Category: Earn Extra Money

Whether you’re a brand new mom or your kids are already getting big, you’re probably running from one thing to the next–without much time to stop and catch your breath.

Sometimes childcare isn’t enough. If you’re an ambitious entrepreneur and a mom, you’ll have to find time to balance both.

So is it possible? Can you handle a business while staying at home with the kids?

It might not be easy to build a successful home business while balancing household duties and growing families, but it’s definitely not impossible. Like any other business venture, you need to generate a business that’s both profitable and enjoyable–all while managing your home life.

Here are some tips for running a business with your hectic schedule as a mom–so you can have the best of both worlds.

10 Tips for Running a Successful Home Business As a Busy Mom

It’s challenging to build a successful home-based business–especially when you’ve got a house to manage and kids to raise. But with the right amount of planning, determination, and time management, you can be a great businesswoman and a mother. No sacrifices required.

Let’s take a look at some tips you can use to manage the responsibility of being a mom in business.

1. Make Your Home Into a Corporate Office

The first step towards building a business out of your home is taking it just as seriously as you would any other job.

When you work in a corporate office or you have an office job, you come into work every day with specific goals to accomplish before the end of the day. The same thing applies when you’re working from home.

Set aside a home office and treat it like your official workplace. This means having a desk, an office chair, a well-organized space, and no distractions.

Once you’re in this office, have a schedule and a to-do list just like you would in the workplace.

In this case, you’re not working for a boss–you are the boss. So you need to hold yourself accountable for being productive and sticking to the schedule.

2. It’s Okay to Say “No”

As a mom, you probably say no to your kids all the time: staying up late, eating more dessert, or playing an hour more of video games.

You have to take that same attitude to your business too. There might be more pressure to say yes all the time, but if you take on everything on your plate, you’ll be busy from morning until night.

You need time for your family–and you need time for yourself. Don’t be afraid to say no or push back meetings or ideas that you don’t have time for.

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Set Boundaries

As a busy, working mother, you already have a lot on your plate. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries on what you’re willing and able to do.

If you have a spouse or significant other, talk to them about how to divide the load for household chores or childcare duties. Women do an average of 60% more household chores than men, and mothers are often expected to carry the brunt of the housework.

Even if you’re working from home, it’s still a job, and you still deserve to be taken seriously for your work.

Be sure that childcare and chores are divided evenly among those in the household–including spouses, significant others, older children, or other able family members.

4. Get Outside When You Can

While it’s important to have an at home office that you can count on, don’t keep yourself trapped indoors all day.

Not only is it bad for your health, but you’ll be more likely to get distracted or become stressed while you work. Try getting out of the house and working in a local coffee shop or the library. You could even attend business networking events when you can–especially if there are ones for working women or moms in your area.

Don’t isolate yourself indoors. Whenever you have the chance to get out of the house–leaving kids with a spouse, relative, or sitter of course–it can be good for you to work in a different environment.

5. Find an Online Community

Working at home alone can often feel isolating. Know that you’re not alone–and you’re not the only mom out there handling the responsibility of a business.

Try to connect with other moms in business and entrepreneurs online. You can search Linkedin, online forums, or social media for “working moms” or “business moms.”

Not only will this give you a network for support, but it also lets you meet and bond with other moms who have the same things on their plate. You can share tips, advice, resources, and inspiration with other women devoted to motherhood and their personal businesses.

6. Keep Yourself Healthy

It’s hard enough to balance childcare and a career–it’ll be a lot harder if you’re sick. Take care of yourself and try your best to stay healthy.

Exercise daily or a few times a week if you can, drink water throughout the day, get 8 hours of sleep a night, and make sure you’re eating well. You can try taking vitamins or supplements if you feel like you’re not getting enough from your diet–or if you find yourself feeling sluggish or tired.

When you do find yourself getting sick, don’t be afraid to take time off. Try to get a family member or a sitter to care for the kids, and keep your work minimal, if at all. You need the time and the rest to recover fully–so you can be back at work again as soon as possible.

7. Set Aside Time for Yourself

When you have kids, sometimes it can feel like it’s all about them. And it is! But it’s also about you.

Your health and well being are just as important. After all, you can’t take care of your family if you’re not taking good care of yourself.

If you push yourself too hard, you, your kids, and your work might suffer. When you’re working from home, it can feel like the work never stops.

Take at least one day off each week. On that day, don’t check your work email, don’t answer the phone, and try not to worry about what’s usually on your mind. If you want a break from childcare duties too, ask your partner or a relative–or hire a sitter to help you out on that day if you can.

8. Treat It Like a “Real” Business

When it comes to home businesses (especially for working moms) there’s a stigma of it not being “real” work.

Sometimes this myth comes from others, but oftentimes it’s perpetuated by home business owners themselves. The confidence needs to come from you. You run a real, serious, honest business–so treat it like one!

Invest in a professional looking office, website, and business structure to make sure that you’re not sabotaging your own success. Your business deserves to be taken seriously–and you do too.

You should also be investing in business tools, like time tracking programs, collaboration apps, and online postage. With Certified Mail Labels, you can skip the trip to the post office and send mail 24/7, every day of the year.

9. Draw a Line Between Your Jobs

For the sake of your kids as well as your business, it’s important to draw a line separating your work and motherhood.

Whenever you’re with your kids, be present and give them your full attention. They can usually tell if you’re checking your work email or making business calls while you’re supposed to be spending time with them.

In the same way, be present when you’ve dedicated time to work. During working hours, put all your attention towards the work at hand, and let people others know that you won’t be available for other things–just like in a regular office.

This promotes efficiency in both areas–business and motherhood–and it will keep your lives from bleeding into each other and affecting your relationship with your kids.

10. Fight Off the Feelings of Guilt

As a mom, you’re likely to deal with some kind of guilt. A quarter of working moms cry once a week–both from the stress and the guilt. These feelings came come from choosing to work instead of caring for your kids full time, taking a moment for yourself to relax, and just about everything in between.

It’s important that you try to avoid any feelings of guilt. Remind yourself that there’s nothing wrong with supporting your family–both financially and as a stay at home mother. You deserve to live the life that you want to live, even if it’s challenging.

Moms in business can do it all, but they’re also still human. You need to take some time to rest and recuperate.

Putting It All Together

Being a mom and running a business is like having two full-time jobs. It isn’t always easy to balance a successful home business with caring for your household.

But you’re not an ordinary mom–you’re a working mother. You deserve to have the best of both worlds without sacrificing your well being.

With the right mindset, good time management, and a lot of hard work, you can build a successful home based business without giving up the time to be a great mother too.

Looking for more tips and tricks to survive your time as a working mom? Check out more working from home advice on our blog!

Everyone wants to win the lottery. Some swear by lucky methods, others allow the machines to pick for them. But winning the lotto could change your life, so next time, don’t leave it completely up to chance.

Most countries around the world participate in lotteries, making millionaires of citizens overnight. No matter where you play the lotto, there are a few strategies you can employ to up your chances of becoming the next winner.

While there is no foolproof method for winning, there are a few things you can do to improve your chances of winning big or at least earning some extra money.

Read on to help you develop your strategy on how to pick winning lottery numbers.

How to Pick Winning Lottery Numbers: Choose Numbers That Win Most Frequently

Many states will offer free statistics to allow you to see how frequently numbers are chosen. Some numbers get picked more often than others. This may be due to chance, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t get their time to shine more often.

Don’t incorporate the most frequently chosen numbers all at once, however. The odds of all of them being chosen at once is incredibly rare. Instead, focus on one or two most frequently drawn numbers.

Statistics differ for different types of games. The most frequent numbers for Euro Millions, for example, will be different from Powerball, which will, in turn, be different from Mega Millions. Make sure you’re looking at the correct chart before you choose.

Remember, even though numbers get drawn more frequently, each number still has an equal chance of being drawn.

Keep playing the numbers that get drawn the most frequently. Although they may not come up immediately, since they do come up often, over time you will eventually see a win. This may not mean you’ll win the jackpot, but you’ll likely win a consolation prize at some point.

Using the Same Numbers Over and Over

Some people choose numbers based on lucky numbers, significant dates or birthdays of family members. There are stories of individuals who have won after choosing the same numbers for the past 20 years, and finally having their lucky day.

If you frequently buy lottery tickets, purchasing two tickets is advisable when employing this strategy. One ticket should have your “lucky” numbers, while another should have tickets chosen from a different strategy.

You may even repeatedly enter the same set of lucky numbers to double your chances of them coming up eventually.

Choose Numbers That Haven’t Come Up in a While

While all numbers, statistically speaking, have the same chance of coming up, choosing numbers that are overdue can also be a significant strategy.

Using the same statistics, you can tell which numbers come up least often, or which numbers have not come up in years. In some lotteries around the world, statistics state that they haven’t had some numbers come up for over 70 years. That doesn’t mean the number is actually due to come up, or that it ever will, but it is still a strategy some people employ.

The numbers will come up eventually, however. And it might be you who gives them their moment to shine.

Don’t Toss Away Second-Chance Games

Many lotteries offer second chance games. These can be in the form of scratch-off, name draws and a variety of other contests. Some people get annoyed when they don’t win and toss their tickets, which can mean they have actually lost out on a chunk of money.

While you may not win the $300 million jackpot, you might still be in the running for $100,000. While it’s a pittance compared to the jackpot, for many, $100,000 would be a life-changing amount.

Double and Triple Check Your Numbers

Make sure you double and triple check your numbers. This may sound like common sense, but people have thrown out their winning lottery tickets because they misread them. Imagine realizing that weeks later!

Go over each number as carefully as possible, and make sure you’re checking the correct lottery. There are several lotteries that operate at once, and it can get confusing. Double check the name of the game as well.

Enter as Many Games as Possible

As mentioned above, there are many different lotteries going on at one time. You can go to this website to check out what’s going on in the United States. But if you have family that lives abroad, or you’re going abroad, you can also enter the lottery there.

This increases your chances, and also means you have several amounts you can win.

If you do this, you need to be extra vigilant about which numbers you’re checking. Read and re-read the names of the lotteries so you don’t check against the wrong ticket. Again, you don’t want to lose out because you misread it.

If You Find a Ticket Dropped or Thrown Out, Don’t Discard It

They say one man (or woman’s) trash is another man’s treasure. This couldn’t be truer than when it comes to lottery tickets. Often people misread their tickets or check them against the wrong lotto, and then throw their tickets out.

Later, a stranger finds the ticket in the trash or on the ground and it turns out to be their ticket to riches.

If you do find a lottery ticket on the ground or discarded, don’t just leave it. Check it against the lotto it is for and see if you’ve won. You might be a winner without even having to buy a lotto ticket.

Use a Random Number Generator

Although not as exciting, using a random number generator can help you reap rewards. Use Random.org, which is programmed for 280 lotteries all over the world. Simply plug in which lottery you’re looking to win and it will generate the required amount of numbers.

This is probably as statistically sound as any “quick pick” you get when you buy a randomly generated ticket, but many people prefer to use this system. This way, they can see the numbers first, and then approve them before they take them to purchase their lotto ticket.

Buy Lotto Tickets Frequently

Don’t go overboard, or you might go bankrupt while trying to play the lotto. Most people, however, don’t win on their first try. Instead, many play week after week, month after month, and even year after year before they see results.

Continue to enter the lotto as much as possible, if you can afford it. Don’t charge lotto tickets to a credit card if you can’t afford it, as it might not be a profitable pay-off in the end.

You can also ask for lottery tickets for special occasions, such as having them tucked away in birthday cards or for the winter holidays. This will be a cheap gift for someone to purchase for you, in addition to giving you yet another chance to win the game.

Although you may never win the big jackpot, if you continue to play, you’ll likely one day win some money. It might be a few thousand dollars, but that is a better payout than absolutely nothing.

Use the Ticket That Has Performed the Best in the Past

Statistically speaking, there are tickets that have won frequently in the past. There are some numbers that would have garnered someone a few million dollars by now if they had continually played them in every lotto for several years.

Although this strategy is similar to picking lucky numbers, it involves simply finding out which ticket has performed the best in the lotto you’re playing.

Over time, you’re bound to win some money, even if it isn’t the whole $100 million jackpot.

Use Statistics

There are some statistical approaches that work well, and if you learn them, you might be able to increase your chances.

The Delta Method, for example, involves choosing numbers between certain digits, adding them together and randomizing them to create number sequences.

The Wheeling Approach involves purchasing several tickets and using every single combination of one set of numbers. While this method is incredibly popular, it can become expensive relatively quickly. In the UK lottery, for example, any one set of numbers can have as many as 5005 combinations.

While this certainly ups your chances of winning, it also means you’re spending a big chunk of your paycheck on lottery numbers. However, the Wheeling approach is good for those who are going in together as a group and plan to split the winnings in several ways.

Go in As a Group

You can pool money together with coworkers, family or friends and purchase hundreds of lottery combinations. This method, however, involves the promise that you will actually split the money if you win and can cause serious issues among people in the event of a winning ticket.

But, it can be a good method for jackpots that are hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Takeaway

There is no clear answer to the question of how to pick winning lottery numbers. There is no science, as ultimately, it is all up to chance. Winning, though, can change your life if you’re one of the lucky ones that manage it.

Check out our blog for more information on saving money and how to make your paycheck stretch as far as possible.

Over 11.6 million firms in the United States have women owners. In 2017, that represented $1.7 trillion in sales.

You could be a business owner too.

Just because you have children and are a stay-at-home mom doesn’t mean you cannot be a successful businesswoman. Read this article to learn how to become a ‘mompreneur’ and run your own business out of your home office.

What is Mompreneurship?

When a mother is also an entrepreneur the modern term for her is a mompreneur. It describes someone balancing the demands of childcare and a business startup. It’s empowering and a warning at the same time.

The term “dadpreneur” does not seem to have been coined. Perhaps, with a few exceptions, dads generally don’t have to balance childcare and business commitments. Moms don’t often get the choice.

Whether you are a single mom or in a relationship the demands of motherhood can be huge. Many moms feel like they are doing several jobs even without adding starting and running a business. You’ve got the admire the mompreneurs.

Why Be a Mompreneur?

Moms start businesses for many reasons. Sometimes it’s about finding a way to make money while looking after a family. They start-up an at-home business because there are few other options.

For others, entrepreneurship is an ambition fulfilled. They may have a passion to run their own business and be their own boss. The urge to create a business and grow it does not necessarily stop with motherhood.

Business ideas for stay-at-home moms provide exciting, rewarding and long-term occupations. There is life after children and getting started by running a business from home makes sense.

What Kind of Business Can You Do?

Mom entrepreneurs are creative. Sometimes they have to be organized around childcare so running a business from home is a starting point. Search the internet to learn more about business opportunities.

Get Crafty

Doing something you love is a great place to start when developing a business idea. A passion for crafts or art can be monetized. This kind of work can be done from home and can fit around childcare and the school run.

There are two key things to consider. Is your hobby a viable business? Do you have effective routes to market?

The business cannot be viable if the price you can sell your product at means your hourly rate is too low. When it’s a pastime or hobby you don’t count the hours. When it’s a business don’t make yourself a busy fool, working hard for little reward.

Having an effective route to market is important if you don’t want to spend all your time on sales. Etsy is a well-known option for crafts. Local craft fayres, stores or markets might be useful options.

Is Writing Right for You?

If you have a talent for writing there are a number of ways you can work as a freelancer from home. Blogging is a popular activity but few people successfully make the step to earning significant money from it. It can be done with some knowledge and plenty of persistence.

An alternative way to use your writing talent is to write content for other people. A freelance writer can earn money by writing articles for blog sites, training materials or news sites. Even an advertising copywriter can work on a freelance basis, from home.

Those That Can, Do, Those That Can’t, Teach

Teaching from home can be a viable business. Parents will pay for extra lessons for both able and remedial students. If you have the appropriate qualifications and experience this may be an option for you.

If you play a musical instrument and especially if you have teaching qualifications this can be a business opportunity. Both adults and children could be clients for music tuition in your home.

Make sure you obtain insurance and licensing where required.

Design and Develop Your Home Business

Technology means working from home using a computer and an internet connection is a very popular mompreneur idea. Graphic design, web design, software development and more can be done remotely. A good reliable internet connection and the right software is all you need.

Find work through your existing network or freelancer websites and web design forums. It may take time to develop a client base but if you do good work and are competitive you could join the many successful home-based freelance designers.

Some Tips for Mompreneur Success

Any new business can be very demanding on your time. Being a mom can be equally demanding. You will need awesome time management skills if you don’t want to sink without a trace.

Work out what is important and block time in your calendar for those things. Be brutal about everything else that tries to steal your attention. The interruptions, trivial calls, and time-wasting distractions have to come second to building your business.

Compartmentalize your life so you can balance seeing your kids with making your business a success. Set aside quality time for your children. Plan your business commitments so that you can give them the full attention they need.

Increase your leverage by outsourcing some tasks. This frees you to do the things only you can do best. This could be office administration or it could be a home cleaner or au pair.

Create a support system for you. Have family and friends to help out when needed. Establish the right financial, emotional and practical support to give yourself a chance of success.

Be careful not to overreach yourself. Ambition is fine but it must also be realistic or you will crash and burn. Cash flow problems or physical exhaustion are both fatal for your business.

Be clear what success looks like for you. There may be financial goals but there may also be success criteria about work-life balance too.

Next Steps

Do your research. Write your business plan. Carry out a risk assessment.

Your preparation has to include working out how to balance family and business plans. Learn from others who have made the move to be a mompreneur before you. May you find success.

To learn more about earning money from home, click here.

Being a stay at home mom is a job in itself. Between parenting, cleaning, preparing meals, chauffeuring the kids everywhere, and taking care of yourself, you definitely have your hands full.

But being a stay at home parent doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice having a career as well. There are careers that can be done from home or that can easily assimilate into your life as a mom so you can succeed at work and at home. And the extra money doesn’t hurt either!

We’ve compiled a list of 7 great jobs for stay at home moms. See if any of these pique your fancy!

1. Remote Writer or Editor

If you like writing and reading, this could be the job for you. Blogs, businesses, and other websites always need writers to create content and editors to make that content perfect.

Some jobs will pay you per article and some will be per word. It can also be on a per hour or per project basis.

This type of work has a lot of variety. You could be a copywriter, a proofreader, a content creator, a copyeditor, and more. Some of these jobs require more creativity while others are more technical. Think about what skills you have and excel in to decide which path is right for you.

If you think that you can quickly create quality written content, then this career could be lucrative and fun. You could even specialize in writing for parenting or stay-at-home mom advice blogs!

While you don’t necessarily need a degree for this type of work, it can’t hurt. You can also get some more info on furthering your education to make you a more attractive hire.

2. Tax Preparer

Tax preparers do exactly what you think they do: they help prepare all of the papers, files, and forms for people to file their taxes. This job won’t be the best stay-at-home jobs option for everybody because it requires much longer hours during January through April (a.k.a the dreaded tax season).

What makes this a great job for stay at home moms is that tax preparers can usually take the rest of the year off once tax season is over. This will free up almost the entire year for you to focus on being a mom, while 4 months will have a more work focus.

This is another job that doesn’t require a college degree, and it’s still one of the best high paying home jobs.

3. Social Media Specialist

Social media specialists are responsible for overseeing and running a business’ or website’s social media pages and accounts. You’ll create content, optimize those posts for search engines, and drive traffic to the business or website.

This type of job requires past experience working with social media and usually requires a degree. If you have the experience and the background, you can easily telecommute as a stay at home mom.

4. Pet Care

If you love animals and have the ability to be active, then pet care could be the job for you. Between dog walking and pet sitting, this type of job is fun, active, and definitely a necessary commodity for people.

You can join dog walking apps to easily connect you to nearby pets and owners that need dog walkers. You can also simply ask around your neighborhood to see who needs help with pet care during the day, especially if the owners are gone to work each day.

If you don’t mind having pets in your own home, pet sitting is also a great option. You could earn hundreds of dollars per month simply by hanging out with cute 4-legged friends. Not too shabby!

5. Tutor

Whether you opt for online or in-person tutoring, this type of job is super flexible and can help you earn some significant cash. You’ll be responsible for creating lesson plans, explaining concepts, and helping kids complete their assignments.

Some tutors charge 25 dollars or more per hour, which means you can earn an easy 25 dollars while your kids are at a playdate or even napping. This type of work can be done on your own schedule and can fill up as many hours as you’d like.

Getting clients could depend on your previous teaching experience along with your background knowledge in certain subjects. But since tutors are needed in every and all subjects imaginable, there’s almost definitely a subject you could tutor in.

6. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants are usually responsible for a number of tasks that will slightly vary depending on the company you’re working for. These tasks could include:

• Social media management
• Data entry
• Organization
• Scheduling
• Invoice management
• Customer service

Becoming a virtual assistant doesn’t require a degree and it can be done remotely, which is perfect for many stay at home moms. Those with previous experience as an assistant or in an administrative role might be more likely to be hired, but many places will provide training to new hires anyway.

7. Personal Stylist

If you have an eye for fashion and enjoy picking out outfits for your friends, and even for your kids, then a role as a personal stylist would be perfect for you. This job is another option that is super flexible and can be catered to your specific schedule.

You can work with companies and brands to put together outfits for websites, clothing subscription boxes, photoshoots, and even for customers directly. This job requires an eye for design, style, size, and comfort. If you think that sounds like you, then this is a great flexible and fun job for stay at home moms.

Top 7 Jobs for Stay at Home Moms: Wrapping Up

Adding a career on to the already tough job of being a stay at home parent can be tough, especially if you’ve been out of the “career game” for a while. Hopefully, one of the 7 jobs for stay at home moms piqued your interest and is getting you excited about going back to work.

There are tons of ways to earn extra money as a stay at home mom. Check out our blog for more tips on earning money as a mom.

Do you have a closet full of old dresses taking up space? Maybe it’s about time you clean up that closet and start your own home business.

Buying new dresses can be expensive and stressful. Why spend so much on something you only wear a handful of times? Reselling your old dresses will free up your closet space, and save others time and money.

Selling vintage dresses is an easy and intuitive way to make some extra cash from home. The market for reselling clothing online is growing 35% per year, and it’s not slowing down.

Read on for some helpful tips on getting started selling your vintage dresses online:

Finding Vintage Dresses

Where should you search for dresses to sell? The best place to start is your closet.

Searching through your old clothing that you no longer wear is a sure way to find a gem or two to sell. Keep an eye out for name-brand items and unique vintage styles hidden in your closet.

If your wardrobe doesn’t cut it, you can try searching through a friend or family member’s.

Otherwise, thrift stores, estate sales, and flea markets are all gold mines for vintage clothing.

Now that you know where to find items to sell, you can begin the selection process. While it’s easy to pick items you like, you need to be aware of what will actually sell.

Selecting Items to Sell

After you’ve figured out where to find vintage clothing, the next step is deciding which pieces to sell.

Details that you should be very aware of during this selection process include:

• Quality of the item
• Brand of the item
• Condition of the item

The material the item is made of is extremely important when reselling. People are more interested items that are made with high quality materials, like wool and cotton.

Brands play a major role in how an item will sell. Some brands are more sought after than others. Knowing what’s popular is the key to success.

The final piece to selecting clothing to sell is condition. Be sure to check your items for mysterious stains, ripped seams, or damaged graphics.

Some clothing may retain its value despite damage, like an original Rolling Stones t-shirt or a shirt with purposely faded graphics. But classic rock and Retro Brand t-shirts like these are collectible and in-style.

But vintage dresses are expected to be in excellent condition. This means they’re free of holes, rips, and stains.

After you’ve selected the dresses you want to sell, it’s time to prepare them to be listed.

Preparing Your Items to Sell

Now that you have a nice selection of dresses to sell, it’s time to prep them for resale.

The first step to preparing your dresses is making sure everything is cleaned and repaired. While some of this can be done on your own, it’s wise to pay for these services when needed.

After that, it’s time to take photos.

Items with nicer photos are more likely to grab people’s attention. Having friends model the clothes for you and getting shots of different angles are two popular strategies for standing out in the digital marketplace.

Becoming a Business

Congratulations — you’ve just started your own business!

From here, it’s up to you to maintain your inventory and ensure you’re selling quality dresses. As competitive as the resell market may be, putting in the time and effort will pay off in the end.

If you end up realizing that the vintage reselling business isn’t for you, check out our list of home business ideas you could explore instead.