn’t take long – usually about an hour or so. You just need to meet some requirements and fill out some paperwork before you can donate. The center will also perform a few tests to make sure that your plasma is safe for use.
Donating plasma is a great way to help other people while also making some money. Plus, you get free snacks and drinks while you’re there! You can watch videos to take your mind off of what you’re doing.
15. Download cash back apps like Fetch, and Ibotta
Apps like Fetch and Ibotta are a great way to make money with almost no effort. All you have to do is shop for groceries or items at the store and then scan your receipt into the app. Then, you’ll get cash back for doing so.
These apps are perfect for anyone who’s looking to save money while they shop. It doesn’t take long to start racking up points and cash back – so it’s a great way to make money while you’re out and about.
Plus, some of the apps offer exclusive coupons and deals that you wouldn’t get elsewhere.
My favorite cash back apps is Fetch because you can just scan your receipt after you get through shopping, and you can also shop online and your account can scan your emails and instantly give you cash back on purchases that you made on Amazon, Target and others.
In fact, when I signed up for Fetch, they scanned my email account for purchases made on Amazon and looked as far back as 6 months. So I earned cash back on a lot of purchases. Fetch is completely free to download. They don’t give you cash back into your PayPal account like other survey sites do. But, they do give you free gift cards to stores of your choosing. I almost choose Target and Amazon, because let’s be real. They’re the only places I shop.
Busy moms, there are ways to make money without sacrificing time with your littles. I know that your time is precious and you want to spend it with your kids, so we’ve put together a list of ways for you to make $100 today. Pick one or two that fit into your schedule and start making some extra cash!
