Side Hustles for Single Moms: 70+ Legit Ways to Make Money

Whether you’re a single mom to just one child or you’re managing a brood of kids, stretching your income can be a real challenge. An unexpected expense can throw your budget off track and leave you struggling to close the gap.

Starting a side hustle (or multiple hustles) can give you some financial breathing room. There are plenty of side jobs single moms can do to make extra money, including side gigs that don’t require any special skills, education or training.

Today, I’m sharing some of the best side hustles for single moms to help you stop the money struggle once and for all.

LIKE FREE MONEY?

Here are some of my go-to apps for earning extra cash!

Survey Junkie. Earn up to $50 per survey just for sharing your opinions.

Swagbucks. Make money by playing games and watching videos. Join for free and get a $10 bonus when you sign up!

InboxDollars. Take surveys and get paid, no special skills or experience required!

Rakuten. Earn up to 40% cash back at hundreds of retailers, online or in stores. And get $30 for each person you refer, along with a $10 sign up bonus!

CashApp. Need a simple app for sending and receiving money? Get $5 free when you use code ‘VZXRXZN’ to join CashApp.

Side Hustles for Single Moms That Pay Daily

Daily pay is a plus if you need money now and can’t wait a week or two weeks for a paycheck. If you need cash now, here are some of the best ways to earn it.

Instacart. Instacart offers instant cash out for shoppers so that you can get paid right away. You can cash out your batch earnings in minutes after a delivery, and your full earnings, including tips, two hours after delivery.

Shipt. Shipt is another shopping service that offers daily pay. You can get your pay for orders, plus 100% of tips each day or every Friday.

DoorDash. Dashers can get paid each daily with the Fast Pay feature. There’s a $1.99 fee to cash out your earnings daily.

Uber. Uber drivers can cash out their pay up to six times per day, so you can get paid when you want to. After your first trip, you can send your pay to your debit card for easy access.

Uber Eats. If you drive for Uber Eats, you can also take advantage of daily cash-outs. Deposits take about five seconds if you’re signed up for the Uber Pro Card.

Lyft. Lyft lets you cash out your earnings up to five times every 24 hours with the Express Pay feature. You’ll need at least $6.25 in earnings to cash out, and there’s a $1.25 fee for each Express Pay transfer.

Walmart Spark. Spark drivers earn money per trip, plus tips. Depending on how you set up your payment preferences, you can get paid instantly after each trip or weekly.

Amazon Flex. Amazon Flex drivers make $18 to $25 per hour on average, and you can get paid instantly after completing deliveries. The Amazon Flex debit card is the fastest way to get access to your money.

Reselling Side Hustles for Single Moms

Selling things around the house is another fast and easy way to make money and get cash the same day. You can sell your extra stuff on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, or cart your items to a pawn shop near you.

Here are some the best things to sell for money:

Gold, jewelry and watches. Diamond engagement rings and wedding rings, bracelets and necklaces, heirloom pieces, watches–those are all things that people want to buy. You can sell your gold, jewelry and other valuable accessories at a pawn shop or through an online marketplace, like CashforGold.

Rare coins and antique silverware. If you have some collectible coins or an old dining set, you could turn those into quick cash. Pawn shops may offer the fastest route to extra money, but you could also look around for antique buyers or rare coin collectors who may be willing to pay top dollar for your items.

Collectible cards and toys. Pokemon cards, vintage Barbie dolls and sports cards can bring in big bucks if you can find the right buyer. If you want to sell online, you could try eBay or Facebook Marketplace. You can also check out local card shops and collectible conventions or trade shows in your area to sell your stuff.

Books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl. Any kind of media is something you could sell, especially if it’s a vintage, rare or collectible item. Pawn shops, record stores and used book stores are a few of the places you might be able to sell your collection for cash.

Furniture and household goods. Furniture, small appliances, lamps and home decor items can net a few bucks if you’re selling them on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. If you have a big pile of stuff you want to get rid of you might consider setting up a yard sale or garage sale to clear it all out.

Clothes. Selling clothes, bags and shoes can clean out your closet and help you make a little extra money. You can sell kids’ clothes to local consignment shops and use ThredUp, Mercari or Poshmark to offload your higher-end items.

Reselling can be lucrative if you have high-value items and you’re able to get the best price for them. YouTube is a great place to find videos that are packed with tips and tricks on how to start reselling full- or part-time.

Service-Based Side Hustles for Single Moms (Online)

When I became a single mom, I decided I didn’t want to give up my stay-at-home mom lifestyle. So, I knew I had to figure out a way to make money from home. It’s changed my life and if you have the same dream of being able to work online and have more time with your kids, here are some of the best ways to do it.

Freelance writing

Freelance writing is how I make a six-figure income as a single mom and it’s one of the best-paying side jobs you can do from home.

You don’t need previous writing experience to start making money as a freelancer, though that does help. At a minimum, you need:

Basic writing skills
A laptop or desktop computer
A PayPal account or a bank account so you can get paid for your work

If you’ve got those things, you can tackle the next step: looking for freelance writing jobs. FlexJobs features listing for remote and freelance jobs, including writing jobs. You can also check out Freelance Writing Gigs and LinkedIn for more leads.

Virtual assistant

Virtual assistants help large and small businesses with day-to-day tasks. The average virtual assistant makes around $27 an hour, which is amazing for a work at home job.

Some VAs out there are making $10K or more every month! There are so many virtual assistant services single moms can offer to make money.

For example, you could:

Specialize in Pinterest management
Handle social media or blog management
Be a VA for real estate agents or brokers
Offer digital marketing services
Handle scheduling or email inbox management

When you’re ready to find clients you can look for gigs on FlexJobs or market yourself as a virtual VA on social media.

Proofreading

Proofreaders review written text to check for spelling errors, grammar errors and typos. Online proofreading jobs are some of the best side hustles for single moms because it’s flexible work that pays well. According to ZipRecruiter, the average proofreader makes over $56,000 a year.

General proofreaders get paid to proof blog posts, articles and books for errors; transcript proofreading is a bit more technical. The upside of being a transcript proofreader, however, is that it tends to pay more than general proofreading.

There are tons of courses you can take online to learn to proofread. If you’re looking for one to try, I recommend checking out Caitlin Pyle’s free workshop to start. She walks you through the basics of starting a freelance proofreading hustle from home.

Want to get paid to proofread?

Learn more

If you’re not ready for the course, you can also check out this in-depth guide on how to get paid to proofread.

Transcription

If you’d rather type than read, then becoming an online transcriptionist might be an ideal side hustle option.

According to ZipRecruiter, you could make $40,000 a year on average with online transcription jobs. And you don’t need a lot of money or extensive training to get started as an online transcriptionist.

Want to know more?

Read through my detailed guide on how to get paid to transcribe
Sign up for this free webinar on how to make money transcribing

Want to get paid to type?

Learn how to become an online transcriptionist in this free mini-course!

enroll now!

Graphic design

If you know your way around design tools like Canva or Photoshop, you could use your graphic design skills to make extra money. For example, you could:

Design logos, freebie templates or Pinterest templates for bloggers
Offer website design services
Design and well WordPress themes
Start a t-shirt business or bumper sticker business
Sell digital products, like planners or printables
Offer graphic design consulting services

As far as finding work goes, you can try a freelance marketplace like Fiverr or Upwork. Some of the best remote job sites, aside from FlexJobs, include Virtual Vocations and We Work Remotely. The wider you cast the net, the more leads you’re likely to turn up for work.

Social media manager

Social media managers get paid to oversee social media strategy for bloggers, influencers and business owners. As a social media manager, you might be responsible for:

Creating content for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms
Scheduling and posting content
Replying to comments
Tracking analytics
Managing special marketing campaigns

You don’t need much more than a laptop and some experience with social media to start this high-paying side hustle.

Pinterest manager

Pinterest managers work with website owners and bloggers to create content specifically for the Pinterest platform. This could be an excellent way to make a lot of money if you know Pinterest inside and out.

As a Pinterest manager, you might:

Create pin images and graphics
Schedule or post pins to your client’s account
Set up new Pinterest accounts for clients
Communicate with Pinterest support on behalf of your client
Track pin analytics

If you want to make money designing Pinterest pin templates without doing any of those other things, that’s another great side hustle for single moms. You can use a tool like Canva or PicMonkey to create your templates, then sell them on your website or through a third-party e-commerce platform like Shopify or Payhip.

Blogging

Blogging can be one of the most profitable side hustles for single moms, though it’s not a get rich quick scheme. Some of the ways you can make money with a blog include:

Affiliate marketing
Sponsored posts or brand deals
Digital or physical products
Ads

You can also monetize a YouTube channel that’s linked to your site and covers the same topics. If you want to start a blog as a side hustle, here’s an in-depth guide to blogging for money that can help.

Ready to start a blog or website? It’s easy to get started with a custom domain and hosting through Siteground. Plans are affordable, which is perfect for beginners!

Blog flipping

Blog flipping can be one of the more lucrative side hustles for single moms if you don’t have time to start a blog yourself. You buy an existing blog (or just the domain), spruce it up a bit and resell it for a profit.

You have to be able to spot blogs or domains that have the best potential resale value. You may also need to put some work into them, which might include:

Adding plugins
Installing a new theme
Adding some content
Promoting the site on social media or flipping marketplaces

You can check out sites like Flippa or Niche Investor for listings of blogs for sale.

YouTube

YouTube is exploding and plenty of moms are cashing in on its potential as a money-making platform. It’s possible to build a successful YouTube channel around almost any topic, whether you want to talk about your single mom budget struggles, share your favorite cheap dinner ideas or upload daily vlogs of your busy mom life.

You don’t need a fancy camera or other equipment to get started, either. I know plenty of successful YouTubers who started off making videos on their phones. What you need most is a topic that you’re passionate about and a willingness to post content regularly so you can build an audience.

Tutoring

Tutoring might be one of the best side hustles for single moms to try if you’ve got a knack for guiding your kids through tricky math problems or anything else school-related.

There are two ways to tutor: online or in-person. For single moms, online usually offers the most flexibility.

You can pick which subjects you want to tutor students in, set your own hours and choose your rates. As side hustles for single moms go, tutoring is pretty low-hassle, low-stress.

If you need help with where to find tutoring jobs, check out these websites to get started:

Most of these sites are geared toward entry-level tutors. Make sure you read the fine print, though, so you know what qualifications are needed to offer services through the site.

Outschool

Outschool is an online site where kids in grades K-12 can take classes alongside other kids from around the world. The teachers come from a variety of backgrounds–there are certified teachers, homeschooling parents, professional authors and artists and plenty of parents who have a passion for a particular subject or topic.

If that sounds good to you, then teaching courses at Outschool belongs on your list of side hustles for single moms. You set your prices, choose the curriculum and create the class schedule.

Classes can be taught live via Zoom or pre-recorded so kids can enroll and follow along at their own pace. You can read my full guide to teaching with Outschool here.

And if you’re ready to start making money you can sign up to teach on Outschool now.

Bookkeeping

Becoming an online bookkeeper is one of my favorite side hustles for single moms who like number-crunching. You can work on your own time and choose your schedule. The money-making potential is great, and you could easily make around $50,000 a year.

You can start a bookkeeping business or look for remote bookkeeper jobs on sites like FlexJobs or Indeed.com.

Service-Based Side Hustles for Single Moms (Offline)

Offline side hustles let you make money without being tied to your computer all day. If you thrive on talking to people (or pets) these side hustles could be perfect for you!

Lawn care. Doing lawn care is a year-round side hustle, whether you’re mowing and weed-whacking in the summer or shoveling snow in winter. You might need some basic tools or equipment to get started, but it could be a good fit if you’re looking for a side hustle that has a physical element.

Pool cleaning. Cleaning pools is more of a summer side hustle, but it’s an odd job to consider if you know how to clean and maintain pools. I used to pay $300 a month to my pool cleaning company before I learned how to handle it myself, so if I can do it, you probably can too.

Personal assistant. Maybe you know someone who needs help with running errands, grocery shopping or transportation from Point A to Point B. You could hire yourself out as their personal assistant to make money.

House cleaning. My (single) mom cleaned houses when I was a kid, and she always had a full roster of clients who appreciated her services. If you can get a few loyal clients, you could make a steady stream of income from cleaning.

Pet-sitting. If you like pets you could make extra cash as a pet sitter. You can advertise your services on Facebook or Craigslist, or sign up for a service like Rover that connects pet owners with pet sitters.

Child care. Babysitting (or caring for an aging adult) is something you might consider to make extra money. Keep in mind that state laws determine how many kids you can care for in your home before you have to register as a daycare agency.

House sitting. House sitting is a relatively low-stress side hustle for single moms. You may need to collect the mail, take care of pets or turn house lights on and off while the owner is away.

Pet treats/baked goods. Selling homemade pet treats or baked goods is a fun way to make money if you love spending time in the kitchen. Just be sure to check your state’s cottage laws for any rules regarding home kitchens.

Event/party planning. Event and party planning can be a lucrative side hustle for single moms who are organized, have good attention to detail and possess excellent time management skills. You could plan events for local businesses or work with individuals and families to plan birthday parties, anniversary parties and other events.

Home organization. I love an organized home and if you do too, you could turn that into a money-making side hustle. You could get paid to help people declutter and get their homes neat and tidy using your organizational skills.

Sewing/tailoring. I can’t sew to save my life but if you can that’s another possible way to make money. You could take on odd jobs hemming pants or dresses, fitting wedding and prom dresses or doing zipper and button repairs.

Meal planning. Meal planning is a valuable skill to have a single mom, since it can save you time in the kitchen and cut down on what you spend on groceries. You could offer to create meal plans for local families or sell meal plans online. (Check out $5 Meal Plan for inspiration!)

Mobile car detailing. Detailing may not seem like a typical side hustle for single moms, but it’s worth some thought if you pride yourself on keeping your vehicle clean (even with kids). You could offer basic car washes or more in-depth detailing, depending on what kind of tools you have available.

Holiday decorating. I love the holiday season and decorating is a big part of the enjoyment. You could make some extra cash for holiday shopping by helping people to put up lights, decorate their trees or arrange the rest of their holiday decor.

Substitute teacher. Teachers seem to be more in demand than ever and if you have the patience to spend the day with a room full of kids who don’t belong to you, you could make money with a substitute teacher side job. Contact your local school district to find out what you need to have to become a sub.

Yoga/art/music instructor. Do you have a lot of the arts? Is yoga part of your daily practice? You could turn those skills into a teaching gig as a yoga instructor, art teacher or music teacher. If you don’t have space to host a class, your local community center or a local business may be willing to accommodate you. For example, my son took guitar lessons through a local music store that leased out a space in the back to his teacher.

Product-Based Side Hustles for Single Moms

Products, either digital or physical, can pay well if you have a good idea and the right platform. Here are some of the best ways to build a side hustle around products.

Drop-shipping

Drop-shipping involves setting up a storefront, listing items for sale and having a third-party supplier fulfill orders. If you search on TikTok, you can find a ton of videos from people making money with drop-shipping through the platform.

The key is choosing the right items to sell and picking a reliable supplier. You want to price your items so that you can sell them quickly, while still turning a profit.

Etsy

Etsy is a platform for people with a creative side. You can sell crafts, party supplies or vintage items; not everything needs to be handmade necessarily. For example, plenty of people make a ton of cash on Etsy selling print-on-demand items.

If you’re not sure what to make and sell or how much to charge, you might want to spend some time browsing Etsy to see what’s popular. You can use that as a guide for what to include in your shop and how to price your products.

Print on demand (POD)

Print on demand is a low-cost business to start and maintain. You need some design software and a computer or mobile phone, but that’s really about it.

You create your designs, then list them for sale on a POD website like Redbubble. When someone buys an item with your design on it, the POD platform handles the production and shipping. You can also link your POD store to Etsy if you want to create an additional storefront.

Printables

Printables have the potential to be one of the best-paying side hustles for single moms.

Single mom Sarah Titus has made millions from selling printables in her Shopify store. And there are lots of other moms out there making money with digital products.

You can use Canva to create your printables, then set up a Shopify store or sell them on Etsy. Or you can try a free or low-cost service like Payhip or SendOwl.

Self-publishing

Selling ebooks or low content books can be one of the easiest side hustles for single moms who are interested in creating passive income.

An ebook doesn’t necessarily have to be long to sell well or take a lot of time to write. And low content books have minimal content on the inside, so they can take less time to create.

Hubspot has a great how-to guide on creating ebooks that also works for low content publishing. If you’re not sure what kind of book to create, ask yourself four questions:

What topics are you most knowledgeable about?
Which problems can you solve?
Are there people out there who would want this knowledge or have those problems?
And most importantly, would they pay for it?

If you can work out the answers to those questions, the actual writing of an ebook or the creation of a low content book becomes less intimidating.

Next, you’ll need to decide where to sell your books.

Amazon is an obvious choice if you’re interested in the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform. Blurb, Payhip and Selz are other options. Just take a sec to read the fine print on the fees different platforms charge so you know what you’re paying to host your ebook on their site.

Online courses

You might have a topic you’re interested in or passionate about. If so, you can channel it into a profitable side hustle by creating and selling courses online.

Three of the most popular platforms for selling online courses are Udemy, Teachable and Thinkific. You might also look into Domestika if you’re interested in teaching something artsy.

The platforms work roughly the same way. You create a course, then list it on the platform at the price you want to charge. Students sign up for your course and you get paid.

Stock photography

Selling stock photos can be a wildly profitable side hustle for single moms if you know your way around a camera. You can sell your photos online through a stock photo marketplace or set up a website of your own.

If you don’t want to do stock photos, you could try a photography business instead. Wedding photography pays well, but you could also make money doing pet photography, graduation photos or birthday parties.

Stickers

Stickers are a hot item on Etsy and you don’t much to get started making them. You’ll need a design program like Canva and equipment to make your stickers. That could be a basic printer and vinyl sticker paper if you need to go low-budget to start, or a Cricut machine if you want to create higher-quality products.

My best tip for selling stickers is to pick a niche that reflects something you love. Otherwise, you’ll get bored with making them, especially if you struggle to get any sales right away.

Work From Home Jobs for Single Moms

Work-from-home jobs may offer benefits that side hustles don’t, including retirement plans, insurance and paid vacation. If you’re looking for a job, not a hustle, here are a few positions you might consider.

Customer service rep. Many companies offer remote, part-time support roles. This could be a great work-from-home job you can do while the kids are at school, or at night while they’re asleep.

Data entry. Data entry is a lot of typing and while it’s tedious, it’s usually not that stressful. You’ll need to be detail-oriented to make sure you’re entering information correctly.

Tax preparer. If you have a financial background, you could work as a remote tax preparer. You’ll get paid to prepare returns and guide people through the tax filing process.

Web developer. Web developers and designers build websites and troubleshoot them for bugs. You might check out this work at home job idea if you know your way around a computer.

Translator. Translation jobs could appeal to single moms who know more than one language. You can work from home translating documents or creating text files of audio recordings.

Supply chain manager. Supply chain managers oversee the moving parts of the supply chain. Check out Indeed.com, where you’ll find a ton of listings for supply chain manager jobs.

Amazon jobs. Amazon is always hiring for both remote and in-person positions. You can browse the remote job listings to see what fits your skill set and interests.

Voiceover artist/narrator. Being a voiceover artist or narrator is a creative side hustle that could be perfect if you’re comfortable with the sound of your voice. You can find voiceover job listings on Voices.com.

Easy Side Hustles for Single Moms

Need a way to make cash that doesn’t require a lot of hard work? Try these easy side hustles for single moms.

Rent out a room. If you’re comfortable having someone share your space, you could rent out part of your home. Just be sure that your current lease allows you to take on a roommate if you’re renting.

Rent out your car. Got a car but don’t drive that often? Sites like Turo let you rent your car to people who need a vehicle for the short term.

Rent your parking space or driveway. If you have a parking space but no vehicle to fill it, you could rent it out for extra cash. Curbflip is an app that connects empty spaces with people who will pay to use them.

Rent out baby gear or toys. BabyQuip is a rental site for baby equipment and toys. You might give it a try to make steady passive income from renting, versus selling the things your kids have outgrown.

Take surveys. Taking surveys will not make you rich but it’s one of the least taxing side hustles for single moms who want to make money in their spare time. My go-to survey site is Survey Junkie, but Swagbucks is also worth a look.

Mystery shopping. As a mystery shopper, you could get paid to shop in stores or dine out at restaurants. You earn money for each shop and some companies will also cover the cost of your meal or any purchases you make.

Sell gift cards for cash. Got unused gift cards you don’t need? Selling them, either through online gift card resale sites or to local buyers, is a simple way to convert them to cash.

Earn sign-up and referral bonuses. Sign-up bonuses can put cash in your pocket when you open a new bank account. Referral bonuses, meanwhile, can help you earn a little extra money when you refer friends and family to your favorite companies or brands.

Invest your spare change. Spare change investing apps like Acorns help you earn interest on your money when you put it into the market. If you’re new to investing as a single mom, this is a simple and easy way to get started.

Get cash back when you shop. Cash back apps pay you back a percentage of when you spend when you shop at partner retailers. My favorite cash back app is Rakuten, which offers some of the highest cash back rewards rates as well as a generous sign-up bonus. Learn how to make money with Rakuten if you’re new to earning cash back.

Sell scrap metal. Aluminum cans, old appliances and other bits of scrap metal can bring in a little extra money when you need it. If you have multiple scrap yards near you, call around to see how their prices compare and who’s likely to offer the most money for what you have to sell.

Sell feet pics. If you have pretty feet, you could sell pictures of them online. It might sound a little weird, but selling feet pics is a legitimate way to make money when you need it.

Get paid to exercise. Did you know you can get in shape and get paid to do it? Sites like HealthyWage and Sweatcoin will actually pay you real money to get your steps in and lose weight.

high paying side hustles for single moms — Best Side Hustles for Single Moms

Which Side Hustles for Single Moms Will You Try?

Side hustles are awesome, especially if you’re a single mom trying to make some extra money while working full-time. I can’t imagine where I’d be now if I hadn’t started my freelancing side hustle all those years ago.

If you’re thinking of starting a side hustle of your own, I highly encourage you to go for it. The sooner you get started, the sooner you can move from surviving to thriving financially.

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Side Hustles for Single Moms: 70+ Real Ways to Make Money