I like to consider myself extremely blessed as far as work goes. I work two days a week outside of my home as a Dental Hygienist, and 3-5 days a week working from home. I work a lot of what you might call… ‘odd jobs’ – mostly from home, too! More than just cooking/cleaning/caring for kids – but actually getting paid to do something while I am in the comfort of my own home!
We don’t make millions – or even hundreds of thousands, we don’t have a luxury home or take luxury vacations… But we have exactly what we need to get by – plus a tiny bit extra for a bit of fun every now and again! I know it’s by Gods grace that I am able to stay home so often. I’m sure he knows my mental status better than I do! 
My home income is not predictable enough for me to quit my job (not sure I would quit anyway, since my two days out are kind-of fantastic for my sanity) but the home income is an amazing help for when other expenses come up, like registration for preschool or getting the transmission replaced in my van. It also has allowed us to create an emergency savings, and a plan for paying off student-loan debt a lot faster!
Making Money from Home
Here are some of the things that have been successful for me – and some things you should look into if you’re considering making a few hundred to a few thousand dollars extra per month! Getting a little bit of income from several places always is the best way to go. Short term but quick income is important – but long-term income is also helpful!
Paid Online Surveys
Survey taking is a lot more time-friendly and home-friendly. They aren’t quite as high-paying right at the front-end, but by doing several surveys a day you can easily earn some money! SurveySpot is one of my favorite places for Surveys. They have a great community, awesome interface, and great opportunity to get rewarded for sharing your opinion. 
By spending a few hours a week (or day, or month, or however often you have time!) participating in surveys, you earn points which you can use for cash via Paypal, Amazon GC’s and iTunes GC’s – plus many other reward choices. This is perfect for getting enough money for hobbies, extra spending money on vacations, and even just extra gas money!
SurveySpot allows members to be a key factor in market research. FREE members are rewarded for participating in interesting research studies for major companies. Surprisingly, one of my favorite things is earning entries for the $10,000 quarterly prize drawing. Even if I don’t “Qualify” for a survey, I still earn entries – and have a chance at that $10k prize without having to put much effort in. Someone has to win!
Click here to sign up for a free membership to SurveySpot
Paid Research Studies
In-person research is a lot more sporadic, maybe 3-4 times per year. Signing up to be available for things like taste-testing and focus groups, diaper studies, and in-home testing can surely pay off in small chunks. These pay anywhere from $35-250+. Find your local research firms and sign up on their lists! Some that I am registered for in Minnesota are: Focus Market Research and Fieldwork Minneapolis.
When my boys were smaller (and could fit into size 4 diapers) I signed up for as many diaper studies as I could. Free diapers plus income? BONUS!
Blogging
I hesitate to put this out there: I’m not sure it technically qualifies as much for a good way of earning income quickly. Do lots of people earn income blogging? Yes. do lots of people blog for years and years and never make a penny? Yes! But – Is it a long term income source if you’re consistent? ABSOLUTELY!
I was spending 40-60 hours a week ‘working’ on my blog when I got in with a great group of people at MomDot Community who taught me how to make some money. It doesn’t happen to everyone, and it takes extreme dedication and know-how or learn-how with a lot of perseverance. After two years of blogging I was making no more than $200/mo on a good month – but normally less than $100. It started out very small and since then has become my second main source of income.
Am I happy I did it? YES! But it’s definitely not a way to start “Earning Money Today”. I think it was best that I started blogging as a hobby and when I started making money I was thrilled. I would have given up if I had started my blog for income.. So if you go this route: don’t expect too much to start. Build your way up!
Direct Sales
Yep! I’m going there. I think Direct Sales had a bad-rap for a while, and I think it’s coming back to being successful again. Before kids, I sold ‘Stampin’ Up!’ products, which was enough to keep my hobby moving at a low cost. It was great for that! Living in a small space and getting pregnant meant that I had to give up my hobby and my business so I could have a room for my son.
Social media has changed direct sales dramatically! It’s so easy to reach people that you maybe otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to. I recently signed up to sell Jamberry: which I absolutely love. I have been able to throw online parties through Facebook – where you can invite anyone and everyone – even if they don’t live near you. No one has to get dressed or remember to show up. No cleaning, cooking, organizing – just plain fun and games, and great leads to other great hostesses, no matter which state they live in! Jamberry is extra awesome because it’s inexpensive, and easy to sell – because, who doesn’t love pretty nails?? 
It’s not for everyone, but when you find something you’re passionate about, it can take you places!
No matter where you’re at in life: it’s always good to have some other sources of income coming in. Try focusing on earning short term income, as well as building a way to create a long-term income! Time is what you make of it. I am one of the major definitions of ‘busy person’ (Spouse, Two Kids, Outside Job, Blogger, Direct Sales, Random other sources of income, Involvement in Church, Friends, Mops, etc) and maybe I’m a little scatterbrained or unorganized at times – but it’s how I like it! I’d be happy to answer any questions about starting your income from home!
*This post was inspired by SurveySpot – all opinions are 100% my own, and they all represent my personal experience with making money at home!
I like to earn money at home by participating in surveys that have cash rewards, through online sites and apps from my phone, very easy for me.
This is a great post. I’ve tried to get several other moms started on the online money earning journey, but only the once with perseverance and the ones who are persistent stick with it and reap the rewards. For my family I simply don’t know what we would do without my online income. While it is sporadic, it is such a big help.
It is great when Moms can find ways to be at home more and still make money. Thanks for sharing this great information.
We have lots of paid marketing research firms in the Atlanta area, and my husband and I do focus groups quite often. It’s such an easy way to earn extra money, and fun, too!
very interesting post,,and very informative too,,thanks for sharing those points with us
Thanks for being realistic about making money from home. I feel like a lot of people jump into many different ventures at once and burn out because they money doesn’t meet their expectations — it takes time! Online surveys have been a great supplement to our income, personally. We used Amazon gift cards from those to buy many gifts & personal splurges!
I love how you state that you basically won’t get rich but it helps supplement and income for the family.
Interesting, I have recently signed up for swagbucks, guess between work and the kids not sure I’d have enough time for surveys too. This I have to share with my sister though