4 Ways to Earn Some Money While Your Baby Sleeps
Gone are the days where party plans and catalogue delivery were the only options available for parents looking to contribute to the budget while raising the family. Now it’s possible to set up a profitable side business – or fulltime endeavour – from the comfort of your home for the ultimate in family-friendly work/life balance. Read on to find out how. This post is in collaboration with Telco In A Box.
1. Freelance Your Skills
Deciding to spend time at home with your baby doesn’t have to equal a large chunk of time away from your professional field or speciality. With the advent of websites that connect businesses with freelancers like Elance, Guru and Freelancer, it’s possible to work from home on projects similar to those you used to work on in the corporate world. Writing, social media management, marketing, bookkeeping, data entry and other roles can all be filled virtually. If you have a strong set of skills, you will be able to find clients to keep you busy while you’re new child is snoozing.
2. Start Your Own Telco
Being your own boss, working the hours that suit you and setting up an entrepreneurial endeavour may be even easier than you imagined. With the existence of services like Telcoinabox, virtually anybody with an internet connection and a knack for sales can become their own telecommunications service provider without the expense or red tape that so many other information technology startups have to overcome.
3. Home Child Minding
You know what a struggle it can be to find affordable, reliable childcare – particularly if it’s outside of regular day care hours. If you have friends with children, why not offer to babysit for them? You may need to set some boundaries to make sure that you still get your family time and you may need accreditation if you decide to advertise your services, but overall, this can be a great way to make some extra money while caring for your own children.
4. Selling Upcycled Treasures
If you love craft and creativity, why not turn your hobby into a profitable side business? Revamped vintage furniture and homewares is a hot trend in home decorating right now. Keep an eye on your local online classifieds or roadside collection sites for discarded pieces that you can give a new lease on life to and sell for a profit. Market stalls, online selling hubs like Etsy and even some Facebook selling groups and pages are ideal platforms to advertise your goods. The money might not be as regular as some of the other suggestions, but this is a way to spend time on something you enjoy while making extra cash.
Juggling the budget is sometimes one of the biggest challenges a family faces. Whether you’re looking to replace part of your fulltime wage or just make a little bit extra for luxuries and emergencies, there are ways that you can start earning additional income while still being the primary caregiver for your family. You never know – it may grow from a secondary income stream into a fulltime business over time.
Do you know any parents who have turned their part-time home-based job into a business? Share in the comments below.
When my kids were little, I used to buy designer kids clothing eg Osh Kosh, Pumpkin Patch at the op shop and then sell them on ebay, for the extra money – and it was fun – I’ve always loved op shopping!
I just love a bargain, and that is a very clever idea. The only problem these days is that op shopping has become so popular the prices are not so bargain basement any more.
What brilliant ideas! I’m so going to remember these for when I have kids!!