If you’re reading this article, you’re probably wondering how to make money as a single mom, ideally by doing something that allows you to work from home, doesn’t demand too much of your time, or even generates totally passive income.
‘Side hustle’ is a bit of a buzzword these days, but there’s no denying that side hustles are a great way to make more money and still have time for your family.
A good side hustle can supplement your income, help pay off debt, and even help save up for retirement.
Unfortunately, if you’re a single mom, it can be especially tough to find the time and energy to work extra hours, and many moms don’t know where to start when it comes to finding the perfect side hustle.
However, with a little creativity, you can find some opportunities that will fit in with your schedule and provide some extra cash.
In this article, I’ve compiled a list of viable side hustles for single moms that don’t involve taking online surveys or joining a predatory MLM.
I’ve also taken care to include plenty of side hustles for stay at home moms on this list, so if you’re looking for a way to earn extra cash without leaving the comfort of your home, I’ve gotchu 😉
The Best Side Hustles for Single Moms in 2023
What do the best side jobs for single moms have in common?
Something that single moms are often lacking in is time.
Raising a child on your own is probably one of the most difficult things a person can do, especially if you’re working to provide for your family as well!
One of the most important things that a side hustle for single moms needs to have then, is time flexibility.
This will allow you to create your own schedule around what works for you, and avoid missing out on precious time with your kids.
Another important factor is barrier to entry – if a job requires a specific degree to do, it won’t be feasible for most people reading this.
Although many of the jobs on this list require some type of skill, many are skills that you will already have, or those which can be self-taught.
Lastly, Not Your Boss Babe believes that anything which involves buying a starter kit or paying a large fee to join is not a good business opportunity, so you will not find network marketing companies or FOREX courses on here.
While most of the side hustles on this list will involve costs at some point, they are legitimate jobs that will result in you getting paid, as long as you do them well.
26 Side Hustles for Single Moms
The best side hustles for single moms and stay at home mom business ideas fall into a few different categories.
In this article we’ll be looking at side hustles which involve:
- Selling products
- Freelancing
- Sharing knowledge
- Selling your services
So, if you’re ready to get inspired and start bringing in some extra cash every month, here are the best side hustles for single moms that you can start right away!
Selling Products
Having a product to sell is a great way to earn some additional income.
Right now, you’re probably shaking your head and thinking ‘I don’t have anything I could sell!’ but if you think hard enough, I guarantee that there is something you can sell that will provide value to others, and no, you don’t have to be artistic or good at crafts for this!
Here are some ways that you can make money selling products to people.
1. Set up your own Etsy business
Sites like Etsy make it easy to sell your products from the comfort of your own home!
If you’re a single mom with a crafty side, you could easily set up an Etsy store and sell your homemade crafts or artwork.
Wax melts are very popular at the moment, as are bespoke wedding invitations or birthday cards.
If you don’t fancy making products yourself, other popular things that you can sell on Etsy include self-care hampers, craft supplies (buy them wholesale and sell at a marked up price), party decorations and more.
If you’re not sure what to sell or how much to charge, spend some time browsing Etsy to see what’s popular.
It also costs nothing to set up an Etsy store and requires no qualifications.
2. Reselling through Vinted or Poshmark
Second-hand clothing apps like Vinted and Poshmark are huge right now, and as the fast fashion backlash is showing no signs of slowing down, more sustainable ways of shopping are only going to continue to grow in popularity.
Whether you just want to clear some space in your wardrobe by selling off your old items, or take it to the next level and buy items at thrift stores to resell them at a higher price, apps like Vinted and Poshmark make it super easy to do so.
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, check out my guide to Poshmark for beginners.
Another popular website for reselling is Mercari. You can read my comparison between Mercari and Poshmark here.
3. Sell unwanted items on Facebook Marketplace or Decluttr
If you’re like most people and have a tonne of miscellaneous things lying around that you just don’t have any use for, consider selling them online!
Wallapop, Facebook Marketplace and Decluttr are all great options for getting rid of your old things, and they require minimum effort.
I’ve managed to declutter my home and make quite a bit of extra cash by selling things on these apps, and I can’t recommend them enough.
4. Dropshipping
Dropshipping has garnered a bit of a bad reputation due to the large number of unscrupulous businesses that sell terrible quality products at extortionate prices.
However, all that dropshipping really means is that you can have an ecommerce business without holding large amounts of inventory.
Rather than buying hundreds of products and hoping they sell, you simply wait until you receive an order from your customer and then you place that order directly with your supplier.
It’s a bit more expensive than buying wholesale, but you won’t be stuck with a load of inventory if anything goes wrong.
I created a dropshipping business during the pandemic, and earned a few hundred dollars a month from it with minimum effort.
The best way to find a reliable dropshipping supplier is to do your homework. Communicate with the seller, read the reviews, and order some products yourself so that you can perform quality checks. This Shopify list is a great starting point for suppliers.
If you want to start your own dropshipping business, you can create a Shopify or WooCommerce store if you have experience with running websites, or simply sign up as an Amazon third party seller if you prefer.
5. Set up a stall at local craft fair or flea market
If you’ve got a creative streak then why not set up a stall at your local craft fair or weekly market?
Handmade soap, wax melts, greetings cards and jewellery are all popular choices, and you can also market your products on Etsy and social media, making your stall an extension of your online biz (Instagram is great for small businesses selling products like this!).
6. Sell digital products
Digital products don’t only involve courses and membership sites.
You can easily create templates for Pinterest or Instagram, devise weekly and monthly planners to help fellow creators, or other printables that will help busy freelancers and bloggers organise their time. This is one of the best stay at home mom business ideas because it doesn’t take a lot of time and you can literally do it from the comfort of your sofa!
Check out this list of 26 digital products you can sell on Etsy for some inspiration!
7. Start a local cake or cookie business
If you’re a whizz in the kitchen, you could start your own small business selling homemade cakes and cookies.
Set up an Instagram and Facebook page and post beautiful photos of your creations – chances are, people in your social network would love to buy something from you, and you can also take your skills to craft fairs, weekly markets and even local cafes!
Another bonus with this type of side hustle is that you can also create a recipe blog to run alongside your business, and eventually make money from placing ads on your website once you reach a certain amount of traffic.
Freelance work
If you need more than just a little extra money or if you’ve been looking for a new career, freelancing is an excellent opportunity.
You’ll be able to set your own hours and work from home—or anywhere with an internet connection!
Freelancing also gives you the chance to learn about yourself and what interests you: are you good at writing? What about marketing?
Finding out these details will help guide your career decisions and provide insight into which types of job would be best for you.
There are several websites that can help connect you with clients who need your services. If you have a skill or trade, you can offer it up for sale on platforms like Thumbtack, Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer.
8. Freelance writing
You don’t need an English degree to get into freelance writing.
All you need are the following skills:
- Basic writing skills (or a willingness to learn them)
- A starter portfolio that has some samples of your writing
- A good laptop with a decent internet connection
- Determination, patience and a little confidence
Many websites will hire freelance writers to write short blog posts or copy for their websites.
The more experience you have under your belt, the more you can charge, and if you can get on the books of an agency, you’ll be getting consistent work (if you want it).
9. Design work
You don’t need to be a professional graphic designer to be able to create great designs.
From logos to Pinterest templates, Instagram Story templates and more, there is certainly no shortage of people looking for designers.
10. Bookkeeping
If you’re good with numbers, online bookkeeping is a great side hustle for single moms – in fact, when I was a young kid and my mom had quit her traditional job, she actually worked as a bookkeeper for a while!
Back then she did everything by hand with a calculator, but with the internet, bookkeeping has never been easier!
11. Translate
If you speak another language fluently, translation work is a fantastic side hustle.
Whether you know people in your social circle who could benefit from a translator (a British girl I know in Spain helps other Brits with their residency applications), or whether you want to sign up to a website like Translate.com to find work, there will always be people who need things translating.
12. Proofreading
You don’t need a degree to be a proofreader, just a basic knowledge of punctuation, capitalisation, grammar and spelling, as well as an eye for detail.
General proofreaders get paid to proofread anything from blog posts to website copy, books and even transcripts and court documents (although these require a bit more technical knowledge).
13. Editing photos or videos
If you’re handy with photo or video editing tools, there are so many opportunities waiting for you online!
From editing an influencer’s Instagram pics to working with YouTubers, there are so many possibilities out there when it comes to photo and video editing.
14. Transcribing
Transcribing may be boring but it is a decent side hustle where you simply get paid to write, especially if you’re a fast typer!
Being a transcriber typically involves listening to a piece of video or audio and creating a digital text document of what was said.
You don’t need a lot of money or training to be a transcriber, and because this is a WFH jobs, this is an ideal side hustle for stay at home moms.
15. Data entry
Another one for the typists out there is data entry.
The beauty of data entry is that as well as not needing any formal qualifications or training, it doesn’t necessarily require your full attention – once you get into the groove, you can easily listen to a podcast or audiobook whilst doing so – just make sure to glance over your work when you’re done to check for mistakes!
16. Social media management
If you’ve ever grown a large social following or studied digital marketing, social media management could be a great side hustle for you.
Many small businesses know that they need a presence on social media, but have no idea where to start.
By taking on a small number of clients and managing their social media profiles, you can build up a social media management business from scratch, and satisfied customers will always recommend you to their friends in need!
17. Becoming a virtual assistant
If you’re looking for administrative work, becoming a virtual assistant is one of the best side hustles for single moms there is as there is such a huge demand for them and businesses of all sizes use them.
As a VA, you can work from home and offer services like transcription, data entry, admin, administrative assistance, or simply handling customer service for a company that doesn’t have any in-house agents.
Many bloggers also use virtual assistants for their email marketing, blog post formatting, Pinterest management and more.
Sharing knowledge and services
18. Teach English online
Are you a native English speaker?
If you are then good luck – you can help both adults and children improve their English online, and you don’t need any teaching qualifications!
There are many platforms available for native English speakers who want to teach online. and some of the most popular include Verbalplanet, Cambly and iTalki.
With most of the platforms you can set your availability, list your own rates and let people know how you can help them improve their English.
This job requires a strong internet connection and good quality webcam (you can find some super affordable webcams on Amazon).
19. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is a fantastic way to start making money and is one of the best forms of passive income for single moms.
To succeed in affiliate marketing, you can start a niche blog and recommend products/services on there, or use your social media influence to recommend products you love to family and friends. Pinterest is also a great place to promote your affiliate links.
Check out my post on affiliate marketing for more information about getting started with affiliate marketing.
Below are a few recommendations of courses and other tools that may be useful if you want to build a blog, grow your social media account and make money with affiliate marketing.
The best bit is that if you use our discount code to sign up, you can save as much as 70%, meaning that you getting all of the material at a fraction of the price!
Here are the best affiliate marketing courses:
Affiliate Marketing Diploma – This Centre of Excellence course will teach you all you need to know to get started with affiliate marketing and build your own successful affiliate marketing business. The usual price is £147, but if you use code TRAVELLINGJEZEBEL466 you will get 70% off! (The code is the name of NYBB’s travel blog!)
Blogging Business Diploma Course – This is another Centre of Excellence course that will help you turn your blog into a business. This course is usually £127 but you can get 70% off using the code TRAVELLINGJEZEBEL466.
Travel Blog Prosperity – This is a fantastic selection of blogging courses that you pay for monthly access to, with new material being added all the time. You can get your first month for only $9 (usual price $59.29) when you use code JEZEBEL.
Social Media Marketing Diploma Course – Want to create a successful affiliate marketing business using only the power of social media? Turn your socials into money with this course. It is usually priced at £127 but you can get 70% off with code TRAVELLINGJEZEBEL466.
20. Drive an Uber or Lyft
One of the most popular side hustles out there is becoming an Uber or Lyft driver.
These jobs are super flexible, meaning you can time them around your schedule, and all you need is a car and a clean driving record.
21. Babysit
You’re already a mom, so why not take advantage of your childcare skills and babysit for families in your area?
Caring for children after school or in the evenings can be a great little earner, and you can promote yourself by word of mouth through family and friends, or use online platforms like Care to find work.
22. Petsit
If you don’t fancy babysitting, petsitting can be a great alternative!
You can choose to either host pets in your home, or visit people’s homes to look after their pets in their own environment.
This is a fairly passive type of job that would allow you to study or do other online work while you snuggle up with a cute cat or dog!
Rover is a popular website that lets you get paid for taking care of people’s pets.
23. Create and sell courses
Everybody is an expert in something, and if you think you’re not, think harder!
Online courses aren’t only about marketing or becoming Instagram famous – you can teach anything from knitting to Tarot reading and everything in between!
If you’re just starting out, use Udemy to sell your courses for free. You can also use Teachable which is $29 per month.
24. NaviSavi
NaviSavi won’t get you rich, and is more of a hobby than a ‘side hustle,’ but I’ve still made around $400 by using this app.
NaviSavi is a money making app where you upload short travel videos and get paid 1 USD per video.
Videos can be anything from touristic landmarks in your city (such as the cathedral or main sports stadium), restaurants, bars, beaches, museums and more.
Simply record a short, >30 second video, upload it to the app and voila!
Pro tip: I made over $100 on NaviSavi simply by using old videos from my camera roll.
If you use the code ‘travellingjezebel’ when you sign up to NaviSavi, you’ll get your first dollar on us 😉
25. Dog walking
Dog walking is one of those awesome side hustles that allows you to earn money, get fit and hang out with some cute dogs in the process!
What’s more, it doesn’t have to take a huge chunk out of your day, meaning that you have all the time in the world to dedicate to being a mom.
Plus, if you walk 5 dogs at once, you get paid for each dog – winning!
26. Grocery shopping
Since the pandemic, more and more people are opting to get their groceries delivered to them, and with platforms like Instacart, you can sign up to go shopping for people and get paid for it!
All you need is a vehicle, a phone with internet access and to be 18 years old or over.
Side Hustles for Single Moms | Final Thoughts
If you’re a single or stay at home mom looking for a profitable side hustle, then hopefully something on this list has jumped out at you and given you some ideas of how you can bring in some extra cash without sacrificing time with your little one (or little ones!).
There are tonnes of side hustles for single moms that can bring in an extra 3 or even 4 figures each month for you and your family to enjoy.
If you have any questions about anything on this list, please don’t hesitate to reach out in the comments section below!
Until next time,
XOXO
Become a VIP
[…] income, selling feet pictures is a legitimate means of making money, especially if you’re a single mom looking for a side hustle or an easy freelance […]