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These are the easiest ways you can make money as a stay at home mom. Earn money while you put away dishes, fold laundry, or wait in the carpool line. (Really!)

I don’t know the science behind it, but one thing I do know is that checking in on Facebook turns a quick two minutes into twenty.

It’s a time suck for sure, but doggonit I love checking in with my people.

But…

For about the same amount of effort and time I spend scrolling Facebook (and trying to decide what level of insulted I feel by everything I see there) I could make some money.

Which is pretty cool.

Hey, I love being a stay at home mom, and I wouldn’t change it.  But we SAHMs are pretty crafty about finding ways to save money…and to make a little extra.

So add these ideas to your bag of tricks.

How Stay at Home Moms Can Earn Some Extra Cash

Look, none of these websites are meant to be a full time job.  

I never treat them that way. For me, these websites are bonus money…no commitment, no hard work.  Just extra cash.

Something to do instead of playing games or scrolling social media for a little while.

If you’re looking for a more full time income, the things I’ve found to be the best way to make real money (but take more effort, let’s be honest here) include:

Blogging

Duh, you’re reading my blog. 

Here’s the resource I would definitely be using if I had to start fresh again.  (It’s reasonably priced, and offered by a trustworthy blogger who makes her money from her blog about mom stuff, not from teaching you about blogging.  That’s important.)

Transcription

Before blogging I did general transcription.  It was good work and pretty good money for a work at home gig. 

(I do like the freedom of running my own blog better, but if you like letting someone else make the decisions so you can just get to work already, transcription might be perfect for you.  Especially if you’re good at typing and listening.)

Want to know more?  Here’s a free ebook from a transcription guru that will definitely let you know whether transcription is right for you.

Ebay

Another thing I enjoyed doing was selling on Ebay.  In fact, one year I made enough from selling things that I was able to pay for a family vacation!

Here’s a really good book you can check out to get started selling on Ebay.  (I bet you have junk at home you won’t believe other people will pay for.  Seriously.)

Pockets of Time

I’ve used most of the sites here quite a bit (others I’ve heard good things about from people I trust).

Sites like these are perfect for those little things I call “pockets of time”.  I’m talking about:

• Waiting in the carpool line
• Sitting in a waiting room
• Folding laundry
• Waiting for the coffee to brew
• Watching commercials

You know.  Wasted time you usually spend scrolling social media or playing on an app.

Insider Tip:  I recommend opening a new email address for these accounts.  It’s a one stop shop for getting all of these tasks done in your pockets of time.  

Plus, you won’t be distracted by that email from your favorite store when you want to get a few tasks done.

Ready?  Now let’s talk about some sites that can make you money online for free.

Fetch Rewards

This one is crazy easy.  It takes less than a minute to earn your points.

Fetch Rewards is an app that gives you points for taking pictures of your receipts.  

Basically any receipt for a grocery store or pharmacy is worth points.  (Even my local small town Save A Lot store gets me points!)

They don’t pay in cash, but you can get Amazon gift cards.  (Which is almost as good!)

Click here to sign up for Fetch Rewards (this link will give you 2,000 bonus points to start.)

Swagbucks

I’ve been using Swagbucks for ages.  I like to use it to earn Amazon gift cards.  

You can shop for groceries or household necessities with those Amazon dollars, and then put the money you would have spent into your emergency fund or sinking fund instead.

Amazon gift cards are 500 points for $5, 1,000 points for $10, and 2,500 points for $25.  (Sometimes the $25 goes “on sale” for 2,200 points.)  

For this reason, I consider 100 Swagbucks to be worth about $1.  That helps you understand if tasks are worth it or not.

To Do List

If you’ve never tried Swagbucks, there are a lot of ways to earn.  My favorites are the things you’ll find in the left hand sidebar, called the To Do List.

The daily poll and daily search are just a couple of clicks.  Easy bucks.

The daily crave is basically paying you in points to watch tv.  This one is perfect for those times I’m doing other chores.  Just make sure you click “Like It” or “Not For Me” while you fold laundry.  (FYI, I’ve never noticed a difference between either button.)

Click “Keep Craving” to move to the next task that pays in points.  You don’t accumulate points by watching entire shows.

Daily watch is similar in that you’re watching shows.  This one is less worth your time.  I often skip it.

Daily discover gives you points for shopping.  Sometimes you can get points for signing up for email lists and freebies.  (I prefer Ebates for shopping.)

Attempt a gold survey is their way of giving you points even if you try for a survey and don’t qualify.  They tell you how long a survey will take and how many points its worth.  So you’ll know if it’s worth trying before you click.  If you’re waiting somewhere and have more time, these can be worth it.  If you complete a gold survey, you’ll get extra points.

Deal of the day can be tricky.  Today they are offering 1,500 SB when you spend $9.99.  So you’ll invest $10 of your own real money and get back enough money for $15 in Amazon cards.  It looks good on paper, but I’ve been tripped up by deals like this before.  Use caution.

Did all of those tasks and still want more points?

Look for the picture of what they call “laptop guy”.  It gives you more chances to earn points similar to your daily crave.

Opinion Outpost

Next up is a survey company.  I’ve used Opinion Outpost for several years.  

I like it, because it’s easy to find surveys that I actually qualify for.

If you’ve done many surveys, you know that sometimes you spend ages just trying to qualify for surveys without ever earning anything.

Also, they offer real cash through Paypal.  (Whoop whoop!)

For instance, I got 5 points for a 4 minute survey.  At 100 points I can get $10 cash in Paypal.  

Don’t want to wait that long?  At 50 points I can get a $5 Amazon gift card.

You can choose how often you want to be emailed reminders.  

If you want to remember to do it more often, get regular emails.  Tired of the clutter?  Choose occasional emails.

I like this option when I have a long wait ahead of me.  

I’ll do a survey, and then I can reward myself with a game of Candy Crush afterwards.

Click here to sign up with Opinion Outpost.

Survey Junkie

Another survey company that I like to use is Survey Junkie.

You’ll get 25 points just for signing up, and another 50 for filling out your profile.

A point is basically worth a penny.  When you get just 500 points, you can start redeeming for $5 in cash via PayPal. 

You also have the option to get gift cards. 

(So this might be a fun way to rack up Christmas gifts or date nights!)

You can do things like get 150 points for adding an extension on your browser.  Super easy.

Click here to sign up for Survey Junkie and get your free 25 points!

Pinecone Research

I haven’t tried this one yet, and I don’t think they are always accepting new people. 

So if you get the application, you’ve probably caught them in an open window and should definitely sign up.

The great thing about Pinecone Research is that they pay $3 for every survey.  And they email the surveys that you qualify for.

Sometimes they’ll send you products to try, too.  (That’s fun!)

Click here to get signed up for Pinecone Research.

National Consumer Panel

When I was a kid, I remember my Mom joining the National Consumer Panel. 

Watching her pull out the bar code scanner to scan everything she had bought at the store was the coolest thing ever.

Well, now you can join, too!  

You can still scan bar codes (now you use the app, of course) but you’ll get some cool rewards.

Click here to join the National Consumer Panel.

These simple steps will help you make money online free in no time.

These companies are practically giving away free money!  And making the most of those wasted pockets of time will help you bring even more value to your time.

Have you used any of these rewards sites before?