Introducing Sarah from Frugal Happy Homemaker

Sarah blogs at www.frugalhappyhomemaker.com which is all about helping busy mums live a happy life on a budget. She writes about all aspects of parenting and home life in relation to budgeting and saving money, sharing some great tips that she’s learned going from a double income family to a single income one when kids arrived, allowing her to be a stay-at-home-mum.

7 Easy Ways to Make Money from Home as a Mum

When I became a stay-at-home-mum, our financial situation changed dramatically. Our income halved overnight, which meant there were a lot of adjustments needed. Since making this transition, I am always looking out for ways I can earn money from home. I’ve discovered that there are lots of ways to make money quickly, with minimal effort. I’m not talking about big ‘get rich quick’ schemes (we all know those don’t work!) but there are lots of little ways to make money easily in your everyday routine. And these little ways all add up.

I’ve listed my top 7 here. I’m sure there are many more, which I am yet to discover, that could be added to this list. But these 7 are bringing regular additions to the savings in our house. And every little bit helps when you’re on a budget, so I’m sharing them with you so that you can start boosting your savings too, starting today.

1. eBay

What is it?

If you haven’t used eBay before, I’m sure you’ll have heard of it by now. It’s been on the scene for a long time and is the top online auction site available.

How do I make money with it?

It’s so easy to make money using eBay, it’s not just about shopping for a bargain. But you do have to know how to ‘play the game’ a bit to make sure you get the best deal when selling on eBay.

My first piece of advice is to only sell items of a mid-price range. If the items you sell are too low value, then your profit will be eaten up with fees and postage costs. And if they’re too high then you’ll have huge commission fees to pay which will eat into your profits.

You also need to think about when to list your items, which time of day and which day of the week. The majority of bids will come in right at the end of the auction, so you need to make sure that’s at a time when your target audience will be able to have uninterrupted access to their computer/phone to place their bids. I’ve found that weekend evenings are optimal as that’s when people are generally most free.

Examples

The kind of mid-range priced items that have done well for me are clothes and shoes. These must be in good condition and you’ll get an even better price for them if they’re branded.

Another odd category that appears to be popular is broken electrical items! I think folk must like the challenge. Either that, or they’re genuinely very technical themselves and know they’ll be able to fix the item and resell it (or use it themselves). This is a great way to get rid of broken items that are lying around the house, while also earning a bit of money. You won’t get much for them, obviously, but it all adds up. eBay actually has a ‘not working, for parts’ description ready to be chosen, so this is definitely a known category that folk will be searching for.  Make sure you check out our tips on what to do before selling your old mac before listing your laptops!

Pros

• Large audience so very likely to sell.
• PayPal payment, safe and secure.
• You control the exact length and end time of the auction, you can also schedule auctions for a future date.
• Unsold items will automatically relist so you get a second chance to sell them.

Cons

• Seller fees to eBay (currently 10% including postage costs).
• PayPal fees.
• You have to keep the items cluttering up your house during the length of the auction which can be a hassle.

2. Gumtree

What is it?

Gumtree is another way to sell your items online. It’s a local selling site, so you advertise your items in your geographical location and meet the buyers face to face. It’s not an auction, so you simply list your item for sale and buyers contact you if they’re interested.

How do I make money with it?

Like eBay, this is another great way to get rid of unwanted items lying around the house while making money at the same time.

While eBay is best for mid-range priced items, Gumtree is great for low and high priced items. Because it’s local and you pay cash, there are no fees or postage costs to eat into your profits.

Examples

Low-priced items I’ve sold on Gumtree include kids toys and books. Price them low for a quick sale or bundle them together, bundles are always popular!

High-priced items that I’ve found popular on Gumtree (both as a seller and as a buyer) are furniture such as beds and table/chair sets. I listed a bed and within an hour had 4 people contact me interested in it! This makes you a quick sale and takes the hassle out of removing it from your house yourself, or arranging for a company to come and remove it for you. The buyer sorts all this!

Pros

• Local, so no trips to the post office.
• Cash payment so no fees to pay.

Cons

• Smaller audience than eBay, especially if you live in a rural location.
• Scammers. You need to be aware of scammers posing as potential buyers. They will usually have some lengthy story and have some reason why they can’t meet in person or can’t pay cash etc etc. I’ve found these messages usually appear when I’ve provided a mobile number, so to try and avoid these scammers, opt for email only as a form of contact.

3. Facebook Groups

What is it?

Most of you will have Facebook and be in at least one group. But did you know there are groups dedicated to buying and selling? These groups are usually for a specific category and targeted at a specific niche.

How do I make money with it?

If you’ve got something to sell that needs a specific targeted audience, then Facebook selling groups could be exactly what you need. I’ve made more money selling in Facebook groups this year, than on eBay and Gumtree combined!

Examples

These are some categories that I’ve bought and sold items in;

• Baby & Toddler related paraphernalia.
• Buggies.
• Slings/baby carriers.
• Cloth nappies.

There are many, many other groups though, pretty much any category you can think of there’s a Facebook group to sell in, including;

• Camping equipment.
• Gardening.
• Musical instruments.

Pros

• Targeted niche, so very high chance of sale.

Cons

• There’s often haggling (much more so than on Gumtree) so make sure to list your item for a higher price than you’re expecting to get.
• Most groups require you to pay via PayPal (which I recommend doing, even if it’s not in the group rules) so there are fees to pay.

4. Renewal Deals

What is it?

Every year you’ll have multiple renewals to sort out. Do you let your car insurance/house insurance/energy contract etc renew automatically? Or do you take some time to shop around and make sure you’re getting the best deal?

How do I make money with it?

No, I’m not just talking about saving money on your annual renewals. I’m telling you that you can actually make money when it comes to renewal time! And there’s some serious money on offer too!

Did you know that lots of companies put effort into finding new customers? And a lot of them are actually willing to pay to get them. If you put in the effort to shop around then you can not only save money on your renewal, but also get paid to switch.

Examples

The best companies for these payouts are energy and internet providers. Since that’s where there’s some big competition, they need to give you a reason to choose them. If you use comparison websites then it makes it much easier for you to see the deals all in one place, but often it’s not until you click through to the individual provider that you see the extra incentives.

Pros

• Big payouts so worth the effort of shopping around. (I got paid £170 to switch internet provider this year!)

Cons

• Only available once a year when your renewal is due.
• Need to take the time to shop around and see what offers are available.

5. Top Cash Back

What is it?

I’ve written a whole post about how much I love this already. If you haven’t heard of cash back sites before, they essentially get paid commission from a company for directing you to that company’s website, then they pass this commission onto you.

How do I make money with it?

This is the best bit…all you have to do is shop online! The one extra step you have to take is to visit the Top Cash Back website first, find the retailer you wish to purchase from, click through to that retailer then shop as normal. The cash back will then appear in your account and you can withdraw it any time you like. You can choose to withdraw it straight into your bank account, or from a whole host of gift card options (including Amazon).

Examples

There are hundreds of retailers to choose from. Not every online place you shop will be listed, but here are a few regulars I use;

• Boots (cosmetics, baby items etc).
• Debenhams (bedding, clothing etc).
• ASOS
• Internet providers (combine with renewal deals above to boost your earnings even more).
• Insurance providers.

Pros

• Get paid for purchases you would be making anyway.
• Widely available on everyday purchases.

Cons

• Often small amounts, but it all adds up.

6. Money Making Apps

What is it?

There really is an app for everything these days. Believe it or not, there are several apps dedicated to earning you money for buying your groceries! These are a recent find for me so I haven’t fully explored all the options yet, but first impressions are good.

How do I make money with it?

Simple. You download the app, shop as normal, upload your receipt and get paid. There are several different apps available and all work slightly differently, but the general concept is that you upload your receipt for a specific offer, then you’ll get cashback into your account for the offers that you qualify for.

There are also apps that pay you just for uploading your receipts. These are then used for market research, so you have to be ok with the information you provide being shared in this way.

Examples

The apps I have tried for getting cash back for offers are Checkout Smart and Shopitize. Checkout Smart has more offers that are relevant to me so it’s the one I use most. Be careful you don’t get sucked into buying items purely for the cashback as it’s not guaranteed. Like any offer, make sure it’s something you will actually use. Offers vary week to week, but I’ve been paid for items such as toothpaste, orange juice, crisps and bread. There are usually some good offers on various alcoholic drinks too.

One that I haven’t tried out yet but that I hear a lot about is Receipt Hog. It’s one that uses your receipts for market research, so all you have to do is upload your receipts and the more you upload, the more you get paid.

Pros

• Get paid for buying your groceries.
• Easy way to earn a few extra pennies.

Cons

• Payout not guaranteed, although I’ve never had my receipt declined they do warn that this may happen occasionally.
• Small amounts, but it all adds up.
• Offers constantly change, may be some weeks with no offers relevant to you.

7. Direct Sales

What is it?

Direct sales companies are very popular with stay-at-home-mums. They are completely flexible and allow you to work when you want, which is perfect for mums who want to be at home with their kids during the day and work in the evening. The idea is that instead of shopping in a store, you buy your items directly from the trader. This gives it a more personal touch and allows you to try before you buy.

There are a whole host of direct sales companies. Cards & stationery, cosmetics, kitchen & home goods, skin care, candles & other ‘smelly stuff’, cleaning supplies…So there really is something to suit everyone. Just make sure that whichever company you choose, you really love the products so that your sales are genuine and you’re not just in it for the money. People notice genuine enthusiasm and you’ll make way more sales if your excitement about the products you’re selling comes across.

How do I make money with it?

Choose the company you want to work for, get your starter pack and go sell! Every company will supply you with various options of how you can generate sales. I chose a card & stationery company (which has sadly now gone into administration L ) which suggested selling from your own home, hosting ‘parties’ in customers’ homes, utilising social media etc, but it’s entirely up to you how you go about it. Some take the ‘softly softly’ selling approach, while others go for the ‘hard sell’.

You choose the hours you work, the more you put in the more you’ll get out of it. So it really is completely flexible.

Examples

I mentioned a few above, I won’t list specific companies because there are literally endless options and I don’t want to overwhelm you. Choose a category you’re particularly interested in then do a bit of research into the direct sales companies that offer those products.

Make sure you check out the company properly and don’t get drawn into any scams. Most direct sales work on the personal approach, so there should be a way for you to get in contact with someone in your local area who can chat through things more with you.

Pros

• Flexibility to work when it suits you.
• Work as much or as little as you like.
• Get paid for selling a product you love.

Cons

• Can come across as ‘salesy’ if you’re not careful.
• Difficult to branch out from selling only to family and friends.
• Not completely from home as you’ll often need to host ‘parties’ in customers’ homes.

Summary

Even if you’re at home with the kids, there are ways you can bring some extra income in for your family.

1. Sell on eBay.
2. Sell on Gumtree.
3. Sell on Facebook Groups.
4. Make the most of renewal deals.
5. Use cash back sites to earn money when shopping online.
6. Use cash back apps to earn money on your groceries.
7. Join a direct sales company.

These 7 examples bring a steady flow of cash in for us. It’s not huge, but every little bit helps when you’re on a budget.

 

Want to make some extra cash?

Find loads of ways to make extra money at home on my blog, as well as my favourite side hustle in my matched betting blog.

To get started, you can make money online with 60 methods I’ve tried and tested.  

Just need £1000?  Here’s how to make £1000 in one month at home.  

Short on time? These methods can make money in one hour.

Want free cash?  Here are loads of free money offers.

 

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