Many women look forward to maternity leave as the time they can spend bonding with their new child. Unfortunately, for some women going on maternity leave can also mean foregoing a paycheck for several weeks. This comes at a time when expenses go up. All of this can be quite stressful. Going back to work isn’t a good option. So, what can women do to earn money while they take time off from work?
Fortunately, now more than ever there is a money-making alternative for women in this situation. If you are creative and resourceful, there are many things you can do to create an income while you are home with a new baby. You’ll still have time to spend with your family and reduce stress caused by financial hardship.
Try Website Testing
Imagine all of the websites and apps you use on a daily basis. The brands that create these sites want to be certain they are easy to use, and that they work perfectly. They don’t want to know what web designers think. They want to know how the average user experiences things, and what they think. In fact, they value these opinions so much, they are willing to pay for them.
If you have a reliable internet connection, pc, laptop, or other devices you can make money as a website tester. All you have to do is sign up with UserTesting.com or Test.io. There’s a bit of training, but that’s free. Once you have finished your training, you will be eligible to participate in a variety of tests. These generally pay from $10 per test.
Take Surveys And Participate in Online Focus Groups
Have you ever wondered how brands decide which products to sell, how their packaging should look, even what their advertising should include? Many use surveys and online focus groups to learn as much as they can about customers’ opinions and preferences. Best of all, they are willing to pay for your opinions. Check out Pinecone Research, YouGov, and Toluna to get started. You can make anywhere from a few cents to several dollars for successfully completing a survey.
Focus groups are a bit more involved. Rather than sharing your opinion once, you take part in discussion groups to help brands with market research. These may be done online, or in person. To find a focus group that’s a good fit for you, look for market research companies online or in your area. They will collect some information from you, then contact you if they have something available. The good news is that you can make more than $100 dollars for just an hour or two of your time. The bad news is that there is no guarantee there will be a focus group that is a good fit for you.
Perform Micro Tasks
Imagine you owned a business and had hundreds, even thousands of small jobs that you needed to be done. It’s not efficient or cost-effective to hire people for this work. What do you do? Well, many businesses are in this position, and they solve their problem by crowdsourcing these tasks to people who want to earn extra money working from home.
Microtasks are small jobs that cannot be done by machines. They need human intervention. So websites such as Mturk, Figure 8, Clickworkers, and Microworkers were created just for this purpose. People can register on these sites to make money completing tasks such as:
- Helping graduate students by completing research studies
- Entering in data from receipts
- Drawing boxes around items
- Annotating images
- Taking and uploading simple photographs and short videos
- Finding email addresses
- Sharing content on social media
Use Your Talents
Are you a talented writer? Have you ever designed your own website? Do you have artistic talent that you can use to produce something that people will be happy to buy? The time you spend on maternity leave is a great time to develop these skills and make a profit.
If you make artwork, consider selling it on Etsy, or through another online marketplace. Just remember that it’s important to really sell yourself. To get started, consider using professional writers services for your online store’s content and product descriptions.
There’s also quite a bit of money to be made as a freelance writer. Many companies hire writers to write content including blog posts, marketing emails, articles, web content, resumes, and more. Of course, it’s important that you associate yourself with a company known for producing quality work, and treating people well. Check out website ratings before you make a final choice.
Become a Transcriptionist or Translator
Are you a great listener and fast typist? Are you fluent in more than one language? If so, there is a huge demand for professional translators and transcriptionists. Translators make money by translating written content from one language into another. As a translator, you can make even more money if you have specific expertise. For example, your skills will be in high demand if you are able to translate healthcare or legal content.
A transcriptionist takes audio recordings and reproduces them in document form. There’s a lot of this work available, and it’s quite lucrative. Just know that there are high expectations when it comes to accuracy. Most employers will require that you pass a test before hiring you.
Earn Gift Cards Through GPT Sites
GPT stands for Get Paid To. These are wildly popular websites that allow you to complete a variety of tasks to earn points or money towards gift cards. Some will even pay cash if you have a verified paypal account. Sometimes, you can even opt to get paid in cryptocurrency.
Some GPT tasks have been listed above. These include taking surveys and performing microtasks. You can also earn points by subscribing to email lists, shopping online, downloading apps, even printing out coupons. Some popular GPT sites include Swagbucks, Earning Station, and Inboxdollars. There’s even a site called Volkno that will pay you in Amazon gift cards, just for watching movie trailers.
Make Room For Baby And Some Money by Selling Your Stuff
Now is a good time to start clearing out the clutter. While the baby sleeps, take time to sort through your unused items, maternity clothing, jewelry, purses, and handbags. Get rid of the mess, make it easier to clean your house, and make a bit of cash. Try listing these items for sale on Craigslist, Ebay, or Facebook marketplace. You may be surprised at how quickly people will buy your extra ‘stuff’.
Get Savings And Rebates When You Shop
With a new baby, it can seem as if you’re always in need of something new. Whether it’s running to the store for diapers and formula, or ordering new items online. It can get busy and expensive quickly. The good news is that you even make money while you shop.
Ebates will give you cash back for shopping online. Ibotta and shopkics will pay you in cash or giftcards for buying certain items, using your debit card, scanning items, or even just walking into the store. Finally, save your receipts! Use an app like Receipt Hog to scan your receipts to accumulate cash awards and prizes.
There’s no need to be miserably broke on maternity leave, or to get deeper into debt. Try a few of the methods listed here to make a bit of extra cash. You can pocket a bit of money, and stave off a bit of that maternity leave boredom that can creep up on you.
