5 side hustle ideas for single moms to make extra money fast

What would you do if you had an extra $200 in your hands right now? Pay your bills, get some food, enroll your kid in their favorite sport? Any answer you have can become a reality if you put any of the next 5 side hustle ideas to work.

Having a few sources of income is the only way to make ends meet as a single mom. A side hustle is a small business or service that you can do at your own pace by offering value to others in exchange for payment.

In this economy, money and lack of sources of income, are the number one source of stress for American people. If this is a reality for the majority of the population, it makes sense why single mothers struggle so much to relax and find balance in their lives.

I became a single mom unexpectedly after my husband passed away in an accident, I was left to figure out every move a single mom has to make. The experience was so overwhelming. Managing the needs of three kiddos as well as mine without any physical help for the day-to-day demands and expectations of regular life was hard to survive.

Soon after, I grew a deep understanding and respect for single moms. The more I learned to manage my new life, the more I understood how important it is to help single moms. They carry a huge responsibility on their shoulders educating new generations, yet they are barely standing. I decided only a few months into my new life journey that I was going to bring help and awareness to these ladies who need it so much.

Long story short, here are 5 side hustle ideas for single moms to make extra money fast:

• Sales/Resales
• Garage sales
• Consignment sales
• Service
• Flips

Resales are fun, you can manage to do your buying while you’re taking care of your kids or running your errands on a regular afternoon. It is easy to do, affordable, and profitable. A few places you can find inventory are:

• Thrift stores
• Garage sales
• Facebook Marketplace
• AliExpress

The key to sales and resales is to find inventory that has demand and to advertise a lot. The more people see your ads the more people will buy them. Once you have your inventory you must follow a few simple steps to get your item sold.

• Take pretty pictures
• Post a detailed listing
• Reply to all messages with good customer service
• Set shipping expectations for buyers and ship faster than expected

Where to sell your items online?

• eBay
• Poshmark
• Mercari
• Facebook Marketplace and sales groups

Garage sales can be both a good source for finding inventory for your online sales as well as a reliable way to resell what you find locally. The key is to figure out your local rules for garage sales and host one as often as the city allows you to do it. Create a solid reputation for yourself and always have valuable things for sale. There is one downfall to only doing garage sales as an extra income and that is the low margin to make a good profit. People who purchase things from garage sales are looking for a bargain as well, that is the reality of that customer base. So unless you’re getting extreme bargains or donated items, garage sales are not a big enough source of income to do it full time, but a great way to recover some of the money you already spend by decluttering often and selling what you don’t use at home anymore.

*Bonus Idea – Offering services is a way better profit maker than sales, as we talk about garage sales I came up with a great idea for extra income. If you’re good at organizing, and don’t mind hard labor for a few hours a week, you can offer decluttering/organization services locally and have a free removal of “junk” service added for your clients. This can help you source great finds for your garage sale and get paid for it.

Garage sales are advertised on the streets as well as on social media, local Facebook sales groups are a good source to find local Garage sales advertised almost every weekend. One great thing you don’t have to worry about when selling through garage sales is shipping costs and delivery times or refund attempts.

Facebook marketplace is one big Garage sale, it organizes the listings according to distance from your location, making it easy for you to sell and deliver quickly. The Facebook marketplace has a lot of people in it ready to purchase things and it’s usually overlooked. There is a learning curve when it comes to online sales in general, you must learn how to spot the scammers, the lowballers, and the people who are up to no good. So, when it comes to the Facebook marketplace these are the go-to ways to stay safe and get paid:

• Always be upfront about what payment method they’ll use
• Never give your home address, meet them in a public spot
• Having standards and only doing business with people who have legit accounts, people who share their photos, and a bit of their personal life is a must for me.
• Have your rules and stick to them, if they don’t want to follow your sales rules, they’re not your customer. Better safe than sorry, move on and give that space for your customer to find you.

AliExpress can be tricky, but it does work for sourcing. You must do your research before moving forward with your purchase to avoid a scam.  Ordering from AliExpress, when done right, gives you access to sellers directly from China who have very cheap prices therefore your profit margin will be higher. Another con about using AliExpress is that you have to order bigger lots which can also increase your investment and your waiting time is long, about 1 month.

Amazon is a pricier option but for some resellers, it works. Amazon has items in bulk available, these items can then be used to be sold separately or as a part of another product.

Consignment sales are a 2-way road, you can be the seller of consignment items and you can have your product in consignment at local stores. Both ways are worth the try, but I think selling items may be the faster way to profits in this scenario; because you are in control of the advertisement and motivation to sell fast compared to having your product at a store where your inventory just sits there on display waiting to be seen by shoppers who visit that specific store. After all, selling is a game of numbers, the more people you show your item to the more probability you’ll close the sale.

To offer a service all you need is your knowledge and your desire to make money. Figure out what you’re an expert at, and what topic you have the most knowledge in. You can use this knowledge to help other people who are interested in your services and charge a good fee for your time and knowledge. Upsell yourself, don’t give away your time and knowledge even if what you do comes easy for you, it does not come easy for everyone else.

Ideas for a service:

• A second language. Classes, translation, interpretation.
• Cooking. Selling goods from home, catering for events.
• Expertise in any area or topic can be of service to others. Law, health, nature, business, dance, computers. Teaching opportunities in any of these areas, the more your niche the better.

Furniture flipping is a great way to invest a little and get a big return on your investment. A small wooden dresser can cost you $5 to $10 at a Thrift store or a garage sale. Sanding and a fresh coat of paint, new knobs, some wallpaper, and you can resell it for at least double what you invested in it.

Clothing flipping is another option to make extra income if you are good with the sewing machine. Thrift stores have a lot of clothing that you can work with for a very low amount of money, things can be altered, and redesigned, and you can even create a full brand from this kind of work. Sustainable fashion is very in nowadays.

These are some ideas for you to unlock the ideas in your mind about how to make extra money as a single momma on a budget. Once you get the hang of being open to opportunities there is no limit to what you can do. Don’t be a victim of the economy, make it work for you. Your priorities are important and your mental health matters, so do what is best for you and always prioritize your self-care and mental health days. Running different sources of income can be overwhelming to anyone but as a single mom you know very well the imbalance we face every day, so don’t neglect your break time and your self-care, this will make or break your journey.

Let’s summarize what we talked about in this blog. Ideas for different sources of income for single mommas and valuable tips on how to accomplish these ideas. The goal is to provide single mommas with ideas and encouragement so that it is possible to live their lives happily and not worry about money all the time. Next week I’ll be sharing some ideas from simple Amazon resale options I’ve done in the past (link)

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Having a great start to your day has a significant impact on your mental health and your ability to carry all the weight a single mom carries every day. Check out our Wake Up And Feel Happy Workbook, a feel-good guide to start your morning the right way.