Looking to make some extra cash while still spending time with your little ones? In this article, Peter Watton from matched betting and side hustle experts OddsMonkey shares five ways that parents can make money from the comfort of their own homes.
If there’s one thing that every parent wants, it’s more time to spend with their little one. But kids are expensive, so a lot of mums and dads are forced to give up this time to put more hours in at work. The good news is that this may not be necessary. Rather than spending more time away from your child, you could try taking on a new side hustle and earning some extra cash from home instead.
Side hustles are simply side jobs that let you use the skills and resources you already have to bring in some extra cash. They’re usually flexible and can often be done from home, so they’re a great option for parents. Plus, they’ve become incredibly common in recent years. In fact, our survey found that one in four Brits have a side hustle, that pays out an average of £230 a month! If you’re looking for ways to top up your income from the comfort of your own home, read on to find the best side hustles for parents.
Online surveys
Did you know you can make a bit of cash by simply sharing your opinion? There are many online websites that let you take surveys in exchange for cash or vouchers. The sites are completely free and easy to join, so you could be making money in no time.
The amount you earn from this depends largely on the length of the surveys you do. Shorter surveys that last around 15 minutes or under often just pay out £2 or £3. But longer ones can pay £10 or more! Most sites don’t limit the number of surveys you do, so you can spend as much or as little time on this side hustle as you want.
Start a blog
Not only is this a great way to make a fair bit of cash, but it can be really fun too! If you’ve always had a passion for writing, this is a great way to practice your skill. And even if you’ve never done it before, this is a great way to start. You can blog about almost anything, from travel to trainspotting. You can even start up a parenting blog and write about what you love most — your little ones! If your blog becomes successful, it can be one of the best side hustles out there. Our survey found blogging to be one of the more lucrative side hustles, with some bloggers earning over £4000 a year! Bloggers make their money by placing ads on their websites, doing partnerships with brands, and writing sponsored guest posts. Although it can take some time before you make money with this side hustle, it has the potential for a big payoff in the long term.
Sell (or rent out) your possessions
If you have any old bits and pieces lying around that aren’t getting used, why not sell them? Not only will you make a profit, but it’s sustainable too as you’ll be giving your old products a new life. You can sell almost anything if it’s in good condition, including (but not limited to) clothes, books, electronics, furnishings, and more. When selling your items, make sure to use a trusted third party site, such as eBay or Gumtree to ensure that your money and product are protected.
If you aren’t ready to say goodbye to your pre-loved items just yet, you could always compromise and rent them out instead. This is a good idea for bulky or expensive items that people may only want for a day or so, such as speakers or gazebos. By doing this, your old items will get some use and you won’t have to say goodbye permanently!
Become a website tester
Earn money with the click of a button (or several) by testing websites for cash. Many businesses and bloggers want someone to check that everything on their website is in working order before launching, so they’ll happily pay people to act as a fresh pair of eyes. All you need for this side hustle is a stable Wi-Fi connection and a device that can access the internet!
Just like online surveys, your fee for these tests will depend on the amount of time that the web test takes. Tests that take 15 minutes or less usually pay out £2 or £3, while longer tests can pay between £10 and £15. All that you usually have to do in these tests is check that the links on the website work, and make a note of how easy it is to read and navigate. There are a number of websites that you can use to find these testing jobs, the two most popular being UserTesting and Web Usability.
Take up matched betting
This is a great way to make cash fast, and pretty easily too! Matched betting takes the uncertainty and risk out of regular betting, as you’re guaranteed to make at least a small profit, if you do it correctly. It uses the freebies that are offered by betting companies to put money on multiple outcomes, allowing you to turn promotional free bets into profit — you’re literally hedging your bets!
Doing it all by yourself can be a little tricky, especially if maths was never your strongest subject. But the good news is that there are matched betting calculators to do the hard work for you. All you need is the numbers, and the calculator will do the rest! We’ve found that matched betters end up with 80% of the free bet amount on average, so it’s definitely worth giving it a go. Of course, there’s always the potential for human error, meaning that matched betting can never be 100% risk-free. But if you do it the right way, you should end up with a pretty decent profit.
Not only will the side hustles above give you more money to spend on your family, but you’ll get to spend more time with them too, so make sure to give them a go!