Guest post from Alexa of Single Moms Income
As a single mother, I have learned what it’s like to barely be able to fund a bare bones budget. At times, I have to scrimp and save every last dollar to keep the bills paid. I have found that when there is nothing left to cut out of your budget your only option is to increase your income.
I have gotten pretty good at finding different income sources to supplement the income from my day job. If you are in a situation like mine, you need to find a way to bring in a little extra money to pay for the necessities, too.
Here are some of the things I do:
1. Freelance Writing
Freelance writing has come to be one of the best sources of extra income for me. When I first started writing for money, I used content mills such as Text Broker or Interact Media. The pay offered by these is very low, usually in the ball park of $1-$5 per article when starting out. I became unsatisfied with the pay from these sites and ventured out on my own.
I decided to try to get writing jobs from freelance job boards. I also hunt down my own clients who I think may be interested in my services.
While I do spend a lot of time looking for clients the pay from these jobs is much, much better. In fact, I now make $25 – $40 per article. If there are months that I can’t find clients and need a few extra bucks, the content mills will always be there to fall back on.
2. Blogging
Blogging is a huge time commitment but I really enjoy it. It took me three months before making the first dime off my blog.
My blog is still relatively young and the income I make from it varies. So far, on a good month I’ll make $300, while on a bad month I may not make anything. With time and consistent hard work, I know I will see the income from this increase.
Note from Crystal: If you want to learn more about how to make money blogging, check out my series here.
3. Swagbucks & Inbox Dollars
I have accepted the fact that I simply do not have money to stash away for Christmas this year. However, I am also grateful for this. I will be forced to spend less and concentrate more on the true meaning of Christmas.
So, this year the majority of our Christmas presents will be funded by gift cards and cash earned through Swagbucks and Inbox Dollars.
The money earned through these outlets is not huge, but by working on them all year long, it can really add up. I use Swagbucks as my search engine to earn points and I read emails from Inbox Dollars and complete any special offers that interest me.
Neither one of these takes any real effort and can be done mindlessly. By the time Christmas rolls around, I should have at least a couple hundred dollars by doing each of these daily.
4. Stay Positive & Think Outside the Box
There are tons of people in the same position as I am. If you can barely pay your bills and have cut every imaginable expense out of your budget, your only option is to increase your income.
Think of things that you enjoy doing and find a way to make money from them. You could walk dogs, tutor children, give music lessons, clean houses, or offer landscaping services.
The options are limitless. If you can think outside of the box and focus on the positive rather than the negative you will enjoy earning the money. You never know, if you keep at it you may be able to turn your side income into a full time income, all while enjoying what you do and solving your budgeting problems.
Alexa is a single mother to two little girl’s ages three and four. She is on a mission to create a happy, fulfilled life for herself and her family. She chronicles her journey as a single mother trying to make it big at Single Moms Income.
Jen says
I also freelance write, and make $40-50K a year at it working 30-35 hours a week. I haven’t written for the content mills but looked online for gigs that give me a lot of assignments on an ongoing basis. I do have an English degree so that helps. I’m quite sure I could make even more, but right now I like the stability of having ongoing work coming in and knowing how many assignments I will have. It helps to be fast; I estimate that I make $30-50 per hour when I’m on my game and can concentrate well.
In the past I have worked a lot of part time jobs, including teaching at a Christian school where my kids attended when they were younger, but the writing has been my sweet spot for income and I love the convenience and flexibility of working remotely. I can be the mom who hosts my kids’ friends and drives for outings but still make a pretty nice income without being locked into a 9-5 lifestyle or a regular schedule.
saverchic says
Thanks for the great information. I also loved seeing a single mom’s voice. 🙂
Alessa says
my only problem with this is I don’t have time to sit in front of the computer all day….I tried doing some of these things and it takes forever and I hate how I feel like I get nothing accomplished because I’ve spent all day on the computer. I’ve tried many other adventures to try to make some extra money: making and selling crafts, selling Avon, house cleaning….none of these really panned out. I need something that will work for me but I don’ t know what 🙁 it gets really depressing when none of your ideas work.
Alexa says
I do think it’s very important that you find something you enjoy doing. I love writing so I don’t mind sitting in front of the computer all day. Have you considered babysitting? Could you tutor or teach some type of class? Keep trying you’ll eventually figure out a way to make extra money by doing something you enjoy.
Amy says
Great post! Such good ideas! One more idea is to consider network marketing. I work with an amazing company called It Works! Global. We offer a site-specific body wrap that firms, tones and tightens in just 45 minutes, plus an amazing line of all-natural supplements. One thing I LOVE about this company is that it is a DEBT-FREE company that has a heart for helping distributors get out of debt…We even had Rachel Ramsey speak at our conference earlier this year!!! I had worked a direct sales business before, and said that I would NEVER do it again (didn’t make any $) But THIS business has a focus on helping distributors be profitable the very first month. I earned $300 my first month, and I have personally met MANY distributors who are earning 5 figure MONTHLY incomes within a year of starting with It Works! I’m so grateful that God led me to this opportunity!
Alexa says
I have never considered network marketing. I really don’t know much about it I’ll have to look into that.
Sabrina says
Great post! There are some great tips too. Thanks for sharing. I shared with my Pinterest followers too.
maria b says
thanks for the tips. in the past I’ve used swagbucks and loved it, however, my computer repairman recommended no to use that site anymore after my computer crashed. he said downloads like swagbucks help to contribute to those issues. have you had any trouble with this?
Alexa says
I have never had any issues with Swagbucks. Do you have antivirus software installed on your computer?
Megan says
it was nice to have a single mom voice – thanks! as for the holidays – I have gotten SO good at inexpensive gifts! here is my advice – 1. Shop online on black Friday – the price of toys is UNBELIEVABLE and they will deliver them for free and my favorite no lines 2. Buy art supplies cheap during Back to School sales and make a nice little art basket box etc 3. Buy Halloween costumes at the after Halloween sale and make a dress up box (huge hit) and 4. Buy the doll house bookcase from Michael’s and then have fun decorating it (painting and then using scrapbook paper for wallpaper) together ( I think it cost $25.00 with a coupon) but it also a toy/bookcase.
Alexa says
I have actually picked up some back to school items for Christmas. My kids are both little artists and the prices are so cheap right now I though I had better stock up. The halloween costume idea is fantastic!!! I never thought of that. My girls *love* dressing up, what a great idea!
Emily says
I really enjoyed reading this! I have a 2 year old that I stay at home with while my husband works. I was very fortunate to find a job as a “writer” for an internet site. I am always hesitant to call myself that because I am a nurse-I didn’t go to school for writing or anything like it. But I LOVE what I do now. And plus, I get to stay at home with our son! I am going to check out your link on how to make money through a blog.
Tiffany says
This is awesome information and I am a single mom of 2 and it does get hard sometimes. I tried to work a second job but after doing it for a year it has become so draining and I lose a lot of time with the kids. Thank you for the info.
Lara says
I like hearing a single mom’s voice here
Amy says
I also agree that freelance writing is an excellent way to make money. After my first child was born in 2011, I turned to freelancing in order to supplement our income so we could afford for me to not return to my job. Like many people, I started out writing at Textbroker. I enjoyed doing work for their clients, but the pay was a little bit too low.
I gathered samples of my writing and began finding my own clients- this was the best decision for me! Over the past 1.5 years, I have raised my rates several times, and I now charge between $0.10 and $0.15 per word. It can be difficult at times to find time to get all of my projects done since I now have a newborn and a 2 y/o, but freelancing has been a blessing for our family!
Alexa says
That’s great! I am not anywhere near the .10 – .15 a word yet but I hope to get there soon. Since I have veered out on my own I am getting higher paying jobs but most of them are .04-.05 right now. Hopefully over the course of the next year I can raise them.
Terry Withers says
Also, there are literally dozens of in person and online focus group companies, mock juries, taste tests, clinical trials/medical studies, amateur blackjack/casino dealer, you name it, I’ve done it! Over the last 18 years, I’ve averaged $1500 to $2000 a year in my spare time, for a few hours a month. No, I’m not getting rich, but the extra hundred to two hundred dollars a month sure comes in handy. Another site to earn gift cards is mypoints.com. Just be careful: you should never have to pay to join any of these types of companies/sites. Good luck everyone, and if you’d like my list of money making sites, I’ll be glad to email it to you, free of charge! And they are all legit!
Cindy says
I’m interested in your list of money making sites-money is tight and anything helps!!!
Jamie at Prepared to Eat says
I’d suggest checking Craigslist for focus groups or studies. Or maybe Google to see which companies might be working in your area. Be very wary of anything that sounds too good to be true, but I’ve found that you can make $50 for an hour of talking about shampoo (for instance) or maybe more than that if there is “homework” or multiple trips are involved. Good luck!
Peggy says
I’d love your list of money making websites. Thanks so much!
Cheryl says
I would also like a list of money making websites. Thank you very much.
Paula says
I would also love to receive your list of money making websites. Thank you in advance!
Anne-Marie says
I really love TextBroker…It’s filled in some gaps for our house, and I’ve gone from $200-ish a week in my early months to about twice as much in recent months.
Erin says
Wow–is it true that writers make only 1.5 cents per word?
Jessica says
Yes and no. You are paid based on your rank. Two star authors get less than $.01. Three star writers get $.01 per word. Four star writers get $.014 per word. Five star writers (rare) get $.05 per word. You can get on “teams” by invitation or application, and some of the teams pay more per word than the general classification but require you to keep your star rating.
Jessica says
I’m a SAHM/freelance writer. Last year I earned $14k freelance writing for the content mills. I’m happy with how it works for my family.
We’re in a situation where we are in contract on a house but have not yet sold our current one. We will have some tight time until the current house sells. Realistically, our lifestyle is such that it’s impossible to keep our home in “showable” condition. We have an older cat with issues, my kids constantly make a mess, and we’re home all day, without family nearby to drop into if we got a call from a realtor about a showing in a few moments of time. At any given time, there is a mess of dress up clothes, blocks, dolls, a mess from a just cooked or just eaten meal and so forth. I am lucky to change the baby’s diaper and then my 3 year old has dumped out all the crayons, and then I clean the crayons and the baby wants to be fed, and after the baby is fed, the 3 year old has made a new mess, then wants a snack, etc, all day long. If I didn’t have an infant, 3 year old and 6 year old, or if they were older, keeping the house neater for showings would be a lot easier. We know we’ll have a few hard weeks of work painting and cleaning to get the house in showable condition once we’ve moved out. I pray that everything works out for the best!
Crystal says
Wow! I’m impressed with your $14K — that is fantastic!
Jessica says
I’ve run the numbers, and for full time childcare for my younger two, plus before/after school care and summer care for my incoming first grader- at the job I had in state government with 8 years experience and a Masters degree, I would have been working for benefits and that would have been it. When I did work full time outside the home, my middle child got sick every 3 weeks and we were all miserable. No time together, weekends filled with errands. Being a freelancer has been an answer to our prayers. As my kids get older, I may consider going back to full time work.
Crystal says
I’m so grateful you’ve found a great set-up that’s working so well for your family right now. How wonderful!
Alexa says
Me too! 14k is awesome. I hope everything works out for you!
Victoria says
I’m a Realtor and I never show a house without proper notice! Your Realtor should be sensitive to your needs and work around your schedule. 24 hours notice is very common and acceptable.
Rachael @ ThrivingonThrifty says
Great post! I checked out your blog and really like it. Keep up the good work! I have also learned various ways to make income on the side as well. I just recently started using Inbox Dollars and like it so far. I also highly recommend Viggle as it takes very little time if you are going to be watching TV anyways. I compiled a list on my blog of some money saving apps and websites that I have found to be helpful here: http://thrivingonthrifty.com/2013/07/13/make-money-with-websites-apps/
stephanie says
I love Swagbucks but I found Inbox dollars to be a scam and not worth my time.
Sontag B. says
Inbox Dollars is 100% real, I have already received one check in the mail & have another on the way in a few days. So it is real, you just have to be willing to take time each day taking multiple quizzes & watching 2minute videos, depending how often and the amount of effort. You can easily earn $20+ a month! Which isnt much, but in my opinion cash is better than a limited giftcard.
Inbox also differs in that you do not have to save up points to “become giftcards/money” you just earn real money!
Alicia says
I love Inbox Dollars! I found them awhile ago and have gotten 3 checks so far. Totaling around $300. All I do is read the emails. I don’t even do the surveys or any of their other things. NOT A SCAM!
Alexa says
I like inbox dollars for the simplicity. It doesn’t pay much but it doesn’t take very much time at all to read an email. Plus if there are any special offers available that you were going to buy anyway you can earn a lot that way.
Katy @ Purposely Frugal says
Great post! I recently made a post about odd jobs we’ve done:
http://purposelyfrugal.com/2013/07/23/odd-jobs/#.Ufg-L0h6z-M
Molly says
just visited your site, i love it, i love your Mission. I am going to add you to my blog list on my blog.