The other day I was reading through Proverbs and these few sentences almost literally jumped off of the page and it was as if I was reading them with fresh eyes, for the first time:
She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.-Proverbs 31: 16-18 and 24
My instant thought was…this is the case for the work at home mom — wise, strong, and a financial contributor to her family (while caring for them and keeping the home at the same time)!
Since categorizing myself as a work-at-home mom/wife/homemaker, empowering women in their quest toward becoming grass-roots entrepreneurs is something I am sincerely passionate about.
Women all over the world are beginning to leave the industrial workforce in order to rediscover the joys of keeping the home. We are in the early stages of witnessing homes returning to their rightful places as units of production.
With that said, I strongly believe stay-at-home moms will — and should — continue to play a vital role as financial contributor to the family by:
- working hard to saving money.
- looking for creative ways to earn money from home.
- rearing children that are emotionally filled to the brim and therefore content with less.
There are so many different avenues for women to generate income without having to neglect their highest priorities of being a wife and mother.
Listed below are just a few ideas. Most of these I have personally found to be profitable in the past, or I am currently seeking out as possible ventures for the coming year.
6 Ideas For Generating Income From Home
1. Grow and sell fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Not only will growing your own groceries save on super-market purchases, but it has the potential to generate a bit of income during the growing season. Selling at local farmer’s markets and to your spouse’s co-workers can easily cover the costs of growing the produce and put a few extra dollars in your pocket.
2. Raise your own chickens and sell the eggs. 12-15 backyard hens could give you a couple dozen extra eggs each week, over what your family can consume. Free-range eggs are selling for $4-$5 dollars a dozen in my neck of the woods, this could potentially add $60-$100 per month to our budget. Obviously, the more hens you have the more money you make; and, if you are lucky enough to have a large grassy area, your cost of feed will be dramatically reduced.
3. Start plants from seed. This growing season it is my goal to start plants from seed and sell the transplants to neighbors, co-workers, and at my local farmer’s market. Growing and selling organic, heirloom plants can bring in $2-$3 per plant, effortlessly covering the cost of a packet of seeds. Depending on the market in your area this can generate a lot of money come spring.
4. Begin making and selling herbal remedies. Start now planning your medicinal herb garden. Keep it small and manageable, growing those herbs that you are interested in. Learn to make tinctures, salves, and syrups. In mid-summer start asking family and friends if they will consider hosting herbal remedies parties for you (think cookware parties and jewelry parties) and start your own herbal remedy party business.
5. Blog. If you are passionate about something and have a lot to say about it, you should consider blogging. The Internet is massive and there is a niche out there perfect for you! Sure…there is a risk in blogging, isn’t there in everything? I can tell you this, blogging has been one of the easiest, most difficult things I’ve ever done (Wait, did she just say easiest, most difficult? Okay, just making sure!) I have only been blogging for 3 months, so I am by no means qualified to give you advice; but here are a few people that I really respect who have a lot to say on the topic:
- Create a blog in less than 4 minutes with Siteground! It’s super easy to use, 1-click automatic WordPress installation, and excellent customer service — perfect for the beginning blogger. I highly recommend it for your blog.
- How To Make Money Blogging by Crystal Payne of MoneySavingMom.com
- How To Start A Blog by Seth Spears of Spears Marketing
6. Sell your stuff. Declutter, down-size, reorganize, whatever you call it, just get rid of the excess. Here are a few tips for profiting off of your stuff:
- Have a garage sale and make it great!
- Sell your books
- Sell your clothes to the consignment store and get an in-store credit so the next time you need clothes they’ll be free. I love Kid-To-Kid. See if there’s one in your area.
- Sell your crafty creations on Etsy!
- Collect and cash in your loose change.
- And who can forget Craigslist.org or ebay.com
One last word of caution. During desperate times we can become hasty in our decisions. There are a lot of evil people trying to make a buck on offering stupid work from home opportunities. Unfortunately, I’ve learned that there aren’t many sustainable get-rich-quick options out there. Don’t fall victim to their scams!
YOU have what it takes to be successful! Look no further than yourself.
How are you making money from home these days?
Non-Greasy Homemade Moisturizing Lotion
Thank you for this list. We are trying to make the final push to get 100% self-reliant, but realize we still need to bring in $$$ to pay for some things we can't make. This is a great list.
Putting some of these to work already- Great Post!
Thanks so much for the shout-out, Andrea!
@Amy Oh it's my pleasure! Thank you for all that you do!
great informative post!!!
This has me thinking, of beginning to plan…
to think about….getting stuff organized
… and maybe actually accomplishing
… something
-KAT –
Love this list! And like Kat above, this definitely has me thinking…scheming… etc. lol
What makes me so envious is your blog only being three months old! It's fantastic!
Great ideas. The hens alone will save a bundle with the way egg prices are rising.
Love this list.. another idea is to use your skills to start a freelance business. It can be as full or part time as you'd like. Sewing, writing, graphic design, jewelry cleaning/repair, pet sitting, family day care, cleaning, etc. are a few ideas!
Sewing is a great idea too! I have made tote bags out of unwanted fabrics, clothing, anything i can get my hands on, and have sold them on etsy. I love to recycle!
Great ideas and thank you so much for the links to those great articles as well!
hi! I would like to do a question, but I can't see your email. How do you feel without job, when I see all my friends study a masters, in other country are studing english, with a good jobs…I feel preocupated, what do you think about this…who do you feel when you hear about professional growth …
Love this post. I just rolled the loose change in 3 cups in my kitchen and had $78! 🙂 I tend to do things that cost my family a lot of money. We farm, have cow shares, sell eggs, etc. which certainly helps to pay expenses but we don't by any means make a profit yet. I operate a homeschool lending library with over 15,000 books and counting, and while I do charge a nominal fee to belong, it costs me thousands of dollars a year to buy more books. This is my passion albeit an expensive one.
We are in the medical field so everyone thinks we're rolling in the dough (we don't live extravagantly at all) but when your money comes from the government and insurance companies…well, you can imagine that it's no longer what it's cracked up to be. We're working very hard to get out of debt so you've got my mind working overtime to help contribute more toward the family INcome rather than its OUTgo.
Hey Robin! As a homeschooling mom who loves books, I am intrigued by your idea of having a homeschooling lending library, and I would love to talk to you about it. Please e-mail me – [email protected] if you are willing to tell me how you got that started and how you run it because I would love to try that in my area.
Thanks for the link Andrea! Great post as usual!
Great list!! Love it! 🙂
Really like #3 & #4… these are items we might try for spring farmers market… tks for sharing ;o)
Doing little jobs here and there really add up – that's how we paid our house off early. Most people shrug off an extra $25-50 once a month – but that adds up very quickly!
Growing and selling was one of my goals at one time. I’m glad you reminded me of the idea! I also want to start enough seeds that I can attend a swap and barter for them. It’s a great way to get something you need.
Just wanted you to know how much I enjoy reading your blog! And I have added you to my blog list! 🙂
Thank you for your encouragement Anonymous Homesteader! I appreciate it more than you know:)
Thank you so much for this article. It’s GREAT encouragement to JUST DO IT!
I have a friend who has an herbal garden and sells tinctures etc.
When we had a Ladies Night Out at my children’s school, I went through my old jewelry and sold gold and silver that I wasn’t wearing anymore and that didn’t have any emotional value to them. As soon as the kids go back to school, I’m going to look into selling my old flute. I haven’t played it in at least 7 years, and I don’t think my kids will be interested either. I’m not even sure we could afford music lessons anyway for 5 kids.
Why don’t you teach them to play the flute? Teach them what you know!
Great ideas! (Even though I work full time and don’t have any kids) 😉 I have been looking into making herbal items for my own use – it is so expensive. Great idea to sell them.
Thanks for these ideas — I’m planning on moving to FL -probably June, 2012 – and hoping to work in a traditional job very little and need to make ends meet with my meager social security. I plan on doing the produce and herbs and making soaps and other goodies and have been collecting some recipes and websites to refer to. I’m still not sure about the chickens and protecting them from the gators — I don’t care to attract gators. I have switched to goat milk but will have to barter for that. I love the idea of picking up people’s junk and up cycling it and I plan on doing the flea market thing. As you can see from my website I love to do a variety of crafts – I am a jack of all trades and master of none. I also love building things with wood. I haven’t done too many projects but have loved doing what I have done. Thanks again — Love the site and the inspiration!!
Sounds like a great plan Roberta:) I’m not so sure about those ‘gators either! Many blessings to you in this new year!
Just started reading your blog a few weeks ago – already picked up some great ideas.
At risk of being a wet blanket, please do check your local laws for selling veggies you grow in your backyard. A neighbor of mine was fined $5000 !!!! last summer for breaking some law to do with growing and selling veggies in his backyard.
Not only your local laws for selling veggies and fruit but also keep in mind the FDA and Laws for selling herbal remedies. Last I heard, they were pushing for people needing a license to practice medicine because of so many “snake oil” sellers. Many herbs are dangerous and you really need to know what you are doing before handing them out as harmless.
This was not mentioned in the article, but wanted to follow-up on this… For anyone who wishes to sell extra veggies by canning then selling what you can, you must get a license to do that. There is a kitchen inspection and so forth required to sell canned goods. While pickles, jams, and other acidic foods would probably be okay, non-acidic foods can cause botulism if they are not properly canned and kill someone. I had wanted to sell canned pickles and found out that these were the requirements to do so.
about selling from your home.. we can thank the Gov in office now for that bit.. Even people that want to GIVE away extra produce to shelters & homeless on the streets are being fined for their kindness ! the Gov wants people to rely on THEM , not their fellow man !
Also about the canning Lic. & kitchen inspection. in most states if you sell Directly to the consumer you are within your rights, no lic. needed.. IF you want to put your items in a store, yea.. then you need a license..
God Bless & have a great day .
lisalynn
Thank you ,I lave this site and inspiration. I Have a knoladge of traditional medicine and herbes used for many diseases and I need an Idia in haw can I get the path way for modern madicen.I am an Ethiopian, a biochemist by profation. I need to start work with my herbal medicen I have the herbes and profation .To tell you sam useas for ,canser,burnes, to stope bledding , ear infection,etc, and to kill lice too.
I need your help as a biginer.
Thank you! I think no. 5 reflects me. I have been blogging since Dec and although it seems easy. you are correct. It is hard. But honestly I love it. I am just trying to find more ways to grow my blog. Thank you for the other links.
You have saved me so much time with your post! Thank you for taking the time to put together such a useful post!
Great timeing on your part..
perfect time to be thinking about starting seeds ..:-)
we have just 6 hens & have way too many eggs. but I think we will add to the coop this spring & put up a sign at the end of the lane to sell & also to sell at a local farmers market . really nothing nicer then farm eggs. We let ours free range also, the eggs are a deep yellow 🙂 I think the sunshine plays a huge part too..
who wants an egg from a cken that lives it’s entire life in a building .. yuk..
thanks again !!
lisa
This was very helpful I was reading some of that ebook that you linked to and it really had some good information on blogging. Thanks!
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Roberta,I live in Fl. and I can honestly say as of yet never had a gator on my property.Foxes would be the biggest problem with chickens where I live,and of course my hated enemy SNAKES getting my eggs and baby chicks.I know they say anywhere in Fl. there is fresh water there is a gator.But the I have been lucky the only one I have seen close up is at the Store down the road that sells stuff to tourist.Mosquito’s,bugs and snakes,sandy soil and summer heat we have a lot of.We had a beautiful fox in our pasture last year,and I use to own a feed store and had lots of customers who said foxes would bite their chickens heads off,when the chickens put their head through the chicken wire.So I built my pen in an empty stall in my horse barn and let the have range in the day time.Good luck and God Bless,and welcome to the Mosquito State,I mean Sunshine State.
Roberta,Also where I live there are so many fruit and veggie stand all along 301,I am going to sell my blueberries this year,and sell veggie plants.because of all the fresh vegetables and strawberry farms around,I noticed last year people traveling love to buy veggie plants,the stands and farms appeal to them and they want to try it,so we will see how it works for me,we are retired and really could use the extra cash.We are raising a foster grandchild,and it cost a lot more to raise children it seems than it did when my kids were young.I would love to blog,but lack the confidence.I am going to try ebay,My husband being a retired Police Officer is always concerned about craigs list,even though we have used it,sad it such a good way to sell items,but crooks are everywhere.Good luck
I live in a rural town. I can tell you from experience that selling veggies and eggs just doesn’t work locally. I have found that taking them to a Farmers Market in the city has MUCH better results! It seems EVERYONE out in the country sells eggs and veggies!
Thanks for the post! Some great ideas in there. I’ve recently left the cubical nation of stagnant meetings, water-cooler conversations and great pay to enjoying every moment nurturing my 2 children and struggling to pay the bills. Because most find that working and kids can be a no-win situation (when working full-time I was putting in 50 hours/week but getting paid only 35 hours/week due to the commute and only spending 3 hours a day with the kids in the evening before bedtime).
So with that said, I started an errand/cleaning service in my area. The competition is fierce and the leads trickle in at the best of times. But the lack of money and job leads has made me appreciate being home to spend time with my kids and keeping up with the house duties.
I’ve also started up a barter/trade system with local farmers and garden hobbyists. They grow the fruits and vegetables and I pick and preserve the harvest. The spoils are then shared between me and the farmers. Although this doesn’t make me any money, it sure is going to fill my pantry up this winter and will be a huge savings on groceries.
Although the future is scary, I find it also empowering because I’m making my own schedule and following my own rules. I truly appreciate and encourage more people to look at alternative revenue sources!
Cheers!
I really need to find my green thumb. A garden would help my vegan family tremendously!
Thank you so much for the inspiration. I pray that I can be a stay-at-home mom someday. Although I only work one to two days a week as an RN, I want to be at home full time. I’ve been praying about what I could do and this list has some great ideas. Thanks!
Thank you, I am going to go through all of these ideas and see what I come up with.
I have an Etsy shop and also sell at local craft fairs! For extra cash I clean and dog-sit/walk. It keeps the cash on the table and I get some puppy kisses and belly rubs in. win win. Good luck with your blog!
Warmly,
Dania L.
Hi everyone. I love my Usborne Books Biz. This is so perfect for stay at home Moms because they can work on their own schedule. Lots of our consultants started with Usborne because they wanted good quality books for their homeschoolers.
Our July (2012) is fantastic! Pay $10 and get either the small kit or the large kit. Pay the balance in 30 days. OR sell $750 net and owe nothing!
I would love for you to join our #1 team. No territories, so it doesn’t matter where you you can become a member of the highest grossing team in the nation!
All my contact info is on my web-site at www. UsborneChapterBooks .com
Thanks for this list! I can’t believe you’ve been blogging only 3 months! I hope to be able to monetize my blog, but it’s slow going…
Tried a lot of these. Haven’t been very successful.
Although, I’ve been working through most of it &
Not able to devote my time to..well, anything really.
Just working through each weekend and trying to get
Caught up on both rest & the house on the days off.
This is hard work with four children I’m trying to devote
My extra time to…. *sigh*
I have a blog and love writing, but I haven’t touched it in months!!
Who has time! Ha!
you’ve only been bloggin for 3 months!!!!! that’s amazing 🙂 I’m at one year and I still don’t have advertising on my site….I should really look into it. Although, my blog used to get tons of comments and hits I’ve been neglecting it and although the pageviews are still there and I do have a small following I wonder if I could make at least a few dollars here and there off it, since I like writing it anyway 🙂
thanks for the post!
here is more info for anyone wondering about the Florida cottage food act that was passed last year. i am a pastry chef by trade and about a year ago had to quit the job i loved so much because we could no longer afford the gas for me to travel there.. it was an hour from my house one way! Anyways, i started selling wedding cakes, birthday cakes and cupcakes from home.. not much but mainly to friends and family. I found a job last November and it was good at first, but now am not getting the hours i need so i am going to start up an at home bakery.. download the PDF and it has all of the stuff you can sell and all the stuff you cant. very informative! I would also like to get into the whole soap making/ organic and natural remedies scene as well.. i am finding that there a way to many chemicals in commercial products and i would rather make my own.. i have made my own toothpaste and mouthwash so far. haven’t tackled soap yet http://www.sbdctampabay.com/at-home-bakers-can-now-sell-their-products/
I’m a blogger and I’ve been doing it for 3 years. I sell ad space on my blog and make about $100 per month. That on top of selling vintage clothes on etsy (which I buy from a local warehouse) brings in a lot of extra money- and the vintage clothes are awesome because it’s using old instead of new! 🙂 I love the tip about heirloom plants! We have a local farmers market up the streey. Maybe I’ll sell there this year!
Came across your blog. . .Awesome!! to say the least!
Just came across your blog – love it! As you mentioned towards the end, there are a lot of scams out there on working from home. I have been doing it since 2008 and have had success with a few companies I wanted to share with your readers. These are not “get rich quick”, you actually have to work to earn an income – but they are designed to fit around your schedule, offer training (paid, in some cases) and are generally part-time.
*LionBridge technologies – offer Internet Assessor and Internet Judge positions (you rate the relevance of the internet landing page against the search criteria provided)
*Appen Butler-Hill, LeapForce & ClickBank offer the same or similar positions & pay can vary at all three companies depending on your assignments. With the exception of ClickBank, It can take up to 6-8 weeks to get contracted with these companies – so be patient if you really want the gig! Ave hours are approx. 10-25 hours/ week. Good Luck!
I’ve done some “secret shopper” jobs for a website to earn a little extra money. Recently I did one where I had to test drive a new car and write a review (they paid me 18.00), another was a phone shop to an online public school (that one paid 7.00). They have jobs all over the US and you don’t have to pay anything to join.
Love your blog and facebook page. Great source of info! I just found a company that seems like a logical way to make some extra money. I just joined but so far I am impressed. We have simply redirected some of our grocery money each month (which is what I have been doing for a long time now, and storing it away). Working with Gofoods. But regardless if I do the biz or not, I’m just happy to be putting food away for the future… and all products are NON GMO. That was huge to me. Keep up the great work! I appreciate the time you’ve put into this info. God bless.
I am so glad to see so many people getting back to the way things should be. After the birth of my second child my husband and I decided to live on less of an income so I could be a stay at home mom. Then we took it a little further by homeschooling. We are starting our first garden this year to save some more money and to be more self sufficient so we can start saving to buy our own home out in the country. We currently rent in the city so our options are limited(especially since you are not allowed to have livestock living in city limits). Even though we are a few years out from acquiring true self sufficiency, it is inspiring to see others stories about their journey!
I really enjoy all the information on your blog…… I have lived on”less” my whole life and been pretty happy…. I have been making quilts for years, and have sold some, from time to time, because being a single mother, I wanted a way to help pay for my son’s college… now I enjoy making clothespin bags for people who like to line dry their clothes… I’m told that they’ve been difficult to find when a person has been looking for them…. I even include some”starter clothespins” with the bag. I have sold a few for Mother’s Day…. Good luck to women who enjoy growing, creating or writing for an extra income…. We all should support each others efforts!
Great post! I’m already doing a few of these things,
but I plan to get busy with a lot more! Really liked your blogging tips!
I´m new at living frugally and sustainble. Actually I started less than a month ago. I love your blog. What blog do you recommend I read first? And what things should I do first?
Have an allotment and grow all my own veg and fruit . Although I won’t actually make money from this I have hardly had to buy a thing this summer , just meat on special offer etc . I have some friends who were itching to go back to work thinking it would be easier as the children grew up but are now so short of time they hardly see their children never mind know what their lives are like ! Bringing up my family was the best job in the world and I wouldn’t swop it . I used to work for British Airways and that was fun but wouldn’t go back even though I am in the minority and get looked down on for it ….we make do with less and enjoy more .
I appreciate your great ideas but do you have any ideas for us urban Moms? Chickens and gardens are a no go where I am.
Thanks,
Ann.
Thanks for post – and in particular the link on “How to make money blogging! I have been contemplating this for a while. I have a bit of experience in social media and website management and as you are helping so many people I would like to return the favour and provide you with a hint for your blogging – when you provide a link like this in your blog article, set it up so it opens in “another or new window” don’t allow the link to take your viewer away from your own page by opening within the same browser tab! Especially if the link is prior to the end of the article otherwise your viewers “time on your page/ site” is massively effected and your reader may click on other links in the linked article or webpage that takes them even further away from your page! This hint alone will provide you with a better result with people staying on your blog and exploring other parts of your blog site. Good luck and have fun!
I just found this blog thru livin in the green…i now have another favorite to read! Thanks so much for your hard work and interesting blog!
I found this link that showed me all the tools I needed to start my successful business from home. The best part it was FREE!!! Check it out http://dlo15.2ya.com
So glad I found your site! We are in the process of buying some land to do the same things! Times are a bit tough now, and I sometimes question our decision. Thanks so much for this post! I know we are on the right path! ♡
OMG, thank you so much for this site. Honestly this is the first site I have come across that is totally all me. I am in the process of starting an indoor garden until we move into our home this year. Thanks again and Blessings to your and yours.