Along with all the work from home email scams going around, there are some actual opportunities for moms and dads to work from home. You can do some of these jobs and tasks with kids around. Some, you’ll need to do when the kids are in school or otherwise occupied.
These options vary from actual jobs, where you’re an employee or contractor, to tasks you can do for money in your spare time. Even if you’re not looking for part-time or full-time work, you can make a few extra bucks here and there.
After the 8 work from home options, I’ve included a few other possibilities that didn’t make the list, but might be worth checking into.
This post may contain affiliate links; please read my disclosure here.
Test Websites
Some companies will pay you to test websites, a task which apparently can take as little as a few minutes. You can find more information on website testing for dollars from The Work at Home Woman and Frugal Fanatic.
Do Simple Online Tasks
Doing quickie tasks online for people doesn’t usually pay a lot. However, it’s something you can do off the cuff, when you have a few minutes. One of the most popular sites for selling your time in small chunks is Fiverr.
Amazon Delivery Jobs
Since Amazon started offering same-day delivery of certain items, they’ve ramped up hiring across the U.S. for delivery drivers. If you live in or near a large city, chances are pretty good that Amazon already has delivery drivers there or soon will have them. You can submit your contact information and have Amazon contact you when they start hiring drivers in your town.
Another option that involves driving is a ride-hailing service like Uber. However, it’s a fairly crowded field in some cities, and pay tends to be low for Uber drivers.
Sell Your Old Stuff
You probably have lots of excess stuff in your garage, attic, closets and/or basement that you could sell for extra cash. I’ve been selling my stuff lately and bringing in $100 to $200 in a month, or more.
Once you get started, you’ll be shocked at how many unwanted items you have around the house. It’s like getting paid to clean out your storage spaces!
Sell Your Voice
I don’t mean you should trade your voice to an evil witch like Ariel did in “The Little Mermaid. If you have a pleasant sounding voice, you might be able to get free-lance gigs to make a few bucks as a voiceover artist.
Customer Service for Amazon
Amazon sometimes hires home-based customer service workers. You probably already shop at Amazon and know a lot about the company. Keep checking every few weeks as they staff up during certain times of year.
Medical Studies
If you live in or near a large city, there are probably at least a couple of medical research firms in your area. They always need people willing to serve as human guinea pigs, which isn’t nearly as bad or dangerous as it sounds.
The studies I’ve seen are for investigational medications or procedures that have already passed safety testing. The tests were to see how well they worked.
Type medical research plus your city into Google (e.g., Raleigh medical research) to find a list of local companies performing medical studies. Sometimes they’re looking for people with a certain medical condition. Other times, you just need to be a healthy person from a particular age group.
In return for your participation, you get free medical care plus money to compensate for your time and travel. Some of the types of studies at medical research companies in my area include:
- High triglycerides.
- Irritable bowel syndrome.
- Chronic low back pain.
- Overactive bladder.
- Avian flu vaccine.
- Kidney disease.
- Acne.
- Rosacea.
- Shingles pain.
- Parkinson’s disease.
- Migraine headaches.
- Type 2 diabetes
Mystery Shopping
I’m sure you’ve seen enough secret shopper scams to feel wary of this type of thing. However, there are actually companies that recruit legitimate mystery shoppers to evaluate businesses.
If you own a GM vehicle, check out Bestmark. You can get free oil changes and tire rotations at GM dealers plus a small shopper pay in return for filling out a post-service survey about your experience.
Kern Scheduling offers mystery shopping opportunities for a large variety of different companies, including banks, oil change shops, cell phone stores, restaurants and retail stores. The Penny Hoarder has a list of additional reputable mystery shopping companies.
The number one thing to keep in mind is that you should never pay for secret shopping assignments. No legitimate company will ask you for money. They reimburse YOU for your time and trouble, not the other way around!
What About Surveys?
One thing I’ve not had good luck with is online surveys. I’ve tried several different survey companies. Almost every time I start a survey, I spend 5 to 15 minutes going through survey questions, then I’m told that I don’t qualify.
One exception is Google Opinion Rewards. You install their app on your phone and get notified when they have a survey. You answer three or four quick questions and immediately get 25 to 50 cents added to your Google Pay account.
I know this doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up quickly since I usually get one survey a day. You can use your Google money to rent movies through Google, to watch on your Roku or other TV screening device, or on your computer. You can also use the money to buy Android apps or make in-app purchases.
Focus Groups
I haven’t had much luck with focus groups, either. I went through countless surveys and only qualified for one survey out of all of those. I went to the survey site and wasn’t picked for the focus group. However, they still paid me $100 for showing up.
Still, I stopped applying for focus groups. I don’t have time to complete a bunch of surveys that are unlikely to lead anywhere.
Get Paid to Lose Weight
If you’re looking to lose weight and have a few bucks to bet on yourself, you can place a personal weight loss “bet” with real cash prizes. I didn’t include this as part of the 8 work at home options because it involves some upfront cash.
If you’re up to the challenge, though, check out my post about how I lost 45 pounds, in case it can help you. I sure wish I’d known about HealthyWage before I started my diet!
Companies Hiring Part-Time Remote Workers
Flexjobs offers a list of companies that hire the most remote part-time employees. These range from customer service jobs to editors, interpreters, trainers and online adjunct faculty.
This post was originally published in August 2016 and updated in February 2017.
How About You?
Have you discovered any great ways of earning some extra money or working a regular part-time or full-time job based out of your home? What advice would you add to this post?
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