When I had my daughter and became a stay-at-home-mom, I googled this phrase a lot: “how to earn money as a stay-at-home-mom.”
I missed working. And there finally came a time when there was some downtime while I was at home. I missed using my intellectual skills and learning and being creative. I also felt like I wanted to be earning some money.
But, I didn’t miss being an employee. I was “enjoying” (as much as you can with a newborn) being at home with our baby. And as she got older and I started sleeping again, I really started to enjoy being at home with her. Not everyone is like this; some people want to go back to work pretty quickly, and that’s great! But that was not me.
We had planned on having another baby, and we were going for a two-year split. So I had committed to staying home with the babies for a few years while my husband supported us financially. Boxes were checked for rewarding job (being a mom is great for that, you are very needed) and socializing (we went to the park a lot, and I made lots of mom friends). But some other things were missing.
I started by freelance editing. That worked well for a while because I could do it while our daughter took all those naps. But then she got older and started being awake more, and then our son was born and for whatever reason they just didn’t like to nap at the same time. So my editing window was restricted to after they both went to bed at night, but that’s when I wanted to spend time with my husband. So I stopped taking on new editing jobs.
But I didn’t like losing that source of income. And then I started missing the learning, thinking and challenging myself that the editing provided. UGH.
I had an epiphany one day. I had been told to sell my crocheted work on Etsy by a few people in the past, but I had never tried it. I decided to try it. Then I made a friend who encouraged me to try selling my handmade goods at farmers markets.
One thing led to another, and I started my crochet side hustle.
It’s as flexible as a side hustle gets. I sign up for markets a few days in advance whenever it fits within my family’s needs. I make new things as I wish. It allows me to be creative; I’ve learned how to photograph my products and display them in an appealing way. I’m also learning SO MUCH as a business-owner, so it’s pretty stimulating. Also, maybe the best part, it doesn’t require a lot of screentime.
And it’s all at my own pace. I can drop it whenever I need to. Literally: I smell a poopy diaper, drop my work, change the diaper, wash my hands (don’t worry), and pick it back up. I can work while watching TV with my husband.
Because I really believe this business model makes such a great side hustle for crafty stay-at-home-parents, I have made a guidebook for you to get started. Just try it out!
Notes:
OBVIOUSLY this post also applies to stay-at-home-dads. It also applies to people with no kids who just want to start a side hustle in their free time. Also, retirees: I see you wanting to pick up that skein of yarn! Make some money doing it!
Don’t know how to crochet? You can learn, courtesy of Youtube. I taught myself pretty quickly when I was motivated.
Do you prefer knitting? That’s great! All the same tips and tricks in my free guidebook apply.