How to Hustle When You're a Momma

“Momma need a house. Baby need some shoes. Times are getting hard. Guess what I’ma do. Hustle, hustle, hustle, hard. Hustle, hustle, hustle, hard.” -Lil’ Wayne

I recently became a stay-at-home mom. It is the first time since I was 15 years old that I didn’t have a traditional job outside of the home. It was a weird adjustment for me. In my head I know that everything I do being a homemaker and mother is a huge contribution to our family. However, I guess it was just how I was raised, but I still feel that I need to contribute financially as well. So I wanted to find ways in which I could provide some added income into our household without having to put my kids in daycare. There are many more ways to make money from home then I will list here, but these are my top 3 side hustles that I currently do as a stay-at-home momma.

#3 Market Research Studies

There are market research companies all over the world that will pay you simply for your opinion. They will pay you cash for your opinions on marketing campaigns, new products, new services, etc…

MOM NOTE:

There are also several studies for people with children. For example, diaper studies that provide you with diapers to review. Meaning, you get FREE diapers!

I do research studies through L&E Research. L&E Research is a huge company with 11 locations nationwide (USA). They conduct in-person studies as well as over the phone or online studies so you do not necessarily have to live near a brick and mortar location. All you have to do to start is sign up here!

After you are signed up, you may begin filling out pre-qualifying questionnaires for studies that you may qualify for. The company will also email you studies for which you may be a match. If you qualify then you will receive a call and may have to answer a few additional questions before scheduling your study. After you complete the study, the company will then give you an envelope with your compensation.

PROS of this Momma Hustle:

You can make a lot of money in a small amount of time. For example, the last study I did I made $150 for one hour of my time. You can also do studies without leaving your house. I recently did another study from home for which they delivered a box with all of the study materials as well as an iPhone and stand to use during the Zoom call for the study. Also, for in-person studies, the company selects more candidates than there are seats in the study for (as insurance due to no-shows). If everyone does show up and there are too many people then they pull names at random to go home and not participate in the study. This happened to me this past spring. However, they still PAY you the FULL amount!

CONS to this Momma Hustle:

It is not a consistent form of income. You may not qualify for many available studies at a particular time. Also, the company doesn’t want to have the same participants in multiple studies at the same time. However, there are several other companies world-wide that will pay you for your opinion. Check out this list of 25 Paid Online Research Studies You Can Join!

# 2 Get Paid for Plasma

What is plasma?

Plasma is part of your blood. Its functions include: maintaining blood pressure, carrying proteins, minerals, hormones and nutrients to the correct places in your body, facilitates the clotting factor to stop bleeding when you are cut.

Why donate/sell it?

Plasma can be used for: developing treatments for rare diseases because of the antibodies in it (ex. Right now they are testing for COVID antibodies in hopes of finding a cure/vaccine), cancer patients sometimes need plasma transfusions, transplant patients also need plasma, people that suffer from Hemophilia (blood clotting disorder in which blood does not clot) need plasma donations.

How to Donate:

Before you give plasma you must complete a short physical. They will do this onsite. Allow for a total of 2 hours for your first time. During the physical they will confirm whether or not you qualify to give plasma. To qualify: you must be of a healthy height/weight, nutrient levels in blood must be within the normal range, blood pressure must be normal, you may not qualify if you take certain medications (primarily blood thinners), and you must have eaten protein before your appointment.

During a regular donation you will not do the entire physical but you will still have your blood checked through a finger prick. They will also check your weight and blood pressure again.

These appointments usually last around an hour. They will hook you up similar to how you would donate blood. They take your blood out of you, then a machine separates the plasma from the blood and then the blood is returned into your body.

Where to donate:

I donate at BioLife Plasma Services. This company is the most professional company that I have found.

PROS to this Momma Hustle:

They offer numerous appointment times throughout the day. Efficient and professional staff is always welcoming and stick to the schedule so you never wait. They offer a FREE supervised playroom for children 6 months- 12 years. You can earn up to $600/month!

CONS to this Momma Hustle:

There may not be a location near you. If you are not in the US/ there is not a location near you, simply Google ‘Plasma Centers Near Me’.

# 1 Facebook Marketplace

I don’t know why it took me so long to discover this gem! This is by far the EASIEST way to earn extra money!

To Start:

Go through your home and compile everything and anything that you no longer need.
Take multiple pictures of each item.
Go to Marketplace on Facebook and click ‘Sell’.
Select a category for what you are selling (Items, vehicle, home, job).
Upload your pictures of one of the items.
Title it (just write what it is)
Price it. This is trickier because you don’t want to go over or under on your items. It may take a little playing around. But the easiest way, I have found, to do this is to consider the condition that your item is in and search for it among other people selling it on Marketplace. You will want to be comparable to them so that it will sell.
Select a category for the item (site will usually give suggestions).
Describe the item. Here you should put any details about the condition, measurements if applicable, and how you will be accepting payments (paypal, FB pay, Venmo, Zelle, cash). PRO TIP: If you don’t want people to haggle the price put it in the description that price is FIRM.
Determine condition (new, used like new, good, fair).
Choose pick up method. Local pick up only or specify if you will ship your item (I do local pick up only).
Send it out into the Marketplace and wait!
When people are interested in your item they will DM you.
Once a pick up is confirmed you must mark the item as pending.
After pick up, mark the item as sold.

PROS to this Momma Hustle:

It takes only minutes and you don’t even have to leave the house! Also helps to clear out clutter from your home.

MOM NOTE:

I find a ton of toys for my kids for FREE on Marketplace as well! So I can get her “new to her” toys to play with for a while before I put them back on for free for another kid to enjoy. I’m pretty sure that my daughter thinks I’m Santa Claus!