A lot of families can benefit from a second stream of income. However, balancing the kids, the house and full-time work is a superhuman task for stay-at-home moms. Childcare is already round-the-clock work. Adding a nine-to-five on top of that can drive a mom to her wit’s end.
Still, families need a second income stream, especially when inflation is so high. That’s why many stay-at-home moms find ways to earn passive income.
What is passive income?
Passive income is when you earn money without being permanently employed. It allows you to get a cash stream without investing all your time. You can make money while you take care of your home and children. However, most passive income streams require a lot of effort and capital at the beginning when you’re still setting up.
Ways to make passive income
There are various passive ways of earning you can choose from. The best one for you will depend on what fits with your skills, interests, and lifestyle. Here are some ways you can earn passive income as a stay-at-home mom:
Blogging
If you’re skilled at writing, consider blogging as a source of income. You can be your own boss, and choose when and what you publish. Start by selecting a topic or niche — ideally, one that’s profitable. Make sure it aligns with your interests and lifestyle so that when people read your content, they see you as an authority.
At first you need to work hard to get your blog out there. You will need to build your reputation and follow a regular posting schedule. Next, you must implement search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and find ways to collaborate with other creators. Once your blog takes off, you can earn money through advertisements, sponsored content, affiliate links, merchandise, and more.
Dropshipping
For more business-minded moms, selling products online is a great way to supplement household income. There’s no need to keep product stock in your home — if you set up a dropshipping store, a third party will take care of inventory, packaging, and shipping.
You can start dropshipping on websites like Amazon or Shopify. You only need to accept orders from customers and then forward said orders to a third-party company to fulfill. Thus, you only need to focus on marketing, customer service, and overall branding.
The dropshipping industry is huge — It’s predicted to grow to $467.1 billion in 2026. Depending on your niche, product and branding, you can earn a lot with a starting capital of zero.
Freelancing
Freelancing is not as passive as other streams of income. You must make a product or provide a service when a customer avails it. In a way, you are still exchanging your time for money. However, you can choose your own schedule and select only the projects you want to work on. You can also set your own rates. If you have more free time, freelancing is a great option.
Some great freelance jobs you can do while staying home are content writing, customer service, art, translating, video editing, transcribing, data input,and more. You can advertise yourself independently, or sign up for websites like Upwork and Fiverr to connect to clients who want your service
Creating and selling designs
If you’re the artistic type, you can sell your designs online. Sell art through print-on-demand services like Redbubble or Printful — you only need to handle what you want to offer, customer service, and marketing.
Once you get an order, the print-on-demand service handles production, packaging, and delivery. The company can put your designs on t-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, stickers, mugs, and more.
Another way to earn passive income from your art is to sell illustrations to stock websites like Shutterstock
Investing in real estate
One of the more popular ways to earn passive income is through rental properties. If you’re willing to invest a lot to make more, real estate is for you. You can get dividends from rental portfolios like a real estate investment trust or an exchange-traded fund.
Alternatively, you can rent out your space to long-term tenants or do short-term rentals, like Airbnb. However, just keep in mind that managing a rental property can take a lot of time and effort. If you don’t have time to attend to the small details, you can hire a property manager to handle them for you.
Uploading videovs on YouTube
Making videos is a popular way to earn money in recent years. Anyone can create and upload videos to YouTube. If you get enough views, you can earn passively money.
You must join the YouTube Partner Program to earn money from posting videos. The program is available in certain countries and you must have at least 500 subscribers with three public videos in the last three months. As you earn more subscribers and views, you can unlock more benefits and revenue from the platform.
Selling online courses
If you have knowledge on a particular topic and feel like sharing it with the world, creating online courses can be a great passive income source. You don’t necessarily need to be licensed to be able to sell classes. However, more people will buy them if you can show expertise or authority in your field.
Think of something you’re really good at. What knowledge or insights can you share? As you start, you must put a lot off effort into creating and marketing your courses. However, once you put your work out there, you can earn passively from them.
It’s possible to market your courses through social media independently. However, you can also make use of websites like Udemy.
Boost your family’s finances
With passive income streams, moms can help support their families while still being present at home. It’s not just financially beneficial — it can also help moms accomplish their aspirations, and gain confidence and independence. Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or even a single mom trying to find ways for extra income, it’s an endeavor worth looking into.
