So maybe you are pregnant and broke, about to go on maternity leave with no real plan except maybe use a week of sick time. Maybe you are already on maternity leave and need extra cash, or possibly, even, you are like me and going back to work didn’t work out and you are now without a job.
I started researching “how to make money online” while on maternity leave— most options required a significant investment (for me it was significant with no job) like $700 for a website and course and then no real direction on how to make money. Make a blog – you will make money…well how???? So I did not make a blog at that time (in case you were wondering)
I eventually started compiling a list of ways to make/save money online after going through hundreds of websites…weeding through everything. I didn’t have a ton of time because I was taking care of a 3 month old, but if the baby was napping (and I couldn’t sleep) or if the baby was asleep in my arms, I would try to “work”.
Here are a list of ways I made or saved money during my “extended maternity leave” of 6 months. I also updated this list with a few new fun ones I have found more recently (I have a full time job now — so my bills don’t rely on this anymore, but it is always nice to have a few extra bucks every month…you can throw it in your child’s college fund or something.
(Scroll to the bottom for the FREEBIES!)
How to Make Money/Get Free Stuff on Maternity Leave:
Make Money Ideas (Flexible options w/some upfront effort)
- Etsy.com: If you are creative, you can open up a shop and list your items you made (or vintage items) for sale
- Items to Sell Examples: Crochet, Paintings, Photography, Art Supplies, Vintage Clothing, Jewelry, Customized
- It costs 20 cents to list an item for 3 months, Etsy takes another 5% on the backend if it sells
- Fiverr.com and Upwork.com: If you have experience in social media, Website design, WordPress, voice overs, video editing, logo designs, you can sign up and become a freelancer
- You set your rates, but you might want to check your competition in the beginning and lower your prices temporarily to get some initial business and experience
- No, it doesn’t only pay $5 – the range for services is anywhere from $5 to $10k per freelance job
- Printful.com, Teespring.com, Spreadshirt.com: Create a fun t-shirt design, post on their website, and receive a couple bucks per shirt sold
- Obviously you need some kind of marketing strategy to get people to buy shirts like Instagram or Facebook
- Teach English Online
- TeachAway – teach English online to Chinese students
- iTutorGroup – teach English online to Taiwanese students
- English Hunt – teach English on the phone to adult students in Korea
- Rev.com, DailyTranscription.com, TranscribeMe.com – Transcribing, captioning, subtitling
- You get paid weekly
- It might not sound super exciting, but money is money
- If you are great a typing, or at least not horrible at it, this could be the job for you. (You will need to take a qualification test)
- eBay, Offer Up, Yard Sale:
- Gather up your old items and depending on what they are, make some extra cash on eBay.com, the Offer Up app (or Craiglist), or have an old fashion Yard Sale (and pocket the cash today!)
- This doesn’t really sound like a “money making” job, but if you aren’t using it…and you need money, why not? This is a quick way to get money.
- Obviously, if you are meeting someone via Offer Up, make sure to bring a buddy or only post items you can ship
- Gather up your old items and depending on what they are, make some extra cash on eBay.com, the Offer Up app (or Craiglist), or have an old fashion Yard Sale (and pocket the cash today!)
- Bake Cookies/Treats/Cakes/Breads/Whatever
- Sell to Friends/Family for birthdays and holidays
- Use Facebook or Instagram to help display and get more customers
- Get a Cottage Food License (if available in your state) to be able to make and sell homecooked goods from your house
- There are restrictions on this, for instance, my friend Amanda sells cookies out of her house, but she is not allowed to ship them (Even if we beg!), She usually has a pick up date and does a big batch of holiday cookies at a time
(Scroll to the bottom for the FREEBIES!)
Make Money Ideas (Surveys)
Surveys can be great if you only have 10 minutes to commit to a task. They are known for not paying as much as a normal job, but you can easily make $20 to a couple hundred dollars (or more)/month if you really focused on doing some every day.
Again, you can’t pay all of your bills with Surveys, but if you are needed a bit more and just can’t commit to a few hours a day (like some of the more traditional jobs), this might be the way to go. Also, this might be a great way to make money while you are pregnant and on bed rest (since it doesn’t require a lot of time, and you can do it on your phone):
If you are going to go this route (surveys), I would suggest signing up for multiple survey companies because they may not have daily ones specifically for you (most survey companies go by demographics), so you want to be able to keep the money coming in consistently.
- SurveyJunkie ***My Favorite out of ALL of these***
- Must be at least 16 years old
- 500 points = $5
- It takes about 3 surveys to reach 500 points
- So you can start getting paid fast!
- Click Here to start making money!!!
- InboxDollars (Another great one)
- Take surveys online, read emails, play games, watch videos
- New Users also receive $5 just for joining!
- Just remember to confirm your email to get the $5
- Click HERE to receive $5 for joining
- Pinecone Research
- Be one of the first to test emerging concepts for a variety of products
- Each product survey pays $3.00
- FYI: Surveys are not as frequent as others
- Click HERE for more info
- Panda Research
- Earn $3 just for signing up
- Earn points by Completing Surveys, Reading Emails, etc.
- You must confirm your email to receive the Sign Up Bonus
- Click Here to get your $3 Sign Up Bonus
- Survey Voices
- Boasts you can make up to $350/week completing surveys (I highly doubt you would make this much if you are doing it part-time but you can try)
- Give your opinions on paid surveys and clinical trials
- Not all applicants get accepted
- Click Here for more info
FREEBIES!
Obviously you need extra cash— but a great way to save money is to get something you need free. Here are a few freebies I came across recently with mamas in mind.
- Free Moms and Babies Samples
- Must complete registration page and redemption instructions
- Click HERE for your samples
- Free Sample of Le Color Gloss In-Shower Toning Gloss by L’Oreal Paris
- Click Here to get yours while supplies last
- Free Admission to National Parks
- Plan a free adventure at one of the U.S. National Parks
- August 4, 2022, September 24, 2022, November 11, 2022
- No coupon needed
- Free sample of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
- This is my favorite lotion/cream brand
- Great for sensitive skin
- Click Here to get yours while supplies last (As of 8/31, they still had samples!)
- Test and keep a Mega Cleaning Bundle worth $100
- Not all will be selected
- Must submit a review on the product tester
- Click Here to get yours
- Get FREE Diaper Samples
- Enter your email
- Respond to survey questions
- Click HERE to get yours
- Get FREE Pampers Coupons
- Enter your email
- Respond to a few questions
- Click HERE to get your coupons!
- Win a Diaper gift basket
- Enter your email
- Not all are chosen
- Receive diaper basket to test
- They may ask you to give a review in a few months
- Click Here to Enter
- Sign up for Huggies rewards
- Not an immediate freebie
- As you buy Huggies, you will gain points for gift cards
- Click Here to register
Well I hope you enjoyed this list and I hope it helped your situation in some way or another. Obviously, there are no “get rich quick” jobs out there, but if you keep at it, you can definitely make a dent in those bills of yours (the hospital bills alone…sigh). My portion of the hospital bill (total was $100k …that included a few nights in NICU) was $10k out of pocket. Babies are expensive….but completely worth it. Good luck mama!
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