Passive income can be described as the “set-it-and-forget-it” way to make long-term income. It’s such a great way to make money because you don’t have to spend a lot of time or energy on it.
For example, if you put up your house for rent, every month you’ll be receiving rental payments without doing much.
You could even have multiple passive income side hustles at the same time, and they wouldn’t really affect your day-to-day life. If you have a day job then you could still be going to it and your business would still be running silently in the background and making you money.
In this article, we shall be looking at 30 passive income side hustles for working mothers.
30 Passive Income Side Hustles Ideas for Working Moms
1. Invest in real estate crowdfunding
Real estate crowdfunding is a way of funding properties by pooling money from many investors through sites like Fundrise and RealtyMogul. There is little to no learning curve as the platform automatically invests your money in various properties. You can get started with as little as $100.
Once the project is complete, the income it generates will be distributed to investors depending on how much stake they own. Crowdfunding is a great way to get into real estate with a relatively small budget and have everything handled on your behalf. You won’t ever have to worry about managing tenants or repairs.
2. Invest in REITs
You can also invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs) via the stock exchange. These trusts buy and manage real estate projects and then pay investors dividends from the income generated. REITs are fairly easy to buy and sell at any time.
3. Invest in dividend stocks
Dividends are company profits shared with stockholders. They are often paid in cash every quarter. These stocks have a lower risk and can provide passive income as well as capital appreciation. If you’re familiar with the stock market then this can be a way to put your money to work for you.
A dividend index fund is a great option if you aren‘t sure which stocks to invest in. Index funds are invested in a variety of dividend stocks to help minimize the risks. Think of it as not putting all your eggs in one basket.
4. P2P lending
Through P2P lending apps like Prosper and Upstart, you can lend money to people who aren’t eligible for traditional bank loans. You’ll make passive income as people repay the loans with interest (which can sometimes it can be as high as 30%).
Although there is always the possibility of people defaulting, most lending platforms do a great job screening borrowers to minimize the risks.
5. Invest in CD ladders
A CD ladder allows you to invest in several certificates of deposits with delayed maturities to take advantage of high-interest rates offered on long-term CDs, while still keeping your cash accessible in the short term.
6. Invest in bond ladders
Fixed income investments such as bonds pay fixed-rate interest over a time period. Your principal will be returned to you when the bond matures. They are generally safer than stocks, although the interest rates are often lower.
Bond ladders function in the same way as CD ladders. They can be purchased in different maturities and amounts. Once each bond matures, you receive the interest payments. You can also reinvest the funds (if you choose).
It is a good idea to have a number of bonds with different maturity dates so you always have liquid funds. You should ideally keep reinvesting the funds in order to benefit from compounded interest.
7. Help a small business buy inventory
Kickfurther.com is a unique crowdfunding platform that allows you to help a small business buy inventory. The company will specify a rate of return as well as a time frame for selling inventory.
You are basically buying inventory on consignment. The products are yours. You’ll get your share of the profits once they are sold.
Although Kickfurther goes through a rigorous screening process, there is always the possibility of products not being sold. Make sure to do enough research before investing in any business.
8. Invest in a small business
Similar to the previous idea, you could also invest money in small businesses through sites like Mainvest. In exchange for your investment, you’ll get some stake in the business and a percentage of the sales each month.
9. Advertise on your car
This is a fantastic side hustle for working moms because it’s almost completely effortless. All you need to do is sign up on platforms like Carvertise and you’ll get matched with brands doing marketing campaigns in your region.
Once you get admitted, your car then gets wrapped with ad banners, and then you just have to drive around like you normally would. You can make up to $1,500 per campaign, which is not bad for passive income.
10. Rent out your car
If you’re not using your car every day, you can make money by renting it out to other people through Turo, a car rental app. Turo offers liability insurance coverage to car owners of up to $1,000,000.
11. Rent out a room in your home
This one is obviously not for everyone, but if you happen to have some extra rooms in your house and are comfortable living with other people, then you should consider renting them out on Airbnb.
Another great way to make money on Airbnb is through the arbitrage model, where you rent an entire house, furnish it, and then sublease the rooms.
12. Rent out storage space
If you happen to have some unused storage space in your home, whether that’s in your garage, attic, or basement, then you could make a few hundred dollars every month by renting them out through Neighbor.
13. Rent out your parking space
Through apps like Pavemint and CurbFlip, you can rent out your unoccupied parking space if you live in a metropolitan area that has great access to nearby hotspots. The apps allow drivers to reserve their spot and then pay online. Bookings can be made daily, weekly, and monthly.
14. Dropshipping
Dropshipping is an easy and affordable way to get into e-commerce. You don’t have to keep your own inventory; you simply sell products from other people.
For example, you could set up an e-commerce store on Shopify and then list different types of fitness products. Whenever you get an order, you then use the money to buy the item from a cheap supplier like AliExpress, and then ship it directly to the buyer. Dropshipping is one of the most profitable side hustle ideas for moms.
15. Start a blog
If you like writing, then you should definitely consider starting a blog. It’s really easy to set one up using Wix, you don’t need any technical experience.
The only requirement is that you are knowledgeable and passionate about the topics you intend to write about. Also, make sure to do topic research using tools like SEMrush to see exactly how frequently people are searching Google for various terms.
Once your blog starts to get traffic, you’ll make money through ads, affiliate marketing, and even by selling your own products. It’s a great side hustle for working moms because you can write your articles literally any time and from any location.
16. Write an e-book
If you REALLY love writing then perhaps you should self-publish an e-book. Kindle Direct Publishing gives you access to millions of Amazon customers so you won’t have to worry about marketing.
While writing an entire book can be really time-consuming, once it is published, your job is done. It will keep earning you passive income for the rest of your life. There are many authors who make their living through just a handful of e-books that they published years ago.
17. Create an online course
This is another great way to monetize your knowledge and skills. You can use platforms like Teachable to create an online course on almost anything, whether that’s cooking, singing, drawing, etc. The possibilities are endless.
As with e-books, the bulk of the work goes into creating the content, but once it’s uploaded online, there will be no further work required of you. Students will be able to enroll, pay your fees, and access the pre-recorded course through Teachable.
18. Start a YouTube channel
If you’re comfortable in front of a camera, then starting a YouTube channel is definitely a side hustle to consider. The channel can be on virtually anything you want.
You could do make-up tutorials, cooking videos, gym workouts, or even just a vlog of your day-to-day life (if you’re interesting enough). Once you start to rack up views, you’ll be able to make money through ads and sponsorships.
19. Start a podcast
If you love talking, but the idea of YouTube is just too daunting, then you can start a podcast instead. You can record the podcast from anywhere, even in your car.
The only requirements are a quality microphone, a laptop (or even a smartphone), and a podcast hosting service. Podcasts can make money through ads and sponsorships.
20. Buy a website that has traffic
This is a great passive income idea if you can afford to spend a few thousand dollars on a website that has traffic. You can find some great deals on Flippa.
You can monetize your website traffic by selling products and services, promoting other people’s products and making affiliate commissions, or simply just displaying ads through Adsense.
21. Sell digital files
If you are good at creating digital files such as printable wall art, coloring pages, invitations, thank you cards, etc., you can make a decent income by selling them online through sites like Etsy.
You can also hire freelance graphic designers to create the designs and simply focus on selling.
22. Sell stock photos
If you’re one of those people that’s addicted to taking photos of everything, you can make a living as an amateur photographer by selling your images on stock photo websites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Alamy. Every time somebody licenses your photos, you get paid a royalty.
You can literally upload thousands of photos and just sit back and wait for the money to roll it. It’s such a great side hustle work working moms. You don’t need to have any professional equipment. Even just your smartphone camera could do (as long as it’s good quality). Shutterstock is the most popular stock photo website, so you’d probably make the most money on it.
23. Print on Demand
This is a fantastic business idea that uses the drop-shipping model. If you have some graphic design skills (or are willing to outsource the work to freelancers), you can create some custom designs for t-shirts, mugs, smartphone cases, etc.
Whenever you get an order, you use a print-on-demand service like Printify to fulfill the order and even deliver the items to your customers. You don’t need to keep any stock with you. It’s a great side hustle that requires little capital.
24. Affiliate marketing
Do you have a website/blog with decent traffic or a social media page with many followers? If so, then you can make passive income through affiliate marketing. All you need to do is promote various affiliate products to your audience. Whenever someone makes a purchase through your link, you get paid a small commission.
The Amazon Associates Program is one of the most popular affiliate programs. Other popular options include:
- CJ Affiliates
- Clickbank
- ShareASale
25. Domain flipping
Domain names, also known as website addresses, can be purchased at a very low price and then sold at a profit. You can either create your own domain names or purchase an existing one from someone who doesn’t want it.
If you purchase popular domain names, your chances of making decent profits are higher.
Generic domain names are sought by many businesses and they will often pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars. A few years ago the domain “vacationrentals.com” was sold for $35 million.
26. Buy a vending machine
This is a great side hustle that doesn’t require so much upfront capital. You can find a used vending machine for less than $1,000.
As long as you have a good location with decent foot traffic, you can be sure to make passive income by selling snacks and soft drinks. You might need to hire somebody to manage the vending machine and keep it stocked at all times.
27. Create an app using no-code tools
Do you have an app idea that could become the next Uber? You don’t need to have any coding knowledge to start building it, thanks to no-code app-building tools like Adalo. You can also hire a freelancer to build it for you.
Apps usually make money by either charging a subscription fee, charging for downloads or displaying ads.
38. Become a social media influencer
Do you happen to have many followers on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok? If so, then you could become an influencer and charge brands a fee to promote their products on your page.
With as little as 5,000 followers, you can find brands that would pay you a decent amount of money to promote them. Influencer marketing is growing rapidly not only because it helps companies drive sales, but also to build social proof, which is equally as important.
28. Get paid to take surveys
Although you won’t necessarily become rich with this idea, it is a great way to make extra cash by simply answering a few questions. You can get started with the following survey websites:
- Swagbucks
- Survey Junkie
- Inbox Dollars
- Pinecone Research
- MyPoints
Each website will have a different amount of potential earnings. Survey Junkie, for example, pays $1 to $3 per survey, while Swagbucks pays $0.40 to $2 per survey. Inbox Dollars can pay as high as $5 per survey.
29. Credit card rewards
Cashback credit cards allow you to get a percentage back on every purchase you make. If you use your card a lot, you could make hundreds of dollars in cash back, which isn’t bad at all.
30. Get cashback for shopping online
If you’re addicted to buying things online, then you definitely need to sign up on a cashback shopping website like Rakuten.
Rakuten is a shopping platform with many popular vendors, including Macy’s, eBay, and many others. Some vendors offer up to 20% cashback on purchases.
