It’s definitely not your great grand-mother’s world anymore. Gone are the days (which some are quite happy about) when family life typically followed a pattern. It was logically assumed that a mother would stay home and raise a family while a father left home daily to earn an income. Many married couples still live this lifestyle but it’s challenging to financially survive on one income. Such circumstances prompt many parents, particularly women, to Google “work from home ideas” or similar phrases.
A seemingly endless stream of result pages turns up. However, if you have kids, you likely disregard more than half of the suggestions you find. Working from home is still working and it’s challenging to find something that doesn’t take too heavy a toll on your family life.
Challenging but possible
It is the age of the entrepreneur. It’s also still very much the age of the internet. You can combine the two to find work from home ideas that help you supplement your household income without ruining your family life. Key words to keep in mind when developing your plan are flexibility, diversity and diligence. You’re a parent. If you’re a parent of younger children especially, your time is not your own. Therefore, you must be able to fluctuate or at least organize your work schedule to coincide with your family’s needs.
Diversity comes into play because you don’t have to limit yourself to one job. When your home is your office, it’s easier to juggle several income-earning opportunities. Don’t disregard a potential work from home idea because it only takes a few hours a week. That means you have additional time available to add other income-earning opportunities to your schedule! The diligence part is all you. Outside the home, no employer will put up with you constantly calling off work or not showing up. Likewise, at home, it’s your responsibility to fulfill contracted obligations. If you don’t have an employer, success still largely hinges on your dedication and commitment to your work.
Work from home ideas that are kid-friendly
If your grammar skills are top-notch and you enjoy writing (even the slightest bit) you can earn income from home. In fact, writing this article is part of my own work- from-home schedule. I am employed on three separate writing teams within the same company. Five of my 10 kids are still at home full time (six during summer when our collegiate daughter rejoins us). My writing jobs provide income that makes it possible for us to continue homeschooling. My work schedule is highly flexible. I basically have weekly deadlines and the freedom to work when I want, as long as I turn in my assignments in a timely manner. I absolutely love my job and the company/employer for whom I work.
There are myriad writing jobs available online or you can freelance and be your own boss. Writing is a good fit for most stay-at-home parents because you can do it any time and almost anywhere. My eldest daughter is also works from home. She often takes her kids to the park and uses a hot spot on her cell phone to type while they play! The following list includes additional job ideas for at-home parents:
- Open an Etsy shop. I have a friend who started selling handmade greeting cards as a fundraiser. She turned it into a full-time business and now has customers in all 50 states, as well as 30-some countries abroad!
- Provide consultation services online or by phone. Use your skills and knowledge to help others and get paid to do it. You might have an engineering degree or are just great at organizing things. You can turn whatever talent you have into a business.
- Sell your photos. Those of us who lack photography skills love to benefit from other people’s talents. You can launch a website where you sell packaged theme photos (nature, career, people, marine life, etc.). The possibilities are virtually endless regarding possible fees, payment plans, etc. There are many ways to monetize a website.
- Speaking of websites, do you enjoy designing them? This is one of many kid-friendly work from home ideas.
- I know several women who earn incomes from home as virtual business assistants. This type of work includes things like maintaining social media sites, sending emails, client correspondence, data entry, etc. Many entrepreneurs are too busy to handle these things themselves. However, they understand how crucial such tasks are to the success of their businesses, so they’re willing to pay good money to someone who can handle it for them.
Do you have other work from home ideas to share? Leave a comment and tell us all about it! The good news is, if you want to stay home and still earn an income by working for someone else or make a profit at your own business, it’s possible. Once you give it a try, you may never want to leave home to go to work again. ::takes a sip of coffee and thinks she’ll take a break from work and head out to her garden::
